Chris Pearce's Blog, page 35

How to serve in tennis

In tennis, the server puts the ball into play by hitting it from behind the service line into the diagonally opposite service box. The serve, or service, can be hit underhand or overhand. The vast majority of players use the overhand shot. There are several ways to vary an overhand serve by imparting topspin, sidespin, or a combination of the two.

The overhand serve involves throwing the ball up in the air to a height of 10 or 15 feet. Make sure you throw the ball straight up and don’t spin or twirl it with your fingers, as this will make it harder to play an accurate shot. Extend the arm and hand straight up in the air. Most players will bend their knees at this point. Some of the top players don’t throw the ball up high and don’t bend their knees much, yet generate immense power. Andy Roddick and Roscoe Tanner are good examples.

Turn the body so that the serving shoulder and arm are pointing towards the back of the court. As the ball reaches its highest point, raise the serving arm upwards until it is around head height. Then bring the arm forward quickly in an action similar to that of throwing a ball overarm. At the same time extend the legs and jump forward into the court just before the racket connects with the ball to gain maximum height and power. Don’t jump too early as you will lose power. Hitting from an extra height and getting slightly closer to the net will increase your chances of getting a fast serve into the service box.

If you are not satisfied with your ball toss, you can pull out of the shot without being called for a fault. You can toss again as many times as you need to, which is handy on a windy day, or if you just cannot get your rhythm right.

You must serve from behind the line, not on it. If your foot touches the line at any stage before you hit the ball, you may be called for a foot fault. It is easy to inadvertently touch the line as you twist your body during the ball toss or to drag your foot over the line as you jump forward just before hitting the ball.

The serve is arguably one of the more difficult shots in tennis, often being one of the last shots to be mastered. In grade and age competitions, many players are content just to pretty much lob the ball into play to maximize the chances of it landing in the service box, rather than to go for too much power and keep hitting the ball into the net or sending it too long. As a player progresses through the ranks, they will learn to hit the ball flatter and harder. The priority becomes serving a shot that will be difficult to return, or even hitting a service winner, rather than just trying to get the ball into play. It is always a proud moment to hit that first ace. Even at the lower levels of competition and in social play, try and serve the first ball reasonably hard as you will, of course, get a second chance if you miss. Serve the second ball a little slower to increase the chances of it going in.

The underhand serve is more useful than it is given credit for. It is useful if an injury prevents a player from serving overhand, and can be served flat and low. It won’t bounce up as much, limiting the opportunity of the opponent hitting a winning return. It is ineffective at advanced levels as it lacks the power of an overhand serve. Nevertheless, there are two instances of players using a soft underhand serve with underspin in top competition and catching their opponent off guard. Michael Chang and Martini Hingis did this at the French Open. The underhand serve is regarded as unethical at this level though.

At the more advanced levels, a player normally needs to do more with their serve than simply giving the ball a good whack over the net. The various types of overhand serves have their advantages and disadvantages in different circumstances and players learn when to use particular service types. Hitting different types of serves is usually a most beneficial tactic as it keeps the opponent guessing.

The flat serve is the first one to master. It is hit with a continental grip, which is like holding a hammer when about to hit a nail. The ball is hit flat rather than with spin. It will sail through the air fast and straight. The margin for error is relatively small, so these serves are best hit down the middle of the court where the net is lowest.

A topspin serve is best executed with a continental grip or eastern grip. The eastern grip is where the racket is rotated slightly clockwise compared with the continental grip. To serve with topspin, you need to run the racket upwards over the ball at point of contact so that the ball will rotate forwards as it travels through the air. You should aim to hit the ball just as hard as you would a flat serve, but it won’t travel through the air as quickly because it is spinning. You can hit the ball higher over the net with this serve, as the spin will make it dive into the service box. Thus there is a greater margin for error with a topspin serve. For this reason, it is popular as a second serve. You don’t lean as far forward to hit a topspin serve. The top players may even lean backwards a little with this shot. It is an effective serve to play to the opponent’s backhand as the ball will bounce high and players usually have more difficulty hitting a high return on their backhand side.

A slice serve is where the ball is hit with sidespin. For a right-handed player, you brush the racket face in a rightwards direction against the ball to make this shot. This will set the ball spinning in an anti-clockwise direction if viewed from above the court. It will draw the opponent wide. It is a handy shot to play with the wind on a windy day as it can take the opponent out of court. The ball will curve leftwards through the air and go further away after it bounces. Again, a continental or eastern grip is used. Because it does not dip like a topspin serve, there is less margin for error and is therefore usually used as a first serve. These actions, and the movement of the ball, will be reversed for left-handed players.

In between the topspin and slice serves is the topspin-slice serve. This is achieved by brushing the racket face across the ball upwards and to the right, or towards one or two o’clock, for a right-handed server. The ball will dip and also curve to the left in flight, bounce reasonably high, and continue to move left. As a left-hander, John McEnroe was a master of this serve, having the ability to take his opponent way out of court when serving from the left-hand side.

A variation of this serve is the kick serve or American twist serve. The way to initiate this serve is to throw the ball up behind and to the left, and brush the ball towards one or two o’clock. This will give the ball more topspin than sidespin. The ball will dip quite sharply and, instead of continuing to the left after it bounces, it will move to the right. An eastern or continental grip is used for this serve. The high, awkward bounce makes it a useful second serve.

All of the serves that involve slice can be reversed by brushing the ball leftward at contact. It will usually be harder to generate as much power with these reverse serves, but they may still be useful in certain circumstances, for example, to serve a ball wide from the left-hand side of the court or simply to keep the opponent guessing.

In summary, the basic tennis serve is similar to the action of throwing a ball overarm. Practice the ball toss. Then try and hit the ball consistently into the service box, gradually increasing your speed. After that, experiment with the different types of serve in order to add variation and potency to your game. Use the flat serve and the slice serve mainly as first serves and the topspin serve and its variations mainly as second serves.

How to keep score in tennis

Tennis is one of the most popular sports. Nearly everyone has watched a match on television, or played tournaments or fixtures themselves, or had a hit at their local courts. People would have heard the umpire or commentators call scores such as 15-all, 40-30, deuce, and advantage server. But many people may be less familiar with some of the finer points of scoring in tennis and the reasons these scores and terms are used.

Scoring in tennis is unique to that sport. A match consists of points, games and sets. The toss of a coin or a racket will decide who serves for the first game. The first point of each game is served from the right-hand side of the court and must land in the left-hand service box at the opponent’s end of the court. The second serve is served from the left-hand side into the opponent’s right-hand service box. Service keeps alternating between the two sides of the court for the rest of the game. A game is won by the first player who wins at least four points, as long as they are two points ahead of their opponent. A game can only be won when the server is serving from the left-hand side or the ad (advantage) court, not from the right-hand side or deuce court.

Points are not calculated by simply counting them up, but by using a system that is unique to tennis. The numbers used for each point won by a player are fifteen, thirty, and forty. Thus if the server wins the first point, the score is 15-0 (called 15-love), as the server’s score is always given first. If the receiving player wins the first point, the score is 0-15. If the players each win one of the first two points, the score is 15-all. After the next point, the game score will be 30-15 or 15-30, depending on who wins it. If the score gets to 40-30, the server will win the game if they win the next point. A score of 30-40 to the receiver is known as “break point”, as that player needs only one more point to break the serve of their opponent. Where a player is only one point from winning the game, the next point is often called “game point.” Similarly, “set point” and “match point” refer to what will be the last point of a set or match if the leading player wins the point.

Where the game score reaches 40-all, the term used to describe the score is “deuce”, rather than 40-all or 40-40. This is where both players have won three points. “Deuce” is from the French word “deux”, meaning two, and implies that at least two more points have to be played before the game is decided. Whoever wins the next point has the “advantage”, meaning that if this person wins the point following, they will win the game. If the opponent wins the point, the score will be “deuce” again. The score can alternate between “deuce” and “advantage” (to one player or the other) an indefinite number of times, because one player has to be ahead by two points before the game is won.

A question often asked by players and non-players alike is why the numbers 15, 30 and 40 are used rather than 1, 2 and 3. The system is thought to have originated during the French game of “jeu de paume”, literally meaning “game of the palm”, and a precursor to the game of tennis. It dates back to Medieval times and was played with the palm of the hand, although gloves, bats and then rackets were later introduced. In the early days of the game, it is thought that a clock face was sometimes used to keep score. After the first point, the hand was moved 90 degrees to the 15 minute mark. The hand was then moved to the 30 and 45 minute marks. At the end of the game, the hand was moved back to the top of the clock. If the story is true, it would have happened sometime after 1577, because the first clock with a minute hand was made by Swiss clockmaker Jost Burgi in that year. How 45 become 40 in the modern game of tennis seems to be unknown.

The origin of the word “love” to indicate a score of zero is also uncertain. It may have come from “l’oeuf”, French for egg, which is shaped like a zero. Or it could have come from another French word, “l’heure”, which means “the hour” and also sounds a bit like “love”. Or it may have come from the Dutch “lof”, meaning nothing. We talk of doing something for nothing or for the love of it.

A set is made up of a series of games. Once the winner of the first game has been decided, the players swap ends and the player who received in the first game now serves. The same scoring system is used in this and subsequent games, with the players alternating between serving and receiving, and swapping ends after each odd-numbered game. The number of games won by each player is tallied up using conventional counting. Thus a set score of 3-2 means the player currently serving has won three games, while the other player has won two games. The term “love” is used instead of zero if a player has won no games. For example, a score of 3-0 is read as three-love.

The winner of a set is the first player to win six games, as long as this player has won at least two games more than their opponent. Not infrequently, a player wins six games and their opponent has won none. This is called a “love set”. Where the score is 6-5, a further game is played. If the leading player wins this game, this person wins the set with a score of 7-5. However, if the other player wins it, the set score becomes 6-6, and at least two more games are played. If neither player establishes a two game lead, the set continues until one player is two games ahead. Sets lasting 30 or 40 games are not unknown, with a final set score of, say, 21-19.

With the increasing popularity of televised matches by the 1960s, tennis needed to come up with ways of shortening matches if these were to fit into television schedules. The tiebreak or tiebreaker was invented in 1965 by James Van Alen and became widely used by the early 1970s. Rather than playing “advantage sets”, once a set score reaches 6-6, a tiebreak would be played. A tiebreak, and the set, is won by the player who first reaches seven points, as long as they are two points ahead of their opponent. The serve changes after each odd-numbered point. Players change ends after six points. If a player is a service break up at any stage of a tiebreak, the player is said to hold a “minibreak”.

The winner of the tiebreak is awarded that “game”, and the set score becomes 7-6. If you see a set score of 7-6 (7-3), it means there was a tiebreak and it was won seven points to three. Tiebreaks are now used in all tournaments. A tiebreak is not used in the final set of matches at Wimbledon, the Australian Open and the French Open, as well as the Olympic Games and Davis Cup and Fed Cup matches. However, tiebreaks are used in final sets at the US Open.

Most tennis matches are best of three sets, which means the first player to win two sets wins the match. The only exceptions are the men’s matches at the four grand slam events – Wimbledon and the Australian, French and US opens – and any “live” Davis Cup matches. Some Masters finals used to be best of five sets. All women’s events play best of three sets.

Several scoring variations have been brought into tennis at certain competitions in recent times, mainly to try and further reduce the length of some matches. The “no ad” rule means that once a player has won three points in a game, they only have to win one point more than their opponent to win the game rather than two points more using standard scoring. Here the scores of “advantage server” and “advantage receiver” are not used, thereby quickening some matches considerably.

A “pro set” is where a match consists of a single set which is won by the first player to win eight or ten games. If the match reaches 8-all, or 10-all, a tiebreak might be played to decide the winner. Sometimes these matches are played as “no ad”, so if someone says let’s play an “eight game pro set no ad”, they mean an eight game, single set match where a player only has to be one point ahead to win each game. These rules are common in fixtures and minor tournaments as the schedule simply might not allow for long, drawn out matches.

Another variation is the “match tiebreak” which might be used when the score reaches one set all. This tiebreak effectively becomes the third set. Usually they are longer than the normal tiebreak, with a player having to get to 10 points and be two ahead before winning the tiebreak and the match. These tiebreaks are used in doubles matches on the professional tours.

With the move to shorten games with innovative and simplified scoring methods, perhaps someone in the game will suggest doing away with the use of the numbers 15, 30 and 40. But somehow, scoring a game 1-0, 1-1, 2-1 and so on just wouldn’t be tennis.

How players qualify for Wimbledon

Up until 1914, anyone was able to put in an entry to play in the Wimbledon Championships and take to the courts. You still had to be pretty good to advance through the rounds though. From 1919, entry was restricted due to the large numbers wanting to participate. Nominations by national associations were given automatic entry, but anyone else was carefully scrutinized by a committee.

These days, players must submit an entry at least six weeks before the start of the tournament. Wimbledon’s Committee of Management determines which entries to accept based on the rankings as set down by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). Players accumulate points from competing in official tournaments over the past 52 weeks. Grand Slams, such as Wimbledon, are worth the most points, with the winners of the singles events obtaining 2,000 points, runners-up getting 1,200 points, semifinalists 720 points, and so on right down the line, with a first-round loser receiving 10 points. Winners of other ATP tournaments earn between 250 and 1,000 points, Challenger tournament winners get 80-125 points, and Futures winners 18-35 points. Players knocked out earlier get a lesser number of points. Official rankings started in 1973.

Gentlemen’s and Ladies’ Singles both have a draw of 128 players. However, it is not simply a matter of the top 128 men and women in the rankings grabbing a spot at Wimbledon. Likewise, the top 64 ranked men’s and 64 women’s doubles players are not guaranteed automatic entry. Wild cards are given to certain players and there is a qualifying tournament for lower ranked players. Also, a few players may be out injured or otherwise unable to participate.

Since 1977, a handful of wild cards have been given to players who have not accumulated enough points over the previous year to be automatic starters, but whose past performances warrant a place or who are likely to boost British interest in the tournament. These players may have been injured for part of the year or may be coming back into the game after time off. The committee decides who receives a wild card. From 2003, a playoff may be used to determine some wild card spots. In 2014, eight wild cards were given out in both men’s and women’s singles. Goran Ivanisevic won the singles in 2001 with a wild card entry.

The other way to gain entry into the Wimbledon Championships is through the qualifying rounds held at Roehampton the week before the main tournament starts. Sixteen spots in the men’s singles, 12 in the women’s singles, and four in both the men’s and women’s doubles are up for grabs in the qualifying event.

A total of 128 players compete in the men’s singles qualifying event. Their selection is based on the rankings. Assuming everyone who is eligible to play at Wimbledon puts in an entry and there are eight wild cards, those ranked 105th to 232nd will fill the 128 qualifying tournament positions, assuming no injuries or other reasons for not entering. Three rounds are played. The sixteen entrants who win their three rounds advance to the main draw as qualifiers. In the women’s qualifying singles, three rounds are played by a starting field of 96 entrants. Any vacancies that occur in the few days between end of qualifying and round one of the main tournament are filled by “lucky losers” from the third round of qualifying, in order of ranking. In both men’s and women’s doubles, only one round is played by eight pairs, with the four winners advancing.

Three qualifiers have reached the semifinals of the singles at Wimbledon. The first was John McEnroe in 1977. Vladimir Voltchkov did it in 1990, and Alexandra Stevenson in 1999. In men’s doubles, Stephen Huss and Wesley Moodie won the event as qualifiers in 2005.

The Wimbledon draw takes place on the Friday before the start of the first round on the following Monday. In each of the singles events, the 32 seeded players are positioned so that none will play each other until the third round. The top seed is placed at the top of the upper half of the draw and the number two seed at the bottom of the lower half of the draw, ensuring they can’t play each other until the final. Similarly, remaining seeds are positioned so that none of the top four can play one another until the semis, the top eight won’t meet until the quarters, and the top 16 don’t play each other until round four.

Once the seeded players are in place, names of the other 96 entrants, including the 16 qualifiers and eight wild cards, are drawn from a barrel. Three names are placed with each of the seeded players. Who each player meets in a group of four in the first round is then luck of the draw.

Origins of the Wimbledon tennis tournament

The world’s premier tennis tournament, the Wimbledon Championships, will be held from Monday 29 June to Sunday 12 July 2015. The origins of the competition go back to July 1877 when the All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club held a Lawn Tennis Championship to raise funds to mend its pony lawn-roller.

The All England Croquet Club had been formed in 1868 at Wimbledon, then an outer suburb of London, where the club leased four acres of land on Worple Road, backing onto the railway track. Croquet had become very popular among the growing middle class in the 1860s, coinciding with the invention of lawnmowers, which allowed the pastime to flourish. Various forms of tennis and tennis-type games had been played over the centuries. From the mid 19th century, real tennis and rackets, both indoor games, had become quite popular. A new tennis game was about to emerge, one that would be played on grass.

In the late 1860s, Major Walter Clopton Wingfield developed a version of tennis he called ‘sphairistike’, which is Greek for ‘ball play’. In 1869, he gave a demonstration to the fifth Marquis of Landsdowne, Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, and two of the lord’s friends, Walter Long and Arthur Balfour. The four of them played this game a number of times that summer. They felt the name ‘sphairistike’ was too hard to pronounce or remember. Balfour suggested that ‘lawn tennis’ was a better name.

Wingfield took out a patent on the game in 1874 and started packaging sets of ball playing equipment, including net posts, rackets, balls and instructions for five pounds. Many people still referred to the game as ‘sphairistike’, which was commonly abbreviated to ‘sticky’. Wingfield’s court was hourglass shaped, being 60 feet long by 30 feet wide, tapering to 21 feet at the net. The net was seven feet high at each side and four feet eight inches at the middle. The server stood in a marked area at mid court. The game was like a cross between badminton and modern tennis. But within a year, the court was increased in size to 84 feet by 36 feet, with a slightly lower net, and the server played from the baseline. Lawn tennis was an immediate success, gaining popularity quickly.

The game was introduced to Wimbledon in 1875 when the All England Croquet Club officially allowed one of its courts to be used for lawn tennis. Players used racket heads that were long and narrow with a short handle, not unlike the shape of traditional snowshoes. Balls were sewn by hand. Serving was round-arm rather than overhead. Players changed ends after each set. Clothing restrictions were put in place, for example, a sign at the club said that men were not to play tennis in their shirtsleeves if any ladies were around. Unlike croquet, tennis players could build up a sweat, and the club installed a bathroom.

The Field, a sports magazine in London, announced in 1877 that it would sponsor “a lawn tennis meeting, open to all amateurs” at Wimbledon, offering a trophy to the winner. Entry fee was a guinea, or one pound and one shilling. The event would become the club’s first Lawn Tennis Championship. Just prior to the tournament, the size and shape of the court was changed to the present rectangular form, with dimensions of 72 feet by 27 feet. The net was still slightly higher than today’s net. Overall, the rules by then were fundamentally similar to those of today.

In preparation for the championship, a stand was built of three planks of wood to seat about 30 people. The Gentlemen’s Singles was the only event. Twenty-two players entered the competition. Four knock-out rounds started on Monday 9 July 1877 and continued through to the Thursday. Then there was a break so people could attend an important cricket match between Eton and Harrow schools played at Lords on Friday and Saturday. The tennis final was scheduled for Monday, as no sport was allowed on Sundays in those days.

Wet weather meant the final was postponed until Thursday, which was still damp, and the start of play was delayed an hour. At last, some 200 people, who had each paid one shilling, watched W. Spencer Gore beat C. G. Heathcote 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 in 48 minutes. Gore was not a regular lawn tennis competitor, but an old Harrovian (i.e. Harrow) player of rackets and real tennis, as well as a county cricketer for Surrey. The 27-year-old received 12 guineas and a cup worth 25 guineas for winning.

Such was the success of the championship and the burgeoning game of lawn tennis that the club changed its name to the All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club later in 1877. The game we know as tennis and its most famous tournament were born. By that time, lawn tennis had become very popular, at the expense of croquet, and both tennis and the Wimbledon competition went from strength to strength.

Following on  from the tournament’s origins in 1877, the inaugural Ladies’ Singles took place in 1884, won by Maud Watson from 13 players. Gentlemen’s Doubles was also added in that year. By the mid 1880s, large crowds were attracted to the tournament, and permanent stands replaced the temporary structures. By the start of the 20th century, international players were participating. May Sutton of the US was the first overseas player to win, taking out the Ladies’ Singles in 1905.

The club moved to new premises at Church Road, Wimbledon in 1922, where a stadium with a capacity of 14,000 was built. In 1932, the championships attracted over 200,000 spectators for the first time, despite the Great Depression. The distinction between amateur and professional was eliminated in 1968 and the tournament was able to consistently attract the best players from around the world. Wimbledon has become one of tennis’s Grand Slam tournaments and the premier competition in world tennis.

Origins of tennis

The origins of tennis probably go back thousands of years to the Middle East. Most ball games were played as a fertility rite rather than as a pastime. Homer, the ancient Greek poet who lived in about the ninth century BCE, describes how King Alcinous’ daughter, Nausicaa, and her female servants played a game of handball. Tennis can also be traced back to an early type of polo game at the Byzantine court, where players on horseback used rackets.

Tennis was brought to Europe by the Crusaders around the 11th or 12th century. Earliest records of tennis in France date to the 12th century. The game quickly became popular with the French monks, who played against monastery walls or over a piece of rope in a courtyard. Rackets were unknown and the ball was hit with the palm of the hand. The game soon came to be called “jeu de paume,” literally meaning “game of palm,” or in other words, the game played with the palm of the hand. When some of the clerics started to regularly miss prayer sessions, the Archbishop of Rouen forbade all of them from playing tennis.

But the game had already spread to the aristocracy and the royal court. It became a favorite pastime of kings. French king Louis X died in 1316, aged just 27, after he caught a chill playing tennis. The sport came to be known as “royal tennis.” Ordinary folk soon started playing it and people gambled on the outcome. When the gambling became widespread, French king Charles V banned the game for a while in the 14th century.

Around this time, tennis began to be played in Britain, probably being introduced in Scotland before reaching England. The first mention of the sport in England was by 14th century author and poet Geoffrey Chaucer. Just as it did in France, the game became very popular in England. It was banned when archers were found to be missing archery practice and playing tennis instead. The ban didn’t stay for long. Henry VIII liked the game so much he built a court at Hampton Court Palace in 1530.

The name “tennis” may have come from the French word “tenez” meaning “pay heed” or “take this,” which the server called out to his opponent when about to hit the ball into play. It is said that Englishmen watching the game would hear the French players constantly calling out “tenez,” and used that word to describe the game. Another possibility for the origin of the word tennis is that it came from the name of an Egyptian town known as Tinnis to the Arabs and Tanis to the Greeks. The city produced fine linen and the first balls were made from this material. It is also possible that the word tennis is traced to Latin or German words. The Latin word “tenere” means “to catch” and this was a feature of the early game. Or the word may have come from the German word “Tanz” which means “dance” and may have been used to describe how the ball “danced” back and forth over a rope or net.

Until the 1500s the game was always played with bare hands. But players’ hands would get quite sore during a long match and gloves were introduced. These coverings not only protected against injury but allowed the ball to be hit harder. Sometime in the 16th century, players took off their gloves and added a handle to them, making a racket. A Frenchman named Forbet wrote the first rules for the game in 1592. By 1596, Paris had 250 courts. The popularity of tennis grew rapidly in France, Spain and Italy in the 16th and 17th centuries but didn’t do as well in Puritan England.

During Napoleon’s reign in the early 19th century, Europe’s royal families were besieged and court tennis was in decline. It would be replaced by lawn tennis because courts were cheaper to construct and due to the increasing popularity of outdoor games. The sport became known as long tennis, open tennis, or field tennis, in both France and England. In the late 18th century in England, “field tennis” is mentioned in records as a rival to cricket. By this time, the French were playing “la longue paume.” By the 1830s, there are English references to “long tennis” being played. A game of this nature was played between Major T. H. Gem and J. B. Pereira at Edgbaston in 1868.

Around the same time, Major Walter C. Wingfield developed a version he called sphairistike,” Greek for “ball play.” In 1869, he approached the fifth Marquis of Landsdowne to demonstrate the sport to him and two of his friends, Walter Long and Arthur Balfour. The foursome played many times that summer. They all thought the name too hard to remember or even pronounce. Balfour suggested it be called lawn tennis. Wingfield took out a patent on the game in 1874 and is generally credited with inventing lawn tennis. However, the Leamington Club in England claims that several English players made the transition from court tennis to an outdoor game very similar to lawn tennis by around 1860.

Wingfield’s court was hourglass shaped, being 60 feet long by 30 feet wide, tapering to 21 feet at the net. The net was seven feet high at each side and four feet eight inches at the middle. The server stood in a marked area at mid court. The game was more like badminton than modern tennis. But within a year, the court was increased in size to 84 feet by 36 feet, with a slightly lower net and the server played from the baseline.

The game was an immediate success, gaining popularity quickly. By 1877, lawn tennis was introduced at Wimbledon by the All England Croquet Club. Rules were set just prior to this championship, including a change in court size and shape to the present rectangular form and dimensions of 72 feet by 27 feet. The net was still slightly higher than today’s net. Twenty-two players entered the competition and the final, won by A. W. Gore, was watched by 200 people. Such was the success of the tournament that the club added “lawn tennis” to its name in the same year. The game we know as tennis and its most famous tournament were born.

Grammar tips

Grammar is all about words and their arrangement. It is about the rules relating to these things so that we can communicate in such a way that we can understand each other, and not act in a way that was never intended by the other party, be it a family member, a work colleague, or a friend. In the workplace, for example, poor grammar and consequent misunderstandings can be costly in terms of time and money.

I’ve picked out a lot of pairs of words that often cause problems, as well as other issues (such as its and it’s, and which and that). Many of the pairs are words that are close in spelling or meaning but are not used in the same way. It’s useful to use a mnemonic (memory jogger) to help you remember which one to use. I have included a few. Often it’s best to make up your own mnemonic for any you have trouble with.

– accept or except: Examples: I accept your invitation. We’re all here except John. Think of John as the exception to the rule.

– adapt or adopt: Adapt is about changing or adjusting; adopt means to take something up. Examples: We will need to adapt to our new surroundings. The Government adopted the report.

– adverse or averse: Adverse is antagonistic or opposing; averse is disinclined or reluctant. Example: He was averse to adverse criticism.

– advice or advise: Advice is a noun; advise is a verb. Examples: They accepted our advice. I will advise you of the outcome. You could think of ice (as in advice) as a noun.

– affect or effect: Affect is a verb and means to act on or produce a change; effect as a verb means to bring about. It can also be a noun. Examples: The new migration policy will affect the rate of population growth. We will effect (verb) the changes as soon as possible. The effect (noun) of the changes will be significant.

– aid or aide: To aid is to help; an aide is an assistant. Examples: He went to aid the injured person. The aide set up the classroom before the lesson.

– allude or elude: Allude means making a passing or casual reference; elude is to escape or avoid. Examples: She alluded to her previous job. He tried to elude the police.

– alternate or alternative: Alternate means every other; alternative means a choice of two things. Examples: We propose to hold a branch meeting on alternate weeks. The alternative to flying to Australia is to go by sea.

– ambiguity: It’s very easy to write an ambiguous sentence. One thing to do when checking your work is to read each sentence and ask yourself: Can this sentence be interpreted in more than one way? Try and reword or rearrange the sentence so that it can only have one meaning. Sometimes it could be as simple as adding or deleting a comma.

– among or between: Among is usually preferred if three or more persons or things are involved and between if only two are involved, although between is becoming more common for three or more persons or things.

– apostrophes: Many people have trouble with apostrophes. An apostrophe goes before the s for singular and after the s for plurals. Example: the judge’s comments, if one judge; the judges’ comments, if two or more judges. If a word is already plural, the apostrophe goes before the s. Example: children’s toys. No apostrophe is used for plurals when the possessive case isn’t used. Examples: back in the 1970s; apples for sale. When to use its and it’s is covered later.

– bazaar or bizarre: Bazaar is a marketplace; bizarre means odd or unique. Examples: We’ll meet at the bazaar. She worried about his bizarre behavior.

– biannual or biennial: Biannual means twice a year, whereas biennial means every two years. In general, avoid these words as readers tend to confuse them. Instead, use twice a year or semiannual, and every two years, respectively. Similarly, readers may be confused by words such as biweekly and bimonthly. However, bicentennial should present no problems.

– bought or brought: Bought means purchased; brought means to take along or cause to come. Examples: I bought the videos yesterday. She brought her lunch with her.

– breath or breathe: Breath is the noun; breathe is the verb. Examples: She held her breath waiting for a reply. He could breathe freely again.

– cite or site or sight: Cite means to quote, refer to, or mention in support; site (as a verb) means to locate or place something; sight (as a verb) means to see something. Examples: He cited a paragraph from the journal article in his report. The rubbish bin was sited near the picnic table. The document was sighted as part of the audit process.

– comma splice: This is where a comma joins two separate sentences without using a conjunction. Example: The availability of childcare has increased, this enables more women to work full-time. Options to fix this include: The availability of childcare has increased and this enables more women to work full-time. The availability of childcare has increased, enabling more women to work full-time. The greater availability of childcare has enabled more women to work full-time. Other options would be to have two separate sentences or to use a semicolon instead of a comma. None of the five is incorrect, although the second or third options might be preferred.

– comparative and superlative: Certain adjectives can have comparative (two) and superlative (three or more) forms. You often see a sentence using a superlative, e.g. largest or oldest, when only two things are being compared, in which case use larger or older.

– complement or compliment: Complement is where something goes with another thing to complete it or make it whole; a compliment is an expression of praise or regard. Examples: A tie will complement his shirt. She gave him a compliment on his neat appearance. As a way to remember the difference, in “I give you a compliment”, relate the i in compliment to I at the start.

– dangling modifier: This is where a word or phrase modifies another word or phrase that isn’t clearly stated in the sentence or isn’t in the sentence at all. Example: Driving along the road in the late afternoon, the sun was in my eyes. But the sun doesn’t drive. Solution? Avoid “As I drove …” as “as” can mean either “when” or “because”. Turn it around: The sun was in my eyes when I drove along the road in the late afternoon.

– desert or dessert: Examples: A desert is dry and sparse (and has only one s). I love dessert and want more (think of the second s as a second serve).

– discreet or discrete: Discreet means being careful to avoid mistakes or not saying something carelessly; discrete refers to something detached or separate. Examples: They were discreet in their business dealings. The new project was regarded as discrete from other projects.

– disinterested or uninterested: Disinterested is where you have no personal involvement or bias; uninterested is being indifferent or not concerned. Examples: The umpire was disinterested in the outcome of the match. She is uninterested in him.

– eminent or imminent: Eminent means outstanding, prominent or distinguished; imminent means likely to occur at any moment. Examples: An eminent lawyer died in a car crash. Retrenchments from many departments were imminent.

– empathy or sympathy: Empathy is about feelings or being able to have the same feelings as someone else; sympathy is about actions such as saying sorry.

– foreword or forward: I have seen Forward used at the start of draft publications several times. It should of course be Foreword. Break it up and think of it as a fore word to the rest of the document.

– formally or formerly: Formally is to do with abiding by conventions; formerly means previously. Examples: She was formally accepted into the club. He was formerly a company director.

– good or well: Basically, good is an adjective and describes a noun; well is an adverb and describes a verb. Examples: I read a good book over the weekend. She doesn’t speak English well. But well can also be an adjective. Examples: I am well. He is not a well person. Be careful with a sentence like “I am good”. If it follows something like: “How are you?”, then it’s fine. But if it’s somewhat by itself, “I am good” can be construed as “I am behaving”.

– historic or historical: Historic means memorable, or likely to be famous in history; historical means having actually happened or existed. Examples: The opening of the new convention centre was a historic occasion for the city. The book gives an account of various historical events since the founding of the state.

– I or me: Use “I” in the subject of a sentence and “me” in the object. Examples: John and I wrote the report last week. He handed the report to Sarah and me last week. Some people want to write “Sarah and I” in the last example. If two people are referred to together in a sentence, determine which pronoun to use by crossing out the words next to the pronoun. In the above examples, omit the words “John and” and “Sarah and” respectively. It’s then easy to see whether to use I or me. You wouldn’t say: “Me wrote the report last week” or “He handed the report to I last week”.

– its or it’s: The possessive case uses no apostrophe. Example: The town is well known for its hospitality. However, the contracted form takes an apostrophe. Example: I think it’s going to rain. Before using an apostrophe in “its”, check to see if it can be expanded to “it is” or “it has”. If so, then use an apostrophe. If not, then no apostrophe is used. Think of the apostrophe as a shrunken down “i” in “ït is”(or “ha” in “it has”). If you can’t write it out as “it is” (or “it has”), there’s no apostrophe. There is no such word as its’, that is, with apostrophe after the s.

– lay or lie: To lie is to move into a reclining position; to lay is to put someone or something somewhere. Examples: I lie down when I’m tired. I lay the baby in her cot when she’s tired. Also note the following examples: I am lying down because I feel sick. I am laying my clothes out on the bed. The past tense of lie is lay. Example: I lay on the couch yesterday afternoon. The past tense of lay (as in laying the baby down) is laid. Examples using past participles: I have lain on the couch three evenings this week. I have laid out my clothes ready to pack.

– loose or lose. Think of a loose moose! For lose, as in “You’ll lose money”, think of lose and money as both having a single o.

– parallel structure: Use parallel structure when listing items in a sentence as it makes it easier to understand and can avoid possible ambiguity. Example: I like tennis, basketball, and ride my bike. This is faulty parallelism. Correct parallelism would be: I like tennis, basketball and to ride my bike (or bike riding).

– passed or past: Passed is the past tense of pass. Past can be a noun, adjective, adverb or preposition. Note the following examples: She passed all her exams. History is a study of the past (noun). The office has been busy in the past (adjective) month. The procession went past (adverb) the town hall. They bought the old house past (preposition) the church.

– principal or principle: A principle is a rule (both words end in le). The principal is your pal (both have pal). Principal means main (both words contain the same vowels – a and i).

– run-on sentence: This is where two sentences are joined as one. Example: The meeting was cancelled only two people were available. Add “because” or “when” or “as” after “cancelled”. Or you could make it two sentences, or use a semicolon after “cancelled”, but better to add a conjunction as above.

– sentence fragment: This is where you have a string of words that you mean to be a sentence but actually isn’t one. Example: Three people walking down the street. Don’t rely on a computerized grammar check; it doesn’t always get it right by any means. As a minimum, a sentence usually needs a subject and a verb. Example: It stinks.

– stationary or stationery: Stationary means standing still (first and third words both have “a”). Stationery includes pens, pencils, paper, and envelopes (look at all the e’s). A stationer sells stationery (more e’s).

– tenses: It’s usually better to stick with the same tense throughout a document or article rather than jumping from past to present and back again.

– that or which: Use “that” or “which” to start a clause that is an essential part of a sentence. Use “which” to start a non-restrictive or non-defining clause, that is, a clause that is not essential to the meaning of a sentence (note the comma before “which” in the second example below). Examples: The boats that (or which) broke from their moorings during the storm were damaged (that is, only those boats that broke from their moorings were damaged). The boats, which broke from their moorings during the storm, were damaged (that is, all the boats broke from their moorings and were damaged). Where “that” and “which” are interchangeable, use “that” to avoid possible confusion, or the reader might think you’ve left out a comma (or put one in) by mistake. Also, “that” is used for people and things, “which” for things only and “who” for people. Overall, if in doubt, use “which” rather than “that”.

– their or there or they’re: “Their” is the possessive form of “they”. Example: They put their clothes in the washing basket. “There” refers to place or can be used in various other contexts. Examples: We will stay there tonight. There are seven days in a week. There they go again. The word “they’re” is a contraction of “they are”. Example: They’re coming this way. Not: There coming this way.

– verses or versus: Verses are parts of a poem or song; versus means against and is used to denote a sports contest or in law to indicate an action by one party against another.

– who or whom: Writers sometimes use who when they mean whom. Both are pronouns; who is the subjective case whereas whom is the objective case. Examples: Who is going to win this match? (who is the subject). The players, all of whom are contracted, will stay with the team (object). John is the person who got the job (subject; he got the job). This is the man whom I met last night (object; I met him last night).

– whose or who’s: Whose means belonging. Example: Whose house is this? The word who’s is a contraction of “who is” or “who has”.

– your or you’re: “Your” is the possessive form of “you”. Example: Your books are on the table. “You’re” is a contraction of “you are”.

My articles

I wrote about 300 articles to the now defunct Helium writing site. I then posted many of those articles and other posts to Bubblews (http://www.bubblews.com/account/53470-chrispy), again totalling about 300. It too now seems to be on the skids (Alexa global ranking is down from about 1000 to 12,000 in last eight months) and pays next to nothing.

I got tossed out of Bubblews for chasing up a couple of old payments, and then resurrected although minus the articles. I have followed it up but they don’t respond. I have reposted about 10 items at the site but they still don’t respond. So I thought I might post a number of the articles here. They cross a wide range of topics, from grammar to health and from history to sport.

I’m not sure what is up with Bubblews. My articles would have been earning them quite a few dollars from views as they are the sort of posts that come up in searches, although they no longer seem to share revenue from views with writers, only likes and comments.

I will continue to post a few excerpts from my historical novel, A Weaver’s Web, and my non-fiction book on an Australian convict, Through the Eyes of Thomas Pamphlett: Convict and Castaway, plus updates on my upcoming book on daylight saving time.

A Weaver’s Web excerpt: Benjamin flogged at work

Benjamin ran through the gate in the iron fence surrounding the factory and into the building. He knew the later it got the more strife he would be in. Catching his breath, he tiptoed upstairs, wary Farrell may be lurking, ready for him. When he got to the third floor, where he worked, he heard loud footsteps behind him. He turned to see the tall, angular figure of Farrell hurrying up the stairs, a menacing frown on his face. The apprentices called him Feral ��� not to his face, of course ��� short for Farrell the Feral Cat, because of the way he crept about and pounced on any youngster not working hard enough. He would hit them with his stick, or prod them first if they were asleep and then whack them.

���You���re late, boy,��� the master said. ���You start at six, not quarter past. What excuse do you have this time?���

���No excuse, Sir. I …���

���Shut up then, you despicable boy. Once again I���ll have to teach you a lesson.���

Like a cat seizing its prey, he snatched Benjamin by the scruff of the neck and led him across the dirty, gloomy room, full of noisy machines powered by steam and operated by scores of children, all apprentices, some as young as six, a good number of women and a few men. The room took up the whole floor. The smell of rancid machine oil and smoke from lamps hung in the air.

Farrell unlocked a cupboard containing sundry consumables and ointments used to treat the sick. Shackles, iron weights and canes of various sizes were kept there too. He chose a cane somewhat thicker than the stick he carried around. Benjamin didn���t protest. Last time he complained, his punishment was doubled. He was marched to his work place.

���Loosen your trousers, boy. Hurry up,��� Farrell said, tugging at them. ���Lower them and turn around.���

Shaking, Benjamin pulled his clothing partly down. Bruises and other marks were still evident from last week���s beating. He gritted his teeth, closed his eyes and screwed up his face ready for the pain��.

���Look up!��� Farrell called out to all apprentices in earshot.

Many did, though they daren���t stop work. A caning was meant to be a deterrent to them, and cause embarrassment to the person being caned. Without emotion, Farrell brought the cane down hard on his victim���s backside. Benjamin let out a cry that could be heard above the noise of the machinery.

���One.���

The flagellator waited a moment before letting go a second time. There was another scream for mercy.

���Two,��� Farrell said calmly.

The children���s reaction was mixed, ranging from fright to muffled laughter to nonchalance. No one talked.

The count stopped at twelve, six more than last week. Benjamin slumped to the floor, groaning in pain. Farrell took a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the cane and his hands on it before putting it back in his pocket.

���Mr Thorndike doesn���t tolerate people coming late,��� he said. In fact, he could attest that Thorndike, the owner, never hesitated to belt him if he failed to deal properly with errant apprentices.

���No, Sir,��� Benjamin said.

���You���ll always be on time in future, won���t you, boy?���

���Yes, Sir.���

���Just remember, if it wasn���t for the cotton factories, useless paupers like you wouldn���t have a job.���

���Yes, Sir.���

���You���ve got work to do, boy. Hop to it,��� Farrell said, pulling him up. ���We���ll never get those orders finished.���

The master made Benjamin take his usual place beside other children on a large spinning mule, one of several at the factory. He then picked up his stick and wandered around the room as before, making sure everyone was busy, like nothing had happened.

When Farrell had gone to the other end of the floor, children near Benjamin glanced at him, smirking, as if to say ���serves you right���. Several had stunted growth. All were thin and pale and many had bad coughs. Some had swollen necks and joints and other deformities from constantly bending over low machinery. One girl, Charlotte, an orphan apprentice employed as a piecer and a year or two younger than Benjamin, had a withered left leg from rickets. She had a chair to sit on. One day she went to sleep on the job and fell into a machine and was lucky not to suffer a terrible injury or be killed. Since then she had been strapped to the chair so she couldn���t fall. Everyone else had to stand, all day every day, including Benjamin. He was glad to be standing that day as his backside was too sore to sit.

Sweat dripped from his face and neck, not due to the belting but because the room was warm and moist. It was kept that way, being the best atmosphere for making cotton. Usually robust, he had a touch of bronchitis the previous winter and had to go to the infirmary for a few days. The doctor said his problem was he was warm and damp at work and cold and wet at home. And breathing in dust and fibre particles, which could be seen in the lamplight as they floated in the factory air, didn���t help.

Soon Farrell emerged from the darkness and paced the floor near him. Anyone in trouble got special attention for the rest of the day and often beyond. Benjamin knew he would be goaded, and punished for any trifling offence such as talking.

Suddenly the master stopped opposite him. Benjamin took little notice and the master became agitated when he saw his young apprentice showing no signs of fear.

A Weaver’s Web novel excerpt: Henry at the Green Gate

���Another beer?���

Henry smiled and shrugged. ���Why not.���

It was Bamford���s shout and he bought beers for the whole bar. Henry watched him pay with a fistful of coppers and wondered if they were some of the same ones collected from members at the meeting. Next shout was Henry���s. The beer dulled his senses and eased the pain of his cuts and bruises.

His pot was topped up at each shout and he lost track of time as he talked and laughed and played cards with his new radical friends. With each drink, everything spun a bit more, not like the feeling he had when they threw him out of the meeting, but a more pleasant feeling, a warm and happy dizziness that took away his troubles and made him light and carefree. He didn���t notice the onset of darkness outside. Later he found himself drinking with a group of fancy women who lived close by and had heard the noise coming from the hotel. He thought he saw Bamford disappear upstairs at one stage, arm in arm with a well-endowed young lady, both giggling and falling over each other. Bamford���s exploits were legendary, and getting married hadn���t changed his reputation. It was said his wife knew what he got up to but ignored it for fear of bringing shame to her family and of what the community would say.

Another beer, and to Henry the bar spun faster and faster. He wobbled about and fell into the arms of a woman he didn���t know. She tugged at his coat and he toddled along behind her, vaguely aware of people cheering and laughing at them. She almost dragged him up the stairs. Another couple, their purpose apparently accomplished, pushed past them at the landing and made their way downstairs.

A piece of hessian hanging from the ceiling marked the entrance to the tiny room above the bar. Two bodies occupied the far bed, heaving and gasping, hurrying as if the wife or maybe the husband was going to walk in at any moment. Henry sat on the near bed, not because he was eager to initiate anything, but because he had trouble standing up. The bed was still warm. He caught a glimpse of the woman in the half-light. She was well built, long hair, smiling, mid twenties, perhaps a local lass out of work or with young mouths to feed or abandoned by her husband. She removed his jacket. Coins jingled and he saw her searching the pockets.

���Hey, what are you doing?��� he said, struggling to get up.

���Payment before service,��� she replied. ���No money, no sex.���

���I haven���t got any money,��� he said, slurring his words, ���and I don���t want …���

���What���s this then?��� She produced three shillings and held them up to him.

He tried to focus on them. ���That���s my rent money. You can���t have that.���

���But look, I do have it. You���re so drunk, you don���t know anything. It���s my rent money now.���

Without warning, she pounced on him. He wasn���t strong enough either mentally or physically to push her away. What use she would be to him in his present state, he didn���t know. She straddled him as she untied her bodice, lace by lace. Free of the garment at last, she leant forward. But to Henry, the bed felt like it was twirling out of control. He lay there hanging onto the bedposts with both hands. Something was smothering him and he realised she was pushing her bosom into his face. Her hands were untying the rope around his trousers. She rolled off of him and onto her side and pulled them down but didn���t discard them. Henry watched helplessly as she checked his trouser pockets and took out a coin.

���Another sixpence,��� she said, grinning, and showed him.

���You���re not just a whore but a thief too. They send people like you to New South Wales.���

���Consider yourself lucky. I usually charge five shillings. I���m letting you off lightly.���

Henry was too weak to argue with her.

It was quite late when he left the Green Gate, penniless. He had wasted his three shillings and sixpence. It wasn���t the woman���s fault ��� the drink had got the better of him. He staggered home against a bitterly cold wind and driving rain. He hoped Sarah had kept him some supper, perhaps some potato, even a portion of the Sunday loaf.

���Henry, where on earth have you been?��� Sarah said, opening the front door after she heard his groans outside. ���I���ve been worried sick.���

���It was a long meeting,��� he said, swaying about.

���A likely story if ever I heard one.��� She stood in the doorway, blocking his path. ���You���ve been boozing, haven���t you? With those Hampden Club troublemakers.���

���They always have a keg after meetings. I had one beer.��� He hiccupped loudly and nearly fell over. ���Let me in, Sarah.���

She didn���t move. ���One beer, indeed. How is it you���re drunk and home so late then?���

���It was a strong drop. Let me in, out of the rain.���

���It���ll sober you up.���

���I���ll catch pneumonia and won���t be able to work.���

A Weaver’s Web available from:

Amazon UK:

A Weaver's Web

A Weaver’s Web excerpt: Henry visits Father Edmond

Helium has now finished so those links to excerpts from A Weaver���s Web, below, no longer work. The ones to Bubblews should work but currently don���t and I���m sorting this out with Bubblews. Meanwhile, here���s another excerpt. It was posted to Helium under ���Novel excerpts ��� Christian���.

Henry visits Father Edmond …

Resplendent in his robes, the priest adjusted the cushions on his armchair and sat down. He crossed his legs and stirred his tea. Holding the spoon up, he checked for any sugar that hadn���t dissolved, before putting the spoon on the saucer balanced on his lap. ���Nice of you to drop by, Mr Wakefield,��� he said. ���I haven���t seen you for a while. Come to beg forgiveness for your sins?���

���I���m here to ask your advice, Father Edmond,��� Henry said, struggling with his teacup. He was used to drinking from a tin pot with no handle.

They were in the vicar���s study, a room leading off his sitting room. Henry was on one of the velvet visitors��� chairs, admiring it all. His whole house would fit into this single room. A fire crackled in a large fireplace, flames leaping about. Curtains reached down to a polished floor. Candles in magnificent holders hung beside the door. Hundreds of books lined two walls while a large painting of a biblical scene adorned another wall. It had little white lambs, smiling as they ran and skipped through a field. A shepherd in the background was hurrying up stragglers as he fended off a wolf.

���And what���s bothering you, my good man?��� asked Edmond, a hefty gentleman in his fifties, grey hair receding.

���I got a visit from one of those agents recruiting families to work in factories in Manchester yesterday, Father.���

���Oh, I see. I believe they���ve been active in these parts lately.���

���Mrs Wakefield and the children want to go to the city. All they���re interested in is the money.���

���And you���re not, Mr Wakefield?���

���Yes. I mean no. I just want to keep my family together.���

���Very decent of you,��� Edmond said. He sipped his tea and clinked his cup as he put it back on his saucer, quite audible above the rain outside.

���So, what should I do, Father?���

���You didn���t accept, did you?���

���No.���

���You���ve done the right thing, Mr Wakefield. I always tell parishioners to be patient, moderate and loyal. Fasting, temperance and prayer are better than luxuries. More regular attendance at church is necessary too. Our time on Earth merely prepares us for the next life.���

���Yes, I know, but …��� Henry again gazed at the expensive furniture and the numerous books.

The priest waited for him to continue. ���But what?��� he said at last.

���They���re sick of potatoes, but I can���t afford much else.���

���Nobody died from eating potatoes.���

���No, I suppose not.���

���Then what���s your problem, man?���

���My family …��� He sighed. ���Father Edmond …���

���Yes.���

���I …���

���Out with it, then.���

���Would you be so kind as to talk to them and tell them money isn���t everything and we���d be ill-advised to move? They���d listen to you.���

���Yes, but I don���t know if I can today.���

���What about tomorrow?���

���Let me check.��� The priest put his cup and saucer on a stool next to his armchair. He shuffled across the study to his desk and opened his diary. ���I have business in Middleton tomorrow.���

���How about next day?���

Father Edmond turned the page. ���I have to prepare for a trip to Manchester.���

���Manchester?���

���I���m going there the following day. A new Sunday school is opening. I���ve been invited to a banquet.��� He patted his stomach and smiled. ���We���re building as many schools as possible. We have to wrest support from those blasted Nonconformists.���

���Do you have any time next week?���

The priest turned a few more pages. ���I���m off to Bolton to help open a grand new church.���

���After that?���

He flipped over another page. ���Back to Manchester, to sign a petition against Roman Catholic relief.���

���So when can you talk to them?���

���In good time, Mr Wakefield.��� Edmond got up from his desk chair and returned to his armchair. ���I have important business to take care of. The Dissenters preach evil. They���re heretics and a threat to society. There���ll be bloody revolution if they���re left to their devices. Our only hope of salvation is for them to rejoin the Establishment.���

They were interrupted by a knock on the study door.

Henry squirmed uneasily on his chair. ���Shall I be on my way, Father?���

���No, no,��� Edmond said, gesturing to him to stay. He called out: ���Yes, what is it?���

The door opened to reveal a plump little woman in her forties wearing an apron. ���What time would you like supper, Father?���

���Let me see, Cook. I���ve got some letters to write and I���m meeting somebody at the church at half past four. How about six?���

���Thank you, Father.���

���What are you making?���

���One of your favourites ��� lamb with ox tail gravy.���

���Ah, Cook, you���re a marvel.���

���Thank you, Father.��� She smiled and closed the door behind her.

Meanwhile carvings of angels on the high ceiling caught Henry���s eye. They appeared to be dancing across the sky, looking down from heaven, making sure everyone was behaving. He wondered what they thought of the Nonconformists and the Catholics, and didn���t think the angels would let them in. They would surely let Father Edmond in. He would become one of the chief angels and throw out any sinners let in by mistake. Would Henry be let in? He hadn���t thought much about heaven lately. Somehow there didn���t seem much point. He prayed but he just got poorer. He looked at the painting on the wall again and imagined Father Edmond as the shepherd, the sheep were the Anglican flock and the wolf a Catholic or Methodist or Baptist.

���Wonderful woman, Cook. Now, where were we? Oh yes. You want me to talk to your family. The problem is I just haven���t got time at the moment, Mr Wakefield.���

���I shouldn���t have bothered you, Father.��� Henry went to get up.

���Tell you what ��� why don���t you all come to service this Sunday morning. I���ll try and have a chat to them. I can���t promise though.���

���But I have to work on Sunday.���

���You what?��� His jaw dropped.

���I have to finish a job for a merchant in town, and take it to him on Monday. If I don���t work on Sunday, I won���t complete it and I won���t get paid.���

���Working on the Sabbath, Wakefield?��� Father Edmond frowned at him. ���I disapprove. That���s the Lord���s day.���

���I have to feed my family.���

���You need to pray more and come to church more. Your sins will be forgiven.���

���Yes, Father,��� Henry said without conviction.

���I���ll see you on Sunday then?���

Henry didn���t answer straightaway. He thought of the weaving he had to do. But he knew the minister could talk some sense into his wayward wife and children. ���I���ll see what I can do,��� he said.

Father Edmond took that to be a ���yes���. He smiled broadly. To him, he had as good as saved another parishioner from the wicked influences of the Nonconformists. ���Now if you���ll excuse me, I have some correspondence to tend to.��� He got up. ���It���s been nice talking to you, Mr Wakefield.���

���Thank you, Father, for giving up your valuable time to hear me. I���m much obliged.��� He wasn���t sure why he said this to the priest. The words just came out that way. Edmond had never done much for him. But if such an important figure in the community advised them not to move to the city, Sarah and the children would surely take notice. Henry got up. He was shown to the front door and took his hat off the hatstand and left.