Ceredigion has discovered the pickleball craze as six new groups are set up.

Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in the US, and growing by 65 per cent in the last year in England.

The gentler cousin to tennis, pickleball has become popular as a mixed-gender, mixed age and ability sport for everyone.

Now, avid ball-sport fans are picking up their paddles in Wales too.

Three years ago, John Carvell from New Quay was looking for a way to play tennis in the winter months when he was introduced to pickleball at a gym in Swansea.

After discovering there were no pickleball groups anywhere near him, he decided to try and convince Aberaeron Tennis Club members to give it a go.

In September 2023 he set up a club at Aberaeron Leisure Centre - now boasting 20 regular players and two trained coaches (including John), hosting a monthly round robin tournament.

The craze has since taken hold of mid-Wales with teams also starting up in Cardigan, Llandysul, Llangrannog, Lampeter and Aberystwyth.

John, 69, said: “When I started to play, there were a huge number in clubs in south Wales and Anglesey but nothing in between.

“I was pleasantly surprised by the response I got.

“Now we have people coming down from north of Dolgellau to Aberaeron.

“The club has since flourished, and we regularly use all four courts with 20 plus players over a wide range of ages and abilities.

“Tennis is great and I still play it, but it’s controlled by weather and there are no indoor courts around Ceredigion.

“I thought interest in pickleball would drop off over the summer months but it hasn’t.

“We have quite a few players with tennis shoulder injuries who have returned to sport thanks to pickleball, as it has no overhand serve.

“I think it will become more popular than badminton in no time - it’s good fun.”

Pickleball has essentially become John’s retirement project after a career at Aber Instruments, having since attended courses to become a trainer, playing up to three times a week, running a club as well as hosting and attending tournaments.

He and the other Abeeron trainer have since gone on to compete in the English Open last year, and hope to attend the Wales-wide tournament in the near future.

John also brought pickleball to Aberystwyth, hosting an introductory pickleball session at the leisure centre which has now become a regular club on Sundays, and even convincing the leisure centre to invest in their own pickleball equipment.

But he says the beauty of pickleball is that “it can be played anywhere that has a badminton court.”

Established in 1965 in the US and designed initially for children, the game mostly attracts those 50+ as a less strenuous sport.

The sport is usually played in doubles with a smooth paddle and a perforated plastic ball, with a smaller court than in tennis, described as a blend between tennis, badminton and table tennis.

To join the Aberaeron Pickleball club, contact them via Facebook.