Derwent Table Tennis Club start their new British League campaign when both their teams visit Accrington at the weekend.

The club's first team will be competing in division one north following relegation from the premier division last season.

Derwent will be without their top-ranked player Andrew Horsfield, who is on holiday, but the rest of the squad are all fit and available.

The likely line-up is Simon Noutch, Richard Smith, Steve Horsfield and Richard Moss with York champion Moss promoted from last season's second team.

They will start with an opening match on Saturday against newly promoted East Midlands outfit Sycamore TTC.

This will be followed with a battle against the strong Halton Croda side.

Sunday will see Derwent face one of the promotion favourites in Grantham, followed by a Yorkshire derby against B D Fastbats, a club formed by the amalgamation of Dewsbury and Bradford clubs.

A new-look Derwent second team, who will be competing in division three north, have named an inexperienced squad which contains four players who will be making their debuts at this level. The only player with British League experience is club chairman Mick Wilcockson and his knowledge and expertise will be vital if the team are going to survive.

Two well-known senior players who will be getting the chance to test their skills at this level for the first time are John Wooldridge, who represents Bootham in the York League, and Richard Crowther of York Railway Institute. The squad will be made up of two promising 14-year-olds from the club's academy - Stephen Robinson and James Parker.

The club have several young players with a lot of potential who should be pushing for places in the squad in the coming seasons. It is hoped Robinson and Parker pave the way for others to follow and help the club grow.

On Saturday, Derwent 2nds first face Grimsby followed by Elgre Nottingham. On Sunday, they will face Seasiders Blackpool and Northfield Billingham for what promises to be an interesting weekend.

A squad from Derwent's academy will also be visiting Accrington on September 12 to compete in one of the Stiga Grand Prix Junior Tournaments.

The Derwent squad will comprise Stephen Robinson, James Parker, Richard Church, Tom Weeden, James Plowman, Nathan Horsley and Jonathan Soanes.

Updated: 10:58 Wednesday, September 01, 2004