Taking place from Thursday to Sunday at Bolton Arena, the English Nationals comprised four days of high-level competition, with players competing to take home a coveted medal.
Indeed, there was success from the North West as the region secured 12 gold, 15 silver and seven bronze medals, with Tracy Walker, from Bolton, securing a silver medal in the Mixed Doubles Open (highest level) category, with her doubles partner Ian Marshall.
Elsewhere, Hayley Thomson, from Austwick, took home a gold medal in the Mixed Doubles 50-plus 4.0 level division and Thomas Eyre and Jacob Feuerstein took home gold medals in the 3.5 and 2.5 junior divisions, respectively.
Anis Jolly, Sian Burgess, Lindsey Hammond and Marcos De La Maccor from the wider Bolton area also took home golds.
In the Open (Pro) division, the Arena played host to some of pickleball’s biggest names, with professionals Louis Laville, Thaddea Lock, Ben Cawston, James Chaudry, Mollie Knaggs and Molly O’Donoghue part of a roster of top-level players who signed up to compete in the region.
The professional players did not disappoint – treating the Bolton venue to some of the highest level play it has seen since the tournament began in the area.
As the sport’s popularity continues to soar, an estimated 55,000 players now play pickleball and there are more than 1,000 places to play in the UK.
A hybrid of badminton, table tennis and tennis, pickleball is easy to learn and fun to play, making it an ideal sport for all ages and abilities.
The 2025 English Nationals is the second largest national pickleball event and was sponsored by Knotty’s, with supporting sponsorship from The Pickleball Store, HEAD, Franklin, Elite Island Resorts, Antigua & Barbuda Tourist Authority and Bolton based SCAN.
n Head to www.pickleballengland.org to find out more about the sport, or select the ‘Club Locator’ to find your nearest place to play.
