MARTYN SEKJER has been given the chance to resuscitate his international career.

The Sports Centre bowler, who carried off the national outdoor singles Championship by a record margin last summer, has been chosen to play in the England trial at the New Lount club, Leicestershire, on Sunday, May 25.

Sekjer, who enjoyed such a marvellous first season as a Hampshire outdoor bowler last year, is at number three in a star-studded rink completed by current internationals John Ottaway and Mervyn King (both Norfolk) and Cumbrian skip Steve Farish.

Ottaway is a triple winner of the EBA singles while King is a former British Isles indoor singles champion and Farish won silver alongside Hampshire's Dean Morgan in the Common-wealth Games pairs last summer. They face a rink skipped by Devon's pride and joy Ian Bond.

Ottaway, King and Farish played as a rink last summer with Wiltshire's Graham Shadwell but even though England won the British Isles International Series with three wins out of three, that foursome did not perform consistently gaining a superb 30-7 victory over Scotland but drawing against Ireland and losing 27-16 to Wales.

The selectors may be looking to strengthen and they see Sekjer as the man to do it seven years after he last played for England during his days in Kent. Sekjer made his international debut outdoors in 1985 and also represented England indoors from 1981 until 1991.

The only other Hampshire man in the trial is England regular Morgan who leads for Greg Moon (Oxfordshire), Grant Burgess (Worcestershire) and Devon skip Danny Denison.

Sekjer's efforts for Sports Centre made him an instant success for the Southampton club in 2002 when he helped them win the London and Southern Counties Shield and the Southampton and District BA Championship.

Besides trying to retain his national singles crown this year he has also accepted an all-expenses-paid invitation to play in the first World Champion of Champions tournament in Melbourne during September, as The Echo reported in December.

Paul May, who played for England last season, has been chosen as a skip for the under-25 trial at the same Leicestershire venue on May 24.

Morgan has been named as well for the EBA Centenary Test Series which takes place from July 30-August 10 at Torquay, Plymouth, Leamington Spa and Gateshead with the final stages at Worthing.

He will play alongside Farish, King, Ottaway, Robert Newman of Berkshire and Derbyshire's Simon Skelton.

Hampshire's chances of taking the Greengauge English Indoor BA triples' title vanished with the 14-12 second-round defeat of East Dorset at Melton Mowbray.

Dean Morgan, Russell Morgan and Martyn Sekjer, representing the Christchurch club, came from 14-12 down with a winning sequence of five ends to beat Darlington 22-14 in the opening round.

They began their next match by holding a 6-3 lead at six ends but they lost four ends on the trot to fall 10-6 behind as Herts from Watford took control.

Exonia (Ian Bond) defeated City of Ely (Greg Harlow) 19-17 in the fours final.