Badminton: Gowers set to home in

THE WORLD'S oldest tournament, the All-England championships, moves outside London for the first time this week, and for the first time in nine years a home player has a good chance of winning one of the titles, writes James Leigh.

The entry for the singles events, which start today at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, is excellent, with Susan Susanti seeking her fourth women's singles title. The favourite for the men's title is the Indonesian, Ardy Wiranata.

English hopes are high in the mixed doubles, in which Gillian Gowers and Denmark's Michael Sogaard are the second seeds.