The Mount Pickleball Club twisted the top open on a jar full of medals at the Wellington Pickleball Cup over Waitangi Weekend.

The Mount Maunganui team brought back 10 medals from the competition, including four golds.

'We had a fantastic time,” says club president Bob Smith.

'Really good to watch a final and see both teams in being from the Mount. We did really well. We are all very pleased with ourselves.”

For the uninitiated, pickleball is something of racquet sport mash-up. A hybrid of tennis, badminton and ping-pong, the sport can be played indoors and outdoors.

It was reportedly invented in Bainbridge Island, USA, in 1965 as three dads invented the sport for their bored children. They had access to a badminton court, table tennis paddles, a wiffle ball and not much else and a new sport was born.

Bob's own involvement was a complete fluke.

His wife had picked up the reins of pickleball in the Mount after an American introduced the sport at her local badminton club.

Fate then intervened two-and-a-half years ago to bring Bob into the world of pickleball.

'One day she went down and locked her keys in the car so rang me to bring the spare set,” he explains.

'So I went down and I thought I have come all this well I may as well have a try at this new game. I have been playing ever since.”

The Mount club was the most successful club at the Waitangi weekend competition, beating off a strong challenge from Wellington Central.

Overall, they won gold in the Super (over 60) Women's Doubles and the Super Mixed Doubles, and silver and bronze in the Super Men's Doubles – but whilst the club reigned supreme, the only trophy on offer was for regions, with Auckland topping the Central.

'They counted back and discovered we are the top individual club but they didn't have a trophy for that which is a bit of a pity,” Bob admits.

The most successful individual player was Sue Wild, winning gold in the mixed and women's doubles.

Other medallists were Gay Blythe, gold and silver, Steve Brennan, gold and silver, Alan Russell, two silvers, Peter Clarke, bronze and Bob Smith, who also claimed a bronze.

'Sue already had a gold from the last tournament too so she is getting quite the collection,” says Bob.

'I think in the Supers, the over-60s, we have definitely got some of the best players in the country, I think we showed that this weekend.”

The Mount Pickleball Club began just two and a half years ago and it now has around 90 members, meeting four times a week at various locations across Tauranga.

Bob is now hopeful of an open tournament being held in the Bay of Plenty, although is realistic enough to realise that might not be until 2023, due to Covid-19. But the success they tasted at the weekend can only help their ongoing growth.

'We are on the up and we have had enquiries from people over the last few days talking about Pickleball,” says Bob.

'So we are expecting numbers to keep coming up.”