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Wimbledon on the big screen
There is no better celebration of the Great British summer than Wimbledon: strawberries, short skirts, stoic fans and rain stopping play.
So this month Cabot Circus are screening the action live from SW19 on two big screens, one in Quakers Friars and one – sensibly – under the shelter of the main roof. From June 27 to July 10 punters and passersby can settle into deckchairs lined up in front of the screen on a fake lawn and watch the famous tournament unfold.
is needed now More than ever
Sport is really better enjoyed out of the house and in a crowd, so I commend the idea, though I’m not sure why you’d make a special trip to watch the tennis in a small pen in a shopping centre when there are perfectly good pubs.
I did though. It was predictably dreary weather when I nipped down to watch Murray play, the deckchairs taken up by only a smattering of patient husbands, school kids and weary pensioners. Most seem to be here for the sit down or food tasters that some of Cabot Circus’ restaurants swirl around offering (there’s deckchair delivery too).
Cabot Circus is not really an evening destination and it’s not long after 5pm that shoppers, local workers and shop staff start to drift away, leaving me in alone in the square with only Sue Barker’s voice for company, echoing mournfully off the walls.
But this was a school night. For the weekend matches I’m sure the buzz will be very different – especially when the serve simulator, where you can try and match the pros for speed, and kids’ activities are running alongside.
It’s a long way off Murray Mound, but if you’re passing while shopping it’s a good diversion; being surrounded by shops during boring sets or rain breaks is no bad thing either. Perhaps now arch rival Djokovic has kindly cleared Murray’s path through the tournament the atmosphere will pick up too.
Read more: Where to watch Euro 2016 in Bristol
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