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LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, PLAY WILL CONTINUE. (From Halesowen News)
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LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, PLAY WILL CONTINUE.
9:39pm Sunday 26th April 2009
By Richard Nevin »
On some occasions, amongst the elements that make a masterpiece are its flaws. True perfection is rare and the never-ending attempt to achieve it can sometimes render the result disappointing. This is never more obvious than in sport. Remove the misjudgements, the mistakes, even the incompetence and you remove a vital part of what is so attractive when it comes to what, when all is said and done, is just a game.
The ongoing updating of the facilities at the Lawn Tennis associations headquarters have, undoubtedly, enhanced the staging of the Wimbledon Championships. The new number one court is a worthy partner to the legendry Centre Court, and the final piece of the jigsaw was unveiled this week with the first viewing of the new, retractable roof over the heart of the All England Club. Frustration has been very much to the fore over the years as the British weather has taken its toll on what is an already tight schedule. From this year, matches can continue on Centre Court regardless of rain or the evening light fading and although the rest of the tournament still relies on fair climatic conditions, the top players and the TV schedulers will welcome this new addition.
At the risk of appearing to be a Luddite, I greet this new innovation with some sadness. Aside from being played on grass, the other element that sets this particular Grand Slam tournament apart from the others is, indeed, the elements. Granted, disruption is unwelcome and annoying but it also creates a sense of drama absent from all the other primary competitions in tennis. For me, the archetypal Wimbledon moments generally occur during the dying light of a summers evening, where a particularly gruelling slog twixt two relentless opponents reaches a fifth set climax. The tension is tangible, even through a TV screen, the next scheduled programme on the BBC is delayed, the tournament referee hovers menacingly at courtside, eyes cast skyward at the gathering gloom. The exhausted combatants engage in tense exchanges with the umpire over the prospect of continuation. Throw in the presence of a gallant British failure and you have the perfect recipe for great sporting drama.
This scenario is lost forever on Centre Court and, I would wager, on Number One court in the future. The tournament will run more smoothly, the top players and sponsors will be more at ease but from 2009, Wimbledon will loose something very special that it can never replace.
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I seem to have laboured under the misapprehension that the PFA Player of the Year rewarded that individual who stood out from the rest during the last twelve months. So why the clamour for Manchester United’s Ryan Giggs to receive the honour? An outstanding professional for the last fifteen years it cannot be denied, but his influence this season has been minimal, and looking at the list of candidates I don’t know why they don’t just combine it with the awards night at Old Trafford and be done with it.
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Double celebration for Stourbridge in both Rugby and Football this week as both teams confirmed their status in their respective divisions. Well done to messers Mitchell and Hackett for prevailing under trying circumstances this season and here’s to the future at Stourton Park and Amblecoat.
Richard Nevin .
Listen to Richard Nevin every week on the Friday Sports Forum between 7 and 9pm on 102.5 The Bridge and on Beacon Radio’s 442, the post match football show with a difference, every Saturday from 5.
