Cameron’s court challenge to Salmond

Published on 29/07/2012 00:00

IT WOULDN’T be a love match. David Cameron has challenged Alex Salmond to a winner-takes-all game of tennis to decide the future of the United Kingdom.

The extraordinary offer was made last month when the Prime Minister and the First Minister were at the All-England Club for the Wimbledon final between Andy Murray and Roger Federer and shared a brief conversation.

At a Downing Street reception last week, Cameron revealed he told Salmond that he would like to use his on-court skills to save the Union. “When I was at Wimbledon watching Andy Murray I actually challenged Alex Salmond to a game of tennis to settle the issue once and for all,” the Prime Minister said. “He [Salmond] didn’t seem very keen on the idea for some reason.”

Eton-educated Cameron was in his school and university teams and has beaten a host of political colleagues in his favourite sport, including Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg and Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London.

But a spokesman for Salmond said the Prime Minister may come up against a stiffer challenge than he thinks if he wants to decide the independence question in a tennis match.

He said: “The First Minister won a school tennis tournament in his youth, and David Cameron would find him tougher competition than Nick Clegg – then again, anyone would be harder to beat than Nick Clegg.”

But he added: “The question is whether Mr Cameron would be prepared to meet the First Minister on the golf course.”