Eden Valley Pickleball 'phenomenally proud' with local growth

Pickleball originated in the USA in 1965 when Washington State congressman Joel Pritchard and businessman Bill Bell wanted to play badminton but could not find the correct equipment.

Pritchard's home on Bainbridge Island had a badminton court and in the absence of the equipment, the pair improvised and began playing with ping-pong paddles and a perforated plastic ball.

Nearly 60 years later, pickleball is one of the fastest-growing sports in Europe and boasts a thriving community in Cumbria.

A pickleball session in full flow at Carlisle's Chatsworth Tennis Club (Image: Supplied)

Richard Wise is the organiser at Eden Valley Pickleball, which began in 2017 and now helps bring the joys of the racket sport to clubs across the county, from Heads Nook and Brampton to Kirby Stephen and Workington. 

Richard is now responsible for around 80 hours of Pickleball per week for the club's 150 members and shared his belief that Eden Valley Pickleball is one of the busiest clubs in the country.

He said: "I don't think there will be a more active club in the UK, but it is growing all the time, it would not surprise me if we were one of the busiest clubs in the country.

The sport is a hybrid between tennis and badminton, with a tennis height net on a badminton sized court; however, what makes pickleball unique is what Richard describes as the 'kitchen', an area on the court where volleying is not allowed.

Eden Valley Pickeball dominated the Scottish Open, winning five out of six available medals, with Richard's daughter Maisie scooping the gold (Image: Supplied)

Since the club's creation, Richard has seen the local pickleball community continuously grow and is proud of this development.

He said: "I am phenomenally proud.

"In recent years it has become much more about nurturing this amazing group of growing players.

"We have got players of all ages, from about 13 years old to about 80 odd and we have got players with Parkinson's and pretty much the only wheelchair group in the country who are utterly amazing."

For Richard, pickleball success also runs in the family, with daughter Maisie Wise now one of the top girl players in the country playing in a major league.

"She is an export from Cumbria if you like and she is doing incredibly well," her proud dad beamed.