Wimbledon to urge players not to ‘do a Bairstow’ and tackle protesters

Wimbledon will advise players not to “do a Bairstow” and intercept protesters with the threat of Just Stop Oil targeting the Championships.

England cricketer Jonny Bairstow was seen physically removing a protester from the Lord’s field at the start of the second Ashes Test this week.

And Just Stop Oil has recently disrupted the Grand National, the World Snooker Championship and the Premiership rugby final.

Following those events, organisers at SW19 are now on high alert and prepared to stop any attempts to invade the courts and interrupt the tennis.

To stop any potential threats, the Independent understands the All England Club (AELTC) has shared information with the England Cricket Board (ECB) and Silverstone, where the British Grand Prix will take place next Sunday.

And with ample support through professionally-trained security teams, Wimbledon is keen for players to avoid helping to end any potential protests in the manner Bairstow did on Wednesday.

The grand slam has also updated its conditions for entry, with glue and spray paint banned.

However, should protesters succeed, then Wimbledon will have a vacuum cleaner on standby to clean the courts, which could be stained with coloured chalk.

Michelle Dite, the operations director at the All England Club, called on visitors to respect the safety and enjoyment of others: “The safety and security of players, colleagues and visitors is paramount.

“Throughout the year we work closely with the Metropolitan Police and other relevant organisations to ensure that The Championships is as safe and secure as possible and that our plans and measures are commensurate with the threat level and prevailing risks.

“We ask that all visitors to The Championships respect the safety and enjoyment of all guests who are in attendance.

“Based on what has happened at other sporting events, and on the advice from our key partners, we have reviewed our security plans, which have now been uplifted for the championships accordingly.

“Our conditions of entry, which were updated in April 2023, include guidance on prohibited items and disruptive behaviour, any breaches of these conditions will be dealt with in accordance with our code of conduct.

“We have plans in place to mitigate the risks working in partnership with specialist agencies and the Metropolitan police and should an incident occur the appropriate specialist teams will respond.”

While some players are already aware of the threat of protests during matches, with Cameron Norrie discussing the prospect at Queen’s last week.

“Actually at Queen’s they were talking about that [the possibility of protests] as well,” said the British No 1.

“One of the security guards said there was a good chance maybe one day they were gonna come on and so just to be ready for it.

“It could happen and hopefully it happens at the best moment possible to me to break the rhythm [of my opponent]!

“But it is what it is and I’ll have to deal with it and it’s been happening more and more so let’s see.”