VICTORIAN TENNIS RULE BOOK REVEALS GAME PLAYED BY THREE
TENNIS was a game made for three according to the first Victorian rule book. Our ancestors started playing the game outdoors for the first time thanks to a Birmingham lawyer who experimented with the sport. Instead of the Wimbledon as we know it with strict singles and doubles teams with no mixing of the sexes the early Victorians were MORE liberal. In a version called the Unicorn one player could play against two opponents. And while ladies were discouraged from playing - they were permitted to battle against the men. This means if Wimbledon was played the Victorian way we could be looking at a big female name like Serena Williams playing the likes of Murray AND Djokovic. History buffs of the sport insist the 1874 'Lawn tennis or Pelota rules of the game' by Thomas Henry Gem was the first of its kind. Former PE teachers Sue Elks, 69, and Christopher Elks, 68, from Wythall in the West Midlands explained the difference the modern game has with the tennis of yesteryear.
Other great stories
SHOP BRANDED RACIST FOR ‘ZIP UP IMMIGRANT’ AD
A SHOCKING cartoon of a black man carrying bags saying‘’zippadydoohdah zip-up immigrant bags’ has appeared in a shop window and is being investigated by police .
BUNGLING DRUG DEALER CAUGHT IN TOP COP'S PARKING SPACE
A prolific drug dealer was caught red-handed in a car filled with amphetamines after he decided to park in a top copper's parking space - as a joke .
BACK TO THE FUTURE WITH AR' KID
HOTSPOT MEDIA - BACK TO THE FUTURE WITH AR' KID: A POSTAL SORTER has perfected the art of time travel by delivering images that are from the past .
CHEEKY BABY ORANGUTAN
CLIMBING, falling and tugging on his weary mum, this little orangutan is up to all kinds of trouble .
ADORABLE OWL EMBRACES THE 'RUNNING MAN' CHALLENGE
SKIPPING on the spot, an adorable little owl embraces the 'running man' challenge .
£10,000 REWARD FOR JOHN ANSLOW
Pictures of John Anslow a prisoner who escaped from a prison escort van in North Worcestershire Monday, 23 January .
N-ICE DAY FOR A WHITE WEDDING: COUPLE WED ON GLACIER
When couples talk about wanting a white wedding, few will be referring to getting hitched on a glacier sat on top of an active volcano .
WOMAN NEARLY DIED AFTER PNEUMONIA TURNED INTO SEPSIS – HER LUNGS COLLAPSED AND HER LIPS TURNED BLUE
A woman has revealed how she almost died after she developed sepsis from a cold .
SUN ALLERGY MUM NICKNAMED 'VAMPIRE' BY KIDS
While most Brits look forward to long hot summer days, a mum-of-six will be staying in the shade - as she is allergic to the sun .
HUBBY SAVED ME FROM BEING MAULED BY NEIGHBOUR’S FRIEND WHO TORE CHUNK OUT OF MY CHEEK AND LEFT ME SCARRED FOR LIFE
A mother-of-one has revealed how a neighbour’s friend ‘mauled’ her face, leaving her scarred for life .
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST: SWIMMING WITH SHARKS
Armed with a snorkel, flippers and her skimpy bikini, an intrepid female free diver swims alongside an array of reef sharks .
FIGHTING BLACKBACK GORILLAS
FISTS fly as two gorillas take each other on in a dramatic battle .