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Darkness as Hercules Wimbledon Athletics club train without floodlights

A local athletics club based just around the corner from Wimbledon Tennis is struggling without floodlights.

The problem at Hercules Wimbledon Athletics Club arose when one of the circuits in one of the pylons shorted, claimed volunteer Richard Steed.

Steed added that there had been arson problems as a result of vandals breaking in.

Hurdling coach Dermot Dunne said: “We have temporary floodlights that are battery packed. They last for about two or so hours, so it’s just long enough to get the training session in.”

Despite managing to find a way to make things work, Dunne admitted there are problems and has had to cancel some of his sessions.

Athlete Harry Bartlett felt that Merton Council were not doing their best to deal with the issue.

He said: “You should also put this on Twitter: @mertoncouncil and say ‘terrible running of their local athletics track. Great to see the council investing well in the development of youth sport.’”

It is not the first run-in Hercules have had with Merton Council as the track was threatened with closure a few years ago.

Yet the club has always found a way to survive.

Featured image: Tomas Meehan 

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  • Tomas Meehan

    Tomas has a passion for track and field but takes an interest in doing interviews and writing articles on a wide range of sports including bobsleigh, Muay Thai boxing, boxing, horse racing, rugby, football and Ultimate Frisbee. As well as writing, he has a YouTube channel featuring interviews from high-profile track and field athletes. Prior to embarking on his Sports Journalism degree at St. Mary's University, Twickenham, he obtained an MA in Spanish from the University of Edinburgh.

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