Malaysia here we come

THE island's two representatives at next week's annual world under-25 indoor championships in Kuala Lumpur have each been dealt a tough individual draw. Lianna Bichard and Dan de la Mare have drawn the England and Scotland representatives in the round-robin qualifying stage.

'It looks for both of us it is a pretty tough draw,' admitted de la Mare, 21.

England's defending champion Jamie Chestney is one of de la Mare's rivals, along with the talented Scot, Ian McLean, Irishman Barry Kain and Malaysian Hizle Rais.

Bichard, 22 next week, faces England's Annalisa Bellamy, Ireland's Ashley Rainey, Wales' Hannah Smith and Shafeeqah Yahya of the host country.

It will be Bichard's fifth appearance in the competition. She reached the semi-finals last time around and is glad to be playing away from the gaze of a CI crowd.

'It's nice not to be at home because of the added pressure of playing in your own stadium,' said the gold medallist in the recent 'alternative games' at Hougue du Pommier.

'I'm looking forward to it and I'm sure it will be a great experience,' said the player who had better news when it came to the draw for the mixed singles.

'I've landed on my feet,' she said after hearing that she will partner England star Chestney.

De la Mare plays with one of the Scottish representatives in the mixed but is simply looking forward to the experience of a big tournament in a different environment.

'It's always nice to go away and play on a different carpet. The main objective is to get there and get settled to the speed of the carpet.'

The players leave the island on Saturday and arrive in Malaysia the following day. The championships run from Wednesday for five days.