This week’s third edition of the Pro Am Padel Tour at Padium, Canary Wharf saw padel pros partner celebrities including England ODI captain Jos Buttler and Chelsea legend John Terry.
England and Kent cricketer Sam Billings won the men’s trophy with his partner, GB No.3 Louie Harris, beating Buttler and Nikhil Mohindra in the final (pictured above). Sky Sports Golf presenter Sarah Stirk was the champion on the women’s side, along with her partner Catherine Rose.
There were also ‘most valuable player’ categories where cricket took a clean sweep as England and Sussex player Danni Wyatt and England captain Buttler picked up the accolades.
Stirk had only picked up padel earlier this year but delivered an impressive display on the court to emerge in top spot.
She said: “I’m totally addicted. It’s the best game, it’s social, it’s fun and it’s just absolutely absorbing. I love it. To walk away as the champion, I’m very happy indeed.”
Stepping out of Canary Wharf station en route to the venue was to enter a world of sophistication as the skylines were taken over by high-rise glass facades of the big-name banks as briefcases and suits hurried past.
Yet a short walk away stood what looked and felt like a serene bubble nestled amidst the hustle of bankers’ paradise. Upon entry the thud of ball upon racket and laughter so common in the sport of padel resonated from the seven indoor courts as the early morning players finished off their games.
Soon, Padium would be filled with ex-Premier League stars, former Olympians and padel pros all carrying the same raw enthusiasm for the game as those early bird players.
As the stars took to the courts for their warm-ups, music filled the venue as a hubbub arose as rallies became increasingly competitive with some London derbies among their ranks.
On one particularly tense court West Ham legend Mark Noble faced off against fellow Premier League retiree Bobby Zamora and ex-Chelsea captain Terry. They would later be partnered by Frankie Langan, Jorge Martinez and Max Lutonstanski, respectively.
The matches were soon underway allowing pros to get a measure of their new celebrity partner.
Eventual winner Louie Harris said: “The Pro-Am Padel Tour is great. You get to meet a lot of different athletes. They’re coming from different professions, and you can see how competitive they are, their attitude, and learn about what they did in their career.”
Fellow big names among the padel pros included GB women’s number one, Tia Norton, and GB men’s number one Christian Murphy partnering Wyatt and Spotify co-founder, Martin Lorentzon, respectively.
Murphy said: “The best thing is that we can get more people involved in padel. We have media here and can promote the sport to grow it in the UK.”
The social aspect of padel was apparent just as much as the fiercely competitive play as celebrities and pros alike mingled between matches. The first word on everyone’s lips was “enjoyment”, a feeling GB No.2 Aimee Gibson shared.
“It’s just a really fun day playing against different people and it’s a really social event. Hopefully there will be more events like this and more competitions in the UK,” she said.
“The celebrities will get to post it on their social media, and they get to know a little bit more about it so it spreads the word.”
Throughout the event both celebrities and pros could be found indulging in temple massages from sponsor Elemental Herbology to relieve the stress of competition whilst all competitors were treated to a goodie bag.
There was certainly stress in the men’s final which saw an all-cricket affair as Billing and Harris overcame Buttler and partner Nikhil Mohindra to emerge as Champions in the men’s tournament.
Billings received an Babolat padel racket signed by world number one, Juan Lebron, as did Stirk for her victory in the women’s round robin format. Both MVPs were also treated to a free racket of their choice.
The other competitors were GB hockey player Olympic gold medallist Georgie Twigg with Georgie Hodge, GB snowboarding Olympian Aimee Fuller with Aimee Gibson and Saracens and Wales rugby player, Flo Williams.
On the men’s side, F1 driver Nicholas Latifi was partnered by Rafa Vega for only his second time picking up a padel racket, while Olympic swimmer Jack Burnell played alongside Alfonso Patacho.
All competitors received a £100 voucher for sponsors Padel Shack and tech consultancy RedK were the day’s principal sponsors. Padel Shack and Elemental Herbology also put on clinics for Padium customers.
