FEW people can say they have stood on Wimbledon's centre court with Tim Henman - but Basingstoke's Ben Hamlin can.

He was a ball boy in 2002 as Britain's Henman did battle in the quarter-final against Brazilian Andre Sa.

The current British number one won the game 6-3, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 to book a place in the semi-final against eventual winner, Lleyton Hewitt.

Ben said: "It was an unforgettable experience to be out there on court in what was an amazing atmosphere. I think there was as much pressure on me as there was on the players."

A year earlier - his first as a ball boy at Wimbledon - Hamblin was part of the guard of honour on centre court for the women's final which saw Venus Williams beat Justine Henin-Hardenne 6-1, 3-6, 6-0.

Talking about that day, Ben said: "It was not as nerve-wracking as people might expect as you do a lot of training for it before the big day."

He was picked as a ball boy when he was a pupil at Rutlish High school in Wimbledon, and, for his second year at the championship, he had senior status - a unique honour only given to 12 boys at the tournament.

This meant he was on call as cover for any court as and when he was needed.

It was during 2002 that he also got a chance to visit the players restaurant. After a longer-than-normal stint on court, the team missed their lunch break so, to make up for it, the organiser took them to where few people other than players go and Ben remembers that, among others, Hewitt was there at the time of his visit.

A move to Hatch Warren in Basingstoke last year saw Ben miss out on a trip to Wimbledon, but this year he will be going to the tournament again as a ball boy trainer.

Ben explained: "I just rang up the organisers and told them of my experience and I was invited along."

The 17-year-old currently trains about 60 to 70 children once a week at Wimbledon, which gives him the chance to pass on his experience.

As well as teaching the techniques of ball boys and girls, he also looks to improve their fitness and stamina.

He started with the group in February and has until Monday, June 21 to knock them into shape as this is the opening day of Wimbledon, which runs until Sunday, July 4.

At the moment, Ben is only a junior trainer, but is hoping to move up to a senior teacher.

And as part of his job, he will be at Wimbledon watching the ball boys and girls.

Ben added: "I will be marking them and making sure they are using the correct techniques while on court."

Away from his trips to Wimbledon, he is currently studying at BCOT and is in the first year of a National Diploma in public services.