BADMINTON England has received a record entry for the English National Championships at The Velodrome in SportCity, Manchester, just over a week from now.

All five events were oversubscribed as players from nearly 30 counties bid for success from February 1-3 in these fifth Championships to be staged at The Velodrome.

And the entry is top quality with even former European silver medallists Nathan Robertson and Anthony Clark re-forming their men's doubles partnership in a bid to win their fourth men's doubles titles together. Clark (Notts) has won the men's doubles six times and Robertson (Notts) five times.

Veteran star Simon Archer (Worcs), the Sydney 2000 Olympic mixed doubles bronze medallist, has won the men's doubles eight times - and he is back for another challenge with 1991 men's doubles champion Nick Ponting (Gloucs).

And there will be chance to see some of England's new doubles hopes, particularly Robin Middleton (Yorkshire) and Robert Adcock (Notts), as well as England's new No 1 pair of David Lindley (Notts) and Rober Blair (Leics). Blair won the title the last two years with Clark five months after winning the silver medal at the 2006 World Championships in Madrid – and Lindley was on the opposite side of the net in the final.

Two former champions will contest the men's singles in the shape of Aamir Ghaffar (Middx), who won the title two years in a row when it first moved to Manchester, and Mark Constable (ex-Warks, now Jersey), the 2002 winner.

But there is a golden opportunity for emerging young stars like Rajiv Ouseph (Middx) and Nathan Rice (Bucks) to lift the title, especially in the absence of Malaysia-based England No 1 Andrew Smith (Hants), and two-time champion Nick Kidd (Avon), who is yet to reach full fitness after a wrist operation and is also based in Malaysia. Rice was runner-up last year after beating Ouseph in the semi-finals.

The women's singles will be dominated by Commonwealth and double National champion Tracey Hallam (Staffs) and another two-time winner in Jersey star Elizabeth Cann (Middx), the defending champion. Three-times runner-up Jill Pittard (Warks) and former England international Rebecca Pantaney (Gloucs), twice a runner-up, will also be in contention.

European champions Gail Emms (Herts) and Donna Kellogg (Derby) will start favourites to retain their women's doubles title with Joanne Nicholas (Lancs) and Natalie Munt (Herts) and the young pair of Mariana Agathangelou (Avon) and Gabby White (Yorks) among the main contenders.

Nicholas and Munt took Emms and Kellogg to three games in the Malaysia Open last week. Emms has won the women's doubles title six times and Kellogg has lifted it five, including one as far back as 1998 with Joanne Goode (Herts). Emms is also chasing her seventh mixed title and her fifth with Nathan Robertson after the Olympic silver medallists and Commonwealth champions lost the crown last year to friends and rivals Clark and Kellogg. It was their first defeat by their England rivals, who were runners-up to Robertson and Emms at the 2006 World Championships.

Archer, whose six titles in mixed include one each with Emms and Kellogg, will be back for another bid in partnership with Sarah Bok (Yorks).

But the mixed also offers the chance to see some emerging young stars, particularly World Junior silver medallists Chris Adcock (Notts)and Gabby White (Yorks). The youngsters come to Manchester fresh from their first taste of World Super Series badminton after competing in last week's Malaysia and this week's Korean Open.