Last weekend saw the Hertfordshire county team competing in its third match – this time with Kent travelling to Batchwood sports centre, near St Albans, for a great day of competition, followed by afternoon tea!
The teams were divided into four brackets: open, 50+, 60+ and 70+, with four women and four men in each. Every player played four gender doubles (with two partners) and four mixed doubles (with two partners), totalling a tremendous 128 games.
“The key features of the format are the coverage of the age range, and the fact that all players have exactly the same opportunity to contribute to the overall result,” says David Stoten of Hertfordshire Pickleball.
The Herts team emerged victorious by 91 games to 37. Their first county match was against Cambridgeshire last year, with their second just three months ago, against Norfolk.
Upcoming fixtures are set to include return matches against their previous opposition, plus taking on Surrey, and they also have several other big events already inked in the calendar: the Tournival in January, a Festival in March, a seniors’ tournament in April, and a mixed doubles tournament in September.
That’s in addition to their inter-club league, now in its third year, with 20 teams across three divisions, including representation from Essex, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire – all testament to the dedication of the volunteers on the committee.
