DERWENT Table Tennis Club have organised a pre-season invitation tournament at Riccall Regen Centre on Saturday, August 17. Play will start at noon and is expected to finish about 6pm.

The tournament gives a chance for York and Selby area players to test themselves against county standard opposition from the region.

Players will be initially drawn into qualifying groups of mixed standard, followed by a second round of group matches where they will play for final positions against others of similar ability. Each player will have a minimum of eight matches.

Yorkshire first team player Richard Smith (Leeds) is the top seed, but others in the running to win the tournament include county players Steve Horsfield (Sheffield) and Steve Brunskill (Middlesbrough). England-ranked junior Simon Noutch (Leeds), who has been training with the national squad in Saudi Arabian, is another who has a good chance of winning the event.

York and Selby hopes rest on York champion Richard Moss (Poppleton) and Selby champion Mick Wilcockson, who both play for Derwent in the National League.

Other entries include John Stokes (Eggborough), Richard Crowther, Paul Noutch, Jason Parker and James Parker (all York RI); Chris McNeil and Daniel Jenkins (Sherburn); Luke Crowther and Robert Peters (Thorpe Willoughby).

Updated: 12:06 Tuesday, August 13, 2002