Visiting American duo David Spearman and Michael McMahon were able to overpower their opponents at the Skechers English Open on their way to gold in the men’s 55+ doubles.
The PPA Masters professionals were too much for Tom Holliger and Juan Carlos Hintze Martinez in the final as they swept their way to an 11-1 11-6 victory at the Telford International Centre.
It was actually the first time 60-year-old Spearman, from Atlanta, and 67-year-old McMahon, from Dallas, had ever teamed up together, but getting to know each other’s games over the last two years allowed them to gel effortlessly on the court.
It was also the first time they had played in England, meaning they knew next to nothing about their opponents in the competition, although they found an effective way to adapt.
Spearman said: “We had power, whether that was the serve or on drives, everything on court is probably sped up from what they’re used to.
“I found that throughout the day in the matches we played that we were able to get people on their heels and backing up, and they’re simply not used to it, so we were pressing as much as we could.”
McMahon said: “There’s always a little anxiety not knowing who you’re playing, whereas we know everyone we play on the Tour.
“But David is one of the hardest-hitting players in the Masters, so you’ve got to be ready to react.
“I feel like I’m playing mixed doubles with him where I take a back seat and allow him to hit more forehands and put people under pressure.”
The 2024 English Open was the largest pickleball event to take place outside of North America, with a record number of almost 2,000 players from 42 countries participating.
Over 30,000 people around the United Kingdom now play the sport and there are over 700 places in which to play, with pickleball displaying an exponential growth in recent years.
On how he enjoyed his first English Open experience, Spearman said: “Everything stayed pretty much in line – I think we got about 30 minutes behind and that was about it.
“I think we finished up on time and I like that a lot because one of the things we run into is things go long [into the day] and I thought the level was better than I was expecting.
“I really didn’t know what to expect but my thought was it was going to be easier, but I thought pretty much every match we had was against strong players. Nothing was easy.”
McMahon added: “The people were very friendly, the organisers made sure that we were happy if we needed anything. Normally we have to rent a car and it’s more hassle, but this is really nice because everything – restaurants, hotels – is all right here.”
Pickleball England announced a record number of players competing at this year’s English OPEN from the 8th-14th August at the Telford International Centre in the largest pickleball event ever to take place outside of the USA. Visit pickleballengland.org
