From Centre Court to Centre Stage: Annabel Croft Shines at The Edge Arts Centre
The Edge Arts Centre in Much Wenlock played host to a truly captivating evening on Friday as former British No. 1 Annabel Croft brought her debut theatre tour "From Tennis Balls to Glitter Balls" to an enthusiastic audience.
From the moment an opening letter appeared on screen, written by Annabel at the tender age of 11 predicting her future as a tennis star, the tone was set for a heartfelt and deeply personal journey. Making a graceful entrance, dancing alongside host James Cutler to Christopher Cross’s Sailing, Annabel was met with rapturous applause that reflected the mix of tennis and Strictly Come Dancing fans in the crowd.
What followed was a warm, glittering evening of reminiscence, rich with anecdotes that blended the glamour of the US Open with the grit of cheap hotels on the tennis tour. Croft spoke movingly of her childhood — full of motorbikes, dens, and pets — before charting her rise from a Kent tennis club to the Wimbledon championships at just 15, the youngest female player there in 90 years, and winning the Wimbledon Open girls' tournament in 1984.
Her stories of mentors like Sue Barker and Virginia Wade, and of receiving invaluable advice from Billie Jean King, revealed the unseen, generous side of tennis’s greats. With wit and candour, she also shared the pressures of fame, the loneliness of the circuit, and her empathy for today’s rising stars like Emma Raducanu. She spoke openly about quitting the professional tour at the age of 21, exhausted by the relentless grind of life on the road and seeking the chance to live a more balanced, real life.
Perhaps most poignantly, Annabel reflected with grace and courage on the sudden loss of her beloved husband Mel to cancer, and in contrast, the joy brought by the arrival of her first grandson just two weeks ago — a reminder of both life’s fragility and its renewal.
Croft’s love of the sport, however, shone through every story — whether describing the technical artistry of turning defence into attack with a sliced backhand, or her reverence for Wimbledon’s standards of respect and humility, epitomised by lines from Rudyard Kipling’s poem ‘If’ painted on the clubhouse wall.
Seamlessly interwoven video highlights of her tennis triumphs, broadcasting career, and glittering Strictly run alongside dancer Johannes offered vivid reminders of her versatility and resilience.
After a costume change, the evening closed on a fittingly elegant note with another dance — this time to Unchained Melody — a performance that rounded off a night that was as inspiring as it was moving. Annabel Croft proved every bit as engaging on stage as she has been on court and screen — a national treasure whose warmth, honesty, and grace left the Much Wenlock audience deeply touched.
Next weekend The Edge Arts Centre welcomes Lady Nade in a tribute to Nina Simone (Saturday 11th). Buy your tickets from our box office at Penny-Farthing, 5 The Square, Much Wenlock (no fees, cash only), or search ‘Much Wenlock’ at www.ticketsource.co.uk. Full details at edgeartscentre.com
