Mark Short and Isobel Ashley named top seeds for Sheffield Closed table tennis championships

Five times Sheffield singles champion Mark Short heads the list of seeded competitors entered for the open singles event at the 79th Sheffield closed championships, sponsored by Redtooth.
No 1 in the mens singles, Mark Short. Photo: Ian AndersonNo 1 in the mens singles, Mark Short. Photo: Ian Anderson
No 1 in the mens singles, Mark Short. Photo: Ian Anderson

The Crookes’ veteran, ranked 34th in the England men’s list, will face challenges from a strong field of potential title contenders including seven times champion Stephen Horsfield – seeded second; defending champion Jack Grant (3) and fourth seed Simon Pugh (Stocksbridge). Darren Lindley, Andrew Horsfield, Kin Fung Chan and Tim Denby are seeded in positions five to eight respectively.

Abbeydale’s defending ladies champion Isobel Ashley will once again be pitted against Sarah Short (Vulcan), Judi Walker (Crookes) and newcomer to the event – Zoe Cheesman (Stocksbridge).

Isobel Ashley, top womens seedIsobel Ashley, top womens seed
Isobel Ashley, top womens seed
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Isobel partners club colleague Jake Meikle in the mixed doubles and is handed the No 1 seedslot, followed by Zoe Cheesman and Nick Ryder who are ranked second.

In the men’s doubles, Stephen Horsfield’s partnership with Mark Short hands them the No 1 seeded spot, followed by second ranked Simon Pugh and Darren Lindley.

In the junior singles, Redtooth’s Jake Cutts is predictably rated No 1 , followed by Chun Hang Cho (Abbeydale), Zaigham Mohammed (Redtooth) and Alex Bland (Scorpions).

In 1992, David Rayner lifted the men’s doubles and mixed doubles trophies with Clive Guest and Josette Ryalls respectively. Following an absence of 25 years, the former Saint Albion star is back and seeded second in the super veteran’s category, behind the 2015 champion – Cliff Glaves (Vulcan Redtooth).

The tournament will be hosted by the English Institute for Sport on Sunday 12th March, from 8:35am.