Wimbledon issues queue warning

By Piers Newbery
BBC Sport at Wimbledon

Organisers believe the queues have safety implications

Wimbledon spectators are being urged not to queue overnight on Friday for Centre Court tickets after problems controlling the crowds reached a "critical stage".

The All England Club has cut the number of tickets on sale on the middle Saturday from 2,000 to 500.

And all tickets will cost the full price of £44, having been discounted in previous years.

The move comes following what officials describe as a "breach of queue discipline" last year, when an estimated 9,000 people camped overnight in Wimbledon Park.

That was an increase of 6,000 on the other days of the tournament and caused huge problems for stewards, with several incidents of mass queue-jumping.

"The huge popularity of middle Saturday has resulted in overnight queues of nearly unmanageable proportions," said Chris Gorringe, chief executive of the All England Club.

"Our concern was that safety could be compromised if the numbers kept rising. We are therefore trying to reduce the numbers on Friday night.

"We are encouraging spectators to come on Saturday morning instead."

The popularity of the tournament continues to rise, with record attendances on the first Tuesday and Thursday of over 41,000.

And the tradition of queuing overnight is very much in evidence, with a significant number of fans camped out on Thursday afternoon in the hope of seeing Andy Roddick or Venus Williams on Centre Court on Friday.