The seventy third renewal of the Public Schools Old Boys Doubles Championship for the Noel Bruce Cup promises to be one of the most interesting for some time.

The winners for the last two years, Tim Cockroft and Toby Sawrey-Cookson of Wellington have, somewhat controversially, been seeded two behind the Open Doubles Winners of the last two years Alister Robinson and Guy Barker.

When Cockroft and Sawrey-Cookson last met Robinson and Barker, which was in the semi finals of this competition in 2001, they won by four games to one 6/15,18/15,15/5,18/16,15/11.

The third seeds are Harrow, represented by Harry Foster and Charlie Danby. They have been runners up to Wellington in the last two finals, the last time losing in straight games. This time they are seeded to meet in the semi finals. In spite of their previous two defeats Harrow must still be in with a chance of reaching their third consecutive final.

The fourth seeds provide one of surprise packages of the competition, with Guy Smith-Bingham teaming up for the first time with Mark Hue Williams as Eton 1. Seeded to meet Marlborough in the semi final round they are an unknown quantity but potentially as strong as any pairing in the competition if they combine effectively.

Hue Williams, who has won this competition with Willie Boone, is using the Noel Bruce for doubles practice before the World Championship defence in November and the same is true of his partner World Champion James Male.

Male has also won the Noel Bruce before, with Julian Snow, and this time partners Mark Silcock and these two will give Harrow a good workout in the semi finals.