Harry Feast enjoyed some impressive success at the English Nationals in 2023, winning gold in the men’s 4.0 singles.
This year, though, as last year, the format is different – with the autumn event doubles-only.
And he’s competing in the open doubles categories for the very first time – partnering Callum Mathie in the men’s and Kayla Graham in the mixed.
“We’re hoping just to get out the groups, to be honest,” he tells Pickleball 52. “To get into the knockouts, I think that would be quite a solid result, with all the really high level teams that are in the competition.”
He’s had some excellent practice in recent months when it comes to top-class doubles, partnering players including Tom Corfield and Nathan Parker.
“It’s really great to partner people like Nathan and Tom with such different game styles – you get a different kind of match for both of them, playing with them.
“Nathan’s very, very solid. Doesn’t miss a ball, to be honest. It’s great to have that on your side in case the ball gets popped up. You just know the point’s not over, because he’s always going to get it back.
“Tom’s very good at getting the ball back as well, up for smashes, very, very good in all the scrappy points and then suddenly getting forward and just winning the hands battle. He’s so quick.”
Feast works as an accounts assistant in his day job, taking up pickleball two and a half years ago and now concentrating on it ahead of tennis, his first sport.
It’s paying off. He and Mathie won silver at the English OPEN earlier in the year in the men’s 4.5 doubles.
And he’s also enjoyed a superb start to the Premier Pickleball League in the Challenger division, winning all six of his matches for South Coast Pickleball in Match Weekend 2 to pick up the title of MVP.
“I like the team format,” he says. “We all want each other to win, and it’s really exciting. It’s much more enjoyable to win for all of them – it makes it even more worth it to put all my effort into a match!
“Our squad are really nice. They’re lovely people – really supportive on the sidelines. Whenever you’re in the middle of a match and you hit a good shot, they’re there, cheering you on. It makes you feel confident and like you can win any point.”
