‘A FULL JUG OF PIMM’S ON SITE’

GIVEN the amount of Pimm’s sold on site during the two weeks — 276,291 glasses at the last Championships with full crowds — one’s ear might not twitch at a staff member saying ‘full jug of Pimm’s’.

But it is said staff have a language of codewords over the radios, and ‘full jug of Pimm’s’ is understood to be code for when an A-list celebrity is on site. Last year’s final saw the likes of David Beckham, Tom Cruise and the Duchess of Cambridge keep a watching brief from Centre Court. The Royal Box has 80 dark-green Lloyd Loom wicker chairs — the Queen attended in 1957, 1962, 1977 and 2010. Around 6,000 staff are taken on for the Championships, including 250 ball boys or girls.

They work with 31 local schools, with intense training which starts in January. They have skills and fitness tests and are put into teams of six, with a captain each. Teenagers must walk in silence and cannot speak to players unless spoken to first.