Wimbledon pulls jigsaw from shop after Just Stop Oil protesters threw pieces on court
Players and AELTC staff clear up the mess created by JSO activists - Julian Finney/Getty
Wimbledon has pulled jigsaw puzzles from its shops after Just Stop Oil protesters scattered thousands of pieces onto court during last year’s Championships.
Visitors to the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club (AELTC) will be unable to buy jigsaws in Wimbledon’s official shops when they arrive for the Championships on Monday after a review of its merchandise.
Last year, Katie Boulter said she was left “shocked” after a Just Stop Oil protester disrupted her first-round match by throwing jigsaw pieces and orange-coloured confetti onto the court.
Katie Boulter and Daria Saville help to tidy up the court - Eddie Mulholland
Wimbledon previously sold jigsaw puzzles of Centre Court, its trophies and the draw board in shops but they were removed at the end of last year’s championships.
The puzzles are still available to buy online and the club insists the move was due to a shake up of the shop rather than being linked to the Just Stop Oil protest.
It is understood that after last year’s championship all remaining jigsaw stock was redirected online.
Online sales
The shop has undergone a major revamp and the No 1 Court Shop this year with a focus on tennis-core apparel, which has seen a huge increase in online sales since the start of the year.
Demand for baseball caps has never been stronger, with Wimbledon Wordmark Cap selling faster than ever amid growing sales in the US.
Last July Wimbledon became the latest major event to be targeted by protesters from Just Stop Oil who disrupted two matches on the same court.
Boulter said that she was not sure if it was “the right place or time” after climate protesters targeted Court 18 last year.
The British Number 1 helped clear up the mess with vacuum cleaners and leaf blowers after a protestor scattered a 1,000-piece Wimbledon-branded puzzle and environmentally friendly orange confetti glitter onto the grass at 4.30pm during her opening match.
After a 10-minute halt, the Leicester-born Boulter went on to beat Australian Daria Saville 7-6 (4), 6-2.
Guilty
Two hours earlier two other protesters had disrupted a match between Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov and Japan’s Sho Shimabukuro with the same stunt.
Three protesters were later found guilty of storming the Wimbledon tennis courts with confetti and puzzle pieces.
Deborah Wilde, 69, Simon Milner-Edwards, 67, and William Ward, 66, were found guilty of aggravated trespass at City of London Magistrates’ Court earlier this year.
Ward, Milner-Edwards and Wilde arrive at City Of London Magistrates' Court - Jordan Pettitt/PA
Wimbledon will begin on Monday and Jack Draper will lead the British hopes of success at this year’s Championship.
Draper, who last week at Queen’s beat beat Carlos Alcaraz, the reigning Wimbledon champion, will play Sweden’s Elias Ymer in the first round.
In the Ladies draw, Boulter is Britain’s best hope and will play Germany’s Tatjana Mariain in her first-round match on Monday.
Sir Andy Murray remains in the draw if he is fit enough to face the Czech Republic’s Tomas Machac while Emma Raducanu has been drawn against Russia 22nd seed Ekaterina Alexandrova.
A spokesman for the AELTC said, “We’re looking forward to launching our newly refreshed No1 Court Shop for guests joining us here in SW19.
“We know that Wimbledon fans around the world are looking to share in the magic of The Championships via our online store with sales up 54 per cent this year.”
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