Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are set to do battle at the inaugural Celtic Clubs Pickleball Challenge in Glasgow.
The triangular international will take place at the city’s Donald Dewar Sports Centre over the weekend of 1-3 March and features three specially-invited clubs – Lisburn (representing Northern Ireland), Anglesey (Wales) and a joint team from Drumchapel and Bearsden & Milngavie clubs representing the hosts Scotland.
Lisburn (captained by Stephanie Lynas) and the joint Scottish team are both bringing 30 players while Anglesey (led by Kath Knowles) have entered a team of 18. It will be a graded event so players will be matched with opponents of a similar standard. Each match will comprise of two men’s and ladies’ doubles ties and three mixed. The winners will have the honour of lifting the coveted Challenge Trophy.
The event is being organised by Anne Smillie, the former chief executive of Badminton Scotland who is now a member of both Drumchapel and Bearsden & Milngavie pickleball clubs.
She told Pickleball52: “It’s going to be a friendly tournament with the emphasis on fun. There will be a dinner and party on the Saturday night. There will be a lot of pickleball, but most importantly a lot of camaraderie and getting to know new people and forming new friendships.”
After some free play on the Friday night to loosen up, the triangular tournament at Donald Dewar Sports Centre takes place the morning of Saturday 2 March. Players from all four participating clubs will then take part in a festival at Allander Sports Centre in the afternoon and all day on the Sunday.
If the event goes well, Anne says she would consider extending the invitation to England in 2025 and rebranding the tournament as a Four Nations.
With her huge experience in badminton (she was recognised as the longest-serving CEO in British sport on her retirement in 2018), Anne is well placed to compare it with pickleball as the sport continues to grow at grassroots level.
She said: “Pickleball is such a wonderful addictive sport that’s both fun and achievable for all ages and stages. It’s the perfect way into racket sports and it’s so much easier to learn than tennis, badminton or table tennis. The sport has without doubt exploded in America and I am confident that this will happen very soon in Scotland because it’s so much more accessible that many other sports.
“Pickleball is growing at a tremendous pace in Scotland. Local authorities are realising that courts in community centres, which just weren’t used during the day, are now getting well used by pickleball players. The centres are delighted because it’s bringing in much needed revenue.
“It is giving many couch potatoes a new purpose – and in many cases, it changes people’s lives.”
