The front page of the 1971 Dewar Cup – I understand this was the first time that the Forum at Billingham had staged the competition. There are over a dozen autographs on the cover including two Wimbledon champions in Evonne Goolagong and Virginia Wade.
The second image shows the order of play for the event. Tennis was very popular at the Forum for a few years and some big names turned up to play.
Images and details courtesy of Martin Birtle.
I am not sure if this tournament ran more than one year here, but I remember being a ball-boy for several matches including for Jaroslav Drobny (who was old even then), Virginia Wade (who teased me by bashing the ball close to my head against the wall while they changed the net for her match with Francoise Durr) & Ion Tiriac (who got angry, smashed the ball up into the Forum roof which broke a decoratve panel, spilling condensation on to the court which we had to dry up). I also seem to remember one or both of Hewitt and Macmillan playing doubles. Heady stuff for a young tennis player and fan!