A BABLAKE School student won a silver medal competing at the English Nationals pickleball tournament in Bolton.
Aaron Naik took silver in the men’s doubles alongside playing partner Stephen Hargreaves, from Doncaster, at the University of Bolton Arena.
The pair won each of their first six matches at the tournament before eventually losing against Toby Ford and James Barnes in the final.
Naik, aged 16, and Hargreaves, aged 32, only played the sport together once prior to the tournament.
Pickleball England, the sport’s governing body, organised the event.
He also took part in an international pickleball tournament in Telford earlier this year – the English Open.
The tournament took place over the course of a week as 1,976 competitors from 45 countries took part in the event.
This included eight American pro players and 13 APP Next Generation pro players.
Pickleball combines elements of badminton, tennis, and table tennis. It is played indoors or outdoors on a badminton-sized court with a slightly modified tennis net.
There are around 35,000 pickleball players in England while the sport has a much bigger following in the United States.
Naik, based in Solihull, plays at David Lloyd in Cranmore and only took up the sport a few months ago.
He has set up a pickleball club at his school in Bablake and intends to participate in global events in the future.
Naik hopes to represent Great Britain at the Olympic Games should it become part of the Olympic programme.
