Pickleball - the sport you might never have heard of - is making big strides in Buxton

It is the fastest growing sport in the USA and Europe - and now it has made it to Buxton.

The sport is essentially a simple paddle game played with a baseball-sized wiffleball over a tennis-type net on a Badminton-sized court.

Only the serving team can score points. Points are scored by legally serving a ball that is not returned by the opponent or by winning the rally.

It is a sport which Mike Meaton and wife Julie loved so much they set up their own club - the Buxton Pickleballers.

“We holiday quite a bit in Anglesey and have been playing it since last May,” he said.

“We were playing bowls and the green overlooked the tennis court. We saw people playing what we thought looked like a strange game and we decided to give it a go.

“Come the end of October our site closes for four months and we came back to Buxton thinking we would be able to play again until March.

“So we decided to set up our own club because we knew it wasn't played in this area.

“We made a list of the people we know from playing tennis, table tennis and badminton over the years and we messaged all of them to see if they wanted to have a go.

“We started running taster sessions for six people at a time and then we started to play on a regular basis at Buxton Community School and it gradually grew.”

The club now boasts around 45 members, though Mike admits there were obstacles to overcome in the early days.

“We had lots of obstacles to get past such as needing to buy nets and balls,” he added. “We got a grant from Derbyshire County Council and the Bingham Trust.

“We had to balance paying for court hire with having enough people to play. It's got to where it is now and we’re very pleased.

“We are really strong at the moment. We have got another eight people on our waiting list for a taster session.

“We have got a coach booked to come on for a couple sessions as well. We are really pleased with how it’s going”

They play every Tuesday and Thursday evening at Buxton Community School and St Thomas More School, as well as on Monday mornings in St Peter’s Church Hall in Fairfield.

Anyone interested in giving the sport a try can contact Mike on 07534 337227 or [email protected] for more information.