The First Timer Doubles category has been introduced to selected tournaments for the 2024 season, starting with the Newcastle Classic and East Midlands Open in March. There will also be more of these events to come later in the year.

Who qualifies for the First Timers Doubles category?

As the title may suggest, this category is aimed at players who have not entered UK Racketlon tournaments before, however, exceptions can be made for players returning after a long time out (the decision is at the discretion of the tournament organiser).

Why enter First Timers Doubles?

We get it, competing in a new sport (or four) can be daunting, but this doubles category aims to take off some of that pressure, with a little bit of help on court from your doubles partner!

Most of the club racket sports, especially at a senior level in the UK, are geared towards doubles play, so hopefully a doubles format aimed at new or long time returning players (more info below) will be a less intimidating prospect.

Doubles is also a less physically demanding format than singles, so with a partner to share the burden, players worried about the fitness aspect will hopefully be more open to giving racketlon a try.

For friends or family of current racketlon players this may be the perfect opportunity to get involved, especially those who were already considering coming to the tournament to support..

Finally, it’s really good value for money! UK Racketlon are happy to offer a £20 entry fee for each player. This is a £15 saving on a regular singles entry to entice those who may have been unsure of paying full price for a sports format they have not experienced before.

How does First Timers Doubles work?

Entries are open to any gender and pairings of any gender combination. This is a completely open category so it doesn’t matter if your partner is male or female.

Table Tennis: Played to 21 points, swapping sides at 11. Partners must hit alternate shots.

Badminton: Played to 21 points, swapping sides at 11. Once the serve has been returned then the whole court is active and outer tramlines are in.

Squash: Player 1 plays singles until the score reaches 11. Player 2 continues from that score and plays until score reaches 21.

Tennis: Played to 21 points or until points needed to win the match are reached. Swap sides at 11.

Every point counts and the team with the highest number of points across the 4 sports is the winner. If you are still not sure on some of the rules or scoring intricacies it is advisable to do some research before the tournament, however experienced players and tournament organisers are always happy to assist.

If you have any further questions then please contact Sam Barker (barker.sam@hotmail.co.uk)

Happy racketloning to you all!