Horsham have signed Sussex Open veteran champion Ian Girdler for their British League premier division championship-chasing team.

He will make his debut on Sunday at home to Reading.

Girdler, from Surrey, has just reached the veterans ranks after turning 40.

He is an attacking player who could do well in the No.4 spot for Horsham.

Ritchie Venner and Laurence Trumpauskas will lead the Horsham attack and Adrian Moore returns after recovering from a foot injury.

Girdler's potential power was revealed at Hastings when he defeated Nigel Eckersley last October at the Sussex Open Grand Prix.

Venner's claim that the English Table Tennis Association over-charge English players to play in the Open World Grand Prix at Chatham have been dismissed by Harvey Webb, events manager for the ETTA based at Hastings.

Webb said: "Players cannot expect nominal fees when they are given the chance to play against world-class foreign opposition in the qualifying rounds. England are the only country allowing extra players to participate in Grand Prix events in their own country.

"We have to book an extra day to accommodate what is now a huge entry of over 300 players and extra umpires cost £50 a day. Venner is only an hour away at Crawley, so he would have no accommodation costs and minimal travelling money to fork out."

Webb added: "The suggestion that we charge English players heavily to subsidise the cost of hosting the foreign players is entirely without foundation."

PAUL Barry and Rose Rainton have lifted the Hastings singles' titles while Stuart Hobden and Teresa Bennett triumphed at the Eastbourne championships.