Tuscaloosa County judges face off at the Pritchett-Moore Invitational

By WVUA 23 Sports Reporter Tyler White

Night four of “Tuscaloosa’s Wimbledon” featured a doubles matchup that included former Tuscaloosa County Circuit Court judge and Alabama Supreme Court Justice John H. England and his doubles partner Crosby Thomley, facing off against current Tuscaloosa County Circuit Court judge Gay Lake and his partner Harold Jones, who is the senior pilot of the Tuscaloosa Police Helicopter Unit.

“I think we had to have broken a record for the oldest group of four playing,” said England. “We had one 85, we had one 69, we had another one 70 and then still another one 76, but the match is over and we’re still standing.”

England says he has been participating in the Pritchett-Moore for close to 20 years and he appreciates the game because it “keeps him young.”

The team of England and Thomley lost in straight sets to Lake and Jones, and while England admits it “just wasn’t their day”, he knows it is not always about winning and losing.

“”You know we have this many folks who are here and having good fun, and it brings us all out and we enjoy the competition,” said England. “Now I’ll admit it, we lost, but we had a good time. It was a competitive match, but the other group was better than we were today. We have fun, we mingle with our friends and family have a cold water, or Gatorade or a beer and, you know, its a good fellowship.”

The Pritchett-Moore Men’s City Invitational tournament wraps up this weekend, with the semifinals on Saturday and the championship on Sunday.