Year after year, thousands of people queue up outside the lawn tennis club in the hope of catching some Centre Court action during the two weeks of the championships.

But alas, Centre Court tickets are difficult to come by - think Charlie winning Willy Wonka's golden ticket.

But if you are determined to bag yourself some gold-dust, then here is a useful guide to help your cause.

Pre-ordering

TICKET PRICES Centre Court: Mon & Tue �28, Wed & Thu �37, Fri & Sat �44 Second week: Mon & Tue �50, Wed �59 Thu-Sun n/a Court 1: Mon & Tue �26, Wed & Thu �34, Fri & Sat �40 Second week: Mon & Tue �45, Wed �53, Thu �38, Fri & Sat �22, Sun �19 Court 2: Mon & Tue �22, Wed & Thu �25, Fri & Sat �38 Second week: Mon �31, Tue �25, Wed �23, Thu �18 Fri-Sun n/a Ground to 5pm: Mon-Sat �14 Second week: Mon �14, Tue & Wed �12, Thu �11, Fri & Sat �10, Sun �8 Ground after 5pm: Mon-Sat �8 Second week: Mon �8, Tue-Thu �7, Fri & Sat �6, Sun �2

Unfortunately, the chances of booking tickets now for the 2003 Championships are virtually nil.

The All England Lawn Tennis Club has a ballot system - which has been running since 1924 - whereby the public apply for tickets months in advance.

Even then, there is no guarantee of success because demand always exceeds supply.

The ballot deadline for Wimbledon 2003 was 31 December 2002 - so bad luck this time round.

You could lie and say your postal application got lost in the post or beg, but neither is likely to get Wimbledon to change their long-established rules.

For future ordering of tickets write to:
Ticket Manager, The All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club, PO Box 98, Wimbledon, London SW19 5AE

Or alternatively check out the official website at:

The Lawn Tennis Association also has a ballot, and this one gives you an extra couple of months to enter.

Known as the LTA Advantage Members' Ballot, names are drawn out in March - which means you are too late for this one too.

You can find out more on their official website at:

Queuing

The local vicar begins a 'one-in one-out' system

We've seen the scenes on television. Hoardes of people running through the SW19 gates having queued for hours to grab a piece of Wimbledon action.

There are about 500 tickets available to the public for Centre Court and Court One for each day of the championships - all except the final four days.

In addition there are 500 tickets available for each day of action on Court Two.

Committed fans will start queuing before the birds wake up, most other people will be hoping that a good two-and-a-half hour wait before the gates open at 10.30am will be enough to secure a decent spot.

There is the other option of coming after work to watch one of the late matches on the outside courts. Hardly any queuing is involved and often you'll find a classic five-setter going on somewhere.

The first week is always the best time - while the British players are still competing!

Other methods

Relatives of yours?

Entering competitions is another way of securing Wimbledon tickets.

Usually you have to answer one simple question, like: What is British player Tim Henman's first name?

Or "Why do you think Fruity Juicy Juice should be the number one tennis drink? In no more than 12 words."

Then, there are of course your tennis relatives. Most of us have them.

They are the ones who not only know the full career history of British men's number one Tim Henman, but also British number 13..er..

But most importantly they have contacts in the 'tennis world' - people who can get them Wimbledon tickets.

So as much as you may dislike your 'Stepford' relatives, appreciate them for what they can do for you - well, until the end of the tournament anyway.