Celebrities take centre stage at Wimbledon

Swearing, time-wasting, feigning injury, arguing with officials. No, not the start of the football season, but dear old Wimbledon.
Trevor WatsonTrevor Watson
Trevor Watson

Such tactics were claimed to have been used by certain players with young Aussie, Nick Kyrgios throwing tantrums. The next time he plays here the court side will be packed.

One thing missing from most players, even the women, were tattoos so let’s hope this trend of showing mucky arms doesn’t extend to the posh game.

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TV coverage of the men’s final became a nuisance because at regular intervals the cameras honed in on celebrities we were supposed to know in the royal box. I scarcely knew any.

Inevitably David Beckham was there and caused a sensation by catching the ball from a loose shot. One paper had a headline covering two pages saying the crowd was in awe. Fancy, a sportsman catching a tennis ball, another step towards his knighthood.

Officials turned away racing driver Lewis Hamilton from the royal box for being incorrectly dressed and he declined the offer of a tie. Good.

All this drama tended to overshadow a great win in the first Ashes Test by England. Naturally the Australians blamed the pitch but if wicketkeeper Brad Hadden had caught Joe Root for a duck in the first innings, making England 43-4, who knows what would have happened?

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Football is creeping back and Raheem Sterling’s sulking at Liverpool paid off with a big-money move to Man City. His original club, QPR, collect over £8m so whoever there spotted him as a little lad should get a vote of thanks or even a bonus.

West Ham have appointed their former hard-man, Julian Dicks as coach. He was previously in charge of the women’s team. Now he’ll have to put up with demands for new hair dryers in the dressing room and a better quality of shampoo.

A reminder of the Dewsbury Celtic reunion at the Irish Nash on Saturday, July 25 (3.30pm) when their appearance in the Challenge Cup proper for the first time in 1955 will be one of the occasions marked.

Celtic lost 43-0 at Workington but going up there in those days was no picnic against such as Ike Southward, Tony Paskins, John Mudge and Billy Ivison.

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In the second round Workington beat Leeds at home and then St Helens and overcame Featherstone in the semi-final at Headingley before losing 21-12 to Barrow at Wembley. Imagine the Rugby League reaction to a Barrow-Workington final.

Barrow had won 11-8 in the first round at Crown Flatt when Dewsbury scored two tries to one but missed several goals while the great Willie Horne landed four and notorious second row man Jack Grundy scored the visitors’ try.

Grundy was a ruthless character. Playing for Great Britain in France he upset the French touch judge so much with his tough tactics that the enraged official whacked him on his bald head with the corner flag. Ah...the good old days.