| | Wimbledon security breach - talented Brit found on court
28 Jun 2003
Securicor, the company responsible for providing security guards for Wimbledon, has launched an urgent investigation today after a major security breach during the tournament. The breach, which was uncovered in the Mirror today, happened when a mildly talented British tennis player penetrated security cordons and managed to play two games on court. Prior to his arrival the man, a Tim Henman look-alike, kidnapped Mr Henman and held him in a small outbuilding, allowing him to take his place on court.
Mr Henman was rescued by police last night and the impostor, who has been named as 58-year-old Douglas Ramsbottom from Southampton, has been arrested. "We first became suspicious when Henman – as we thought it was – started winning," explained Inspector Mullet of the Yard. "We did some checks and a sweep of the area and we found out that it wasn't actually Henman at all. With the benefit of hindsight, the ginger hair and the whole winning thing was a bit of a giveaway, but at the time we just thought it was a fashion statement."
A spokesman for Securicor apologised profusely for the mistake. "We are truly sorry for this breach in security. The only explanation I can offer is that the impostor was dressed in full tennis kit, so we assumed he was a player. It was a very convincing disguise," she said. "In future, if we see any British people winning games we'll be down on them like a ton of bricks."
Britain's only remaining hope for success at Wimbledon is said to be shaken by the experience, but a close friend said Mr Henman is ready to continue playing and is confident of achieving his usual level of failure.
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