Succession crisis at Wimbledon as Rufus the hawk fails to breed
Who is Kartal? All you need to know about Wimbledon surprise package
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Western Telegraph
34 minutes ago
- Western Telegraph
Legal challenge over Wimbledon expansion set to be heard at High Court
Save Wimbledon Park (SWP) is challenging the decision by the Greater London Authority (GLA) to give the green light to the All England Club's proposal to build 39 new courts, including an 8,000-seat stadium, on the former Wimbledon Park Golf Club. Planning permission for the scheme was granted last year by Jules Pipe, London's deputy mayor for planning, who said that the proposals 'would facilitate very significant benefits' which 'clearly outweigh the harm'. Debbie Jevans, chair of the All England Club, said at the time that the proposals would deliver 27 acres of 'newly accessible parkland for the community', and would allow the qualifying tournament for Wimbledon – currently staged at Roehampton – to be held on-site. But campaigners say that Wimbledon Park, a Grade II*-listed heritage site, is subject to similar protections as the green belt or royal parks and that allowing development on the site would set a 'dangerous precedent'. SWP's lawyers are set to argue that the GLA's decision failed to take into account the implications of 'restrictive covenants' on the use of the land, and that the development would cause 'deliberate damage'. The GLA is defending the legal challenge at a two-day hearing before Mr Justice Saini, which is due to begin at 10.30am at the Royal Courts of Justice in London. The plans were first submitted to both Merton and Wandsworth Councils, with the park straddling the boroughs, in 2021, three years after the All England Club bought out golf club members with the intention of developing the land. After Merton Council approved the plans, but Wandsworth Council rejected them, the Mayor of London's office took charge of the application. Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan then recused himself from the process in 2023, having previously expressed public support for the development. The plans attracted opposition from Fleur Anderson, the Labour MP for Putney, and Richard Rees, who was previously the lead planner for the building of Wimbledon's Court One and the development of 'Henman Hill'. Ahead of Tuesday's hearing, Christopher Coombe, a director of SWP, said: 'If this decision by the GLA is upheld and the development goes ahead, the detrimental impacts on our environment and delicate ecosystem will be devastating. 'Our community has given massive support to the campaign over four years, desperate to stop the loss of open space intended for public recreation. 'This is not just in SW19; it's happening all over London. Once built, it is gone forever, and there is very little local trust in an organisation that prides itself on fair play, but then breaks its word. 'We all love the Wimbledon championships, but don't believe the proposal is really about protecting the future of the world's best tennis tournament. 'We will continue to press (the All England Club) to reconsider their fighting stance towards our community and to join us in finding a resolution that we can all get behind.' A spokesperson for the All England Club said: 'Our proposals will deliver one of the greatest sporting transformations for London since 2012. 'They are crucial to ensuring Wimbledon remains at the pinnacle of tennis, one of the world's best sporting events, and a global attraction for both London and the UK. 'On offer are substantial year-round benefits for our community and the delivery of significant social, economic, and environmental improvements. 'This includes more than 27 acres of new public parkland on what is currently inaccessible, private land. 'Our plans will increase the size of Wimbledon Park by a third and create spaces for people and nature to thrive. 'There will be a very significant increase in biodiversity across the site and our proposals are underpinned by more than 1,000 hours of ecological surveys, which are endorsed by the London Wildlife Trust. 'We have spoken to more than 10,000 people as part of our consultation events, and we know that the vast majority of people just want us to get on and deliver the many benefits on offer.' A GLA spokesperson said: 'The Mayor believes this scheme will bring a significant range of benefits, including environmental, economic, social and cultural benefits to the local area, the wider capital and the UK economy. 'It will create new jobs and green spaces and cement Wimbledon's reputation as the greatest tennis competition in the world. 'An application has been made for the court to determine this matter, and it is therefore inappropriate for the mayor to comment further at this stage.'
Rhyl Journal
an hour ago
- Rhyl Journal
Mirra Andreeva oblivious to the fact she'd won after swatting aside Emma Navarro
The Russian teenager became the youngest woman to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals in 18 years by breezing through round four with a rapid 6-2 6-3 win over world number 10 Emma Navarro. But an unaware Andreeva was so focused on her performance – and trying not to look at Roger Federer in the Royal Box – she lined up to face another Navarro serve, rather than celebrate converting match point. Marvellous Mirra 🤩 The 18-year-old shines on her Centre Court debut, booking a place in the #Wimbledon QF — Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 7, 2025 With her American opponent waiting at the net to shake hands, the 18-year-old briefly looked bemused before jogging in from the baseline, to the amusement of spectators. Andreeva laughed off the incident in her on-court interview, saying: 'I kept telling myself I'm not the one who is up on the score, I am the one who is down. 'That helped me to stay focused and in the end I completely forgot the score. 'I'm happy that I did it because I think I would have been three times more nervous on a match point.' Aside from the humorous mix-up, Andreeva suffered no hiccups as she emphatically stayed on course to emulate coach Conchita Martinez – the 1994 Wimbledon champion. She blitzed Navarro to clinch the opening set in just 33 minutes and, despite being broken twice in the second, was not unduly troubled. Aged 18 years and 75 days, Andreeva is exactly the same age as Czech player Nicole Vaidisova was when she progressed to the last eight in 2007. 'It is something crazy,' she said, after setting up a meeting with Belinda Bencic with victory in 75 minutes. 'I was super nervous before playing for the first time on Centre Court. 'I really tried my best not to look over there in the box because I knew as soon as I would look there I would completely lose my focus. "It's been one of my dreams to see you in real life." 🫶 Mirra Andreeva kept her nerve playing on Centre Court in front of Roger Federer #Wimbledon — Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 7, 2025 'I saw Roger and (his wife) Mirka and it means a lot that you came and watched my match. It has been one of my dreams to see you in real life.' Earlier, Bencic blew five match points on her own serve before bouncing back to reach the quarter-finals for the first time. The 2021 Olympic champion also saved three break points in a captivating ninth game of the second set against Ekaterina Alexandrova. Russian 18th seed Alexandrova eventually broke to prolong the Court One contest but Bencic responded immediately to progress 7-6 (4) 6-4. 'For you guys it was entertaining but for me it was a big stress,' Bencic said on court. 'It was a difficult moment. 'I always got stuck in the fourth round. It was so important for me to breakthrough to the quarter-finals. It's a dream come true.' Bencic's best run in SW19 comes after she missed last year's Championships due to the birth of daughter Bella in April 2024. 'We did an amazing job coming back,' said the 28-year-old Swiss player. 'It's amazing to share the memories together as a family. I'm enjoying it more. I juggle it like every mum does.' Five-time grand slam champion Iga Swiatek cruised through to her second Wimbledon quarter-final. Super Swiatek 🇵🇱 The No.8 seed sails through to the QF, beating Clara Tauson 6-4, 6-1#Wimbledon — Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 7, 2025 The Polish world number four began with successive double faults before defeating Danish 23rd seed Clara Tauson 6-4 6-1. 'Even though the beginning was pretty shaky with the double faults, I managed to play well and solid,' she said. 'I'm not sure if Clara felt well, she said at night she was sick so hopefully she's going to have a fast recovery. 'It's the first time I enjoyed London – sorry guys, I always loved it! We're tennis players. We feel well off the court when we feel well on the court. 'This year I feel I can just play my game and hopefully it's going to last as long as possible.' Russian world number 19 Liudmila Samsonova awaits Swiatek after she beat unseeded 22-year-old Spaniard Jessica Bouzas Maneiro 7-5 7-5.
Scottish Sun
3 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
EastEnders episodes drop EARLY this week in surprise schedule shake-up
But Terrestrial TV viewers will not be able to watch episodes of the soap until Wednesday at the earliest Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) EASTENDERS episodes will drop EARLY this week in a surprise schedule shake-up. The BBC has had to make sweeping changes to the schedule to both of it's major channels. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 4 Wimbledon and the Women's Euros has meant that BBC Credit: BBC 4 Instead of the usual Monday to Thursday schedule, the first episode will not be made available on TV until Wednesday Credit: BBC It is a bumper season for sport due to both the Wimbledon Tennis Championships and the Women's Euros. Due to the extended coverage on BBC One and BBC Two, bosses at the publicly funded corporation have had to make several schedule changes. Usually EastEnders would air every Monday through to Thursday at 7:30pm after The One Show. However, for those wanting to know the latest goings on in Walford, this week's episodes will air at a different time. The first episodes of the week to air on TV will be shown on BBC One at 8pm on Wednesday 9th July. This will be closely followed by another edition of the soap straight after at 8:30pm. The follow-up instalment will air the next day on Thursday 10th July at an earlier time of 7pm. Fans will also be able to watch EastEnders on a Friday night again with the last episode of the week on the 11th July - again at 7pm. This is a drastic change from its usual midweek release schedule of Monday to Thursday. Despite the shakeup on linear television, it's still business as usual for the soap on streaming. EastEnders exit as two stars axed after nine years and leaves in a blaze of glory in final scenes Episodes will still land as normal at the same time for viewers on BBC iPlayer. This means that all the episodes will be available to view on iPlayer far before they are aired on the small screen. The show's official social media accounts posted the full schedule of episodes. On X - formerly known as Twitter - it posted: "Here is our schedule for this week's #EastEnders. "See you on Wednesday for double trouble!" The account added: "Psst…. if you can't wait that long, remember that EastEnders also drops on @iPlayer at 6am, Monday to Thursday." 4 Episodes will still land on iPlayer as normal every weekday morning at 6am Credit: BBC 4 This means that every episode of the soap will be available to view before it gets shows on terrestrial TV Credit: BBC EastEnders continues on BBC One and is available to stream on iPlayer.
