Some of the premier handball players in the Midwest will participate in the Bob Symon Memorial Handball Tournament at the St. Joseph YMCA handball courts Jan. 4-6.

The revival of the annual tournament was announced Saturday by Jon Symon, the son of the late St. Joseph handball devotee.

There will be four sections of play, with the top prize of $600 going to the opens singles champion and $300 for second place. In open doubles, there is a $300 first prize and $150 for second place. The winner of the contenders singles section receives $100, and there is also a contenders doubles competition.

Jon Symon, who will participate in the event, has been recruiting some of the top handballers in the Midwest. The best local player will probably be St. Joseph native Mike Gardner.

Gardner, who now resides in Tucson, Ariz., is the former Missouri state champion, a former Big 8 and NCAA titlest, and is currently ranked in the top 15 in the nation.

Other local entries include Howard Miller, the present city champion, John Anderson, Jim Roth, Bob Housch, William Rosenthal, Dr. Harvey Ryder, Tim Warren, Dr. Phillip Lipira, Carl Lawhon, Bill Hurley and Spud Hunt.

The deadline for entries is December 17.