UK: RAIN HOLDS UP FIRST DAY'S PALY IN THE WIMBLEDON TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS BUT A BOOKMAKER BRINGS A RAY OF SUNSHINE.

Record ID: 647931

  • Title: UK: RAIN HOLDS UP FIRST DAY'S PALY IN THE WIMBLEDON TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS BUT A BOOKMAKER BRINGS A RAY OF SUNSHINE.
  • Date: 23rd June 1975
  • Summary: 1. GV Wimbledon with crowds 0.05 2. CU Player enters building 0.08 3. CU Nastase in dressing room 0.11 4. CU Billie Jean King 0.17 5. SV PAN People seated in enclosure eating and drinking 0.22 6. CU Women eating strawberries and cream 0.30 7. LV EXT Betting tent 0.34 8. SV & CU INT Boards with betting odds (2 shots) 0.42 9. CU Man at counter making bet 0.48 10. GV PAN Crowd applaud as Connors & Lloyd walk onto court (2 shots) 0.58 11. CU ZOOM OUT Lloyd serves to Connors & loses point 1.09 12. SV Crowd watch as Lloyd serves again & wins point (2 shots) 1.15 13. SV Crowd applaud 1.17 14. SV First game point. Lloyd serves & wins PAN on players walking to umpire as he calls score 1.33 15. SV PAN Crowd put up umbrellas as players walk off (2 shots) 1.46 16. SV Covers onto court 1.54 17. SV Scoreboard showing Connors leading 4-2 1.55 18. CU ZOOM OUT Rain failing on covers 2.00 Initials BJB/0040 TENNIS Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 8th July 1975 13:00
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  • Location: WIMBLEDON, LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM
  • City:
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Reuters ID: LVA95MKIJT4T5NZO6XDLZ8WO2T3M
  • Story Text: As rain held up the first day's play in the Wimbledon Tennis Championships on Monday (23 June) fans found a new entertainment - betting on their favourite players.

    Hundreds of fans crowded into a carpeted tent on the grounds of the world's most prestigious lawn tennis competition where a leading London bookmaker had set up shop. One man was seen placing GBP4,000 sterling (US $9,200) on American defending singles champions Chris Evert and Jim Connors. But other more reticent gamblers settled for bets of ten pence.

    The betting has broken a Wimbledon taboo, but it is conducted in style - with plush carpets, television and white gloved bookers in striped suits.

    Half an hour after play started, the 99th tournament was stopped as the rain started. The 15 grass courts on which the tennis world will focus for the 12-day championships disappeared under their smart green canvas covers as a protection against the rain.

    Before the stoppage, last year's men's champion, Jim Connors, made a quiet defence of his title, moving into a 4-2 first set lead against Britain's John Lloyd. Connors broke Lloyd's service in the third game. But the young Briton was unlucky not to make up lost ground when on break point against Connors in the sixth game his drive was fractionally too long. When the rain started Connors made straight for the umpire's chair and gathered up his rackets before the officials had signalled play to stop. Connor is seeded first and 40-year-old Australian, Ken Rosewall, is seeded second.

    Chris Evert is seeded first in the women's singles. Three former champions -- American Billie Jean King, and Australians Evonne Goolagong and Mergaret Court -- will be among those challenging.
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