Pickleball rising star William Maclean-Bell, from Ramsgate, has returned from the Andalusian Open competition with two medals.
The Chilton Primary school pupil reached the singles final medal match after winning 5 out of his 6 games. He narrowly missed out on the gold medal after a strong final match (8-11) scooping silver for his valiant efforts playing against Spanish youth players on their own courts.
The following day 10-year-old William was back on court playing with his doubles partner 12 year old Jack Fennell of Telford, Shropshire – the duo have recently partnered and played a sterling run of matches to reach the finals play off. Jack and Will held tight and secured a bronze medal after playing 11 matches.
The Andalusian Open is one stage of the Spanish Pickleball Tour which attracted competitors from across Europe, the USA and Canada with some phenomenal play from the pro level players.
William said “The Andalusian Open was a fabulous experience, playing with Jack was brilliant fun and to achieve Bronze in our first tournament was a great starting point. I’ve got my sights on gold now and with more tournaments lined up for this year, that’s my goal.”
Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in the world and combines elements of Tennis, Badminton and Table Tennis, it’s accessible to all age ranges and abilities.