future cruise lecturing dates
11th - 19th March 2025
Cunard’s Queen Anne from Darwin to Hong Kong. This voyage has one port call at Manila.
Fun on the Mediterranean and the Atlantic
Lecturing on two cruises with Celebrity, on first the Ascent and then the Apex, filled much of our Autumn in 2024.
Larry Hess joined me as a fellow lecturer on Apex, together with his lovely wife Su.
A return to Wimbledon
It was great to see so many old friends and colleagues during the first week at Wimbledon this year.
Smithy and I are too old to even play in the veterans doubles now. But he remains a finely tuned athlete capable of waddling around a croquet lawn and sharing a cuppa with an old mate!
James Keothavong is very special to us, and we were very happy to get the chance to meet up with him and his delightful family.
Look, it’s Sue Mappin!
It’s always a pleasure to catch up with Sue.
and the previous year at Wimbledon 2023
I met up with my typesetter Andrew Chapman, editor Pete Gentry and cover photographer Sally Grace at Wimbledon. Thanks for your excellent work one and all.
Julian and Olly were also major influences on the project.
18th January 2024
The whole tennis world was saddened to hear of the death of Alan Mills, my predecessor as Wimbledon Referee. Alan was both a mentor but, more importantly, a friend. I served as part of his team before taking over from him in 2006.
At Wimbledon 2023 four Referees (Alan, Denise Parnell, Gerry Armstrong and I) got together for a photograph. Little were we to know that it would be the last time we would see him. All who knew him will miss him.
Book Tour 2023
It was fun meeting up with some old friends and making new ones at all the following places on my book tour. Thanks to all who came along! We went to:
Woodlands LTC in Derby, Edgbaston Park Hotel in Birmingham, The Leicestershire Club in Leicester, The Hallamshire Club in Sheffield, Ilkley LTC in Yorkshire, The West Bridgford Club in Nottingham, The Roehampton Club in London, Byfleet LTC in Surrey, The Tennis Gallery in Wimbledon and The West Hants Club in Bournemouth.
Thanks to all of you who helped to make it possible. You know who you are!
The Wimbledon Foundation
A portion of any profit from this book will be donated to the Wimbledon Foundation to support its work.
Established in 2013, the Wimbledon Foundation is the charity of The All England Lawn Tennis Club and The Championships and uses the collective strength of Wimbledon to make a positive difference to people’s lives. Each year, the Foundation works with more than 100 charities to champion opportunity for all. In the London boroughs of Merton and Wandsworth, projects funded by the Foundation provide vital support to people facing a wide range of challenges, including homelessness, mental health and employability. Nationally, its youth leadership programme, Set for Success, uses the power of sport combined with mentoring by world class athletes to improve the wellbeing and future opportunities of young people across the UK. Internationally, its partnership with WaterAid supports their mission to ensure everyone has access to clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene.