Who is your favourite post 1968 & not currently ranked GB player? WOMEN - FINAL

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

Who is your favourite post 1968 & not currently ranked GB player? WOMEN - FINAL

brittak · Satellite level

21 votes cast so far and nothing to choose between Ginny and Ann.

Bally, Laura and Sue a little bit behind but could still catch up if any of the remaining votes go their way.

brittak · Satellite level

Another vote tonight and it goes to Bally - only one behind now!

Still all to play for tomorrow

Michael D · All-time great

This is certainly a great tussle here.... Ginny and Ann still tied and Bally still just that 1 vote behind now... 22 votes overall so far.

Jan · Hall of fame

It's decision time.
Torn between so many here.

1. Bally - we all know her story; what an inspiration!

2. Christine Truman. Forgive me if I've said this before! I grew up (and still live) in the area she lived in. I walked past her house every day on my way to primary school. My parents were big tennis fans and thought a lot of her. Over the road from her house was a corner shop where we used to buy sweets sometimes on the way home from school. The lady in there kindly took my autograph book so that Christine could sign it when she next popped in! She took the trouble to write me a message - not just her name. My mum mananged to work it so that we saw Christine leave the house on her way to her wedding. We also used to see her sometimes at the shops - not that I was brave enough to speak to her! So many lovely memories, even though I never saw her play live. Also love her commentary.

3. Ann Jones. My first memory of a Brit winning a big tournament! For some inexplicable reason I was out and missed the match - no catch-up or video recorders in those days!

4. Ginny. I saw her play at Wimbledon several times: "Oh Ginny!!" I was away at uni when she won Wimbledon. Managed to watch the match in hall of residence and made a beeline to the payphone to call home when she won!

So, although she won't win (and to be honest I'm happy whoever wins!), I'm going with sentiment and voting for Christine.

brittak · Satellite level

Thanks Jan for sharing your Christine Truman story. I said in an earlier poll about an interview I saw that she did with John Inverdale at the French last year. She seemed such a lovely kind and positive person.

You are right about the competition in that I too will be happy in whoever wins but as you show, this whole series of polls is more about a player that you strike a chord with or you remember them from a particular period of your own life rather than just their playing ability.

I think that is why I went for Virginia - I had just finished my O levels and was off school so got to watch the match live and there was the whole silver Jubilee thing going on and Ginny had been getting closer and closer to win after after a number of her earlier years when she lost early. It just all takes me back....

Mind you I also had a very soft spot for Sue.... I was after all a 16 year old schoolboy...!

-- Edited by brittak on Saturday 9th of May 2020 09:52:43 AM

-- Edited by brittak on Saturday 9th of May 2020 10:09:41 AM

Bob in Spain · Tennis legend

Jan wrote:
It's decision time.
Torn between so many here.

1. Bally - we all know her story; what an inspiration!

2. Christine Truman. Forgive me if I've said this before! I grew up (and still live) in the area she lived in. I walked past her house every day on my way to primary school. My parents were big tennis fans and thought a lot of her. Over the road from her house was a corner shop where we used to buy sweets sometimes on the way home from school. The lady in there kindly took my autograph book so that Christine could sign it when she next popped in! She took the trouble to write me a message - not just her name. My mum mananged to work it so that we saw Christine leave the house on her way to her wedding. We also used to see her sometimes at the shops - not that I was brave enough to speak to her! So many lovely memories, even though I never saw her play live. Also love her commentary.

3. Ann Jones. My first memory of a Brit winning a big tournament! For some inexplicable reason I was out and missed the match - no catch-up or video recorders in those days!

4. Ginny. I saw her play at Wimbledon several times: "Oh Ginny!!" I was away at uni when she won Wimbledon. Managed to watch the match in hall of residence and made a beeline to the payphone to call home when she won!

So, although she won't win (and to be honest I'm happy whoever wins!), I'm going with sentiment and voting for Christine.

Brilliant story Jan, re Christine Truman

Michael D · All-time great

Bally has caught up now... so a 3-way tie at the top.. so close.

And yes for me. I've been very happy to read the array of stories and to see the spread voting amongst many... Annie K still to get a vote in the final as well (as well as Winnie Shaw and Claire Colman).

I was also glad to see Christine Truman get some support as she was one of my favourites too, and it is a lovely story..

The only surprise still is Claire Colman, for whom there isn't even a good wiki entry yet (the searches keep asking if you want to insert an 'e' into her surname, and still do it even when you decline. So maybe at least someone who voted for her here could update her story a little too!

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

Michael D wrote:
Bally has caught up now... so a 3-way tie at the top.. so close.

And yes for me. I've been very happy to read the array of stories and to see the spread voting amongst many... Annie K still to get a vote in the final as well (as well as Winnie Shaw and Claire Colman).

I was also glad to see Christine Truman get some support as she was one of my favourites too, and it is a lovely story..

The only surprise still is Claire Colman, for whom there isn't even a good wiki entry yet (the searches keep asking if you want to insert an 'e' into her surname, and still do it even when you decline. So maybe at least someone who voted for her here could update her story a little too!

Yeah, claire colman only played Wimbledon one year, early 70s and lost first match. Theres an article in the qualifiers polls I think about her living in Devon, and that's the lot! A woman of mystery who someone seems to have liked enough to keep her in this competition!

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

Bally has taken the lead !

the addict · Tennis legend

No background info to add, but here is a photo I took of Sue Barker on Court 3, Wimbledon 1984, second day, winning her first round match. 2-6 6-4 6-4

Sue Barker.jpg

Edit - I had the year wrong - that's the trouble with scanned photos - no date stamp

-- Edited by the addict on Saturday 9th of May 2020 05:36:20 PM

indiana · Tennis legend

3-way tie again at the top !

indiana · Tennis legend

the addict wrote:
No background info to add, but here is a photo I took of Sue Barker on Court 3, Wimbledon 1983, winning her first round match.

Grass looking good in R1

brittak · Satellite level

POLL EXTENDED UNTIL 6.30PM!

Great to see votes still coming in but I will be busy at 6pm so am extending by half an hour.

Thanks

Michael D · All-time great

Well we have 29 votes in now and back to a 3-way tie at the top again!!

May need to extend longer than 6.30 pm then!

Also glad to see that Annie K now has a vote too so it's only Winnie Shaw and Claire Colman that have yet to receive one in the final