Norwich's Richard Love and Anna Linton rolled back the years to help crown England Champions of Europe at the inaugural DUPR European Pickleball Championships.

Held in Southampton, the tournament saw England emerge victorious as the sport's first-ever European champions, with Love and Linton part of the 12-strong squad that showcased the best of English pickleball on the south coast.

Joined by the likes of Thaddea Lock, Mollie Knaggs, Louis Laville and James Chaudry in the squad, Love and Linton played their roles to perfection to secure a historic triumph for England after emerging victorious in the Mixed Doubles Seniors 50+.

“We’re just over the moon!,” said Love. “The competition was immense, the biggest tournament we’ve ever played in.

“It wasn’t just us. There were 5 on our team, all representing the over 50 and they played brilliantly and that’s what set us up for the knockout stages and we just kept winning.

Linton added: “It was a total team effort. The whole tournament and the opening ceremony was so well organized and it was emotional. The vibe was just amazing.”  

Pickleball is a fast-growing sport in Europe having first started in the US in the 1960s, it is a hybrid racket sport that is popular for its accessibility for all ages and abilities.

Pickleball gets its name from its American founders, with the family game created in 1965 named after their pet dog Pickle.

The European Championships saw players compete in men’s, women’s and mixed doubles, across both the Open and Senior categories.

Individual medals were on offer in each of the disciplines, with the medal tallies also added up to crown England the overall Champions of Europe.

Love said: “It was unreal. When you play you try to block it out and focus but you kept hearing the support from friends and family coming to watch and it was amazing.

“You try to block it out on the court but we kept hearing it and luckily we played good points to get everyone behind us. They’ve been supportive all the way through.

“We also had the advantage of watching the youngsters in our team play a ridiculous match, one of the best matches I’ve ever seen in my life. Everybody stayed and supported the team as well, it’s brilliant.”

Find out more information about the European Pickleball Championships by visiting www.europeanpickleballfederation.org