Hayley Thompson starred in an historic week for pickleball at a record-breaking Skechers English OPEN.

Semi-retired Thompson, 56, featured in the English Open at the Telford International Centre – the largest pickleball event taking place outside of North America.

With ages from 7 to 70+ competing, the event is reflective of the incredible growth in pickleball over recent years, with a record number of almost 2,000 players from 42 countries participating in a sport which has aspirations of making the Olympic programme.

“I read an article in our local Bentham newsletter, there was a little paragraph about pickleball,” said Settle's Thompson.

“I used to play badminton but I hadn’t played in many years, I’d never heard of pickleball before and I rung someone and they said: ‘turn up, someone will give you a paddle and we’ll show you the basics of the game.

“This was in 2021 so we were playing outdoors at a tennis club, they were hugely welcoming, I loved it and was pretty much addicted from day one.

“Then when we started playing indoors, I was even more addicted. I wish it had been around 30 or 40 years ago.”

This year’s English OPEN comprised seven days of high-level competition, with the world’s top professionals from America, Europe and Asia taking to the court in singles, doubles, mixed, wheelchair and junior events.

A hybrid of tennis, badminton & table tennis, the sport’s popularity has been attributed to its accessibility. Easy to pick up and fun to play, the sport’s accessibility transcends demographics, providing it with universal appeal.

“I came to the English Open last year as well and it’s phenomenal, it’s amazing what they’ve put on. It’s a lot bigger than last year,” added Thompson.

“I don’t do many tournaments because we live north, and it’s rural, and a lot of the tournaments are down south.”

Pickleball England has announced a record number of players competing at this year’s English OPEN from the 8th-14th August at the Telford International Centre in the largest pickleball event taking place outside of the USA EVER – visit pickleballengland.org