Bradford’s Jermaine Manners returned to the top of English racketlon by winning the national championship for the third year in a row.

Manners, who had been out of action since November through injury, was also reinstated as England’s No 1 and is now ranked six in the world.

Racketlon consists of four elements – table tennis, badminton, squash and tennis, all played back to back.

However, such was the return to form of Manners that he was never taken to the final tennis stage in any round at the event in Surrey, instead defeating each of his opponents by the end of the squash section of each contest.

The final against Ed Batson proved to be a fast and furious contest, with Batson playing some extremely good badminton and enduring some energy-sapping rallies in squash.

But Manners’ fitness came to the fore and helped him retain the title.

He now has set his sights on regaining the No 2 world ranking spot he held 12 months ago.