David Youngs played a starring role in an historic week for pickleball at a record-breaking Skechers English OPEN.

Squash coach Youngs, 57, 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.

“One very snowy morning, I was in the sports park when the instructor couldn’t get in and they asked me to take the pickleball group,” said Norwich's Youngs.

“I asked ‘what’s that?’ so I went and played with a lady called Sue for an hour, and that was my first taste of pickleball and the rest is history. I’ve won a few national titles since.

“I’m lucky enough to have been able to represent my country at squash since I’ve been 40 years old – I played Home Internationals for England at Masters level.

“For me, bat and ball together just seems to happen, whether it be tennis, squash or pickleball.”

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’ve been lucky enough to have played the English Open for the last five years since 2019 and, singles-wise, I’ve been lucky enough to win it every year I’ve played,” added Youngs.

“I don’t think that’s going to happen this year because the Americans have come over and they’re very strong, but it’s nice to play against different players because you do tend to play the same players over and over again.”

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