“I always laughed at people who said they’d never been so busy since they retired,” says David Richards, mopping his brow as he takes a break from the fast-paced game at Wyre Forest Leisure Centre near Kidderminster.
At 58, the retired GP from nearby Bewdley is among the younger players in this midweek morning game of pickleball – a cross between tennis and badminton that is growing rapidly in popularity across Britain.