Richard Love channelled his inner Olympian to win a superb silver medal at a record-breaking Skechers Pickleball English OPEN.

Leisure centre manager Love, 51, won the men’s 4.5 45+ event at the English Open at the Telford International Centre – the largest pickleball event taking place outside of North America.

With ages from 7 to 70+ competing, the event is reflective of the incredible growth in pickleball over recent years, with a record number of almost 2,000 players from 42 countries participating in a sport which has aspirations of making the Olympic programme.

Playing in the competition’s premier category for his age group, Love went down 11-9, 11-4 to Martin Suarez in the final.

“He [Suarez] was just way too good for me, he was probably the best pickleballer I’ve played here and I maybe ran out of steam a little bit,” said Dereham's Love.

“But he was just a really good, solid player and I really enjoyed it. It was a pleasure to play him.

“I came here last year for the first time and it blows you away what an amazing job Pickleball England do with the facility, there are just so many people playing.

“I had a really tough group to get through – I thought I’d blown it, but I managed to get through.”

This year’s English OPEN comprised seven days of high-level competition, with the world’s top professionals from America, Europe and Asia taking to the court in singles, doubles, mixed, wheelchair and junior events.

A hybrid of tennis, badminton & table tennis, the sport’s popularity has been attributed to its accessibility. Easy to pick up and fun to play, the sport’s accessibility transcends demographics, providing it with universal appeal.

“Playing somewhere like this and playing an Egyptian in the semi-final and an Argentinian in the final, I couldn’t have wished for more.

“I don’t get a chance to play against people from another country very often – this year I’ve been over to Holland and Spain, so I do try and get around a little bit.”

Pickleball England has announced a record number of players competing at this year’s English OPEN from the 8th-14th August at the Telford International Centre in the largest pickleball event taking place outside of the USA EVER – visit pickleballengland.org