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
TEEN BOY FINALLY HITS PUBERTY AFTER ANOREXIA STUNTED HIS GROWTH
A student has finally hit puberty after a four year battle against anorexia stunted his growth .
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 .
SUPER TOT – BIZARRE BABY PHOTO’S
Magical photos of your baby smiling for the first time are a priceless treasure for many a proud parent .
FACES OF ORPHAN VICTIMS OF AGENT ORANGE
These are the faces of orphans suffering from the horrifying effects of chemical warfare .
DOTING SEAL TICKLES HER PUP
A doting seal smiles at her sweet little pup as she tickles its tummy on the beach .
LAST MILITARY HOSPITAL TIME CAPSULE
INSIDE Britain's last Naval hospital where scurvy was cured looks like an NHS time capsule .
COUPLE CELEBRATE THEIR 70TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY AND RECEIVE SPECIAL CARD FROM NEWLY CROWNED KING CHARLES
A couple celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary last week and have received a special card from newly crowned King Charles and Queen Camilla .
AMAZING ROBOTIC SCULPTURES
ESCAPING A LANDFILL FUTURE, these amazing science fiction inspired sculptures are made from everyday objects .
ARTIST TURNS DAUGHTER'S DOODLES INTO WORKS OF ART
THIS UNUSUAL collaboration between a mother and her two-year-old daughter makes for some stunning works of art .
MUM SPENDS £17K ON HER REBORN BABIES
When mum-of-three Becky Tully was told she couldn’t have any more children due to health reasons, she refused to give up on having the little girl she had always wanted .
NAKED AMBITION: WORLD’S LARGEST SKINNY DIP
Bathers on a New Zealand beach stripped naked and took to the Pacific Ocean in an attempt to shatter the record for the world's largest skinny dip .
BABY ELEPHANT HAS FUN IN THE SUN
SPLASHING around in a paddling pool, this little elephant soaks up the sunshine .