Two pickleball clubs in Scotland were glad to welcome a visiting international recently – Malta’s Victor Sciberras.
He was in the country for six days, stopping off in Glasgow, where he visited Easterhouse Phoenix, and Inverness, where he visited the Royal Academy.
“Primarily my reason to visit Scotland was to see a friend and then I decided to see what opportunities there would be to play some pickleball as well,” he tells Pickleball 52, “and lucky enough, it worked out nicely.”
Victor is originally from Australia, and has been living in Malta for almost nine years. His pickleball journey began two and a half years ago when he was unable to play tennis due to injury and his cousin suggested he try pickleball instead.
“I was hooked from the first shot,” he says.
He met with Steffi Pace from Malta Pickleball soon afterwards, and his career has gone from strength to strength – hence wanting to play even on holiday.
“Pickleball in the UK and Europe is still developing and has a fair way to catch up to the US, though there is definitely momentum, though for me, when I am travelling on holiday, it is not so much about the standard of pickleball that I come across but more about the level of enthusiasm and sense of community amongst the players and the clubs,” he explains.
“In Glasgow there were only a handful of players at the time that I was there. However, it was really good fun and the players were really keen about the sport and played well. I enjoyed it a lot.
“In Inverness, I arrived early to my planned session and ended up playing two sessions back to back. The organisers were happy to include me even though I was not expected until later and I was active straight away. The first session was known as the ‘competitive’ session and the second session was known as the ‘social’ session. Again, it did not bother me the level of either session; both sessions were social and both tested different parts of my game.
“It felt like everyone in both sessions had a good time and for me that is what pickleball is all about. Both clubs in Glasgow and Inverness were very welcoming and I would like to go back to both clubs if I visit Scotland again.”
And in the meantime, Victor will be continuing to play as much pickleball as he can.
“What I love most about the sport is that it is easy for anybody of any age to learn how to play in a short amount of time, and you have fun every time you play,” he says.
“The ball is light so there is very little chance of injury and you don’t have to be super fit to play. The fact that you play on a smaller court makes it more social which also increases the fun factor.
“It is a rare sport that can be competitive, challenging and heaps of fun all at once, making it quite addictive. I can see myself playing for a long time to come.”
Really nuce guy, we’d love to see him back again.