A team of 21 Smash junior players travelled to Belgium for the FIP Promises Middelkerke tournament from 21–23 August, with 19 players competing across the boys’ and girls’ U12 to U18 categories.

The trip provided a fantastic opportunity for our young players to compete internationally, experience a different playing environment and build relationships with players from other countries.

Several Smash players partnered with juniors from Belgium, Portugal, Germany and the Netherlands, creating some exciting international pairings and giving them valuable experience of adapting to a new partner on court.

Three days of international competition

The team arrived in Belgium on Wednesday, allowing the players to train together before the competition began on Friday. Across the three-day tournament, Smash players took part in more than 40 matches.

There were some excellent performances and memorable moments throughout the weekend.

Nathan Baggett and Andrew Dunn won their opening match against an Italian-Belgian pairing. It was Nathan’s first FIP event, having only started training with Smash a couple of months ago, making the result an especially impressive achievement.

Lucca Newton from Smash Padel Mid Sussex partnered with Francisco Sá, a member of Portugal’s U14 national team, and the pair won their opening match in the U16 competition. Andrew Dunn also competed alongside Portuguese U14 national player João Simões in the same age category.

In the U12 competition, Joel Hodgins partnered with Germany’s Paul Pihan, while Bertie Glason teamed up with Niels Grobbee from the Netherlands.

Strong performances across the age groups

Smash players achieved some excellent results during the tournament:

• Jude Jasinski and Ed Durman reached the U14 quarter-finals.
• Rosie Allen and Lucy Bertram reached the U14 final and the U16 semi-finals.
• Andrew Dunn reached the U16 semi-finals.

Another fantastic success came from Winchester’s Seb Parker, who won the U12 competition while proudly wearing Smash kit throughout the tournament.

Although Seb is not currently part of the Smash programme, he and his brother Luke joined our performance camps in the days leading up to the event. Their involvement demonstrated the opportunities Smash can provide not only for players within our programme, but also for other ambitious young players who want to develop their game and compete at a higher level.

Supporting our players on and off the court

The players were supported throughout the trip by Smash coaches Miguel Caramalho and Gordon Dunn, alongside strength and conditioning coach Will Maskell.

Together, they helped the players prepare for competition and manage their warm-ups, recovery and physical preparation throughout a demanding weekend of matches.

Most importantly, the trip created a fantastic team environment. Players supported and encouraged one another throughout every match, demonstrating the sense of togetherness that sits at the heart of Smash.

It was also brilliant to see such a broad mix of players travelling together—from those who have been part of our junior programme since it began in Bicester to newer players joining us from Mid Sussex and Whitstable, as well as juniors taking their first steps into international competitive padel.

The weekend brought together high-quality competition, valuable international experience and some outstanding performances. Above all, it was a brilliant opportunity for an exceptional group of young players to represent Smash together—and we could not be prouder of them.