The renowned Australian partnership of Pat O’Hara Wood and Ronald Victor Thomas thumped the British team of Lycett and Wood (does the sporting script ever change?). In fact, the first Wimbledon to be held after Britain won the Great War was the beginning, one could argue, of the end of British dominance in the world of tennis; for the first time in the history of the tournament all the titles were won by overseas players.
Not that they had the pleasure of walking around Centre Court showing off their trophies; the strange thing about this rosebowl, pictured here, is that it did not come within a sniff of SW19. “Back then, the players were presented with money so that they could go out and buy a trophy for themselves,” explained auctioneer John Mullock. Ah, those innocent, bygone days. Given the choice between money or trophy, what would today’s professional players decide? It would be a sound test of values in a game that some commentators say has become more cynical.
The trophy, measuring 10in (25.5cm) diameter, had been consigned by a descendant of the Australian winners and it sold to a collector at £2700 (plus 12.5 per cent buyer’s premium).
Self service was the order of the day
UK: THE most famous fortnight in lawn tennis is now upon us, and as a warm-up to the usual bazaar of champagne, strawberries and corporate hospitality, at Kempton Park on June 16 auctioneers Mullock and Madeley held aloft this Wimbledon trophy for the men’s doubles winners of 1919.
