Today’s poem

TENNIS FEVER

I love watching men’s tennis And anyone can see, That watching the live matches Means such a lot to me. I sit in front of the telly With remote control in hand, Ready to switch channels Should the play demand. The umpire draws the players in, A coin toss to decide, Which player’s to serve first And also from which side. The warm-up takes two minutes Before play is due to start. The linesmen and the ball boys Play a most important part. The crowd now falls so silent, As the umpire calls time for play And with a little luck on side There’ll be no rain delay. Lots of oohs and loads of aahs And occasional shouts of ‘let’, With deft volleys and mighty lobs Speeding over the net. There are no more temper tantrums When players dispute a call, With Hawkeye’s beady eye on the case, Tracking every single ball. The players are all superbly fit After working in the gym, With muscles toned and athletic build They really do look trim. I love to watch the Murray men, Andy and brother Jamie, too, And if their start times are the same I’m really not sure what to do. I love to go to Wimbledon, I’ve been there once or twice, And I must admit the strawberries Are really very nice. I had tickets for the Davis Cup, The venue was quite near, And when team GB came on to court I gave a great big cheer. No matter what the venue, No matter what time the start, My body clock awakens me — Even when it’s dark! So now I’m watching Wimbledon, I’ll watch intensely, And the only thing I’ll ask of you is: Please don’t bother me!

Ann Messenger, Middlewich, Cheshire.