What is the latest play time at Wimbledon, and does All England Club have a curfew?

WIMBLEDON is here, and fans may have to expect one or two late nights.

The Great British summer means rain, and rain means delays in SW19.

Action Images

The roof on Centre Court means that matches can go on well into the night[/caption]

Centre Court’s roof means that play can go on longer than ever.

And this year, for the first time, Court One also has a roof.

Is there a curfew at Wimbledon?

Yes, the curfew was set by Merton Council at 11pm.

Outdoor events usually have an 11pm finish under UK licensing laws, because of health & safety concerns.

Before the roof was installed on Centre Court, play ended when the light failed.

News Group Newspapers Ltd

Andy Murray beat Marcos Baghdatis in the latest ever Wimbledon match that ended at 11.02pm[/caption]

What is the latest a match has been played?

The first record for a late match was between Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka, when rain and the roof saw their fourth round match finish at 10.38pm.

Then in 2010, a match between Novak Djokovic and Olivier Rochus finished at 10.58pm – prompting the curfew by Merton Council.

Has the curfew been broken?

Yes, once.

On June 30, 2012, Andy Murray’s third round win over Marcos Baghdatis ran until 11.02pm, in spite of the curfew.

However, no action was taken against the All England Club.

Merton Council’s leader at the time, Stephen Alambritis, said “flexibility and common sense prevailed”.