On the back of the increasing popularity of pickleball locally, Cayman has stepped onto the international stage in the sport, with a historic debut in the Pickleball World Cup.
A team of eight Cayman players held their own against top competitors from over 30 countries at the event, held 26-27 Oct, in Lima, Peru, making it to the quarter-finals.
In the group stage, the team secured victories over Honduras, Slovakia and Bolivia, before advancing to the round of 16, where they edged Bermuda in a nail-biting match that came down to a singles tie-breaker, and a 21-19 win.
Cayman then played host and eventual silver-medal winner Peru in the quarter-finals, where their run ended with a win and two losses.
The Cayman men’s doubles pairing bested the strong Peru duo, but came up short in the women’s and mixed doubles.
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The Cayman team was made up by Michael Carse, Yaniv Semo, Munir Ali, Elena Testori, Jess Murrie, Anita Warhurst, Nicole Ramroop and Jerry Beck.
Beck, who was awarded the best captain honours for the event, said he is proud of his team’s efforts.
“It was an incredible performance by the whole team,” Beck told the Compass. “We got down to the last eight; it was amazing,” he said, noting that Cayman was the second smallest nation represented after Bermuda.
Ahead of the actual World Cup, Cayman played in a pre-tournament in Peru, where they earned seven medals on the back of their five-week training camp leading up to the event.
“It really showed when we got to the event. We did great,” said Back, who owns the Pickleball Cayman facility on Smith Road. “It really put the Cayman Islands on the international map. We are being recognised and it’s great for tourism as well.”
The sport continues to gain in popularity, with the facility hosting tournaments attracting hundreds of competitors and Beck recently involved in building a court at Northward Prison.
Beck said he has big plans for the sport and hopes to return to the World Cup next year.
“We will definitely put a team together again and try to equal if not do better than this year but it’s going to get tougher because of how fast the sport is growing.”
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