The Gleason Family YMCA held its First Annual Fall Classic pickleball tournament on Sunday on its newly refurbished courts. 

Under nearly ideal autumn weather conditions, the event drew 24 contestants in three categories – advanced, intermediate and novice. They competed under modified pickleball rules: Each player played a total of seven games on a round-robin basis, with each contestant playing with a different partner each time. All games were played with a 5-minute time limit.

At the end of the first seven games, the top four point-getters in each of the three categories proceeded to a championship round. There, they played three more 10-minute games, and the top point getter in each category was named champion.

The novice champion was Patricia Newton of Wareham, the intermediate champion was Viola Taylor of Marion, and the advanced champion was Dan Perkins of Wareham.

Lu Brito, the senior program director at the Gleason Family YMCA, was thrilled with the turnout and the enthusiasm of the participants. 

“This was our first annual fall event, and we’re really looking forward to doing it again next year. The turnout was fantastic,” Brito said.

Participants paid a registration fee, and many of them also participated in a pickleball clinic held the day before, during which they received instruction from YMCA volunteers. The YMCA raised slightly more than $1,000 from the two-day event, which will help defray the costs of court maintenance, pickleball nets, and balls.

Pickleball is played at the YMCA outdoors during the spring, summer and fall based on the weather, and indoors on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays during the late fall and winter. For more information, go to www.ymcasouthcoast.org.