A TRIO of Dorset players are off to major championships this weekend (Oct 30/31) and are all seeded in their competitions.

Junior Irena Critchley (Talbot Heath) will compete in the under-17s British Champion-ships in Hertfordshire.

The 15-year-old, who is currently ranked 12 in her age group in England, is seeded 9-16. Her first round opponent is Oxford's Katherine Quartermain who is ranked nine at under-15 level.

Critchley is then destined to meet second seed Deon Saffrey (England number three) who is playing her last tournament at this age level.

Weymouth's new number one Gary Clarke, meanwhile, competes in the Harris British Open and is seeded 5-8 in the over-35s at Nottingham.

He is on course to meet second seed Rohit Thawani (India) in the quarter-finals.

Ex-Dorset champion and English international Martin Greenslade (South Dorset) will play in the over-40s age group, in which he was losing finalist last year.

Greenslade is seeded 3-4 and will open his campaign against either Peter Lonsdale or Mohammed Quadri and is seeded to play 5-8 seed Greg Pearman (Surrey) in the quarter-finals.

The diminutive Greenslade has never played the 6ft 6in tall Pearman but they both represented England at over-35 level in the same team, so the local man is familiar with the Surrey man's game.

If successful, Greenslade should meet second seed Jonathan Clark (Cheshire) in the semi-final for the chance of a second appearance in the final where top seed and reigning champion Fredrik Johnson (Sweden) is expected to feature.

l Dorset's under-17 mixed team played their first matches in the South West Counties Championships and returned home with a creditable 35 points.

In their opening match, the local juniors faced reigning champions Devon and found them too strong at the top of the order.

Dorset's first three Nick James (Jersey), Darren Long and Lee Biles (both Weymouth) lost in straight sets but the fourth and fifth seeds put on an impressive performance, Jon Courtaux (Dorchester) and Bournemouth Sports Club's Luke James each won in three with James not conceding a point.

The final match score was 19-11 to Devon.

Against Cornwall, Dorset won 24-9 with victories from Long, Biles, Courtaux and Bourne-mouth's James, who again did not drop a game.

The results leave Dorset second in the table behind Devon but ahead of Avon and Cornwall. Also competing in the league are Wiltshire and Gloucester.

Dorset League results, Division One: South Dorset I beat David Lloyd Bournemouth I 20-3; West Hants I beat Weymouth I 18-7; David Lloyd Bournemouth II beat Canford I

17-4; West Hants II beat Riversmeet I 20-3.

Division Two: Bournemouth Sports I beat JP Blandford II 18-7; Ferndown I beat Milford I 16-8; Purbeck I beat Riversmeet II 14-10.

Division Three: Weymouth II beat West Hants III 14-10; Ferndown II beat Bridport I 16-7; Flight Ref II beat Port Regis I 17-6.

Division Four: David Lloyd Bournemouth III beat David Lloyd Ringwood I 18-9; West Hants IV beat Milford II 17-11; Riversmeet III beat Purbeck II 16-9; Weymouth III beat Canford II 17-5.

Division Five: Weymouth IV beat Bridport II 16-10; Hamworthy II beat Dorchester II 17-5; Riversmeet IV beat Bournemouth Sports II 19-10.

Division Six: David Lloyd Ringwood II beat South Dorset V 15-10; Weymouth V beat JP Blandford IV 17-9; South Dorset V beat Riversmeet B 20-0.

Division Seven: David Lloyd Bournemouth V beat Dorchester III 15-6; David Lloyd Bournemouth VI beat South Dorset VI 19-3; Bournemouth Sports III beat Ferndown IV 17-9; Haymoor I beat Ferndown V 17-4.

Ladies league: Ferndown A beat Weymouth B 17-1; Purbeck B beat Weymouth B 14-4; David Lloyd Bournemouth A beat Dorchester A 13-6; South Dorset A beat David Lloyd

Bournemouth B 15-4.

Racketball league: West Hants I beat David Lloyd Bournemouth I 14-8.