Berkhamsted pickleball hopefuls West Herts Wizards enjoyed a fruitful day at the 2023 English Nationals and wielded their magic to bring home silver and bronze at Bolton Arena.

Club co-founder Lyn Epps and doubles partner Susan Andrews won their third-place match while Julie Hoskins and Vyris Mordey claimed silver in the women’s doubled 65+ 3.0 category to secure a double medal haul for the club.

Epps, 69, who had a knee replacement eight years ago, played tennis for four decades before transitioning to the sport 18 months ago.

She has not looked back, taking pickleball to new competitive heights in Hertfordshire, reclaiming her bronze title in the doubles from last year.

“I started in Hemel Hempstead where a little group were meeting and a few of us wanted to make it more of a club and more competitive so we moved to Berkhamsted,” Epps said.

“We became completely registered and affiliated with PickleballEngland in the February of 2022, from one two hour session with eight to ten players to six sessions a week.

“We run one for everyone active and we run one for coaching clinics on a Saturday, we’ve gone from very little to a lot, over 120 members.

“I played tennis for 40 years and the court is very big and when you have a knee replacement, the knees don’t want you to have many long rallies or run as much.”

“It’s an easy sport to start with because you can learn the game very quickly, there is no heavy equipment to buy or carry around.”

Over the past year, pickleball has seen a meteoric rise in the UK due to its inclusive and accessible nature, with an estimated 12,000 regular players and over 450 venues offering the sport across the country.

There are now 682 athletes attending the National Championships at the Bolton Arena, up from 430 at the 2022 event.

Epps has made it her mission to expand pickleball in and around her county with the help of her fellow founding members, and believes there is plenty more growth to come from an exponential rise in popularity.

She added, “Although it’s very easy to start quickly, it becomes a game of strategy, someone called it a sweaty game of chess and it’s a bit like that where you have to think about what you’re doing.

“In tennis you outplay or outhit your opponent and in pickleball you outwit your opponent.”

2023 English Nationals takes place at Bolton Arena from Thursday 26th October to Sunday 29th October. This year’s English Nationals is sponsored by Skechers, Franklin, Scan and UK Pickleball Shop, Play will commence from 9am each day. Head to https://www.pickleballengland.org/ to find out more or to find your nearest place to play.