As Andy Murray embarked on yet another year of Wimbledon dreams, a rally of insults was taking place off the court, between chair of the Health and Safety Executive, Judith Hackitt, and the All England Club's chief executive, Ian Ritchie.
The heated dispute, made public by the sending of open letters between the two parties, was centred around the All England Club's decision to turn off the giant screen at Murray Mound amid fears that heavy rain would cause fans to slip and injure themselves.
Hackitt, aggrieved that health and safety concerns were being made the scapegoat for the decision, wrote to the Lawn Tennis Association chief executive and the All England boss, stating, "There is nothing in health and safety legislation which prohibits the continued broadcasting of Centre Court action to the crowds on the hill during the rain. People have been walking up and down wet grassy slopes for years without catastrophic consequences."
She continued, "Health and safety is concerned with proportionate management of real risks caused by work, not attempting to eliminate every minor risk from every moment of people's lives. If the LTA was concerned about people slipping and suing for their injuries the message should have made clear the decision was on insurance grounds. You will understand that while we can do nothing about the weather, we will not let the excuses pass unchallenged."
Game, set and match Hackitt!
