Six defending champions are set to return to the Mark Bates Ltd U10-13 National Championships – and there is still time to enter.

The competition is on the weekend of 18-19 April at Kettering Arena – the Saturday will see the Under-11 and Under-13 categories and Sunday the Under-10 and Under-12 events.

While the competition is an open one, meaning anyone who meets the criteria can enter and do not have to be invited, those in the top 16 in the rankings in each age group have a protected space, provided their entries are received on time.

The majority of them have entered, including last year’s Under-10 champions, Stefan Wierszyllowski and Hattie Xiao, who will both defend those titles.

Under-11 champions from last year, Saisuriya Prasanna Kumar and Cindy Xiao, have both stepped up to Under-12s this year, and Under-12 champions Dimitar Dimitrov and Amber Lemmon have also ‘graduated’ to Under-13s.

Lemmon will be defending that Under-13 title as she won two age groups last year, while Dimitrov will be aiming to add the Under-13 title to the Cadet crown he took at the Mark Bates Ltd Cadet & Under-17 Nationals earlier this month.

There are singles competitions for boys and girls in all four age groups, plus boys’ and girls’ doubles at U12 and U13.

Players can only enter one age group singles competition on each day, plus the doubles.

There are still plenty of spaces in the Girls’ Doubles in particular, at both Under-12 and Under-13 levels, so enter now!

The entry deadline is 11.59pm Wednesday 25 March.