Forget Wimbledon, racketlon shows four rackets are better than one!

In racketlon, players play one match where they take on each discipline in rotation, moving from the smallest bat to the largest. “That means we start with table tennis, then badminton, then squash then tennis,” explains Dan Busby, a York teacher who is captain of the Great British team. The squad of 40 will be heading to the Racketlon World Championships in Copenhagen later this month, where Britain will be seeded third (behind Denmark and Austria) and hoping to leave with a bronze medal.

Each racket round is called an “end” and each end is played up to 21 points. The score is cumulative, until there is a winner. “That means every point counts,” says Dan. Most players have one particular strength, adds Dan, 29, who was once a professional squash player until he became a teacher. He is ranked number two in the UK and 20 in the world for racketlon. A player may do well in one round, he says, but their opponent can catch up in another - so matches can be close.

In competition, players have to compete in multiple matches - progressing as they knock out opponents on the way. It can make for a very long day - in excess of eight hours, depending on how many people are competing.

Mark Harris, 35, is Dan’s doubles partner and also in the British squad. He played badminton at county level but was looking for new challenges when he discovered racketlon.

Mark, a market analyst who lives in York, took part in his first tournament, the German Open, last year, and has never looked back. In the run up to competitions, the training is intense: three hours a night, four or five times a week. But it has paid off because Mark now has a UK ranking of 20 and is 162 in the world.

One of the biggest thrills for Dan and Mark was representing Britain in the Racketlon European Championships in Prague last year. Wearing team colours and hearing the national anthem being played were special moments.

Mark, who played in the B team and won silver, said: “It’s quite an emotional thing. I felt quite proud. I was pleased when I got selected for Yorkshire for badminton, but to be picked for your country is even better.”

Dan, who teaches maths at St Olave’s school in York, feels the same. “It is great! They play the national anthem as the team members get introduced - that is one of my biggest memories.”

As in many sports, there is room for all levels. While Dan and Mark compete in the higher echelons of the sport, there are grades to suit all abilities, including juniors.

And people can try their hand at racketlon for themselves at the North of England Open championships which will be held at the University of York on September 11.

Dan is one of the organisers and says it is a great way to test the water and see if it might be a sport for you.

Both Dan and Mark say the appeal of racketlon lies in the challenge of learning or improving in a sport you might not have played much before, if at all. For example, while Mark was a county-standard badminton player and a decent club-standard tennis player, he hadn’t played as much squash and little table tennis until 18 months ago.

“Nobody is good at all four sports,” insists Dan, adding that this makes it more of a level playing field when it comes to competing.

Racketlon first took off in Scandinavia, but is now becoming more popular in the UK. Dan said: “We are the country with the biggest increase in participation. There were 23 events in the UK in the past year - four years ago there was only seven. It started in Scandinavia, but they have had their growth spurt.”

Dan says there is a growing number of young people in the UK trying racketlon, which bodes well for the future because they will learn to play all four sports well from an early age.

“Very few adults play all four and lots have had to start as beginners in at least one,” says Dan. “If we can continue to get get children taking part, the numbers playing racketlon will grow and we will become very, very strong.”

To find out more visit racketlon.co.uk