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Wimbledon: 'New balls, please' episode artwork

Jul 15, 2024 14 min

Wimbledon: 'New balls, please'

from Amazing Sport Stories Hosted by BBC World Service

Between 1946 and 1966, the ball boys at one of the world's most prestigious tennis tournaments, Wimbledon, were selected from children's homes run by the Barnardo's charity. Two of them were Winston Norton and Sam Hill. Sam had been taken into care because his parents' home was too small to house their six children; Winston because his mother could not cope with the abuse she'd received for having a mixed-race child. At their children's home in Hertfordshire, north of London, they were put through a strict exercise regimen, hoping to be one of the 60 boys selected to work at that year's tournament. When they made the grade, they found themselves on court with the game's biggest names. It was an experience that would change their lives. Audio scenes have been re-created. Let us know what you think #AmazingSportStories

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Wimbledon: 'New balls, please'

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