Rose Rainton, seven times the Sussex champion and the present holder will bid for her record-breaking eighth crown at the Sussex Championships on January 4.

There is still a mystery as to why she is constantly ranked No. 2 on the Sussex list behind her great rival, Horsham's Sally Weston.

Rainton struck her best top-spin form at the Stratford-on-Avon Grand Prix last weekend when she won the women's Band 1 trophy.

Among her victims were two players who have beaten her in the past - Angie Bristow (Kent) and, in the final, Welsh international Sian Davies who was beaten 11-8, 11-7, 11-8.

Meanwhile, Adrian Moore will seek his ninth men's singles title at Fontwell next month.

Bill Goldfinch, president of the Sussex Association for the past ten years, has resigned because of family illness.