LARGS padel wizard Andy Boyle is getting ready to rack up more air miles as he prepares to represent Scotland in Germany this weekend.
The sixth edition of the Six Nations Padel Masters is happening in Cologne this weekend and will feature some of the finest veteran players of the game from England, Scotland and Ireland.
Padel is a similar game to tennis, but features toughened glass walls behind the players and an underarm serve.
Players use smaller, stubbier racquets than tennis, but the balls and the scoring system are the same.
It is fast and frenetic and proving very popular in Ayrshire.
Estonia, Switzerland and hosts Germany complete the six competing nations, with each fielding three pairs.
Each pair must have a combined age of over 100, with no individual padeller permitted to be under 45.
With each country facing off against the other in a tie of three matches over the best of three sets duration, if a third set is required it will be in the form of a 10-point ‘champions tie-break’.
In addition to Andy, the Scotland team includes Alex Knight, Al McCulloch and padel maestro David McCulloch, who set up the West of Scotland Padel Club in Ayrshire in 2016.
The club now has more than 100 members.
The racquet sport has been established in Ayrshire for eight years at the former ICI plant in Stevenston, with members from throughout the district.
The Ayrshire venue hosted the LTA's Grade 1 National Padel Tournament from April 19-21, with players from across the UK taking part.
A West of Scotland Padel spokesperson said: "What a fantastic day of unbelievable padel from some incredibly talented players from all over the country.
"We are so proud to have hosted this in our club in Stevenston and to have so many people come along and support these fabulous players."
The Ayrshire club's next big tournament is the Grade 2 seniors event on the weekend of May 11 and 12.
West Kilbride player Sonya Hughes, who took part in the tournament, said: "The level of play was absolutely outstanding, and we could not have done it without the volunteers who had the place looking great. Thank you to them all."
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