Rochdale man heads to Wimbledon

Dave Gartside (centre)

A man from Rochdale is preparing to play at Wimbledon.

Dave Gartside, 50, from Shawclough, will head to the courts next week after being invited to play in the British Senior Grass Courts Championship.

Mr Gartside started playing tennis in the early 1970s. He is a member of Bamford Tennis Club and represents Lancashire at county level.

Mr Gartside said he is “looking forward” to the tournament “immensely.”

He said: “When I was 16 or 17 I lost the qualifier for the junior championships at Wimbledon and I vowed I would never go to Wimbledon unless it was to play.

“This summer I broke that vow, I took my father to Wimbledon and as it turns out the same year I have been invited to go.”

Mr Gartside represented Great Britain at the European Senior Championships and won all his matches; he has also competed against some of the top names in the game.

The tournament begins on Tuesday (9 August) and the final is expected to take place on the Friday or Saturday.

Rochdale Online will have a full report on how Mr Gartside gets on, after the championship.