A PADEL court is proving popular among players at Skipton Tennis Centre.

Since opening the court in April 2022, a community of 80 weekly players has been built and this is growing week by week.

Padel is a hybrid of squash and tennis. It is played on a smaller court than tennis, has the same scoring system as tennis, however like squash you can play the ball of the glass cage, meaning longer rallies.

It is also played in doubles and the pace is a little slower than tennis and squash.

Padel is the fastest-growing sport in Europe and the US.

There are 200 courts in the UK and Skipton has one of them.

The court is also accessible as all equipment is included in the cost of court hire. It also runs weekly coach-led clinics.

Skipton Tennis Centre has plans to build more courts in 2023 and really expand the facility and what it offers. Adam Cox, who co-ordinates the Padel project at STC, will be taking part in a Padel course in Tampa, Florida and plans to bring knowledge back to Skipton.