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Possession 45% 55% 90 mins York City AFC Wimbledon
Last updated at 18:54
AFC Wimbledon earned their first League Two away win since mid-August as they came out on top at York.
Jake Goodman met George Francomb's corner at the far post to score, before Diego De Girolamo's 15-yard strike levelled for the home side.
Francomb's crossing skills tormented the York as Sean Rigg tapped in from three yards and Matt Tubbs headed home.
Stephane Zubar scrambled the ball in from a couple of yards for the home side, but it was only a consolation.
Martin Keown on Wimbledon's Crazy Gang: Vinnie Jones would head
Martin Keown says facing the Crazy Gang as 'like playing a bunch of louts' Keown recalls what methods Wimbledon would use to distress opponents Sportsmail's columnist saw Vinnie Jones 'head-butting the toilet door' and John Fashanu practising martial arts while lining up in the tunnel 'Fashanu would always say he would win every ball and to always get it in the mixer, but I can't ever remember losing a header to him,' adds Keown Martin Samuel: Laughs, mischief and talent, that is the real story of Wimbledon's Crazy Gang
TACKLE KEOWN
Martin Keown has revealed facing Wimbledon's Crazy Gang was 'like playing a bunch of louts'.
Sportsmail's columnist was asked in his live Q&A session Tackle Keown what memories he had of playing against Vinnie Jones, John Fashanu and the rest of the 1988 FA Cup-winning team.
Keown recalls Jones 'head-butting the toilet door' and Fashanu practising martial arts while lining up in the tunnel, and has explained other methods the Crazy Gang would use to distress opponents.
TACKLE KEOWN
'I played against them many times, though on occasions it was like playing a bunch of louts!' Keown said in his weekly MailOnline column.
'They wanted to take over. They would turn up at your ground with the ghetto blaster and the music blaring but it never affected us at Arsenal. They tried to make as much row and noise as they could to disrupt opponents.
'It was like their battle cry to get in to match mode but it never affected me. In away games in their tunnel, you would line up and look across to see Vinnie Jones head-butting the toilet door and John Fashanu going through his martial arts routine.
'But if anything that wound you up even more and you just thought, 'Right. Let's get it on.'
'On the pitch they were incredibly vocal. Jones would always say, 'Look at him, he's bricking himself' and if a ball came in they would always say they would destroy you.
'Maybe it was because they came through the lower leagues that they developed that attitude.
'Teams were never that vocal but the verbals made you try harder. Fashanu would always say he would win every ball and to always get it in the mixer, but I can't ever remember losing a header to him.
'But they were more than that. They had some good players in that group and could play football. It was just that they decided they wanted to play in a certain way and for them, it worked.'
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Click here for Tackle Keown as Sportsmail's columnist answers your burning questions
FA Cup third round: BBC to show AFC Wimbledon v Liverpool
Last updated at 11:11
The FA Cup third-round tie between League Two AFC Wimbledon and Liverpool will be screened live on the BBC.
The match at Kingsmeadow will take place on Monday, 5 January, kick-off 19:55 GMT.
The BBC will also screen live the tie between Arsenal and Hull City at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, 4 January, kick-off 17:30 GMT.
The Gunners beat Steve Bruce's side 3-2 after extra time in last season's FA Cup final .
'The quirk of the fixture list has presented a unique opportunity to have an extended three days of FA Cup coverage on BBC One,' Mark Cole, Lead Executive of Football, BBC Sport said.
'Saturday is a chance for any of the 32 teams in action to grab the spotlight on Match of the Day, while we've got six hours of coverage on Sunday to chart the progress of the 14 games.
'Add in Monday's big game at AFC Wimbledon, preceded by the draw for the fourth round and it's a great way to kick of our FA Cup Month, where there's content every day across the BBC.'
Wimbledon and Liverpool met in the 1988 final, with the Dons pulling off a shock 1-0 win. The club was moved north to Milton Keynes in 2004.
Radio 5 live and 5 live Sports Extra will have live commentary from at least nine third-round games, and five Match of the Day FA Cup highlights shows are also planned for January.
The Crazy Gang: Wimbledon legend Dennis Wise remembers the 1988 FA Cup ...
Cast off by Southampton as an 18-year-old, Dennis Wise (above, holding the lid of the FA Cup) joined Second Division Wimbeldon in March 1985.
Although the nickname 'The Crazy Gang' is now a well known term in football, back then the practice of outrageous practical jokes, that included cutting up or setting kit on fire, ruining cars, clothes and much worse - as well as their straight-forward style of play - was not such a feature, although manager Dave Bassett had begun to put his shoe-string budget team together.
'The initiation bit I got away with it really, Wally was very close to my family and I guess he didn't want me going home and saying 'you know what he's done to me dad, would you believe it,'' Wise told The Independent.
'I got away with it lightly, a few of them didn't. I got myself involved in it, it was quite fun to be honest at those times - I don't think you'd be able to do it these days, it's totally different these days.
'Anything could happen, you could have things cut up, you could have your car done, your tires let down, vaseline on the windows. It could be a disaster depending what mood some of them were in.'
'Them' refers to the likes of Vinnie Jones, John Fashanu and Lawrie Sanchez, among many others, who epitomised the Crazy Gang culture, both on and off the pitch, though Downes is often cited as the man behind most of the pranks.
Wise recounts that Eric Young, bought from Brighton in 1987 and a key part of the later FA Cup run, got some pretty rough treatment when he arrived.
'He's quite a big boy, trying to pin him down would have been a disaster, he's about 6ft 4in. But he kept bringing this Brighton [kit] bag in, so obviously the lads we decided we'd give him a couple of days of him bringing it in, then we'd set it alight.
'Then we bought him a new bag, replaced it with a Wimbledon one. But he was so attached to this bag for some reason, I really don't know why, whether it was his lucky bag, whether he was superstitious, I really don't know, it was in ashes.'
Setting a bag on fire is pretty harmless fun, but Wise admits there were 'many, many' times when jokes did go a little overboard, though he doesn't go into detail.
They may have been forming a reputation off the pitch but their reputation on the pitch was starting to get noticed.
Promoted to the First Division in 1986, Wimbledon upset many opposition fans and players with a rough and direct style of play, as well as an intimidating atmosphere at Plough Lane; the now defunct stadium had facilities way below what the best players were used to.
'Wimbledon was more the fact that we couldn't spend money, we attracted players that had kind of got a second chance in the game really. If you look at a lot of the players there, they had come from the lower divisions and a few had been released from other clubs.
'If you needed a second chance and the manager felt you could give something to the team then you for an opportunity. We had some also-rans that would turn up and had been disregarded by other football clubs and brought in and then had a chance. They developed their young kids and brought a few of them through as well.'
Bassett, who wasn't in charge of the team for the famous FA Cup win, was 'the leader of the gang, the boss man' and although he didn't get involved in the practical jokes, Wise said, he did have good sense of humour.
'One time we went to his room and we decided to lay his room out outside the lift, so when he came up all his clothes were hung up, all the wardrobes were in the corridor, his whole room was in the corridor, all nicely. He found it quite funny.'
In 1988, minnows Wimbledon were pitted against the might of Liverpool, then still at the height of their powers, in the FA Cup final at Wembley.
Wimbledon had beaten Watford, Newcastle - the scene of Vinnie Jones squeezing Paul Gascoigne's 'bits' - and Luton, where Wise scored the winner on their way to the big day.
Wise, frantic with nerves, remembers the day well.
'I remember Princess Di. Me and Vinnie decided that we were going to get Princess Di some flowers and so we bought her some. We'd actually got up really early in the morning and decided to go out to the town centre, which was dumb, we went for a haircut, we got some flowers, we saw [actress] June Whitfield walking down the street.
'She went mad at us saying 'what you doing here you should be in bed', but we couldn't sleep. But when we got to the ground we weren't allowed to take the flowers, it was quite sad really, it was a waste of time, but it was something we wanted to do.
'You do some funny things, we were excited and the adrenaline comes in different ways for different personalities. That was really mine and Vinnie's way, I remember Bobby Gould [who had taken over as manager] grabbing us, sitting us down and not allowing us to move for about an hour after we came back, because he was worried our energy would go; the adrenaline was flowing so early and we had to concentrate on what our job was.'
Wimbledon, of course, won 1-0 against massive odds, Sanchez scoring a first-half header and Dave Beasant saving a John Aldridge penalty. Wise says he doesn't remember much about the party after, though he took the trophy to his dad's pub.
'It was a big thing for us and I think what it did was kick on quite a few of our careers. We'd played in this cup final and then people took a little bit of notice, saying 'some of them are good payers, hold on a second I like that one and I like that one'.'
Wise went on to Chelsea, after another year at Wimbledon while Sam Hammam refused to sell him, Jones went onto Leeds and Young went to Crystal Palace.
The midfielder, who went on to win two FA Cups, a League Cup and the Cup Winners' Cup with the Blues, making 445 appearances for the Blues, says he can't separate his time with the two as they were so different.
'[At Chelsea] we had a fantastic group. The difference was that the Chelsea players were at the top of their tree, the others weren't, they had come from nothing, had a second chance but had the same kind of spirit of wanting to succeed.
'But i couldn't separate. It's not correct.'
--
BT Sport will premiere the next instalment in its BT Sport Films series, The Crazy Gang, on December 26 on BT Sport 1 at 9pm, with an in-depth look at the extraordinary story of Wimbledon FC in the 1980s featuring interviews with the likes of Vinnie Jones, Dennis Wise and John Fashanu plus other members of the notorious team.
FA Cup third round draw: LFC face AFC Wimbledon, EFC take on West Ham ...
The FA Cup trophy
The FA Cup third round draw has thrown up a series of intriguing ties for Merseyside's representatives with Liverpool FC facing a first ever meeting with AFC Wimbledon, Everton handed an all-Premier League clash with West Ham, Tranmere facing a potential clash with Swansea and non-league Southport and Chester handed trips to Championship opposition.
The Reds face a pseudo re-run of the 1988 final, one of the greatest Cup shocks of all time, when they face AFC Wimbledon, the team founded from the ashes of the old Crazy Gang after Wimbledon FC were franchised into MK Dons ten years ago.
The Blues take on West Ham at Goodison, having beaten the Hammers 2-1 at Goodison last month, while Tranmere 's reward if they can win their second round replay with Oxford will be a home tie with Premier League Swansea.
Giant-killers Southport's reward for beating Eastleigh is a trip to Championship table-toppers Derby while Chester will travel to Middlesbrough if they can win their replay against Barnsley.
The draw in full Southampton v Ipswich Stoke City v Wrexham Charlton Athletic v Blackburn Rovers Dover Athletic v Crystal Palace AFC Wimbledon v Liverpool Manchester City v Sheffield Wednesday Aldershot/Rochdale v Nottingham Forest West Bromwich Albion v Gateshead Blyth Spartans v Birmingham City Aston Villa v Blackpool Rotherham United v AFC Bournemouth Huddersfield Town v Reading Oxford United/Tranmere Rovers v Swansea City Cardiff City v Colchester United Bolton Wanderers v Wigan Athletic Sunderland v Leeds United Burnley v Tottenham Hotspur Millwall v Bradford City Derby County v Southport Brentford v Brighton & Hove Albion Fulham v Wolverhampton Wanderers Leicester City v Newcastle United Scunthorpe/Worcester City v Chesterfield Everton v West Ham United Cambridge United/Mansfield v Bury/Luton Town Chelsea v Watford Barnsley/Chester v Middlesbrough Queens Park Rangers v Sheffield United Accrington/Yeovil Town v Manchester United Preston North End v Norwich City Doncaster Rovers v Bristol City
Reds drawn against AFC Wimbledon in Cup
Liverpool will get their 2014-15 FA Cup campaign underway with a trip to face AFC Wimbledon.
The draw for the third round of the competition was made on Monday night and paired Brendan Rodgers' side with the League Two outfit.
Neal Ardley's side will host the Reds' at Kingsmeadow in a tie which is set to be played between January 3 and 6, 2015.
Stay tuned to Liverpoolfc.com for confirmed details regarding the fixture.
FA Cup Third Round Draw: Liverpool face trip to AFC Wimbledon
The draw took place at The Deep aquarium in Hull with former Newcastle Utd and England striker Alan Shearer and local coach Paul Adamson on hand to draw the balls.
Liverpool, ball number 23, were drawn out early in the competition and will visit AFC Wimbledon at their ground, Kingsmeadow.
The Reds will be hoping to go further than last season when they were eliminated in the fifth round at Arsenal after beating Oldham and Bournemouth.
The last time Liverpool won the FA Cup was 2006 when they beat West Ham on penalties. A run to the final in 2012 ended in defeat to Chelsea for Kenny Dalglish 's men.
Ties will be played on the weekend of the 3-6 January 2015. This season's FA Cup final takes place at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, 30 May 2015.
Full draw for the FA Cup third Round
Arsenal v Hull City Southampton v Ipswich Stoke City v Wrexham Charlton Athletic v Blackburn Rovers Dover Athletic v Crystal Palace AFC Wimbledon v Liverpool
Rest of the draw in progress...
Roddick made honorary member of Wimbledon, says Henman
Credit: Reuters/Kevin Lamarque
Andy Roddick of the U.S. acknowledges the crowd after his defeat to Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina in their men's singles match at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in New York September 5, 2012.
The American, three times a runner-up at the grand slam tournament, visited the grasscourt club on Friday for 'a spot of tea' with Henman while in London competing at the Statoil Masters event at the Royal Albert Hall.
'I was able to take him to Wimbledon a couple of days ago because he's being made an honorary member, which he was so excited about, having been a three-time finalist,' Henmanm said in an interview with the Tennis Podcast.
Honorary membership of the elite club usually requires a Wimbledon title, but Henman said former world number one Roddick, who quit in 2012 aged 30 deserved the accolade.
'If you win the tournament you become a member automatically but I think with his impact in that event and his rapport with the British crowd it was felt that it would be a really nice gesture,' Henman added.
'He was given a few gifts, one of them being a club tie, which is completely useless because he doesn't know how to tie a tie!'
Roddick, runner-up in 2004, 2005 and 2009, is making his first appearance on the seniors tour this week and on Saturday reached the final when he beat 2002 Wimbledon semi-finalist Xavier Malisse 6-4 6-2.
He will play fellow debutant Fernando Gonzalez at the Royal Albert Hall after he overcame Henman 6-4 2-6 10-6.
(Reporting by Martyn Herman; Editing by Ian Ransom)
Live Text Commentary
Last updated at 16:55
Sean Rigg was AFC Wimbledon's hero as they won at Wycombe to reach the third round of the FA Cup for the first time in their 12-year history.
Dons striker Matt Tubbs headed just wide inside 22 seconds, while visiting keeper James Shea pushed out Max Kretzschmar's deflected shot.
Wimbledon broke the deadlock when George Francomb picked out Rigg, who finished calmly into the bottom corner.
Shea made another good save late on, thwarting Sam Wood's long-range drive.
Roddick Made Honorary Wimbledon Member; Faces Gonzalez For Title
ATP Champions Tour 2014
London, England
by David Law
|
06.12.2014
Andy Roddick advanced to the final at Royal Albert Hall on Saturday.
It's been a good week for Andy Roddick. The American returned to one of his favourite cities in the world for the first time since retirement, reached the final of the Statoil Masters Tennis at the Royal Albert Hall, and according to Tim Henman, was made an honorary Wimbledon member by the All England Club.
Roddick defeated 2002 Wimbledon semi-finalist Xavier Malisse, 6-4, 6-2 to set up a final day clash with fellow debutant Fernando Gonzalez at the Royal Albert Hall. Gonzalez overcame Henman 6-4, 2-6, 10-6.
Afterwards, in an interview with the Tennis Podcast, Henman elaborated on Roddick's tale from yesterday's show about how they shared 'a spot of tea' together at Wimbledon on Thursday.
'I was able to take him to Wimbledon a couple of days ago because he's being made an honourary member, which he was so excited about, having been a three time finalist,' said Henman.
'If you win the tournament you become a member automatically but I think with his impact in that event and his rapport with the British crowd it was felt that it would be a really nice gesture. So Andy and his wife Brooklyn came and had tea with Phillip Brook, the Chairman, and his wife and myself, and he loved it. It's very rare to be made an honourary member when you haven't won the singles title there. I think Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde are the only ones I can think of, and they won the doubles 87 or so times. They're a rare breed, but in Roddick's case, it's thoroughly well deserved.'
Membership wasn't the only thing Roddick received.
'He was given a few gifts, one of them being a club tie, which is completely useless because he doesn't know how to tie a tie,' teased Henman.
Roddick owned a 10-3 FedEx ATP Head2Head advantage over Gonzalez during their ATP World Tour careers.
The full order of play and results are available here: http://ift.tt/1Ilphux
Premier League
Fashanu was an integral part of Wimbledon's 'Crazy Gang' in the 1980s and 1990s as the Dons' physical and direct brand of play saw them rise from a non-league side to being an established top-flight side for a time.
Their high point came in 1988 when they beat Liverpool in the FA Cup final and a documentary charting life at Wimbledon during this successful period is scheduled to be screened on BT Sport on Boxing Day.
According to reports in Saturday's edition of the Daily Mail, in the film former Wimbledon midfielder and now Hollywood actor Vinnie Jones described an horrendous attack by Fashanu on another Dons player.
The programme has been criticised by former Wimbledon owner Sam Hammam, who believes it wrongly depicts the club's players as thugs, but Fashanu has no regrets about how he conducted himself on and off the field.
[THE DISTURBING AND VIOLENT TRUTH BEHIND WIMBLEDON'S NOTORIOUS 'CRAZY GANG']
'Fash was a physical b***** and you would either have to adapt or dissolve as a person,' Fashanu told the Mail on Sunday.
'The players ran the club and if you were a wise manager, you would work with us, not against us.'
As a senior member of the squad having joined from Millwall in 1986, Fashanu was one of a few players charged with enforcing player discipline and he revealed their methods went further than merely imposing a fine.
'The Wimbledon players didn't have money at that stage, we couldn't fine you, so the best we could do is beat the c**p out of you,' he said.
'That is how we got our success. We are not here to apologise, we are here to tell you how it worked.
'Once, one of our lads wouldn't pay a fine, Vinnie and Wisey ( Dennis Wise) went to get him, I locked the door of the changing-room and when the door is locked, it is only me, him and God who knows what's happened. But I assure you, you come out looking different than when you went in.
'People will now go, 'Well, that was too much intimidation'. I'm sorry, in the world we were living in then, it was part of the qualities of leadership, intimidation.'
Fashanu went on to say he believes the physical aspect of football has disappeared from the game.
He added: 'On the pitch, we've definitely gone soft. It's got to the extent where there is no physical play. Football is physical, a contact sport.'
Jack Smith: AFC Wimbledon defender faces two months out
Last updated at 10:50
AFC Wimbledon defender Jack Smith is expected to be out for about two months with a thigh injury.
Former Watford and Millwall left-back Smith, 31, had to go off during the second half of last Saturday's 2-1 home defeat against Cambridge United.
Scans have since shown that he suffered a grade two tear.
'It looks like Jack could be out for a couple of months, which is a big blow because he was in good form,' manager Neal Ardley told the club website.
'It gives Callum Kennedy and Ben Harrison an opportunity to get back in and show what they are capable of, and hopefully during December they will do that.
'If they don't take their chances then we will have to look at what we do in January.'
Andy Roddick: Defeat to Roger Federer in Wimbledon final in 2009 is still my ...
Roddick was speaking during the sort of journey that would put most visitors off London in a shot: a 30-minute crawl along the four-mile route from Parson's Green to Knightsbridge.
Considering that Roddick has ruled out a coaching career because it involves too much travel, you might expect him to sigh his way through the gridlock. But not a bit of it. Instead he is buoyed by his excitement about a first glimpse of the Royal Albert Hall - where he is due to make his debut at the Statoil Masters on Friday against Sergi Bruguera. 'I've seen photos, but I've never been inside.'
At 32, Roddick does seem a little young to be competing on the veterans' tour. His former nemesis, Roger Federer, remains the No 2 player in the ATP rankings despite being a year older. Yet Federer is an anomaly in almost every way, apparently fashioned from different stuff to the rest of us, whereas Roddick - for all his talent - is only mortal. Towards the end of his career, he was so plagued by knee, shoulder and hamstring injuries that he did well to battle his way to his 30th birthday before making his big announcement at Flushing Meadows in 2012.
Since then, he has dabbled in hiking and mountain biking ('I'm pretty outdoorsy, I like space'), developed his broadcasting career ('I'm just happy they haven't fired me yet') and brought his golf handicap down to three ('The only people who spend more time on the course than me are the ones who are paid to be there'). His tennis has mainly been limited to a few knockabouts with friends in Austin. At least, until this last fortnight.
'We're calling this trip a 'playcation' - play a little, vacation a little,' he says. 'Last week I played a tournament in Amsterdam, and I'd never been there before. But just carrying my rackets around again, I feel I'm walking back in time.
'London is different: it's a place where I have a lot of memories and a lot of friends. One of the best moments of my career actually came here in 2009, after I had lost to Roger over five sets and four hours in the Wimbledon final.
'He is walking around with the trophy and I am obviously at a very tough moment. And then the crowd starts saying my name for no reason at all. I didn't know what they were saying at first because I wasn't paying attention and all of a sudden it catches on.
'You might expect me to hate that match but I don't, it's the one where I felt people might have gotten me for the first time. Early in my career, some liked me and some didn't. After that, though, I felt that at least there was a bit of general respect. You would never have thought that an obnoxious, opinionated American and Wimbledon would get along so well.'
If every slam is a microcosm of its country then that famous final - which ended at 16-14 in the deciding set - was perhaps a microcosm of Roddick's entire career. He was a ferociously hard worker who had much more to offer than just his whippy serve (which held the world record for most of the 2000s, at 155mph). But try as he might, he kept being thwarted by Federer, who beat him in 21 of their 24 meetings, including four grand-slam finals.
The worst thing about it, Roddick has often joked, was that he could not even bring himself to dislike Federer 'because he is just so nice'. Last year, he even spent a couple of days interviewing and profiling the great man for his TV network Fox Sports, and came away feeling more admiration than ever. 'I asked him to explain his motivation,' said Roddick, 'and he replied, 'I like winning more than I hate losing'. Which is different to just about everyone else. After I lost, I would be p----- off for days.'
But what about that little 'stoush' between Wawrinka and Mirka Federer at the O₂ Arena? Did that tarnish Federer's name a little? Roddick admits that raucous support from the opposition player's box is common enough in tennis, but stresses that he never had any problems with the Federers.
'If that was something that did go back to Wimbledon [as Wawrinka suggested in his on-court conversation with umpire Cedric Mourier], it should have been sorted out earlier,' Roddick says. 'Trust me, I lost a lot to Roger. If Mirka had an inappropriate yell in a game I probably would have seen it and I never saw it. She was always great.
'I was surprised that in that forum, in that arena, even if something is bothering you, I don't know if that is the right place to address it with an umpire. It would have had to be really over the line for me to acknowledge it in the moment during a match, especially if it's a friend. But they know their friendship better than the rest of us.'
While his customary self-description of 'obnoxious and opinionated' might be an exaggeration, Roddick was known for being one of the feistier players on the circuit, especially in his younger days.
And if he became a little more restrained with time, part of that was down to the introduction of Hawk-Eye challenges - an innovation he loved as a player, yet has now changed his stance upon. 'Tennis thrives on personalities,' he says. 'Who doesn't want to see some guy argue with an umpire? It's just fun.'
He also continues to feel exasperated by the lack of a dedicated players' union, rather than the constantly deadlocked mish-mash of interests that is the Association of Tennis Professionals. 'I love Chris Kermode [the Briton appointed as the ATP's latest boss a year ago], I know him from Queen's and I think he's probably the best guy we've had in there, but I still think it's naive in a pro sport if the players have no direct representation.'
But do not expect Roddick to run for office, or appear in a player's box, in the near future, because this is a man enjoying life beyond the baseline. In fact, were it not for his enduring affection for London - the city where his most painful defeat became one of his greatest victories - we might not be seeing him at all.
Cinderella starring Linda Gray at New Wimbledon Theatre: get a free glass of ...
Probably best known as Sue Ellen Ewing in Dallas, Linda Gray will play the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella at New Wimbledon Theatre. She'll be working alongside a talented cast that includes the hilarious Tim Vine as Buttons and renowned dancer Wayne Sleep as Dandini. Also, back by popular demand from last year's Aladdin, are Matthew Kelly and Matthew Rixon as the Ugly Sisters. To complete the line-up are Amy Lennox (9 To 5: The Musical, The Sound of Music) as Cinderella and Liam Doyle (Wicked, Mamma Mia!) as her Prince Charming.
This magical rags-to-riches fairytale features sumptuous sets, gorgeous fairytale costumes, riotous panto dames, big song and dance numbers and bags of audience participation.
You can enjoy a free glass of prosecco when you buy a ticket for £29.50. The offer is valid for all performances from 5 December 2014 to 11 January 2015, excluding 20 to 30 December. Take up this offer Click here to take up this offer Help with offers, events and competitions
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London Guest of Honor: Behind the Scenes at Wimbledon
As we head into the dead of winter, thoughts of tennis and summer sports are out of place in much of the northern hemisphere. But, to draw more eyes to their Guest of Honor sweepstakes, London officials invited the media for a look to summer with a behind the scenes tour of the Wimbledon All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.
The Wimbledon tour swept through portions of the hallowed grounds that not even the tour guide visited before, including the players' private lounge and the TV set where BBC 1 hosts its coverage every year.
The winner of the Guest of Honor contest will get more than just such a tour. He or she will get a private tennis lesson from longtime Wimbledon competitor and current commentator Tim Henman. In addition, the selected entrant will enjoy other behind the scenes experiences at the Royal Opera House, an explosive visit to the HMS Belfast and a meeting with the legendary Dr. Stephen Hawking.
You'll find some special hidden visions of Wimbledon in the gallery below. If any of them catch your eye and you decide you'd like to become a member of the Wimbledon Club, good luck. I'm afraid you have much better odds of winning the sweepstakes.
First of all, the queue for membership is longer than the waiting list for Green Bay Packers season tickets. Then, according to the club's bylaws, you must be nominated by a current member. Once nominated, current members would have to peg you for something the club needed or for some special service you could provide. In the end, there's nothing democratic about being a member of the world's most famous tennis club.
Maybe Henman will give you a hand.
BBC films Homes Under the Hammer in Wimbledon fish and chip shop
A BBC film crew has been in Wimbledon town centre this afternoon to film an episode of Homes Under the Hammer at a new fish and chip shop.
Cousins fish shop and restaurant on the Broadway will officially open tomorrow.
The restaurant was bought at auction by Steve Sotiriou, who also runs the Pod Bar and Teokath bridal store in Wimbledon.
A flurry of new businesses have opened on the Broadway in the past month, including an Italian restaurant and cafe Patisserie Valerie.
Entrepreneur: fish shop owner Steve Sotiriou
US burger chain Five Guys is due to open a few doors down from the fish and chip shop.
Wimbledon 2015 qualifiers by All India Tennis Association set to commence in ...
New Delhi: The All India Tennis Association (AITA) have announced a four-leg qualifying tournament followed by a Masters tournament to select two boys and two girls from the country to feature in the prestigious Road to Wimbledon (RTW) 2015, which is scheduled to be held in August at the All England Club in London, England.
From the four qualifying events, the AITA will be able to put forth 16 of the best individuals from the country for the Masters to start from April 6. The finalists of the Masters tournament will qualify for the British national grass court tournament, according to an AITA release. Kolkata would be hosting the qualifying events starting Jan 12, while the second leg would be held at Chandigarh from Jan 19. Delhi will have its qualifying event from Feb 2 whereas the final qualifier would be held in Mumbai from Feb 9.
While the Kolkata and Chandigarh matches would be played on grass courts, the competitions in Delhi and Mumbai would be played on hard courts.
'Each player would be awarded points on the basis of their singles performances and their three best performances will be considered for selection to the Masters (Finals),' the release said. The players can procure national ranking points as all the qualifying events will be marked as AITA National Series events.
Last year it was India's Siddhant Banthia, who claimed the title of the singles champion by defeating top seed Maxime Trenikhin. Siddhant and Adil Kalyanpur had also won the doubles title. However, Aarja Chakraborty and Shivani Inge finished second in the girls doubles competition.
Sports rivals clash over dog track's future as AFC Wimbledon plan new stadium
AFC Wimbledon wants to tear down the historic Wimbledon Stadium and replace it with an 11,000-seater football stadium and 600 homes.
But greyhound-racing fans are preparing a rival bid to replace the run-down stadium with a new dog track.
AFC Wimbledon said that the project, the first phase of which will cost £18 million, will bring the club 'back home' to Plough Lane, a stone's throw from its former home - since converted into houses - where it played until 1991.
The original club, Wimbledon FC, later moved to Milton Keynes amid controversy, becoming MK Dons. AFC Wimbledon, set up in its wake, has since won promotion to League Two.
If the application is successful the club could move from its current base six miles away at Kingsmeadow stadium in Kingston upon Thames, with a 4,850 capacity, to Plough Lane for the start of the 2017-18 season.
The stadium's design would mean it could be expanded to 20,000 capacity if the team progresses through the leagues.
In a previous interview with the Standard, club chief executive Erik Samuelson said: 'The story of the old Wimbledon was quite romantic, and it would be romantic for us to come home, to be back in the heart of our community where we belong.' But the plans, drawn up by the club and developer Galliard Homes, have been met with fierce opposition from greyhound racing fans, led by businessman Paschal Taggart, who has proposed a £100 million alternative scheme.
His plans include a four-storey 3,000-seater stadium, 230 homes, a pre-school, doctor's surgery and space for a local squash club and sports injury clinic. He told the Wimbledon Guardian: 'I don't expect AFC Wimbledon to have any chance of success - they need a genie in a bottle to get through the serious problems.'
Merton council is set to decide on the applications early next year for the site, which is owned by Galliard Homes and the Greyhound Racing Authority Acquisition Ltd. Council leader Stephen Alambritis said: 'The Plough Lane site is ripe for sporting intensification and is an exciting prospect for potential developers and we look forward to receiving applications from all interested parties, which we will then consider for approval.'
AFC Wimbledon 1 Cambridge United 2
Richard Money was pleased with Cambridge United's powers of recovery after they came from behind to triumph 2-1 at AFC Wimbledon in Sky Bet League Two on Saturday.
The U's trailed with less than 20 seconds gone at the Cherry Red Records Stadium as Matt Tubbs nipped in to score.
But Kwesi Appiah fired in a fine equaliser 12 minutes later, before Liam Hughes got on the end of debutant Sullay Kaikai's free kick to claim a 58th-minute winner.
'I thought it was a really good performance, especially after losing a goal after 10 seconds, and a poorer goal you couldn't wish to see,' said head coach Money.
'We recovered well from it. Kwesi scored a wonderful equaliser and in the second half it looked as though we had a win up our sleeve or well within our capabilities.
'We've ended up with nice movement from a free kick, a good delivery, and then we might have scored another from there until the finish.
'Making sure you see it out is the most important thing. After the first minute there was one other occasion in the first half where we got ourselves all over the place, but apart from that I thought we defended very well.'
Hughes' winner came shortly fter the Dons' Adebayo Akinfenwa had missed a great chance to put his team ahead, the striker firing wide from close range.
'We said on the bench that it's amazing how games go,' said Money. 'You could be 2-1 down and you go straight down the other end and it's 2-1 in our favour.
'That's what football is. He (Akinfenwa) has missed the target and we've taken our chance.'
Kaikai's assist for the winning goal capped a fine debut for the on-loan Crystal Palace attacker, while forward Jordan Chiedozie contributed as well, having also been handed his first start following his arrival from Concord.
Wesley Atkinson, who has joined on loan from West Brom, was on the bench.
'I've said I want the team to keep getting better and we brought terrific away support here,' said Money.
'We've brought in two players there that we think can excite them and I thought they both had very good debuts.
'Young Wesley had the chance to sit on the bench and have a look at it. It's a bit different for a defender, I think, when they come in from under-21 football.
'He's seen it and hopefully he'll learn from it. We'll give him a game at Peterborough (in the Final Third Development League) in the week.'