I also acted as an interviewer for the Catholic Herald to get interviews with any known Catholic Players. I got one with Maureen Connolly Wimbledon Champion 52 and Enrico Morea an Argentinian.

That began the climb up the umpiring ladder.  My first chair umpire men’s singles match on the centre court was Hewitt of Australia v Metreveli of Russia in 1963. As an aside, the last thing I always did before going on centre court was to check that the “The flies were zipped up!”

My Last match umpired on Centre court was Roger Taylor v Charlie Pasarell 1970 at which Pasarell was barracked by the crowd for stalling..” The crowd slow hand clapped and I said through the mike “ I must warn you Mr Pasarell that play must be continuous.”  Dan Maskell the commentator said “That was the sternest warning he’d ever heard. The following day there was cartoon in the Express showing me in the Chair holding a machine gun.

In 1980 I went to play squash at Bisham Abbey and in the dressing room after doing some tennis coaching was Roger Taylor with whom I had a chat.

I was persuaded by some umpiring friends to apply for Wimbledon again. I did some update courses qualified as an International Umpire in 1980.

Memorable matches were as a linesman on the very exciting Men’s 5 set Final Connors v McEnroe in 1982.
My only final as a chair umpire was Ashley Cooper v Reg Bennett on Court 1.

Continued Umpiring until 1986 but not at Wimbledon for 10 years, due to business and family requirements

Probably the most exciting 2 matches watched as spectator was Drobny v Kramer after 4 hours at 21.20 and the McEnroe v Borg final. 

Another amazing coincidence was I was umpiring a match in the West of England Championships and the man in the chair on the next court turned out to be Dennis Small my friend, room mate, walking, climbing Sergeant from Klagenfurt 2nd Echelon who at the time didn’t even play tennis.

It was my custom in the early days of the Wimbledon Fortnight whilst staying at the Knights Club in London, to go to all the posh London Hotels for a midday Sunday drink. This resulted in meeting The Chief Executive Officer of Budweiser Beer USA who invited me to join his team for Dinner at The Dorchester Hotel which I accepted. It is the only time I have had a complete chicken, albeit small, on the plate.

My other guests other than friends and family for whom I got tickets at Wimbledon throughout the years included the above C.E.O,  The Chairman of Comet Electrical:

1. Michael Hollingbury, who previously told me whilst I was at Philips, when he had only one store, of his intention to expand to a National Store group.

2.Cecil Harris, Managing Director of Harris Electrical Wholesale, who invited me to have lunch with him at a Jewish Kosher restaurant in (he had a reputation for giving salespeople a very hard time and his response a few years earlier to my sales pitch was “Horse Shit”,)

3. a priest staying at the Knights Club who invited me to dinner at Veeraswamy Restaurant in Regent Street.

4. Another priest who invited me to stay at his presbytery whilst I visited Leamington Spa – very impressive illuminations, & Warwick Castle & Museum very fine Castle & paintings. 

Whilst staying at the Knights Club in London I had the opportunity of meeting and mainly listening to a very intellectual discussion involving:

a. Dr. Halliday Sutherland a specialist in anti- tuberculosis treatment and was an author who wrote many books including The Spanish Civil War, Ireland and the Magdalene Laundry and The Suitcase in the Cellar,
b. An Irish Poet and 
c. A few priests.