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Nelson’s wallball court has once again welcomed players from far and wide after hosting another successful Welsh Open event.

Michelle Hooper, from the Welsh Wallball Association, told Caerphilly Observer how interest in the court has skyrocketed, with one player travelling from as far as New York to take part in the tournament over the weekend.

Formed in 2022, the group has grown to support more than 60 members of all ages, and has welcomed some of the world’s best players to the “bucket list venue” in Nelson – which is the only outdoor three-wall wallball court in the UK.

Wallball, also known as one-wall handball, is a sport that involves two people hitting a small rubber ball against a wall with their hands.

Michelle, who is both secretary and player, spoke about the recent event: “It was amazing. We didn’t think we could surpass last year but this time it was even better.

“We had players come from everywhere. One man, Dan Thackeray, cycled through the night all the way from London to get here and play.

“He won a couple of matches too which was more impressive. All he wanted after was a nice cold pint.”

With the “whole village” turning out to watch, the men’s singles competition got underway on Saturday June 22, with Nelson’s own Jamie Amos making it all the way to the final.

“It was great to see Jamie make it that far and it was a very close final. He eventually lost out to Christian Catano from New York so it was well worth the trip for him.”

The women’s singles was also played on the Saturday, with Nelson’s Jade Mayor narrowly losing out to Cardiff’s Rachel Wood.

“We were glad to see the title stayed in Wales at least. After a long day and a walk around the village we stopped for some food and drinks”, said Michelle.

Day two began early, with the doubles tournament underway. Nelson duo Andrew Meaney and Gareth Howard made it to the final, but fell just short up against familiar Irish foes in Sean Nolan and John Quirke.

Michelle continued: “We were happy for our Irish friends, who love coming to visit the area.

“The whole community has been so welcoming to everyone. Lots of local businesses have sponsored the event too, which has been a big help.”

Michelle explained how the tournament was moved forward in preparation for the world championships in Ireland later this year.

“Some of us are heading out there to play in August, but we’re looking for sponsorship to take some of the youth players too.”

More details about the association and how to get involved in sponsorship can be found online, or by emailing Michelle on: welshwallball@gmail.com