Salt Rock and Ballito recently went to battle in the inaugural North vs South padel derby at Africa Padel in Ballito.

Competing in the americano padel format on September 13 and 14, the teams displayed high energy throughout their pursuit of suburb supremacy.

Teams of two faced each opposing pair once in the three-match group stage, with the top two sides advancing to the final.

Playoff matches were also held to determine the remaining placings, with overall men’s and women’s winning suburbs crowned once the combined points were tallied.

The men’s tournament was staged first and produced a nail-biting finish, as Team North edged out their southern counterparts 41-40.

Determined to avenge the men, Team South’s ladies put on a dominant performance to dispatch their northern rivals 52-21, levelling the series at 1-1.

“This tournament was an incredible day of padel and camaraderie,” said Team North member Quinton Sanders.

“The energy on and off the court was something special, with plenty of competitive spirit but also a lot of fun and laughs. It is great to see the padel community growing and events like this are a big part of that.”

Jenny Le Brasse, one half of the winning women’s duo, revelled in the festive vibe and the cheering crowd.

“I really enjoyed the competition,” said Le Brasse.

“There was a fantastic atmosphere throughout the tournament, and it was great that so many supporters turned out. It was one for the books!”

The inter-franchise clash was the brainchild of Africa Padel manager Clinto Govender.

“My aim was to bring people together to network whilst having fun. The only thing that separates us is GPS co-ordinates!” said Govender.

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