So there I was

So there I was."Patel was born in Bombay and lived there until he was five, when his father decided to move to England "We came, the whole family, lock, stock and barrel Me and my brothers. Playing in front of a big crowd every day, with TV cameras and everything. The first one went very quickly for me - it seemed to start and finish so fast - but I enjoyed every moment of it."He did have one reservation: being asked to field at short leg "I can't say I was too keen on it, but someone had to do it. The two other new guys [Alan Mullally and Ronnie Irani] were both tall fast bowlers, so they felt that the little short-arse spinner might be the best man to put in there. You always dream about it, then when you're actually out there .. It wasn't an anti- climax at all It lived up to everything I expected. Now, though, he has finally tasted the real thing."It was fantastic," he said "The atmosphere was incredible.

The normally solid American girls were bewildered by it all; and the crowd bewitched.Unlike fading photographs, memories become brighter with age, and I would not swap mine for a fistful of tomorrows. There has never been a match like it nor will there be one like it again. Winners were hit off the wood, outrageous mis-hits clipped the lines, and rallies were so hectic that they might have been playing on hot coals.At one vital and hilarious point, I dropped and broke my expensive calabash pipe, and in the excitement a man in the far stand had a heart attack and died. Someone was heard to remark: "He might have waited until the change of ends." It was getting dark and damp during that final agonising game during which our dear Christine twice fell flat on the court. Miss Wade made it 2-3 with her second singles and 3-3 with her doubles with Winnie Shaw.

Then came the final dramatic crunch: the Truman sisters, Christine and Nell, against Stephanie DeFina and Kathy Harter. The last successful year on Court No 1 was 1968, when Virginia Wade (the 1977 Centenary Champion) cast aside all her theatrical uncertainties and produced a masterly display of controlled arrogance which, when in full flight, made her one of the most enthralling and at times exasperating players to watch.At 1-3 on the start of the second day's play, Britain's chances seemed hopeless. This time Ann Haydon, who as Mrs Jones was to become Wimbledon Champion nine years later, and Angela Mortimer (the 1961 Champion) were in the winning line-up By Jove! We could play the game in those golden days. The innocence of Christine was all too much for the American.Two years later, Britain again defeated the United States, 4-3. In contrast, Christine, the sweetheart of British tennis, was never quite sure what the score was and kept bashing her mighty forehand willy-nilly.