Pickleball national open tournament at Telford Bolton winners

The sport – a hybrid of tennis, badminton and table tennis – counts Kim Kardashian, Leonardo DiCaprio and George Clooney among its many fans and has crossed the Atlantic to sweep through the UK.

The North-west has particularly embraced it, largely thanks to former Bolton badminton player Elaine Shallcross who is the sport’s regional organizer.

And local clubs based at the Bolton Arena, Markland Hill Racquets Club, Bolton St Catherine’s Academy and Leigh Sports Village have boosted numbers dramatically with regular sessions.

Nisha Raja

As Dave Saunders, chairman at Markland Hill Racquets Club explained: “Pickleball has really taken off here.

“We’ve increased membership by 10 per cent and gone from using two courts on certain days to having around 100 people playing each week and filling courts.“

At the English Open Pickleball Tournament there were 1,054 players taking part from 37 countries playing on 40 courts - making it the biggest Pickleball tournament outside North America.

North-west players took a total of 30 medals.

This included Bolton medal-winners Tracy Walker, Sarah Bleakley, Janet Leatham, Nisha Raja, Karen Minnitt, Jane Phillips, Bill Ault, Malcolm Kirkbride, Geoff Everitt, Matt Brindle, Andy Kersh and Robert Rosenfield.

Commented Elaine Shallcross: “This was an amazing tournament, particularly for North-west players. I was thrilled with the participation and success from our region.

“This just shows how the game has grown in importance and standard and it was amazing to watch.

Tracy Walker and Robert Rosenfield

“Now, we are all looking forward to being back at the Bolton Arena on October 26 – 29 for the English National championships.”

For more information about Pickleball go to pickleballengland.org