BOLTON'S former British table tennis champion Andrea Holt is planning to make a comeback for the Commonwealth Games.

The 31-year-old who topped the national rankings for 10 years retired from the sport two years ago but is aiming to fly the flag for her country next summer.

Andrea, who honed her skills in the Bolton and Bury leagues before going on to take the national scene by storm, has asked the authorities to consider her for the Games in Manchester and hopes that a good performance in the English national championships next March could be decisive.

Andrea, who was born in Ramsbottom and now lives in Radcliffe, enjoyed a glorious career in the sport. She shared the top three places in the Great Britain rankings with Alison Gordon and Lisa Lomas for the best part of a decade and had a jet-set lifestyle, flying all around the world to fulfil a breathless schedule of tournaments.

With both Alison and Lisa also having retired to bring up their young families the standard of women's table tennis has slumped dramatically and, even after being out of the game for two years, Andrea will still be by far England's best hope of a medal.

She gave up competition because she could no longer afford to be a full time professional player on the £2,500 grant offered to top players at the time and she took up coaching.

The prospect of taking part in the Commonwealth Games in her home city has inspired her to make a comeback and add to the bronze and silver medals she has won in previous Commonwealth Games.

She said: "I would love to play in the Games if I'm allowed and I have approached the performance director to find out what the criteria is to play.

"I have not played any tournaments for a couple of years which could count against me but if I do well in the national championships in March it could be enough to earn me a place.

"In previous years the table tennis competition in the Commonwealth Games has not been held at the same time as the rest of the Games so this is the first time it is actually going to be a part of the main Games and it would be fantastic to be a part of it.

"The standard of women's table tennis - and men's - is far inferior than it was a few years ago. When I was competing the top three ladies were all ranked in the top 40 and 50 in the world whereas the top woman now is not in the top 100 in the world.

"In comparison the standard of competition in the Commonwealth Games has improved because a number of Chinese girls now represent countries who will be competing in the Games."