A Salisbury couple have won silver at a national pickleball tournament.
Albert and Cathy Ball represented the city in the 2024 Skechers English Nationals championships in Bolton.
The couple, who are partners on and off the court, competed in the Mixed Doubles 3.5 60+ category, narrowly missing out on gold to Janet Black and Chris Wilson.
The tournament, where they competed on Sunday, November 3, will be remembered fondly by the pair.
Albert said: "We both started at the same time and it's been 2 and a half years since we started playing. We first saw the sport in Canada where our daughter lives and we liked the look of it so we thought to try it when we got back to England.
"It's great to get a medal. There are more people in the competition because they've expanded the age group.
"It was a 60+ age group and we're in our late sixties so we were playing some youngsters but it's good to get a medal. With pickleball, because there are older people who play it there's a friendly nature to it.
"You can just turn up and talk to people and it's really nice. There's a friendliness to the competition and I don't think I've ever seen it get out of hand.
"Sport is so important and we've always played sport. With pickleball, we've played people in their 20s and can still play against them.
"You can't do that in any other sport.
"It's great to have such a serious and well-run competition. I like that you can have some serious competition."
Cathy added: "To play three close games like those in the final was brilliant. It was really great pickleball."
Pickleball, a sport played with paddles and a perforated plastic ball, is growing rapidly in popularity across England.
Originally invented in 1965 as a children's backyard game in the United States, it is now played by people of all ages.
The 2024 Skechers English Nationals took place at Bolton Arena from Thursday, October 31, to Sunday, November 3.
The event saw a record number of 1,111 pickleball players competing over four days. The Balls' performance has brought attention to Salisbury's presence in this expanding sport.
Pickleball England has announced a record number of over 1,000 players competing at the 2024 Skechers English Nationals. The tournament takes place from October 31 - November 3 at Bolton Arena and is the second largest national pickleball event. For more information, visit www.pickleballengland.org
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