2023 National Indoor Tug of War Championships Results
On Saturday 2 December, the 2023 Tug of War Association National Indoor Championships took place in Bakewell in Derbyshire with Kilroe, Sheen, Bosley and Uppertown taking part. Whilst the number of teams is lower than the outdoor circuit, participation by individual pullers was up this year which is good to see. 6 weight classes for mens teams were held, along with a 4+4 competition taking place at the end of the day which all clubs entered a team into.
The day started the day off in Catchweight (no weight limit) where Sheen won their first gold medal of the day with a victory over Bosley in the final.
The 640kg competition followed, which saw Sheen top the group round on maximum points, followed by Kilroe, Uppertown and Bosley. The bronze medal match followed the group round between Uppertown and Bosley which Uppertown won by 2 ends to 0. The final then followed, with Sheen following this up with a second gold medal where they overcame Kilroe by 2 end to 0.
Photo: Sheen 640kg team
The lightest weight class of the day was next with the 560kg competition. Bosley went through this weight unbeaten in the group states and went through to the final where they met the Uppertown team from Derbyshire, with Sheen finishing in third place. Bosley proved to be the stronger team in the 560kg final and won the gold medal by 2 ends to 0 against Uppertown.
Photo: Uppertown 640kg team
The 720kg competition was a repeat of the catchweight event with Sheen taking the gold medal and Bosley taking silver.
The 600kg was the next lightweight competition to take place which was a really close weight class between all of the teams. Bosley finished top at the end of the group round ahead of Sheen, Kilroe and Uppertown. Kilroe and Uppertown competed in a hard fought bronze medal match that was won by Kilroe by 2 ends to 0. Then came a really good final which proved to be the closest and most competitive final of the day which went to three ends - much to the delight of the crowd. Sheen took the first end, and then Bosley battled through to take the next two ends and the gold medal to retain the 600kg title from 2002. Congratulations to both teams.
Photo: Bosley 560kg team
The 680kg competition then followed and Sheen recovered from the disappointment of missing out on the 600kg title by winning the 680kg title with Kilroe winning the silver and Bosley finishing third place.
Photo: Kilroe 640kg team
The final weight class of the day was the mixed 580kg competition with all clubs entering a team, and it was great to see a number of women across all teams competing at the national indoor championships for the first time. The competition was very close with all of the first round of matches going 1-1. In the second round, Kilroe and Bosley went 1-1 and Uppertown defeated Sheen by 2 ends to 0. The final round saw Uppertown and Kilroe go 1-1 and Bosley defeat Sheen by 2 ends to 0. This meant that Sheen and Kilroe would pull for bronze and Bosley and Uppertown would pull for gold.
Photo: Bosley mixed team
The bronze medal match was first on and Kilroe took a hard earned bronze medal by 2 ends to 0. Onto the final, and Uppertown faced Bosley. The group match went 1-1, but on this occasion, Bosley managed to keep the momentum going on both ends to take both ends and the gold medal to retain the mixed title from 2022. Well done to all of the teams in this weight category for giving us a great competition to end the day with.
Photo: Uppertown Mixed Team
The officials on the day were Matt Cowlard, Mike Callaghan, Pete Dyer, Mick Grimston, Mick Scull, Wendy Dyer, Rachel Lewis.
Photo: Sheen Mixed Team
Our thanks go to everyone who supported the indoor circuit this year. This was the final event of 2023 and we hope that everyone, indoor and outdoor, has enjoyed their tug of war this year. We now look ahead to a busy 2024 where England will be hosting both the British and Irish Championships in August and the 2024 GENSB Junior International on the August Bank Holiday weekend at Keele University. Watch this space for further information. In the meantime, have a great Christmas break and we look forward to seeing everyone in 2024!
Photo: Kilroe Mixed Team
Photos and videos in this article courtesy of Jamie Dewsberry
A live recording from the whole day of competition can be viewed below.
