Rain flushes first-day cash down drain

It was a miserable, sodden and expensive opening day for Wimbledon's organisers. With only 44 minutes of tennis played yesterday, the face value of all tickets had to be refunded except those ground passes purchased after 5pm. Anyone foolish enough to buy one of these - the last play of the day was at 1.44pm - was not entitled to a refund. Wimbledon's ticket policy stipulates full refunds are available if there is less than an hour's play, meaning approximately £750,000 would have to be paid back. If action totals less than two hours, spectators will be refunded half of their ticket's value.

Perry trophy up for sale

Any tennis fans flushed with cash should head down to Christie's today when the Renshaw Cup awarded to Fred Perry after his 1936 Wimbledon triumph goes under the hammer. The sale offers a sad reminder of the state of British tennis: Perry's win 70 years ago was the last time a Briton won the mens' singles title. Admittedly, such memorabilia does not come cheap: the trophy is expected to fetch around £30,000. Those eyeing a bargain usually opt for eBay, but one of the few items of interest to British fans last night was a championship ball signed by Tim Henman. Highest bid so far? £13.06.

Martina does a runner

The opening ball had not been struck before the first complaints were overheard but this time the rain was not to blame. Martina Navratilova, in the local branch of WH Smith to publicise her new book, Shape Your Self, was pencilled in for an hour-long signing session starting at 11am. Punters turning up after 11.50am were aghast to discover the nine-time Wimbledon singles champion had made a hasty exit. "Where's she gone?" asked one painter and decorator who had taken time off work to buy a signed copy. "I'm not sure exactly," said the embarrassed store security guard. It appears the 49-year-old was in a rush to reach the practice courts ahead of her doubles campaign with South Africa's Liezel Huber.

Carry on camping

A Japanese couple took shelter from the rain by re-erecting the tent they had stayed in overnight while queuing for tickets on a small patch of grass behind court six. Sympathetic security guards could not muster the courage to tell them to pack up in the rain.