Becker lets a title slip away

Court circular

A famous Lord of the Manor title - being sold by the Princess of Wales' brother, Earl Spencer - was yesterday bought at auction for a world record pounds 188,100. The price for the lordship of Wimbledon beat the previous record of pounds 110,00 paid for the lordship of Stratford-upon- Avon.

The identity of the buyer remained a secret following the frantic telephone bidding at Stationer's Hall, central London, but there was immediate speculation that the buyer was the three-times Wimbledon champion, Boris Becker, who has particular fondness for the tournament.

However, the German scuppered that rumour when he denied he was now a lord. "I am quite happy with being Boris Becker," he said.

Robert Smith, chairman of the Menorial Society, dealt with a welter of bids from cities around the world, including New York, Geneva and Brazil. "We thought it might go for pounds 100,000 but never believed it would go for as much as it did. It is unlike anything I have experienced at an auction before," he said.

Asked to comment on who the new owner might be he said: "It could well be some connected with tennis. If it is one of the big sports firms, like Nike or Slazenger, the publicity they would get would be enormous.

"The bidding had been like a real tennis match with the two combatants matching each other point for point until it reached two sets all and match point."

Smith told the assembled bidders that Earl Spencer, a "reluctant seller", needed the cash to pay for renovating his stately home, Althorpe in Northamptonshire. The title had been in Earl Spencer's family since 1744.