IF YOU CAN’T make it all the way to SW19 for the thrilling finale of this year’s knees-up at the All-England Tennis Club, how about a trip to the local cinema instead?

Realising that every recession-hit Irish home probably isn’t decked out with the necessary viewing accoutrements, Sony has teamed up with a number of Irish cinemas for a live 3D broadcast of the semi-finals and final of the Men’s Singles tournament, as well as tomorrow’s Ladies’ final between Maria Sharapova and Petra Kvitova.

So rather than shelling out a four-figure sum for a seat on centre court, you can have that authentic Wimbledon experience for a tiny fraction of the price – that’s how it works, right?

An adult ticket for the Men’s final will set you back €20 at Movies@Dundrum, who were the first of the Irish cinemas to report a sell-out. The other branches in the Movies@ chain (Swords, Castlebar, Gorey and Dungarvan) will also be participating, but it could pay to shop around.

Tickets in Cineworld on Parnell Street in Dublin are a fiver cheaper at €15 (Saturday and Sunday only) while at €10.50 for an adult, GCG in Arklow provide the best value for your Wimbledon 3D viewing needs.

At those prices, one can only presume that the strawberries, cream and Pimm’s are sold separately.