2023 FESTIVAL & FINALS DAY REPORT
Sunday 21st May saw the culmination of the first ever county run padel league with the Surrey Padel League Festival and Finals Day 2023, hosted at Epsom Lawn Tennis Club.
Thirty three teams from eight padel venues in Surrey began their padel league campaign back in January, competing across seven different events. There were two-tiered events for men, women and mixed doubles as well as a Centurion Doubles where the pairing was required to have a combined age of 100+ years.
The Diablo events were intended for players with a player rating of 4.0 and above with the Cobra events for players of a lower rating than 4.0. This was to allow for a greater range of playing ability participation, opening up competitive padel to enthusiastic club players as well as more performance minded players.
"Fourteen teams competed across seven matches on finals day."
LTA President Sandi Proctor and Surrey Tennis Chairman Peter Bradshaw were both in attendance, witnessing plenty of fast paced padel from the competing Surrey clubs. The pair were then on hand to present the silver ‘bandejas’ at the end of a long day.
The quality of the padel on show was incredible and coupled with the vast number of spectators and supporters watching, is yet another indication of how far the sport has come in a relatively short space of time. As of May 2023 we are proud to boast a total of 13 different padel venues within Surrey (and with many more on the horizon), which is one of the highest concentration of courts in the Country.
From the very start of the day there was a real party atmosphere, with Sandy Farquharson from 'The Padel School' providing a padel masterclasses as well as an exhibition match starring GB players. The latest in racquet technology was available for players to try out on court and a BBQ, home-made cakes and bar kept competitors and spectators fuelled throughout the day.
"It was so incredible to see such passion for padel! People of all ages were watching and cheering"
We wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone who competed, everyone who spectated, the volunteers that helped the day run so smoothly, The Padel School and of course our main sponsors for the event The Grumpy Mole and Padel Corner.
The winning teams were as follows:
Men’s Diablo Doubles: David Lloyd Raynes Park
Women’s Diablo Doubles: Surbiton Rackets & Fitness Club
Mixed Diablo Doubles: Surbiton Rackets & Fitness Club
Men’s Cobra Doubles: Epsom Lawn tennis Club
Women’s Cobra Doubles: Esher Lawn Tennis Club
Mixed Cobra Doubles: Epsom Lawn tennis Club
Centurion Doubles: Epsom Lawn Tennis Club
By Mark Ayres on behalf of Surrey Tennis