TWO Isle of Wight pickleball playing pairs earned podium places in a county competition held in Southampton.
Island women won bronze in the women's level 4 doubles at The David Lloyd Centre.
They secured an impressive semi-final victory against favourites Sheena Maclean and Kirsty Robertson, earning third place in the round-robin tournament.
After previously beating and losing to the same pair in the group rounds, Kay and Sarah triumphed 11-1 with the support of the other Isle of Wight players.
Kay stated, "We were so angry with ourselves for losing to them in the earlier group round.
"The adrenaline kicked in and we both played amazingly."
The Isle of Wight pickleball community were also celebrating success when Martyn Bailey and Ingwio Vanhaecke secured bronze in the men's level 3.5 category.
The accolade was Ingwio’s fourth medal and Martyn’s first in competition.
In case you do not have the foggiest what pickleball is, it is essentially a mash-up of tennis, badminton and ping-pong and can be played by singles or in pairs, either indoors or outside, using paddles made of wood or composite materials.
On Sunday, Sarah and Simon Proffitt finished sixth out of 12 pairs in the level 4+ mixed doubles, despite beating the highly-ranked eventual winners.
Ingwio played with Vicci Bateman in the level 3.5 mixed doubles, securing fourth spot.
In all, nine Islanders competed in the tournament — all of them players who train at the West Wight Sports and Community Centre, which has grown as a hub for pickleball on the Island.
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