I tried to get on to see Anne Keothavong at the start of her match, but it was just HEAVING and after getting a couple of unsatisfactory shots of the top of Anne's racquet in serve, and people's heads, I headed off to join the Ticket resale queue, with a view to head to Court 2 and maybe try and spot Cilla if it looked like there was no joy in getting onto Centre.
And I queued.
And queued.
AND queued!
My friend who works for the AELTC wandered up with 3 cups of Robinsons and I gave one to the guys behind me...... annnnd queued a bit more.
Jason was telling me that prior to the Murray match, only 91 tickets had been returned, all day! Tickets were coming in, but in singles and dribs and drabs!
The first set started, and in a way we were praying for it to be a tight one so that it would get close to debenture Holders home-time... but alas no although we could see some of it from the screen...
The second set had just started and suddenly lots of single tickets were coming available. the guys at the very front of the queue spent an AGE debating whether to take them, and then, finally they came to the rest of is... 3 pairs of folks at the front declined, and the two kids in front me, and the 3 behind, plus me all got a share of 7 singles! I galloped off to centre as fast as my tired little pins could carry me as I'd been standing since Jason found us with the drinks and we'd been edging forward all the while!
So... Andy and Robert were tustling away and there was some awesome shot making... Kendrick has a booming serve, and Andy was doing ok - pretty good with his placement and going for his shots... I think he did tie up a little in the tiebreak but never doubted he would pull off a R1 victory.... although there was an audible buzz around the stadium... not quite of the nerves of the Henman days... but twitchy nonetheless... and there was I sat in amongst a bunch of Debenture holders! Actually the guy I was sat next to was quite funny and very kindly offered me a free Pimms, but with my (not-so-shiny) Audi sitting in the car park and on top of no breakfast and a bolted Fish & Chips, I thought better of it!
Courts didn't seem as slippy today - but then... the sun had been shining ALL the live-long day - and that beautiful green we saw on day one was already getting pretty dry and scuffed!
The superbly dude-like Mo-Lay was in the chair, and he just rocked.
At one stage - the tennis balls were all soft - Kendrick sent one over to him to look at and he popped it in his inside pocket.
A game later - Kendrick voiced his concern about another one, and so he popped it in the other pocket.
A game or so later - Andy sent one over... Mo-Lay checked his pockets and popped this one on the outside pocket and then had to really get the crowd to stop giggling!
Kendrick was throwing himself around the court like a latter day Boris Becker... but to no avail really - after losing the TB, Andy really got his groove back on, and although there were some scary DFs about the place (and unusually I think 2 or 3 foot-faults for Kendrick - you don't hear any for ages, and then 2 of them come at once!) - The crowd whipped themselves up a storm and that's really something to hear in that bowl... GSM - McMurray - a 4-setter might not be the ideal start - but I think it settled down the expectations nicely...
Although there were some tantalising matches still scattered about the place - the thought of trying to get out of the car park slap bang opposite the grounds, and the pain of being up so early took its toll... and I think if Cilla's texts had gotten to me to say she was heading for the hill before I'd left, I think I might have stayed a little longer... but instead, headed home!
Back there tomorrow on Ground passes so we'll have to see what we can get to see...
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