John Adderley celebrated his 90th birthday in February but remains one of the most active members of the University of the 3rd Age (u3a) pickleball club in Bramhall, Cheshire.
John has played pickleball outdoors twice a week in all weathers since first discovering the sport almost five years ago. He has loved sport all his life and has participated in football, rugby, table tennis, squash and tennis, which he still plays three times a week next to the pickleball courts at Bramhall Park Tennis Club.
His fellow members of the Bramhall u3a pickleball group celebrated the dawn of his 10th decade at a recent session – and the nonagenarian is planning to continue his pickleball and tennis playing schedule for many years to come.
A former training specialist in the UK and overseas, John says he continues playing “because of the very friendly group of players and because I can still compete and even win – sometimes!”
He adds: “My relatives accept that I am bonkers but they are very happy that I am still mobile.”
David Pechey, the national coordinator for pickleball across the u3a network, told us: “John may be the oldest pickleball player in the whole of u3a – unless somebody else comes along to lay claim to his title! He’s certainly one of the oldest players in the UK.
“Along with his colleagues, John plays in almost all weathers. Only heavy rain or snow and ice prevents him indulging in his weekly exercise regime. He is a great example to everyone who shares the courts with him and far beyond.”
The u3a is a huge volunteer-led network that keeps retired people active and learning. It is made up of around 1,030 groups and charities in towns and cities who organise activities that keep older people mentally, physically and socially active. These range from sport to learning a language, history, photography, walking and wine tasting.
Three years ago, there were 15 pickleball groups across the u3a network; now, there are almost 100. It is the fastest growing sport within u3a and now boasts almost 3,000 players. For context, Pickleball England has 5,000 registered members over 50 years of age and there are an estimated 15,000 players of all ages (including non-members of the governing body) in the country.
I’m afraid we have a lady who can just beat John Adderley – her name is Marion Pritchard and she is a member of the Dartmouth u3a in Devon. She celebrated her 90th birthday in September last year and despite suffering from severe deafness she is a regular member of my u3a (indoor) Sports Group where we play a mixture of badminton, table tennis and pickleball and welcome lesser abled players (some with mobility issues, dementia, MND etc)