SYDNEY -- Belinda Lau-Beaton may be small, and some of her opponents are half her age, but on the squash court, she's quick as a cat -- and a force to be reckoned with.

The 55-year-old didn't even try the sport until five years ago.

"I just fell in love with the game," said Lau-Beaton.

The native of Macau immigrated to Canada almost three decades ago and has always been athletic.

For years, her sport was taekwondo, but after undergoing knee surgery, she decided to give this new game a try.

"At first, I just played on my own and picked up a lot of bad habits!" said Lau-Beaton. "Fortunately, I met up with two instructors and they helped me with the game. Once they corrected me, the game improved."

Now, she's come far enough that she'll represent Nova Scotia at the national women's team championship in Quebec next month.

Her teammates in the tiny Sydney Squash Association couldn't be prouder.

"She's a bulldog," says playing partnerKurt Ferguson."So, she'll be a tough match for anybody that gets her!"

The much younger Ferguson can attest to that.

"She's fast, she's quick at retrieving balls," Ferguson said. "She doesn't stop, she gets to a lot of balls, runs around the court.  Doesn't let up any."

It took Lau-Beaton50 years to discover the sport, and she admits that squash is a game that doesn't exactly get a lot of exposure.

She's hoping that by sharing her story, more people will give it a try.

"We have so much fun, I have trouble leaving," said Lau-Beaton.

Along with her busy work schedule as a physiotherapist, Lau-Beatonplays squash at least five days a week, usually two to three hours.

She admits she is overdoing it, but to her, this is more than just a sport.

"This is a social event as well, so we are very competitive with each other," Lau-Beaton said. "However, when we play the game we can always carry on at the same time. We have a very close-knit group here."

At nationals, it will be the same story as usual: most of the others will be years younger.

"I never think about my age," Lau-Beaton said. "I just do my best.  Some days I feel like 80. Some days I feel like -- not quite 18, but 28 maybe. 38!"

In the end, she feels she's living proof that it's never too late to take a swing at something new.