You never know who you're going to bump into while walking drunkenly through Wimbledon town centre late on a Saturday night.

Me and my drinking buddy had just been unceremoniously thrown out of a late night bar at the top of town after I had started singing football terrace songs at the top of my voice, apparently annoying the bar's patrons, and we had been shoved outside due to our rowdy behaviour.

Stumbling around the high street looking for a late night port of call, we (literally) bumped into a well-oiled, badly dressed man (I think he'd come straight from work, and worked as a decorator) who told us we could do a lot worse than join him at The Watershed, which he told us was the perfect choice for cheap booze, good music and loose women. We needed no further invitation.

Having enjoyed stand-up comedy nights and several gigs at The Watershed (I saw the excellent Idlewild play here earlier this year) I was intrigued as to what it offered in its guise as a nightclub, or, as I like to call such places, a disco.

Located at the bottom of The Broadway, opposite the Polka Theatre, Watershed is nicely located just off the main hubbub of town centre commotion, and is one of the three principal late night places to party in downtown Wimbledon, alongside Po Na Na and Bar Sia.

Although a multi-function kind of place, Watershed comes into its own post-11pm, when it is surely one of the coolest spots to go clubbing in Merton.

Now, as my two drunken companions and I approached, there was a bit of commotion on the door, seemingly because one of the bouncers wasn't certain who was entering for the first time and who was outside smoking and attempting to re-enter. When the confusion died down, we made our way down the steps and into this old-school club, which feels like its underground, although it actually isn't, if that makes any sense.

As I recall, it was quite expensive to get in but, once in, we were partying solid until 3am, closing time.

Basically, Watershed consists of a reception area, with chill-out tables, a bar area and then the main club area, which contains a large dancefloor. There was different music playing in each, with the bar room playing 80s, 90s and cheesy classics, and the club part booming out house, RnB and club classics.

There was a large bar in each zone, selling beers, wines, shooters and offering a full and extensive cocktail list. All drinks were very reasonably priced.

On this particular night, the place was packed, and it felt like every 20-30something in the whole of Wimbledon was in there, getting down to the cool tunes. As seems the way in this parish, there was an intriguing mix of customers, from guys wearing suits and gals in frilly dresses, to rough-looking blokes dressed in what looked like tattered rags.

There were lots of all-female groups banded together dancing to the music and, of course, the usual spattering of drunken, depressed men stood, beer in hand, ogling the hell out of them.

I would definitely say this is a good place to pull for either sex. Just, please, take my word for it and don't get too drunk!

On the negative side, the entrance is a bit dingy-looking and I seem to remember being stuck to the dancefloor several times (though this was only because so many drunken revellers had spilt spirits on the deck – at least I hope that was the problem).

All in all, Watershed is a principal attraction within the Wimbledon nightlife sphere, and it's good to find somewhere open until 3am in this part of town.

The Watershed, 267 The Broadway, Wimbledon. SW19 1SD.

décor: Nothing that special, but tidy enough. Three Drink: Standard selection of beers, wines and shooters, and a fine cocktail list. Three Staff: Fast and attentive bar staff, doormen not quite so hot. Three Atmosphere: Lively and funky, full of cool young people looking for fun. Four Price: Very reasonable for a late night place. Four