Scott Mayo will be back at the Premier Pickleball League for Season 4, joining Dinking Partners in the Challenger division.
Last time round, he was with Pickleb – but either way, he’s delighted to be part of the competition.
“I’m buzzing to get picked again for my second season,” he tells Pickleball 52. “It’s always exciting the way that they draft it.”
He adds that he was keeping a close eye on the PPL social accounts to watch the draft unfold – and felt both relief and happiness when he saw that he’d been picked. This year, there are more teams and more players involved than ever before.
“It’s fantastic to see more teams, which means more players get an opportunity to participate as well,” he says.
“You know that you’re going to get a really tough match, no matter what, when you go and play in the PPL.
“We’ve got greater exposure for more players in the UK, which means that the standard’s only inevitably going to get better – and from a selfish perspective, we’ve got more Welsh players now in it too, so the country will benefit.”
Scott captained Wales at last year’s European Championships, a highlight in what was a packed 2025 schedule, and working to improve pickleball in his country is one of his long-term aims. His 2026 timetable has been less hectic – and still successful.
At the Welsh Nationals in April, he won silver in the men’s singles, behind Ben Stuchbury, silver in the men’s doubles with Mark Johnson, and silver in the mixed doubles with Tracey Hockin. He’s enjoying success elsewhere too.
“I’ve entered three [Pickleb] tournaments this year and I’ve come away with a bronze, gold and gold, so my formula seems to be working in that sense. I’m playing less and coaching a lot more – that’s where my focus is at the minute, but still with that balance of myself looking to improve first and foremost, and then link that to the people I coach then too.
“So for 2026 I’ve got the English Open, the Welsh Open, and then obviously the PPL. I’ve enjoyed my tournament pickleball so much more through playing less and then going with a bit more intensity.
“I was a little bit disappointed to come away with three silvers in the [Welsh] Nationals – so three golds the year before, [and] three finals this year and three losses is always a bit tough to take. Getting some gold in the Welsh Open this year would be a nice goal.”
