CHRIS SIMPSON will have to beat a former winner if he is to progress beyond the first round of the National Squash Championships today. The 19-year-old Sarnian, who is seeded 14 for the event at the National Squash Centre at Sportcity in Manchester, has been drawn against veteran Stephen Meads in his opening tie.

The man from Berkshire was crowned champion in 1995 and a year later peaked at number 12 in the world rankings.

Despite now being 36 years old, Meads is renowned as being evergreen and is expected to provide Simpson with a tough test when they meet at 6pm.

The winner is seeded to meet number four Adrian Grant in the second round tomorrow.

Number-one seed and tournament favourite is James Willstrop, with reigning champion Nick Matthew unable to defend his title due to an ankle injury.

Last year Simpson came through qualifying to reach the main draw before losing in four sets to Daryl Selby, who was then seeded 16 but has moved up to 10 for this event.

To give an indication of what Simpson will be up against this evening, Meads met Selby in December in the Premier League and took him to five sets before losing 9-6 in the decider.