By 
(The Well-k 
F. R. BURROW 
nown Referee and Handicapper). 
Illustrated by Alfred Leete. 
IIIRTY years’ fairly intimate 
acquaintance with the game of 
lawn-tennis — ten as a tour- 
nament player, ten as an 
interested onlooker, and ten as 
a referee and handicapper — 
have provided me with a 
store of humorous recollections. 
Now, if you were to judge from the set faces 
and serious expressions of the spectators 
crowding round, and the people playing in, 
the centre court at Wimbledon during an 
important match in the “ championship fort- 
night,” you might be excused for thinking that 
a tennis tournament was the last place in 
the world in which to look for humour. 
Yet even at Wimbledon you may always 
see something new, whether it be a novel 
variety of service by some member of 
the 4< contortionist ” school, or a pleasing 
variant of the usual costume, such as 
was worn by an Italian competitor a year 
of two ago, who appeared in the sensible 
but unorthodox garb of a sleeveless vest, 
frilled and embroidered. Unluckily this was 
on a side court, and so most people missed it 
Still, Wimbledon is mainly a very serious 
business, and the most prolific source of 
humour there is of the kind which consists 
in watching the expressions of players who 
have lost matches they expected to win. This, 
of course, is not so much for the multitude 
as for the victims’ own dearest friends. 
It is at the innumerable “ holiday” tourna- 
ments which succeed Wimbledon that the 
fun of the fair really begins. The great 
events of the year are over and done with ; 
the game becomes less serious and more 
jolly ; only the champions have reputations 
to keep up, and they do not play much in 
holiday tournaments. Everybody is out to 
enjoy himself, and in fine weather there are, 
even for poor players, few pleasanter ways 
of spending a holiday than going round to 
two or three of the seaside tournaments* 
There the new-comers will meet players with 
whose names they are familiar, and learn new 
shots to practise in their own clubs. Some 
of them will no doubt also learn what is 
expected of them by those in charge of the 
management of these meetings ; others will 
not, but continue gaily irresponsible all their 
