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Friday, July 4, 2008

Wimbledon, London


In the 1870s, at the bottom of the hill on land between the railway line and Worple Road, the All-England Croquet Club had begun to hold its annual championships. Wimbledon matches that had no tennis, what a concept.

But the popularity of croquet was waning as the new sport of lawn tennis began to spread. After initially setting aside just one of its lawns for tennis, the club decided to hold its first Lawn Tennis Championship in July 1877. I wonder if there was a long wait for tickets to the Wimbledon Tennis Championships cost back then?

By 1922, the popularity of tennis had grown to the extent that the club's small ground could no longer cope with the numbers of spectators and the renamed All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club moved to new grounds close to Wimbledon Park.

Wimbledon historian Richard Milward recounts how King George V opened the new courts. "He gave three blows on a gong, the tarpaulins were removed, the first match started - and the rain came down..." The club's old grounds continue to be used as the sports ground for Wimbledon High School.

There's more to Wimbledon, London than lawn tennis, but for of the world-it only exists for a few days during the Wimbledon Championships. Then everyone wants to buy Wimbledon tickets, and make them cheap Wimbledon tickets, please. The news is that there will be yet another tennis match between the Williams Sister for the Wimbledon Championship. Well, I like them both and it doesn't really matter which one wins the Wimbledon Trophy. Seems they always win the Wimbledon Womens rounds.

I wasn't there at the right time to be looking for tickets for Wimbledon, and would not have been that interested in seeing a Wimbledon match anyway. But if I was there at the right time for the Wimbledon Finals, it would have been a bit tempting to try and get a couple of Wimbledon tickets. I couldn't have afforded to watch the Wimbledon Tennis Championships, but it would have been fun to say-Oy, do you know how much they want for Wimbledon tennis tickets? £91 doesn't sound all that bad, does it?

Well, Wimbledon, London would be a neat place to visit anyway.

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