By BRENT STUBBS

Chief Sports Editor

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

The Bahamas Pickleball Federation’s 19-member national team, competing at the Caribbean Nations Cup, turned in a superb performance, winning a total of 13 medals in the open division and the 50-and-over divisions.

The event was staged at the Pickleball Cayman in Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands over the weekend. It wrapped up on Thursday with the over-50 team winning the silver in their loss to the Cayman Islands.

The under-50 team didn’t qualify, missing the semifinals by one point.

The Bahamas will return home with seven gold, five silver and a bronze, leaving Kevaughn Ferguson - one of the team leaders - singing the praise of the entire contingent. 

“Overall, the team was so excited over the outcome of the tournament,” said Ferguson, a coach out of Harbour Island who, along with Brazile Ferguson at Albany and Justyn Thompson at Baha Mar, served as coaches. 

“We felt they really excelled in this tournament. This is only the second time the Bahamas has travelled for an event in pickleball, so we exceeded our expectations.”

• Here’s a breakdown of the team’s performances 

50-plus

Gold - men’s doubles - Lindsay Brown and Robert Griffin. 

Gold - men’s singles - Lindsay Brown.

Silver - mixed doubles - Lindsay Brown and Kerry Pryor.

Silver - women’s singles - Kerry Pryor.

Silver - men’s singles - Matthew Pryor.

Gold - mixed doubles - Robert Griffin and Paige Taylor.

Gold - women’s doubles - Kerry Pryor and Sandra Masterman.

Open  under-50

Gold - men’s doubles - Justyn Thompson and Brezile Hamilton.

Gold - men’s doubles - Kevaughn Ferguson and Sean Fitzpatrick. 

Gold - mixed doubles - Brezile Hamilton and Sandra Masterman.

Silver- mixed doubles - Kevaughn Ferguson and Tricia Fernandes.

Bronze - mixed doubles - Justyn Thompson and Sandra Masterman.

Silver - men’s singles - Sean Fitzpatrick.

Pickleball, which was invented in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, Washington by Joel Pritchard, Barney McCallum and Bill Bell, is a hybrid sport that combines elements of tennis, badminton and table tennis.

It is America’s fastest-growing sport that is now catching on in the Bahamas. The federation is headed by Kelly Ann Meade, the president, with Erika Knowles as vice president, Kim Kooskalis as treasurer and Sandra Masterman as secretary.