New rules may Holt Andrea's Games hopes

The former British number one, who was at the top of her sport for ten years, became somewhat disillusioned with the sport because of the lack of funding a couple of years ago.

The 31-year-old, who was born in Ramsbottom, retired and had taken up golf but would now like to launch a last assault to make the Commonwealth Games in Manchester.

It would be her fifth Games - she has won three silver and one bronze in her last four - but this was when table tennis had their own Commonwealth Games. It is the first time the sport has been included in the full Games.

"It would give table tennis a lot more publicity but I don't know if I will be able to compete!" she moaned.

Andrea hasn't been part of the England set-up for the last two years and, because of this, she thinks it is unlikely she will be selected but she hopes she can sneak in the back door by winning the National Championships.

These will be held in March at Sheffield.

"I still think I can win things in England and I am as good as the top players today despite having two years off," said Andrea. "The standard is nowhere near as good now as when I was competing at the top level.

"The girl who is number one at the moment has not been inside the top 100 in the world, but when I was competing for England our top girls were regularly in the top 40 or 50.

"I go into the nationals with nothing to lose.

"I will go out and just play and if I win it, it might put a bit of pressure on for me to be selected. I would like to think it would force their hand.

"But I don't think I fit in with their current criteria so I am not sure what will happen.

"I would obviously love to compete in the Games, especially as it is in Manchester, but we will have to wait and see.

"You would though think the player who wins the Nationals would get into the Games."

The English Table Tennis Association Performance Director, Soren Ahlen, can select five women singles players for the games.

There is a criteria laid down for the players:

They have to have fulfilled the agreed criteria as regard training and competition as instructed by the Performance Director

They have to have had the correct behaviour and attitude for an England squad player

They have to have been involved in the England team set up since January 2001.

The three top players with the best international results and who meet these three demands, will be selected as well as one at the discretion of the Performance Director.

The other player selected will be the one who wins the National Championships - and this is where Andrea could get her chance.

"To be honest, I am very very surprised that Andrea wants to compete in the Commonwealth Games as most players retire and then do not make a comeback or struggle to make a comeback," said the Swedish Performance Director.

"She has shown her interest late as she hasn't been on the Commonwealth Games programme.

"She was a very good player but unfortunately she doesn't meet the criteria which has been laid down and which I have to use to choose who will compete at the Games.

"I have to use these as it can create problems with other players. It is difficult.

"But saying that if Andrea wins the Nationals then you can never say never. It is not impossible and I might have to take a look at the situation and see if we can do anything."

The highest position Andrea achieved in the world was number 55 before she decided to pack in.

"I had just had enough. My lottery grant has been cut and I was frustrated so I decided to take a break.

"It's a sport dominated by the Chinese and the Communist countries so they are always in the top 20. It is difficult to get in the top 20 in the world and that was one of my complaints.

"The criteria to get the maximum lottery funding for table tennis in England is to be in the world's top 20 -- it is almost an impossiblity.

"So I decided to take time out and I hope now I will come back fresher and stronger."

She has set her sights on coaching in the future - she is currently doing some training at Barden High School in Burnley twice a week.

"I really enjoy that and coaching is something I would like to go into."

Ahlen is keen to use the best players to coach and Andrea will join him in Nottingham at the national centre.

"I think we can learn a lot from the former top players and we can use their knowledge.

"Andrea is coming to come to us as a practise partner and I am really pleased about that. It is a good opportunity for her to get into coaching and to get paid some money and that should help her situation.

"It is a good step for her if she wants to be a coach in the future."

Andrea at the moment though is just thinking about the next few months as a player before she quits completely to coach.

"It is all up in the air at the moment. I still feel as good as the current players and I want to prove it in the Nationals and will take it from there.

"I might carry on competing in the Nationals in years to come but it is probably my last shot at the big time in terms of Commonwealth Games."