Grandfather on TV at Wimbledon (tennis) - not sure of year

[kob3203]

Agreed, both Wimbledon and the BBC (possibly ITV too?) are definitely worth contacting. Maybe that's the most obvious and logical approach. 

My concern at the moment is that we're still unclear on the match and year, and although we're fairly certain that it's a womens singles final or semi 1978-1980 (that's 9 possibilities) there's a possibility we may be wrong. Maybe it was a quarter-final ? Maybe it was 1981? Etc.

If some kind soul at Wimbledon/BBC checks those 9 most likely matches for us but doesn't find it, then I'd feel rather guilty in asking them to look at more matches, e.g. quarter-finals, earlier/later, womens/mixed doubles, etc. And I'm sure that at some point even the kindest soul would think "that's enough".

So I'm really hoping that a tennis fan somewhere will have the match I'm after on DVD and will thus be confirm the match, and possibly send me a screenshot so I can be 100% sure. At that point spending money on a DVD would make sense to me !

[kob3203]

I've just posted the question on a UK tennis forum, so fingers crossed

https://www.tennisforum.com/threads/wimbledon-trying-to-identify-a-1978-1980-womens-final-semi-where-the-umpire-had-a-problem-with-his-microphone.1377412/

[Romilly]

Let us know how you get on.

Romilly.

[kob3203]

Well, it's been nearly a year and there's been no response from that tennis forum - I have to admit that it was definitely a long shot.

I've only managed to watch two of the four full matches I found on Wimbledon's official YouTube channel, and it doesn't seem to be either of these:

Evert/Goolagong 1980 final
Evert/Navratilova 1978 final

Not being a tennis fan I had the matches playing on my second monitor while I was working, but I think I would have been aware of a pause in play due to the umpire's microphone failing.

I also found a partial (possibly a third to a half of the match?)video of the Wade/Stove 1977 final that somebody posted, but that doesn't really help since I need to see the full match.

I'll be trying to watch the other two full matches I found on YouTube over the next few days:

Evert/Wade 1977 semi-final
Navratilova/King 1980 quarter-final

I haven't tried contacting Wimbledon or the BBC yet because, as I said before, I think there are too many possible matches.

I've also attached a summary of what we believe to be the most likely matches - see the attached image. Although I wouldn't completely rule out a year or two earlier, or even (less likely) a year or two later.

[kob3203]

And there's another fly in the ointment - Ted retired in October 1974, according to his long service award "on the occasion of your retirement". He'd have been 62.

I did say that we weren't really certain about the year, didn't I ?

[Footo]

Bit of a long shot but there’s a profile on Linked-In for Bill Whiston a Sound Assistant/ Sound Supervisor/ Senior Sound Supervisor BBC Television Centre/ BBC Outside Broadcasts
Sep 1970 - Apr 2008. He has also written an article on the sound systems used through the years at Wimbledon and The Proms. He may well recall your grandfather @ Wimbledon between 1970 to his retirement in 1974.

https://uk.linkedin.com/in/bill-whiston-5223a746

I googled Bill Whiston BBC Outside Broadcasts if link does not work.

My other half is a Broadcast Engineer (visions) and is hired in by a third party to cover Wimbledon.

Good luck in your quest

[kob3203]

Thanks Footo, that's no more of  a long shot than anything else.

As usual with those type of sites one needs to be a member to make contact. I wonder if I can track down my details - I had an account there soon after they started I think, around twenty years ago. As far as I know it's lain dormant since then.

Regarding my own watching of tennis matches, I've watched the other two full matches that were on YouTube and it's not them either.

Despite my grandfather retiring in 1974, certain memories from family members indicate that it must have been later - my sister recalls being at camp with the Girl Guides, and she'd have been too young in 1974.

My father thinks it was the final.

So our most likely match is now the 1977 Wade/Stove Wimbledon Womens' Singles final. Next step, find somebody who has that full match on DVD and ask them to sit and watch it (probably around 2 hours worth) to see whether it's the one.

[Forguette]

Daily Mirror 1st July 1978. No story which elaborates on the picture unfortunately. Gerulaitis had beaten Sherwood Stewart.

[kob3203]

Thanks Forguette, that's definitely our most promising lead so far. I'm trying to find out whether this match (3rd round Gerulaitus v Stewart) was televised, and if it's on DVD.

Despite not being a womens singles match, and not being a final, semi, or quarter, all of us seem to agree that we might have been totally wrong on those ! (With regard to that, it's worth listening to Richard Dawkins reading a bit about false memory from his book, at the 31 minute mark of his chat on YouTube with Penn Jillette - Richard Dawkins in conversation with Penn Jillette at Live Talks LA note: I think there's some bad language elsewhere in the video for those who might be offended)

So my sister's recollection of being at camp with the Girl Guides, along with us moving house, is possibly the most reliable recollection, making the year 1977 or 1978.