We are delighted to share with you our first event preview ahead of this weekend’s LTA Padel Regional/Game4Padel Circuit Mixed Championship at Edinburgh Park.
As part of our ongoing commitment to growing cricket in the UK, and our determination to foster a growing sense of community within the sport, Game4Padel is passionate about sharing stories and showcasing the players, enthusiasm and and warm social spirit.
So what better place to start than with Mercedes Perez Gonzales? Mercedes Perez Gonzales teamed up with Flora Sanches Rubio to claim victory in the inaugural Game4Padel Tour at the Thistle Tennis and Padel Club last month and will be favorites again this weekend at our Edinburgh Park headquarters.
Mercedes, who has settled in Scotland for six years after leaving her native Jerez to pursue a career in veterinary medicine, is a firm believer in the importance of the Game4Padel circuit in helping Caledonia grow the sport.
Your turn “MPG”: “The real beauty of the inaugural Game4Padel Tour was the number of women who signed up to compete”, says Mercedes.
She continued: “I’ve been playing in Scotland for over three years and I’ve never had this many (20) players in a Championship for Years 1, 2, 3 and 4.
“So while it was great that Flora and I won the first match, it was more about the depth of the game, the enjoyment everyone had of the cricket and how organized the game was.
“England has several leagues, but Scotland doesn’t have one yet, so it’s really good that Game4Padel is doing this here and it’s very important to grow the sport in this country.
“It’s all very exciting for me, and this weekend in the mixed program I’ll be partnering with ESC (Edinburgh Sporting Club) coach Antonio (Fernández-Lebrez-Martin) and he invited me to play, so I It’s nice to play because I know some of the other players and it’s a good standard.
“But the social aspect of the tournament is also very good and I’m really looking forward to meeting some people.”
Already regarded as one of the best women’s cricketers north of Hadrian’s Wall, Mercedes has no doubts about the importance of creating a competitive structure for the game in Scotland, saying: “To improve your game, there is no What’s better than that.” Playing with other guys and playing competitively, the great thing about the first Game4Padel Championship was that we had ladies from Aberdeen and it showed how much women in Scotland can play padel eager.
“I think in the next few months we need to expand the grading of the competition because we start with grades 4, 5 and it helps encourage the ladies who haven’t played in the past, but as far as I know, This can be a little intimidating if you are new to competitive cricket and your opponent has been playing for a while and is experienced.
“So we need to push hard to grow their numbers and then in time increase the number of higher level competitions. Hopefully with every Game4Padel tournament we will take a good step towards this goal.”
Now that she has established herself in her Scottish “hometown” of East Kilbride as one of the leading players in West Scotland padel, it will be interesting to learn more about how Mercedes is involved in the sport.
The first-time Game4Padel Tour winner shared: “Due to work, I can only play padel a few times a week, but I’m a member of ‘WOSP’ and really enjoy playing there, everyone in the club Very friendly.
“I came to Scotland from Spain six years ago, I learned cricket at home when I was 17 and I played for a year in the Andalusian league, which is not exactly national level but probably regional standard.
“I played for a girls’ team in my hometown in Jerez and really enjoyed my cricket, but then I left for a degree, then my masters and a traineeship, then six years later I came Arriving in Scotland was a huge break for me from padel.
“So I had to find a place to play, I really never thought there would be cricket in England, but thankfully there are pitches in Ayrshire and that’s why I joined WOSP.”
Although a proud Spanish lady Mercedes has been told to change her padel nationality to join the British team, she admits that a future Caledonian call may be too tempting to refuse.
Mercedes revealed: “British coach Alvaro (Fernandez Guerrero, British women’s head coach) is my friend and he did ask me, but I have to give up my Spanish passport and I’m not ready to do that. !”
“Unless you have a British passport, you can’t play for England – there is no Scotland team yet, but hopefully soon there will be.
