On Sunday at Wimbledon, players through to the second week may have had a day off but there was plenty of tennis action on the courts of Wellington Tennis Club. Whilst Andy Murray was recovering from his late night action on Saturday against Marcos Baghdatis sixteen of the club’s players were competing in a Jubilee Tournament that paired players randomly in short ‘best of five games’ matches.
The tennis may have been reminiscent of Wimbledon but the kit would certainly have been banned from the beautiful green grass courts of the All England Club. Instead of Wimbledon’s predominantly white clothing, competitors at Wellington decked themselves in red, white and blue and sported Union Jacks in strategic places.
Players from the Junior ranks as well as those from the opposite end of the age range competed both with and against one another in friendly rivalry and, at the end of the competition, shared refreshments – all suitably colour-coded in red, white and blue. The success of the day was due to organiser Philippa Deem and Tournament Referee Jane Hampden and to the good-natured keenness of all the competitors. Prizes of, appropriately, Diamond Jubilee Mugs and Teabags were awarded to the leading male and female players.
Gill Paltridge
