The Fred Perry Wimbledon Game, A Pepys Game
First Published: 1960, A Pepys Game by Castell Brothers Ltd., St. Cross Street, London
Illustrator or Designer: Not Credited
Contents: 45 Regular Cards, 14 Small Cards, Cardboard Tennis Court, Wooden Tennis Ball, 4 Player Rule Reference Sheets + Rules Booklet
There is a 45 card Stroke Pack and a 14 small card Service Pack.
The Stroke Pack contains: 13 Drives, 2 Forehand Drives, 2 Backhand Drives, 2 Drives to Forehand Side-line, 2 Drives to Backhand Side-line, 6 Forehand Volleys, 6 Backhand Volleys, 3 Smashes, 6 Lobs & 3 Drop Shots.
All of the cards (apart from the 4 Drives to Side-lines) are marked S or C to denote that straight shots, cross court shots or either are permissible. All the cards have a coloured border, Red Yellow or Blue but the cards for each colour are differently distributed.
The Service Pack has 1 Ace, 1 Double Fault, 6 Red Serve and 6 Yellow Serve.
Fred Perry provided a celebrity endorsement for the game. For some of us Fred Perry was a hero and needs no introduction here. For younger readers it may come as a surprise to learn that Fred Perry was a real person and not merely a clothing brand that has become synonymous with a style of smart-casual shirt.
For readers with slightly longer memories "Fred Perry" was the name that Tennis commentators used to intone before and during every men's match featuring an English player. A typical phrase being: "Not since Fred Perry in 1936 has an Englishman won Wimbledon, could this year be different?". All that was stopped by Andy Murray in 2013. Today commentators more commonly say: "Not since Andy Murray in 2013 has any Briton won Wimbledon, could this year be different?".
The marvellous Sue Barker, whose career spanned both phases of the cliche, was one of a handful of commentators, who would always remind the audience of Virginia Wade's achievement in 1977.
The Fred Perry Tennis Game 2009
In 2009 Fred Perry the clothing brand, celebrated their founder's centenary year with a special edition of Wimbledon, renamed The Fred Perry Tennis Game. The game is of very quality and is a fine version of the Pepys original. The centenary game was packaged inside a specially designed mailer. The game was not made for general sale but for company distribution only.
The text on the inside of the mailer reads:
CENTENARY TENNIS GAME
As you may be aware,
this year is the Centenary of our founder,
Fred Perry, who was born in Stockport,
England on May 18th 1909. It's a milestone
for the brand as well as an exciting year
in terms of activities, product
launches and initiatives.
We would like you to accept this
vintage tennis game as a memento and a
reminder of Fred's extraordinary achievements
as a pioneering sportsman, innovator,
entrepreneur and icon of style.
The game is a replica of the original
Fred Perry game from the 1950's.
Have fun!
Fred Perry
Both games featured here, the original and the centenary versions, were part of Rex Pitts' personal collection.
Also in 2009 Lagoon released Grand Slam their reissued version of Wimbledon. All the Lagoon reissues of Pepys games will be covered here soon.
Game & Version Details
 | Wimbledon - Box Contents |
 | Wimbledon - Card Back |
 | Wimbledon - Small Card Back |
 | Wimbledon - Rules Front |
 | Wimbledon - Rules Back |
 | Wimbledon - Box Top |
 | Wimbledon - Box Side Left |
 | Wimbledon - Box Bottom Side |
 | Wimbledon - Box Side Right |