Padel push pays off

Further signs of the growing momentum in padel were witnessed last month as the army hosted its inaugural championships in Bordon.

The discipline received category three recognised status in the summer and those at the helm were quick to capitalise on the announcement by seeking expressions of interest from across the ranks.

That resulted in 50 players taking to the court for the two-day tournament, which was eventually won by the pairing of Capt Juan Vilches (RLC) and CSgt Louis Hughes (Para).

The duo triumphed 7-5, 5-7, 6-2 over Lt Col Clare Griffiths (AGC (SPS)) and Lt Col Greig Taylor (AGC (ETS), pictured right), who formed dogged opponents in a high-class final.

“It was a super-tough game,” Vilches told SoldierSport. “They worked really well together, so we’re happy to take the win.

“To be the first army champions is an absolute privilege. It is exciting that padel is now a service sport and I’m looking forward to future events.

“I didn’t know Louis before this, but he understands the game and how to play, and that made it easy for me.”

Hughes added: “I had no idea who I was going to be paired with and, luck of the draw, I got one of the best players here.

“I’ve been playing for 12 months but didn’t know about the army padel set-up. A friend then sent me an email about this and I applied straight away.

“It has been a fantastic competition and the level across the board has been very high.

“This is one of the fastest growing sports in the world and it is only going to gain traction in the army.”

Griffiths is also predicting a bright future for padel as she believes the discipline is well suited to athletes crossing over from other pursuits.

“I played hockey for 25 years, so this is my next challenge,” the officer explained.

“You have squash players who are excellent with their angles, and you can spot tennis players a mile off as they try to drive the ball hard. Whatever sport you come from, you can adapt.”

Capt Harry Owen (REME), OiC Army Padel, was thrilled with the success of the debut tournament, which saw 25 pairings initially compete in groups of five before progressing to the knockout stages.

Those eliminated early were then offered a coaching clinic to make the most of their time at the civilian venue.

“We had the right final, with the two best pairs going to head-to-head,” he said.

“The level of interest has been fantastic. We had around 80 people initially sign up, which was way more than expected, and that eventually became the 50 who played.

“We wanted to make sure everyone got two full days of padel. If they were knocked out on day one, they didn’t have to go back to work as we were able to offer some coaching.

“Our next aim is to introduce learn-to-play sessions so we can grow at grassroots level. We have to work out how we are going to do that as we are still a category three sport, but there are 80 or 90 people out there who have never played before that want to have a go.

“These championships have been great, but moving forward we want to see as many new faces as possible.”

With the tournament complete, Owen said the organisation can now select an army team for the first Inter-Services competition that will hopefully be staged this year.

“We are the first to run a single service championship,” he continued. “But the interest is out there in the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force.

“Long term, we need to keep growing to see if there is scope for padel to come away from the Army Tennis Association and become a standalone sport.

“But we are in no rush, and for now sitting within that structure is working well.”

Army Padel is looking to launch pages on Instagram and Facebook, as well as Defence Connect. Search online to find out more.