WIMBLEDON

Today Wimbledon begins. The inaugural 1877 Wimbeldon Tennis Championships started on 9 July and the Gentlemen's Singles was the only event held, played at Worple Road, Wimbledon. 22 men paid a guinea (£1 and 1 shilling) to enter the tournament, which was to be held over five days. The rain delayed it for four days and eventually, on 19 July 1877, the final was played. Spenser Gore, an old Harrovian (old boy of Harrow School), rackets player, defeated William Marshall, 6–1, 6-2 and 6–4 in 48 minutes. Gore was presented with the silver challenge cup, valued at 25 guineas and donated by the sports magazine, The Field. 

In 1922: At the Wimbledon Championships, The Challenge Round was abolished and the tournament moved to a new venue, Church Road. 

Bill Tilden and Suzanne Lenglen were the last of Wimbledon’s champions (1921) who were not required to defend their titles until the Challenge Round. This was a rather generous and increasingly anachronistic rule, in place since the singles' competitions were first established, in 1877. This rule stipulated that the defending champion was not required to lift a finger in defence of his or her championship until the winner of the rest of the main draw had been decided. 

In 1922, the year the Wimbledon tournament moved to Church Road, the attitude of players, after World War I, ensured that the plan, suggested before the war, but never finding sufficient favour among the players in those days, was passed by a resounding player vote of 91 to 27; a new beginning. 

The construction of the new home of tennis, with accommodation for 13,500 people was completed in time for the 1922 Championships, amid forecasts the place would become a white elephant. Never have such forecasts proved more wrong. On 26th June, the official opening was conducted by King George V and Queen Mary. Some 45 minutes behind schedule the King appeared in the Royal Box, gave three blows on a gong and declared Wimbledon’s new home open. There followed the wettest two weeks in the tournament’s history!!!

The 135th edition started today (27th June 2022) and runs until the10th July 2022, with regularly scheduled play on the middle Sunday expected for the first time. The 135th edition will also mark the centenary of the inaugural championships staged at the Centre Court.

Wimbledon Old Central Football Club were formed in 1889, taking its name from the Old C entral School, on Wimbledon Common, where players had been pupils. The club's first match was a 1–0 victory over Westminster, and it only took seven years for success to come to Wimbledon as the club won both the Clapham League and the Herald League in 1895-6. 

A meeting was convened on 1 May 1905, and the decision was taken to drop "Old Central" from the club's name – the club became Wimbledon Football Club, and under its new name the club won the South London Charity Cup the same year – however, excessive debts caused the club to fold in 1910. 

The club was restarted a year later under the name Wimbledon Borough, though "Borough" was dropped from the team's name after barely a year. The club continued to play on Wimbledon Common and at various other locations in the Wimbledon area until 1912, when the side settled at Plough Lane. 

Wimbledon joined the Athenian  League 1919-20. The club then joined the Isthmian League. Winning four Isthmian League titles during the 1930s, and reaching the FA Amateur Cup final in 1934-5. Wimbledon began to prosper. The club reached another FA Amateur Cup final in 1946-7, and finished as runners-up in the league twice over the next few seasons.

Wimbledon won the Isthmian League for the fifth time in 1958-9 before starting a period of domination that saw three successive championships – 1961-64. Wimbledon also lifted the FA  Amateur Cup in 1962–63, beating Sutton  United 4–2.

Eddie Reynolds (from Northern Ireland) scored all four Wimbledon goals with his head, and in doing so became the only player to have headed in all four of his side's goals in a Wembley match – a unique feat. Following these successes, the decision was taken to turn professional for the 1964-5 season and to enter the Southern League. Wimbledon continued success in their new league, finishing as runners-up at the first attempt. 

Wimbledon became nationally famous during an FA Cup run during the 1974-5 season: entering the competition at the first qualifying round, Wimbledon saw off various non-league clubs and lower league opposition, to find themselves in the Third Round Proper. They then became the first Non-League team that century to beat a First Division (then the top division) side away from home by defeating Burnley at Turf Moor. 

In the fourth round the good form continued, as the team held the reigning First Division Champions, Leeds United to a 0–0 draw at Elland Road. Goalie, Dickie Guy, became a legend by saving a penalty from Peter Lorimer, to earn a replay, which was narrowly lost 1–0 by an own goal, in front of over 40,000 spectators at Selhurst Park. After winning the Southern League three times running from 1974-77 Wimbledon were elected to THE FOOTBALL LEAGUE in place of Workington,for the 1977-8 season.

When AFC Wimbledon won the FA Cup in 1988, they had also won the FA Amateur Cup (1963). Only one other football club has achieved that DOUBLE-The Old Carthusians FC, the old boys of Charterhouse School (below); 1881 FA Cup and  the first FA Amateur Cup in 1894 and again in 1897.