COMING
UP THIS WEEKEND - 11/12 AUGUST - 2018 BRITISH AND IRISH TUG OF WAR
CHAMPIONSHIPS AND TOWA 60TH ANNIVERSARY OPEN COMPETITION
The event is taking place at Wyboston Lakes, Great North Road, Wyboston,
Bedfordshire, MK44 3AL.
The weigh in, accommodation, pulling ground and presentation meal will
all take place at this at this venue.
WEIGH IN
Friday
10th August
Weigh in
Times
- 4pm - 8pm
The weigh in will take place on individual
scales. Photo ID (passport or driving licence / provisional driving license)
should be brought with you to the weigh in (Blue TOWA Registration Cards are
also acceptable if already registered with the TOWA this season). The Friday
evening weigh in will be available to teams competing in both the international
competition on Saturday and the Open on the Sunday.
Saturday
evening weigh in
There will also be an individual weigh in
taking place on the Saturday evening for any
additional teams wishing to compete in the open competition on the Sunday, but
are unable to get to the Friday evening weigh in. You will not need to weigh in
again on Saturday if you have already weighed in on the Friday. The timing of
the Saturday evening will be scheduled to follow the completion of the closed
international weights.
Sunday morning weigh in
Any Teams weighing in on the Sunday morning
for the Open Championships will have to weigh in on 8 person scales as this is
the quickest method and we will not have time for individual weigh in on Sunday
morning.
SATURDAY 11TH
AUGUST - INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
Weights
Men - 600 and 680
Ladies - 520 and 560
Senior
Mixed 4+4
- 580
Junior
Men
- 560 kilos Junior
Ladies
- 520kg
Opening
Ceremony - 9.30am
First Pull - 10am
SUNDAY 12TH - TOWA
60TH ANNIVERSARY OPEN CLUB COMPETITION
Weights
Men - 560kg, 600kg,
640kg, 680kg, 720kg Ladies - 520kg and 560kg
Senior
Mixed 4+4 -
580kg
Junior
Men
- 560kg
Junior
Ladies
- 520kg
Junior Mixed 4+4 - 560kg
The open competition is open to all clubs from any country who wishes to
take part and join our celebration, and you can enter as many weight classes as
you wish. “B” teams are also permitted.
The pulling order for the open club
competition will be as follows:
1. Mens 720 Kilos + Ladies 520 Kilos + Junior
Men
2. Mens 600 Kilos
3. Mens 680 Kilos + Ladies 560 Kilos + Junior Ladies
4. Mens 560 Kilos
5. Mens 640 Kilos + Junior Mixed
6. Senior Mixed 580 Kilos
As there are a lot of weights to get through
the proposed start time is 9-30am.
PRESENTATION DINNER
The presentation dinner (a 3 course meal
followed by tea/coffee) will be held on Saturday evening at Wyboston Lakes
where the awards will be presented to the medal winning teams from the closed
competitions.
Dress code is smart.
Space is limited to
300 guests at £30 per head and tickets can be requested by e-mailing mick.copper@tiscali.co.uk.
Please inform us if
you have any special dietary requirements that we need to be aware of.
Please do not leave
it until the last minute to reserve your tickets.
SPECTATORS
Teams supporters and spectators are welcome to come along to the event
and support the teams taking part. Entry to the event for spectators is free of
charge!
Please note that no dogs are allowed on the site, except for guide dogs.
MERCHANDISE
Commemorative
merchandise will be available to purchase at the event.
T-shirts, sweat shirts, hoodies, baseball
caps, beanie hats, towels and jackets can be purchased in various colours and
sizes. This merchandise is available for anyone to purchase except for the
judges/recorders clothing.
When selecting an item, you then get an
option to choose which logo you want embroidering onto your merchandise, with a
choice of the following:
- Standard TOWA logo - TOWA 60th Anniversary logo - British and Irish Championships 2018 logo
Please note that the red waterproof jackets
are for TOWA judges/recorders only, however they can be purchased in black for
non TOWA officials.
T-shirts, sweat shirts, hoodies, baseball caps, beanie hats, towels and jackets can be purchased in various colours and sizes.
When selecting an item, you then get an option to choose which logo you want embroidering onto your merchandise, with a choice of the following:
Standard TOWA logo
TOWA 60th Anniversary logo
British and Irish Championships 2018 logo
Please
note that the red waterproof jackets are for TOWA judges/recorders
only, however they can be purchased in black for non TOWA officials.
29/07/2018 - TOWA TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT DAY
The TOWA would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved in organising and taking part in the training and development day on Sunday 29 July in Staffordshire.
As mentioned, this was the first time for many years that we have staged such an event. If teams could kindly provide us with their feedback on the event (including suggestions for improvements / additional areas that could be added), then that would be greatly appreciated.
Please provide all feedback in writing to the TOWA secretary by e-mailing mick.copper@tiscali.co.uk.
TOWA NATIONAL LEAGUE - REPLACEMENT VENUE
Following the cancellation of the South West Area Championships on 15th July (which was a scheduled national league fixture), the General Committee have decided that the points that are accumulated in the 600, 640 and 680 competitions at the event at the Cheshire Game and Angling Fair on Sunday 5th August will count towards your team's final league points.
If you have any questions regarding this, then please contact the TOWA Secretary.
COMPETITION DETAILS - VENUE CONFIRMATIONS
Sunday 22 July - Inter County Championships
The Inter
County Championships being hosted by Forge Lane / Oxney Vines Cross TOWC is now
to be held at Memorial Ground, Yorktown Road, Sandhurst, Berkshire, GU47 9EJ.
All other
details for this event, including weight categories and weigh in times, etc.
remain the same as already published.
Sunday 2 September - National League Finals (Men,
Ladies and Youth)
Confirmation
of Venue - The Drum & Monkey, Newbridge Green, Upton Upon Severn,
Worcester, WR8 0PQ
NOTICES
It is with
sadness that the Tug of War Association have to report the passing of two
members of the Tug of War community.
Barry
Humphries passed away in June. Barry was a member of Camberly TOWC, who were a
well known and successful Club in the 1960’s, 1970’s and 1980’s. Barry moved to
East Anglia a while ago after finishing his pulling career.
Tom Reape
passed away at the end of June. Tom was associated with the St. Austins TOWC
from Wakefield, who were famous for pulling with 4 pullers on the left and 4
pullers on the right of the rope.
Tom was a
Grade One Judge who ran numerous competitions, the most famous one being the
Annual Super League. This competition attracted all of the best Teams in
England with the Teams competing in one group. It was held at 600 and 680 kilos,
held at the same time, and a 640 kilos competition to end with. Winning a Medal
at the Super League was as difficult as at the English National Championships.
Tom was a
very good Grade One Judge who remained an interested member of the TOWA until
his passing.
16/06/2018 - NATIONAL OUTDOOR TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS
On Saturday 16 June, the
Championships were held at the Gove and Wantage Extravaganza in Oxfordshire.
We would firstly like to thank all
of the teams who took part in the event and gave us some very closely fought
matches throughout the day. It takes a lot of hard work to both make the weight
category and then compete against other teams with the same objectives. Of
course not all teams can be winners, but the championships cannot succeed without all teams taking part.
We would also like to thank all of
the officials for helping to run the event as well, a voluntary, and often
thankless task.
And also a big thank you to our
limited number of volunteers who work tirelessly behind the scenes every year to
help make these events happen. We are always looking for additional personnel
to help run our events so if you are able to help in any capacity in the future
and at the forthcoming UK and Ireland Championships then please get in touch.
Finally, thanks to everyone
associated with the Grove and Wantage extravaganza for hosting us this year.
Hopefully we will be back in the future.
The final medal standings were as
follows:
Men 640 - Gold - Lincoln - Silver
- Norton - Bronze - Felton Eccles
Men 560kg - Gold - Norton - Silver - Oxney Vines Cross - Bronze - Upper Eden
Ladies 540kg - Gold -
Bedford Ladies - Silver - Kilroe
Ladies - Bronze - Haldon Ladies
Men 720kg - Gold - Lincoln
- Silver -
Haldon - Bronze - Holland
Men 680kg - Gold - Lincoln - Silver - Felton - Bronze - Norton
Mixed 580kg - Gold - Kilroe - Silver - Lincoln - Bronze - Upper
Eden
Full report and photos to follow.
Don’t forget we have the Inter
County Championships in Sussex on 23
July, the National Catchweight Championship on 5 August in Cheshire, the
British and Irish Tug of War Championships and TOWA 60th Anniversary
Championships on 11/12 August, and the National League Finals in Worcestershire
on 2 September offering lots more good competition to take part in - be there!
CALLING ALL JUNIOR TUG OF WAR COMPETITORS IN ENGLAND - COMPETE AT THE 2018 GENSB TOURNAMENT IN GERMANY
This year’s GENSB youth tournament will be taking place in Germany over the period of 24 – 26 Aug 18.
Junior pullers (male and female) are encouraged to participate.
Gloucester ACF are organising travel arrangements and it is intended to
take a coach to GENSB departing Gloucester on the evening of the 23rd August 2018.
The cost of travel and accommodation will be £150 PP, (Cheques made payable to “Glos ACF” ) this will cover the following:
Meals:
Fri 24th Aug.
Evening meal.
Sat 25th Aug - Competition day
Breakfast Evening meal Farewell party
Sun 26th Aug
Breakfast
Accommodation:
Fri & Sat Night (The accommodation is basic youth hostel standard)
Visit:
Visit to the Mohnesee Dam (The site of the famous RAF Dam busters
conflict of WW2). This will take place on the Sunday morning of the
return journey.
Transportation:
UK-Germany-UK coach and ferry transport
Age Group.
Year of 13th Birthday – Year of 18th Birthday.
Any further information and bookings to take part in GENSB please notify/contact Alec Masson on, 07768208676; Closing Date to confirm your place and make payment is 13 July 18.
Otherwise, any junior teams wishing to take part who wish to make their own travel arrangements, please visit www.gensb.eu for more details.
Please pass on this information to all junior members in your clubs.
21/05/2018 - IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING THE 4+4 WEIGHT CLASS AT THE 2018 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
TWIF have circulated a letter (which can be downloaded by clicking here) regarding weight changes that have recently been agreed for the 2018 World Outdoor Championships being held in Cape Town, South Africa.
The main change that will affect England TOWA is regarding the Senior Mixed Weight 4x4. South Africa have agreed to change this weight to that recently agreed at TWIF Congress (580 Kilos).
Because of this change the England TOWA Executive Committee have agreed that the Senior Mixed Weight 4x4 at the English National Championships should reflect this change and will now be held at 580 Kilos. If you have any queries regarding this change, then please put them in writing to the TOWA Hon Gen Secretary in the first instance.
20/05/2018 - AAA CHAMPIONSHIPS AND FELTON ECCLES TOWC OPEN COMPETITION RESULTS
The
2018 AAA Championships were this year hosted by Felton Eccles TOWC in Wrington
near Bristol, the same venue that was used for the club’s successful
international anniversary event held in 2017. The AAA closed competition was
contested at the usual weight classes of Catchweight and 640kg for mens teams,
and this years event also included a AAA weight class for ladies and youth
teams of 520kg. Photo: Norton - AAA 640KG winners
The
mens AAA competition saw Lincoln retain their catchweight title from 2017, with
Norton finishing as the silver medallists. Norton then went on to retain the
640kg title with Oxney Vines Cross finishing as the silver medallists. Photo: Lincoln - AAA Catchweight Winners
The
first ladies and youth AAA 520kg competition saw a good level of participation,
with Bedford Ladies claiming the first gold medal in this new weight class,
with Army Ladies finishing as the silver medallists. Photo: Oxney Vines Cross - AAA 640kg Silver Medallists
In the open weights the mens 600kg was
won by Norton with Sandhurst finishing as runners up. The 640kg competition
was also won by Norton with Oxney Vines Cross finishing as the runners up,
and the 680kg competition was won by Lincoln
with Oxney again finishing as the runners up. Photo: Bedford Ladies - Ladies AAA 520kg Gold Medallists
In the ladies and youth open competitions, Bedford
made it a clean sweep of ladies weights winning the gold in the 520kg and 560kg
competitions with Haldon finishing as runners up in the 560kg competition and
Army Ladies finishing as runners up in the 520kg competition. Photo: Army Ladies - AAA ladies 520kg Silver Medallists
In the 4+4 competition, Bedford ladies won their 4th
gold medal of the day with Lincoln finishing as the runners up. Photo: Haldon Men
Well done to all of the teams who took part in this competition.
19/05/2018 - OTLEY
SHOW RESULTS
This
years Otley show took place in warm and sunny weather conditions in Yorkshire,
with mens, ladies/junior and mixed weights contested.
Photo: Tadcaster Ladies
Photo: York 4+4 Team
The
results were as follows:
Men Catchweight -
winners
- York - Runners up - Boroughbridge
Men 640kg - winners - York - Runners
up - Boroughbridge
Men 600kg - winners - York - Runners
up - Boroughbridge
Mixed 660kg - winners - York - Runners
up - Boroughbridge
SUNDAY 27 MAY - CANCELLATION OF EVENT AND REPLACEMENT EVENT
Due to circumstances beyond the control of the organisers, the tug of war event scheduled to be held at Smallwood Vintage Rally on Sunday 27 May 2018 has regrettably had to be cancelled.
Bedford Ladies will therefore be hosting their event (which has taken place in August in the previous years) on this date. Details below:
Sunday 27 May 2018 - Bedford Ladies Open Competition - Kempston Hammer Sports Club, High Street, Kempston, Bedfordshire, MK42 7BN - Weights - Men - Catchweight, 860, 640, 600, 580 - Senior Mixed - 600 - Ladies and Youth League - 520 and 560.
14/05/2018
- ALEX STREETER
It is with great sadness to hear of the recent passing of Alex Streeter
after a battle with cancer.
Alex started pulling with Croydon TOW club in the 1970s and was one of the
founder members of Defiance TOW club, he later went on to compete with Rainham
TOW club.
One of the things that Alex will be remembered for is the Tug of War World
magazine that he produced for some considerable time in which he put a lot of
time and effort to assemble results, pictures and interviews and most
people at the time looked forward to the latest publication.
Alex had a strong affection with tug of war all of his life from watching
his father Harry compete, competing along side his brother Mark and in later
years as a spectator.
Our thoughts are with his family at this sad time.
Alex's funeral will take place on Tuesday 5th June at 1.20 p.m. at North
East Surrey Crematorium.
11-13 MAY 2018 - A
SUCCESSFUL WEEKEND FOR ENGLISH CLUBS AT THE FAM JANSSENS 25TH
ANNIVERSARY INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT
Kilroe Ladies and Lincoln Tug of War Club this weekend took
part at the Fam Janssens international tournament in Retie, Belgium, and were
competing amongst a number of teams from Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland,
Ireland, Basque Country, Germany, Latvia, France, and Italy.
It was certainly a great weekend for Kilroe Ladies who took
two gold medals on the first day, winning the Ladies 520kg competition after
defeating Sins from Switzerland in the final, and then went on to win a tough
mixed 600kg competition after defeating TTV Eibergen from the Netherlands in
the final by 2 ends to 1. On the final day of competition, Kilroe Ladies went
on to win their third gold medal of the tournament by winning the mixed 560kg
weight class after defeating Sins in the final by 2 ends to 0.
Lincoln also had a good weekend, competing in 4 mens weight
classes and also the mixed 600kg weight class. Lincoln’s best result came in
the 720kg competition where they finished joint top of their group with TTV
Heure from the Netherlands. In the semi-finals, the club met Velkonis from
Latvia, winning the match by 2 ends to 0 where they went on to meet Heure from
the Netherlands again in the final. It
was certainly a very close first end, with Lincoln proving to be more than a
match for their Dutch opponents, but got disqualified on the first end for
receiving three cautions. Heure then took the second end.
Well done to these clubs for their excellent international
performances once again.
13/05/2018 - MIDLAND
CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS
With teams and pullers this year attending the 25th
Anniversary International Tournament hosted by TTV Fam Janssens in Belgium over
the weekend, attendance at this year’s Midland Championships were reduced, but
the competition still went ahead and the teams that attended got some good
competition out of it.
The teams that took part were as follows: Mens weights - Felton Eccles,
Holland, Bosley, Team ACF, Army, Haldon. Ladies/Youth weights - Team ACF Boys,
Team ACF Girls, Army Ladies, Haldon Ladies, Upton-upon-Severn, Cupids Hill.
The results were as follows:
Men Catchweight - Winners -
Felton Eccles - Runners Up - Bosley
Men 680 - Winners - Felton
Eccles - Runners Up - Bosley
Men 640 - Winners - Bosley -
Runners Up - Felton Eccles
Men 600 - Winners - Bosley -
Runners Up - Felton Eccles
Ladies/Youth 560 - Winners - Army
Ladies - Runners Up - Haldon Ladies
Ladies/Youth 520 - Winners - Army
Ladies - Runners Up - Haldon Ladies
The officials on the day were Roger Beardsmore, Tony Henshaw, Mike
Callaghan, Vic Ludkin, John Gracie, Pete Dyer, Jill Thomas, Wendy Dyer, Mark
Williams.
08/05/2018
- LES HOPKINS
The Tug of War
Association are sad to learn of the recent passing of one of our TOWA members,
Les Hopkins.
Les was a puller for Guinness, he was secretary of the Guinness TOWC way
back in the 1960’s and 1970’s until the
Company team ceased competing, and was a great Supporter of tug of war. His
first loves were for his Family, Queen’s
Park Rangers and Tug of War. No one is
quite sure which was the correct order, as it
depended who he was speaking to!
Les was a Grade One
Judge who was well known on the Tug of War circuit in the South East. After
finishing his active involvement with Tug of War Les continued following our
sport with interest and remained an Individual member of the TOWA until his
passing.
Our thoughts and
condolences go out to family, friends and colleagues at this sad time.
His Funeral arrangements are as follows:
To be held on Thursday 10th May 2018 at 12.40pm
At Basildon & District Cremation Chapel. (also known as Bowers
Gifford Cremation and
Cemetery) Church Road, Bowers Gifford, Basildon, Essex SS13 2HG.
06/05/2018
- DAVENTRY OPEN COMPETITION RESULTS
This weekend, the annual
Daventry event took place on one of the hottest days of the year so far.
The teams that competed
were as follows:
Senior Mens weights -
Norton, Lincoln (A and B), Felton Eccles, Oxney Vines Cross, Sandhurst, Bosley,
Team ACF, Bedford
Ladies/Junior Weights -
Kilroe Ladies, Team ACF, Bedford Ladies
The results were as
follows:
Men
Catchweight - Winners
- Norton - Runners Up - Lincoln
Men
680kg - Winners -
Norton - Runners Up - Lincoln
Men
640kg - Winners -
Norton - Runners Up - Lincoln
Men
600kg - Winners - Lincoln
- Runners Up - Bosley
Men
580kg - Winners -
Norton - Runners Up - Lincoln
Ladies/Junior
520kg - Winners - Bedford
Ladies - Runners Up - Team ACF
The winners of the 600kg
were presented with a trophy donated by Len Hall in memory of recorders Betty
Craft and Yvonne Ludkin who recorded at the event together for 25 consecutive
years.
A second trophy was also presented to the winners of the 640kg kilos,
donated by Len Hall in memory of his late wife Kate Hall.
The officials on the day
were Peter Craft, Vic Ludkin, Ernie Jones, Mike Callaghan, Mick Grimston, Dave
Kitchener, Gavin Corden, Tony Henshaw, Mark Williams.
ENTER THE 2018 NATIONAL TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS!
Entry forms to the 2018 National Outdoor Tug of War Championships are now available and can be downloaded from the National Championships Page of this web site.
There are weight classes for mens teams, ladies teams, mixed teams, under 23 teams and junior teams.
The closing date for entries is 2nd June 2018 and the deadline for registering your pullers with the TOWA is 16th May 2018. Puller registration forms are available on the national championships page.
Remember - there are no pre-qualification events for teams to take part in to be eligible to compete in the national championships, as long as your club registers as a full or associated member of the Tug of War Association, and the registrations and entries are completed by the deadlines above.
It is with much regret and disappointment that I have to inform you that the planned development day for Sunday15th
April has had to be cancelled for several reasons, the main of these
being unable to identify a suitable venue that was available for this
date.
I
recognise this will be a disappointment to those that had planned to
attend and made travel arrangements and I apologise for any
inconvenience caused.
Although we have been unable to deliver this development day we will be delivering the development day on Sunday 29th July where both sports science information and training opportunities will be provided.
Regards
Pete Dyer Chairman The Tug of War Association
08/04/2018 - EAST OF ENGLAND CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS
Men Catchweight - winners - Lincoln - Runners Up - Oxney Vines Cross
Men 600 - winners - Lincoln - runners up - Oxney Vines Cross
Men 680 - winners - York - runners up - Oxney Vines Cross
Ladies/Junior 520 - winners - Bedford Ladies - runners up - Team Army Ladies
Ladies/Junior 560 - winners - Bedford Ladies - runners up - Team ACF Boys
The officials were: Timekeeper/Recorder - Mrs Wendy Dyer & Mr Dave Kitchener.
Judges were: Mr Mick Grimston (chief judge), Mr Vic Ludkin, Mr Pete Dyer, Mr John Gracie and Mr Gavin Corden
01/04/2018 - BOSLEY TOWC OPEN COMPETITION RESULTS
One of the first events of the season took place on Easter Sunday, being
hosted by Bosley Tug of War Club. Despite being a very cold Easter Sunday, the
number of teams competing was reasonably good, with teams attending as follows: Photo: Army Ladies
Senior Men/Mixed: Bosley, Upper Eden Tug of War Club (A and B ), Lincoln, Norton
Tug of War, Leek Young Farmers Club, York, Kilroe, Longridge, Bedford, Holland Photo: Bedford Ladies
Ladies/Youth: Kilroe Ladies, Holland Ladies, Bedford Ladies Tug of War, Leek
YFC, Upper Eden, Team Army Ladies. Photo: Host club Bosley
Norton won all four men’s weight classes, with Lincoln finishing as runners
up in the 640kg and Catchweight. Bosley finished as runners up at 680kg and
Upper Eden finished as runners up in the 600kg. Photo: Holland Ladies
Kilroe won the senior mixed 600kg competition with Upper Eden B finishing as
runners up. Photo: Leek YFC Mixed Team
Bedford and Kilroe Ladies won one ladies/youth weight each, Kilroe taking
the 560kg and Bedford the 520kg, with both clubs finishing as runners up to
each other in those weight classes. It was good to see Upper Eden competing
with their new ladies team, and it was good to see a number of new female
pullers competing amongst the other ladies and junior teams taking part on the
day. It was also good to see Bedford Ladies back out on the circuit having
taken a break during 2017. Photo: Upper Eden Ladies
The officials on the day were Dave Kitchener, Dave Hamer, Gavin Corden, Tony
Henshaw, Adele Hamer and Caroline Abri. Photo: York Mens Team
ENGLAND UNDER 23 MEN AND LADIES TUG OF WAR
2018
Have
you ever had a dream that one day you might be able to represent your county? The
chances are that you have, standing proud wearing the England rose ready to
compete and give your all.
If you
have the drive and ambition to realise a dream they can come true!!!
The
English Tug of War Association, has a strong tradition at international tug of
war winning at World, European and British Championship level.
We are
currently looking to build on our England U23 programme (men and ladies).
For U23
pullers you must be between 17 & 22 before the end of the calendar year.
It is
an exciting opportunity for you to aim for and to fulfil your dream. Our under 23
teams come from a wide variety of back grounds – some come from both established
tug of war clubs and newer clubs in our Association and we have a strong
connection with young farmers clubs, military teams and other organisations. We
are open to everyone who would like to give tug of war a try.
How do I get started?
Visit
the Under 23 page of this web site.
This
will provide contact details for our Under 23 England team managers Dave Knott
[men’s] and Dave Kitchener [Ladies] both very experienced internationals and
very approachable.
On this
link you will find an application form to complete as the first step to becoming
a potential member of the England Under 23 squad. If you have any concerns with
filling it in please just contact the team managers by e-mail or phone as we
can soon get you on the right track with your application.
The
England Under 23 squads meet up throughout the season at different venues
throughout the country to prepare as a team so you must be able to travel to
meet and train together.
This
year for the first time we are having two development days run by our
Association open to everyone to come and have a look – details on the fixtures
page of this web site - and we would love to see you there.
You can download a brochure for England Under 23 tug of war by clicking here. Please forward this information on to anyone under the age of 23 who is involved in tug of war or wishes to become involved in tug of war.
08/03/2018 - DAVE MILLS
The Tug of War Association is sad to learn of the passing of Dave Mills yesterday.
Tug of war has always attracted great characters to our Sport and they didn't come much greater than Dave Mills.
Dave was with us recently at the 2017 European Championships in Southport and was looking forward to the new TOW season after a Heart bypass operation he was having this January.
Dave was a prominent member of Croydon and Curzon Tug Of War Clubs and won many
honours representing these teams. He also enjoyed a period as coach of Tonbridge.
Dave Mills took up Judging after his pulling career finished and became a Grade 1 Judge showing the same love of the sport that he had shown as a puller.
Bill Shankley famously stated football was not a matter of life or death, it was more important than that. That is the same sentiment Dave Mills had for Tug of War.
Our thoughts are with Dave's family and friends at this sad time.
Funeral details will be publicised when known.
TUG OF WAR ASSOCIATION AWARD OF MERIT
Congratulations to Nigel and Carol Summers who received the Tug of War Association Award of Merit at the 2018 TOWA AGM.
Nigel received the award for long standing service to tug of war, both as a puller and a volunteer. Nigel last competed on the circuit with Oxney Vines Cross TOWC, achieving many medals over the years. More recently, Nigel has been a big supporter of the Association, volunteering at national championships as a marshall, and has also been instrumental in supporting the association when hosting the 2007, 2011 and 2017 European Championships.
Carol also received the award both as a long standing supporter of the Association, and again, putting in many hours of hard work in terms of volunteering, particularly at the 2007, 2011 and 2017 European Championships hosted by England along with her husband Nigel.
Congratulations Carol and Nigel!
2018 FIXTURES
The 2018 Outdoor and Indoor Fixture list has now been finalised and is available to view on the fixtures page of this web site. All of the non-championship events and league events are "open" competitions and all teams are welcome to go along to any event and compete. If your team wishes to compete at any event, then please feel free to contact the relevant event organiser.
2018 AGM UPDATES AND RULE CHANGES
The Tug of War Association AGM was held recently, and a
number of proposals and rule changes were debated. The following rule changes
were voted in and will be implemented for the 2018 tug of war calendar:
Inter County
Championships
Rule 2.5 has been amended, and the criteria for team members
competing in the Inter County Championships is now as follows:
Every member of the
team has been a member of the club from the start of the current season on the
day of the competition, or has a birth or residential qualification for the
County concerned.
Indoor 6 a Side
For indoor competition
(open competitions only) 6 a side weight classes have now been introduced.
The 6 a side weight classes to be usedwill
be 480kg and 510kg.Each open competition
will include at least one of these weight categories. Teams may enter these
weight classes with either 6 pullers or 5 pullers (just as teams can weigh in
for 8 a side competitions with 7 pullers).
For clarification, this weight class will not count towards
the criteria for qualifying to represent England. If teams attend an indoor event
with 5 pullers to compete in the 6 a side weight class, and wish for the event
to count towards the qualification criteria for representing England, then they
may borrow two pullers to compete in an 8 a side weight class with 7 pullers as
a maximum of two pullers may be borrowed to be eligible to meet the criteria,
with our rules allowing for teams to compete with 7 pullers in open
competitions.
National Outdoor Championships
- Mens Catchweight Competition
A resolution was proposed to remove the catchweight
competition from the outdoor national championships. This resolution was
amended to removing it from the national championships, and holding the
national championship catchweight competition in conjunction with another
event. This resolution was passed. The National Catchweight Championship will
therefore be held at the Cheshire Game and Angling Fair on Sunday 5th
August. Further details are available onthefixtures page.
Mixed Weight Classes
Up until the AGM, mixed teams could be formed by registering
pullers as second claim members to compete in this weight class only, given
that a number of teams did not have both mens teams and ladies teams.
A proposal was tabled and passed whereby a mixed team should
only be formed using male or female pullers from a maximum of two clubs. For example,
this could be either be 4 men from one club and 4 ladies from another club, or
6 men and 2 ladies from one club and 2 ladies from another club and so on. The
same rules regarding registering pullers from other teams as second claim
members will still apply.
Please note that the mixed weight class may change to 560kg if
a proposal to reduce the weight limit from 600kg is passed at TWIF congress in
March.
The membership will be advised of any change to the mixed weight class as soon as this is known.
AAA Championships
A ladies/junior 520kg competition has been added to the AAA
Championships Programme.
Under 23 National
Championships
A new GENSB style under 23 Championships (6-8 a side) will
be introduced for our national championships this year. Teams can enter as club teams or as area
teams.
The format and rules of this event can be downloaded by clicking here.
16/01/2018 - KATE HALL
The Tug of War Association would like to express its sincere
condolences to Mr Len Hall, a long standing member and volunteer of the Tug of
War Association and the Midland Area of the Tug of War Association, following
the passing of his wife Kate on Monday afternoon. Kate passed away in hospital
after a period of illness.
Our thoughts are with Len, family and friends at this sad time.
GREAT BRITAIN TUG OF WAR NOMINATED FOR WORLD GAMES TEAM OF THE YEAR AWARD
The Great Britain 640kg Tug of War Team which won gold at the 2017 World Games (Represented by Norton Tug of War Club) has been nominated for the 2017 World Games team of the year.
Please note the voting rules below
You can give one vote for your candidate once every 24 hours so please log on and cast a vote for tug of war each day.
If you provide your name, surname and email address and agree to receive the World Games email newsletter you will be able to give two votes at once instead of only one (see details in the confirmation email you will receive - please note that your first vote won’t count until you have clicked the link in your confirmation email and clicked ”vote” under the picture of the Great Britain tug of war Team). Once you have received an email, click the link to cast and confirm your vote. Use the link in your confirmation email to cast your vote every day to allow your two votes to count if you use different devices to go online!
Votes close on 31 January 2018
Please vote every day and help put tug of war on the map!
02/01/2017 - 2017 NATIONAL INDOOR TUG OF WAR
CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS
The 2017 National Indoor Tug of War Championships were held
at the Harry Mitchell Centre in Smethwick. Unfortunately there was a reduced
number of teams participating this year, but that did not detract from the
pulling that took place and we were treated to some good finals. The teams that
took part were Kilroe, Raunds, Uppertown and Sheen.
The day started with a moments silence in memory of Sheen
Anchor Andy Hall who sadly passed away recently, and no doubt he would have been
competing on the day had he not been taken from us so early.
Five weight classes took place on the day from 600kg up to
the catchweight division.
The day started with the catchweight competition with Sheen
and Kilroe contesting a good final, with Sheen taking the gold medal for the twelfth
year in a row.
The remainder of the weight classes saw Raunds claim 4 gold
medals, winning the 600kg, 640kg, 680kg and 720kg titles. Kilroe finished as
silver medallists in the 600kg competition, with Sheen finishing in third
place. A close 640kg competition saw quite a few 1-1 pulls take place, with
Raunds and Uppertown contesting the final. Kilroe took the bronze with a 2 end
to 0 win against Sheen. The 680kg competition was another good competition,
with Sheen and Kilroe providing an exciting bronze medal match, which Sheen won
by 2 ends to 0, with Raunds and Uppertown contesting the final, which Raunds
took by 2 ends to 0. Raunds won the 720kg competition by defeating Sheen in the
final. Photo: Uppertown
As a final note, we would like to thank all of the officials
who helped to run the competition on the day - Judges: Peter Craft, Ray
Fray-Smith, Gavin Corden, David Kitchener, Ernie Jones and Recorders - Wendy
Dyer, Jill Thomas and Wendy Dyer. Photo: Raunds
We would love to see more teams giving indoor tug of war a
go next year, with the season starting in October. If any clubs wish to give
indoor tug of war a go and would like to know how to get started and how to get
involved, then please contact us. Photo: Sheen
This was the final TOWA event of 2017. We would like to
thank everyone who has supported the Tug of War Association this year, in what
has been both a challenging year and a rewarding year on and off the field. We
wish everyone well over the festive period and we look forward to seeing teams,
officials and tug of war supporters in 2018 - the 60th Anniversary
of the Tug of War Association. Photo: Kilroe
BRIAN JONES - FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS
The funeral of Brian Jones will take place on Wednesday 6 December 2017 at 2.15pm.
The funeral will take place at St Bartholomew's Church, Butteron, Derbyshire, ST13 7SP.
Everyone is welcome to attend.
23/11/2017 - BRIAN JONES
The Tug of War Association is sad to learn of the passing of former Sheen Farmers TOWC member Brian Jones over the weekend.
Brian started the sport of tug of war first and briefly with Cheddleton Saxons (Staffordshire). Later he joined Sheen Farmers. Brian had immense strength and with his team he was to win national and international championships in many parts of the world, visiting the USA twice for the World Games and a World Championships as well as competing in South Africa and many European countries including the Channel Islands.
Brian's son John is still an active member of the Sheen Farmers Team today.
Our thoughts are with John, Brian's family, friends and everyone associated with Sheen Farmers TOWC.
12/11/2017 - AAA INDOOR TUG OF WAR
CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS
AAA Catchweight - Gold - Raunds - Silver - Kilroe
AAA 640kg - Gold - Raunds - Silver - Kilroe
Well
done to all of the teams who took part and continue to support our indoor
events.
2018 WORLD INDOOR TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS
The web site for the 2018 World Indoor Tug of War Championships taking place in March is now available. The link to the web site is below: http://www.wic2018.com/enindex.aspx
HOST A TUG OF WAR COMPETITION IN 2018
The Tug of War Association is beginning to compile the fixture list
for the 2018 tug of war season, with the final fixture list being
confirmed at the TOWA Committee Meeting on 25th November.
Hosting a tug of war competition is a great way of promoting the sport and your club in your local area.
To apply for a permit to hold a tug of war competition, please complete
the permit application form with relevant details, including weight
classes, venue details and contact info, and return it to the TOWA
Secretary. The cost of a permit is £20 per event.
If organisers
can indicate if their proposed date is flexible, then that would be
helpful in the event that more than one venue is put forward on the same
date.
Please note that the National Outdoor Championships take
place on the third Saturday in June (Saturday 16th June, venue to be
confirmed), so no other competition permits will be issued on that date.
In addition, the provisional date for the British and Irish
Outdoor Championships (which the TOWA will be hosting, venue to be
confirmed) is the weekend of 11/12 August 2018, so no other permits will
be issued on that date.
The World Outdoor Championships in South
Africa take place between Wednesday 19 and Saturday 22 September (the
championships start on the Wednesday rather than the Thursday as is
normally the case). Therefore no domestic competitions will take place on the
weekend of 15/16th September or the following weekend of 22/23 September 2018.
ANDREW HALL - FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS
Andrew Hall's funeral will take place on Saturday 4th November at 1pm at St Bartholomews, Church Street, Longnor, Derbyshire, SK17 0PA.
There will then be a private burial.
The wake will take place at the Winking Man, Buxton Road, Upper Hulme, ST13 8UH, where everyone is welcome to attend.
Donations are being collected towards Flash First Responders or the Midlands Air Ambulance.
18/10/2017 - ANDREW HALL
The Tug of War Association is saddened to learn of the passing of
Sheen Farmers Tug of War Club anchor Andrew Hall, known to many as
"Hally".
Andrew started with the club as a junior puller during
the early 1990’s when the club was coached by John Critchlow and has
been a continuous member of the team through thick and thin, winning
numerous titles with the club and helping Sheen to break the 100
national indoor championship gold medal mark in recent seasons.
At times when Sheen were not competing, Andrew enjoyed stints with other
clubs, including Bosley, and also competed with Felton Eccles in the
TWIF open competition at the 2005 European Championships in Italy,
winning bronze in the 640kg competition.
Andrew’s biggest
achievements came at indoor tug of war, in particular winning gold
medals in the 640kg weight class, representing England with Sheen at the
World Indoor Championships in 2010 and 2012.
Always a friendly face on the tug of war circuit, Andrew will be missed by a great number of people.
Our thoughts are with Andrew’s family, friends and team mates at this very difficult time.
Rest in peace Hally
EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS - PHOTOGRAPHS
Photos from each day of the event have now been uploaded to our
Facebook Page. Thanks to Caroline Abri / Alan Knott for taking pictures
for us for the duration of the event. Links to each photo album are below:
Also, you can view a great selection of photos from the event (and lots
of previous tournaments) by Dutch photographer Eddie Van Raamsdonk via http://www.tugofwarpicture.nl/
21-24 SEPTEMBER - EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS & WORLD JUNIOR & UNDER 23 CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS
The Tug of War Association has hosted the 2017 European Championships and World Junior and Under 23 Championships over this weekend.
A results summary from the event is below. More to follow:
24/09/2017 - INTERNATIONAL RESULTS DAY 4
Men 720kg – Gold –Netherlands – Silver – Ireland – Bronze – England – 4th – Latvia - 5th - Basque Country - 6th - Sweden - 7th - Italy - 8th - Poland
Junior Ladies 480kg –
Gold – South Africa –
Silver – Wales –
Bronze – Chinese Taipei –
4th – England
Junior Men 560kg –
Gold – Switzerland –
Silver – South Africa
– Bronze – Chinese Taipei – 4th – Netherlands - 5th - Germany - 6th - Sweden - 7th - Belgium - 8th - England
Mixed 600kg – Gold – England – Silver – Sweden – Bronze – Switzerland – 4th –
Netherlands - 5th - Basque Country - 6th - Scotland - 7th - Lithuania - 8th - Wales - 9th - Israel - 10th - Latvia
Ladies 560kg – Gold – Swizerland – Silver – Sweden – Bronze – Netherlands
– 4th – Basque Country - 5th - England - 6th - Scotland
Men 640kg – Gold – Switzerland – Silver – Netherlands – Bronze
– Sweden – 4th
– Basque Country - 5th - Ireland - 6th - England - 7th - Belgium - 8th - Scotland - 9th Wales - 10th - Italy - 11th - France
Under 23 Ladies 500kg
– Gold – Switzerland –
Silver – Chinese Taipei – Bronze
– Sweden – 4th
– Germany - 5th - England - 6th - South Africa - 7th - Wales
Under 23 Men 600kg –
Gold – Switzerland –
Silver – Germany – Bronze – South Africa – 4th
– Chinese Taipei - 5th - England - 6th - Belgium - 7th - Netherlands - 8th - Wales
Ladies 520kg – Gold – Sweden – Silver – Scotland – Bronze – Switzerland – 4th
– England - 5th - Netherlands - 6th - Basque Country - 7th - Wales
The Tug of War Association are sad to learn that David Trick passed away recently. David sadly
passed away peacefully in the George Eliot hospital. We all knew
David as a keen puller with 40th Regiment and after leaving the Army he
became an Association Grade 2 Judge. More recently he continued as a
Services Judge.
Our thoughts go out to David's wife Sue, his family, friends and colleagues at this difficult time.
David's funeral will take place at the Heart of England Crematorium
at 11:15hrs on the 12th September 2017.
The wake will take place at Ambleside Sports Club, Ambleside Way, Nuneaton,
CV11 6AT. It is 2 miles from the Crematorium and has ample parking.
Sue Trick (David's wife) has asked for family flowers only plus the 129 OCA flowers/wreath.
If people wish to make a donation instead the family would welcome donations to
Cancer Reserch UK and the Army Benevolent Fund.
2018 NATIONAL TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Tug of War Association is looking for a venue to host the 2018 National Outdoor Tug of War Championships, which are to take place on the third Saturday in June 2018.
The minimum requirements for the venue are as follows:
Flat area of grass approx 100 metres in length and 60 metres in width
ample car parking away/separate from the tug of war arena
indoor facilities with a solid flat surface for the Friday evening weigh in
catering facilities
a raised control for recorders / officials
male, female and disabled toilet facilities
Ideally, the venue should be well located, easy to get to, and easily accessed by members of the public.
If you would like to put forward a venue, please ensure that you have made contact with the owners / managers of the relevant venue, have checked that it is available on the third Saturday in June, and have checked any relevant hire costs. Any costs for ground repair should also be disclosed.
To put forward your venue, please provide details to the Championships Secretary, Mick Grimston on 01205 369753 and e-mail mickgrimston@gmail.com. Please put any venues forward as soon as possible so that any venue can be inspected for its suitability before a decision is made.
A final decision on the venue for the 2018 National Outdoor Championships will be taken in November.
26/08/2017 - GENSB YOUTH INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT - RETIE - BELGIUM
The 20th
annual GENSB tournament took place in Retie, Belgium on Saturday 26th
August 2017.
Thirty six
teams from nine countries entered the competition:
Netherlands
10 teams
Switzerland
7 teams
Belgium
6 teams
England
3 teams
Germany
3 teams
Sweden
2 teams
Rep of Ireland
2 teams
Wales
1 team
N Ireland
1 team
Europa Mix
1 team
The
competition was run in four groups of nine teams. The top four teams from each
group then went into the knock out stage (Round of 16).
Team ACF 1
pulled well to make the last sixteen but met the experienced Sins team
(Switzerland), who were seeking the treble having won the trophy in 2015 and
2016.
The latter
stages of the competition saw some highly competitive pulling, which resulted
in an all Swiss final between Waldkirch and Stans-Oberdorf.
Waldkirch
emerged victorious in their first GENSB final, whilst Stans-Oberdorf collected
their third consecutive silver medal.
The top 16
placings are listed below.
1
Waldkirch 1
Switzerland
2
Stans-Oberdorf
Switzerland
3
TTV Powerrangers
Belgium
4 Sins
Switzerland
5
TTV Heure
Netherlands
6
Bekveld 1
Netherlands
7
Mosnang
Switzerland
8
TZC Eschbachtal
Germany
9
Ttt t’Loggertje
Netherlands
10
Ebersecken
Switzerland
11
TTV Vriezenveen
Netherlands
12
TTV Streefkerk
Netherlands
13
TTV Elektrotrekkers
Belgium
14
Team ACF 1
England
15
Trecastle
Wales
16
TZV Buch
Germany
England also
fielded four judges for the competition - Gavin Corden, Ray Fray-Smith, Ian
Grant and Dave Kitchener.
After the
presentation ceremony the GENSB flag was lowered and passed to the German
delegation who will be hosting the 2018 event in Mohnesee 24 – 26 August 2018.
13/08/2017 - BRITISH AND IRISH CHAMPIONSHIPS - OPEN COMPETITION RESULTS
Men 560kg - Gold - Greenhills (Northern Ireland)
Men 640kg - Gold - Lincoln
Men 700kg - Gold - Lincoln
Ladies 520kg - Gold - Kilroe Ladies
Ladies 560kg - Gold - Haldon Ladies
More to follow
12/08/2017 –BRTITISH AND IRISH TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS – INTERNATIONAL
COMPETITIONS – RESULTS
Here is a summary of the closed
results from the British and Irish Tug of War Championships - a good day for
the England squads that took part.
Men 600kg – Gold – England A (represented by Felton Eccles) – Silver – England B (Composite Team) – Bronze – Northern Ireland A – 4th – Republic of Ireland A
Men 680kg – Gold – England A (represented by Lincoln) – Silver – England B (represented by
Oxney Vines Cross) – Bronze –
Republic of Ireland A – 4th –
Scotland A
Ladies 520kg – Gold – England A (represented by Kilroe Ladies) – Silver – Scotland A – Bronze – Scotland B – 4th - England A (represented by Army
Ladies)
Ladies 560kg – Gold – England B (represented by Haldon) – Silver – England A (represented by
York Ladies) – Bronze – Scotland A –
4th – Scotland B
Mixed 600kg – Gold – England A (represented by Kilroe) – Silver – England B (represented by
Lincoln) – Bronze – Wales A – 4th – Scotland A
Junior Gold - England A
More to follow
06/08/2017 - CHESHIRE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS
Men Catchweight - Winners - Lincoln - Runners Up - Oxney Vines Cross
Men 600kg - Winners - Felton Eccles - Runners Up - England B
Men 680kg - Winners - Lincoln A - Runners Up - Norton
Men 640kg - Winners - Norton - Runners Up - Felton Eccles
Ladies / Junior 520kg - Winners - Llanwrst - Runners Up - Under 23 Ladies / Junior 560kg - Winners - Llanwrst - Runners Up - Upon upon Severn
More to follow
30/07/2017 - 2017 WORLD GAMES - WROCLAW - POLAND - DAY 2
Photo: Great Britain Men 540kg squad - 2017 World Games Gold Medallists
Today, Great Britain were represented in the 640kg competition by Norton, and were up against Germany, Switzerland, Netherlands, Sweden and Ireland in that order in the group stage. A very tough field of good 640kg teams.
Britain started well, defeating Germany, but then loss to a very good Swiss team in the second match, before winning the remainder of their pulls to make the semi finals in second place in the group. The TWIF world champions Switzerland topped the group, in third plae were Sweden and Germany progressed in 4th place.
In the semi finals, Great Britain defeated Sweden so went into the final to meet the defending World Games Champions of 2013, and 2012, 2014 and 2016 TWIF World 640kg Champions Switzerland.
It was a well contested final, with Switzerland taking a close first end. On the second end, Great Britain went on the attack and managed to take the second end. The third end was equally as close, with Great Britain taking it to win a first gold medal at the World Games for Great Britain / England since 2001, and our first at 640kg since the first World Games in 1981!
Huge congratulations to the Great Britain team, represented by Norton Tug of War Club and supported by Felton Eccles and Bancran (Northern Ireland).
Videos from the 640 kg competition are available via our Facebook Page.
29/07/2017 - WORLD GAMES 2017 - WROCLAW - POLAND - TUG OF WAR - DAY 1
Photo: Great Britain Men 700kg squad - 2017 World Games Bronze Medallists
The first day of tug of war competition took place today at the World Games in Poland, which is a multi-sport event for non-Olympic sports held every 4 years. The tug of war is contested between the top 6 nations in relevant weight classes from the previous years TWIF World Championships.
The indoor competition took place in the morning. Great Britain had not qualified for this event, but it was the top two nations of China and Chinese Taipei that both got to the final, with Chinese Taipei taking the gold. The bronze medal went to South Africa who defeated the Netherlands in the third place medal pull.
In the afternoon, the mens 700kg competition took place, with Great Britain being represented by Lincoln. The team started well, defeating Belgium by 2 ends to 0, and then went 1-1 with Germany. Great Britain then went 1-1 with The Netherlands and defeated Sweden by 2 ends to 0. The only team to defeat Great Britain in the group stage were Switzerland. Great Britain progressed to the semi-finals along with Switzerland, Netherlands and Belgium. Great Britain faced the Netherlands in the semi final, but were unable to take any ends off them this time, and lost out by 2 ends to 0. Great Britain then had to fight for the bronze medal against Belgium, putting in a commanding performance to take a well deserved bronze medal by 2 ends to 0. A fantastic achievement and our congratulations go to Lincoln TOWC and all the pullers involved who represented Great Britain today.
The final saw Switzerland take the gold medal, with Netherlands taking silver.
You can watch videos from the 700kg competition via our Facebook page if you missed it!
28/07/2017 - BEN RATHBONE
The Tug of War Association are sad to learn of the passing of Ben Rathbone who was a puller for Bosley, and latterly Norton.
Ben was also a General Committee Member until the end of 2015, being an area representative for Area 10.
Ben was a keen tug of war enthusiast during his time in the sport, and
was a very keen volunteer / supporter at many events at home and abroad and played a big part in organising the 2016 National Championships in Macclesfield.
Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this difficult time.
GREAT BRITAIN TUG OF WAR TEAMS HEAD OUT TO THE WORLD GAMES
This weekend, the 2017 IWGA World Games take place in Wroclaw, Poland.
For Tug of War, participation in The World Games programme remains the
apex and most prestigious event for our sport. With only the top six
countries in each weight class who qualify every four years, it is indeed an achievement just to be there. The World Games is a multi-sport event containing sports which are not part of the Olympic Games, however a number of past sports that used to be part of the
World Games are now a part of the Olympics, a recent example being Rugby
7s. The World Games is therefore a prestigious sporting event and an
important stepping stone for any sport with aspirations of becoming an
Olympic sport in the future.
This weekend, Great Britain will
be represented in the mens 640kg and 700kg weight classes having
qualified for the event at the 2016 TWIF world championships held in
Sweden.
Norton Tug of War Club from Staffordshire will be representing Great Britain in the mens 640kg weight class, and Lincoln Tug of War Club will be representing Great Britain in the mens 700kg weight class.
At the 2013 World Games held in Cali, Great Britain tug of war won the
silver medal in the mens 640kg weight class. Hopefully this time we will
go one better and take gold and also add a medal in the 700kg weight
class as well.
The nations taking part in the different weight classes are as follows:
Men 700kg - Great Britain, Switzerland, Netherlands, Sweden, Germany, Belgium
Men 640kg - Great Britain, Switzerland, Ireland, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden Ladies 540kg (Indoor) - China, Chinese Taipei, Netherlands, Switzerland, South Africa, Ireland
The indoor ladies 540kg competition and outdoor mens 700kg competition
takes place on Saturday 29 July and the mens 640kg competition takes
place on Sunday 30 July.
We will publish links to any live streaming when known.
Otherwise, we would like to wish all of those pullers representing
Great Britain this weekend the very best of luck and we hope you come
back with some medals! We will all be cheering you on!
23/07/2017 - UPTON UPON SEVERN TOWC OPEN COMPETITION RESULTS
Men Catchweight - Winners - Felton Eccles - Runners Up - Halstead
Men 600 - Winners - Felton Eccles - Runners Up - Anstey
Men 680 - Winners - Felton Eccles - Runners Up - Halstead
Men 640 - Winners - Felton Eccles - Runners Up - Anstey
LYL 560 - Winners - Under 23 Ladies - Runners Up - Army Ladies
LYL 520 - Winners - Upton - Runners Up - Army Ladies
ENGLAND MENS UNDER 23 TEAMS - 2017 SQUAD ANNOUNCEMENT
We are pleased to announce that the following pullers have been selected
for the Tug Of War Association Men Under 23 England squad for 2017 for the British and Irish Championships and World Under 23 Championships.
Haydon Forbes - Lincoln.
Owen Embleton - Thames Valley. Aidan Canning - Sandhurst. Alan Holt - Longridge.
George Worle -Felton.
Dan Bowen - Upton on Seven.
Alex Brown - Upton on Seven.
Ryan Bird - Upper Eden.
Sean Foster - Upper Eden.
Joe Thirlby - Holland TOWC
Kurt Tatton - Norton.
We wish them well on their selection and know they will give 100%
for our Association and England well done for making the squad and a big
thank you to all our clubs for the use of their young pullers.
17/06/2017 - NATIONAL OUTDOOR TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS - RESULTS
Mens 560kg Gold - Norton (Staffordshire) Silver - Sandhurst (Berkshire) Bronze - Upper Eden (Cumbria)
Mens 600kg Gold - Norton (Staffordshire) Silver - Felton Eccles (Somerset) Bronze - Lincoln (Lincolnshire)
Mens 640kg Gold - Norton (Staffordshire) Silver - Felton Eccles (Somerset) Bronze - Lincoln (Lincolnshire)
Mens 680kg Gold - Lincoln (Lincolnshire) Silver - Oxney Vines Cross (Sussex) Bronze - Two Dales (Derbyshire)
Mens 720kg Gold - Lincoln (Lincolnshire) Silver - Holland (Staffordshire)
Catchweight Gold - Lincoln (Lincolnshire) Silver - St Pats (Leicestershire)
Mixed 4 x 4 600kg Gold - Kilroe (Lancashire/ Derbyshire) Silver - Lincoln (Lincolnshire) Bronze - Upper Eden (Cumbria)
Well done to all of the clubs who took part in very hot weather
conditions. We look forward to more good tug of war for the rest of the
summer and we look forward to seeing lots of clubs competing at the
European Championships in Southport in September!
More to follow
New paragraph
29/05/2017 - NORTHUMBERLAND SHOW
RESULTS
Men 600kg - Winners - Upper
Eden - Runners Up - Turf Turners
Men 640kg - Winners - Turf
Turners - Runners Up - York
Men 680kg - Winners - Upper
Eden - Runners Up - Turf Turners
Men Catchweight - Winners -
Turf Turners - Runners Up - Upper
Eden
Mixed 600kg - Winners - Turf
Turners - Runners Up - York
Mixed 660kg - Winners - York
- Runners Up - Upper Eden
Ladies Catchweight - Winners
- York - Runners Up - Caldbeck
Ladies
27 & 28 MAY 2017 - FELTON
ECCLES 70TH ANNIVERSARY INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION RESULTS
Men 600kg Gold - Norton (England)
Silver - Leo’s Boys
(Northern Ireland)
Bronze - Felton Eccles
(England)
4th - Upper Eden
(England)
21/05/2017 - SHROPSHIRE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS
Photo: Norton competing in the 680kg final against Felton Eccles
This weekend, the Shropshire Championships were held in
Shrewsbury. Weights being contested were mens weight classes at 600kg, 640kg,
680kg and catchweight. The teams that participated were Felton Eccles, Norton,
Diesel Power, Dolfor, Bosley, Holland.
Norton competed strongly at this event to win all four
weight classes on offer without losing and ends. Felton Eccles from Somerset
finished as the runners up in all four weight classes. Whilst these two teams
dominated the medals, there was still some good competition between the other
teams who took part.
The officials on the day were Gavin Corden, Tony Henshaw,
Dave Kitchener, David Hamer, Roger Beardsmore, Jill Thomas and Adele Hamer.
14/05/2017 - MIDLAND AREA CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS
Teams competing - Men - Lincoln (A and B), Felton Eccles, Bosley, Haldon, Cupids Hill, Under 23, Team ACF, Upton-on-Severn - Ladies/Junior - Team ACF Junior Men, Team ACF Junior Ladies, Upton-on-Severn, Cupids Hill, Army Ladies, Holland, St Pats.
This weekend, the Midland Area Championships took place in Alcester, hosted by The Tug of War Association Midland Area. Four weights were contested for mens teams at 600kg, 640kg, 680kg and catchweight, and ladies/Junior Weights took place at 520kg and 560kg.
Whilst there was a reduced number of teams in attendance this week, there was still some good competition, and despite the recent dry weather the ground cut up well.
Lincoln finished as the winners in the first two men's weight classes of the day, winning the catchweight and 640kg competitions, defeating Felton Eccles in both finals. In the following two weights, Felton Eccles won the final of the 680kg competition after a hard fought 3 end final against Lincoln. The final weight of the day was the 600kg competition which was another fiercely contested weight class, with no teams going through to the semi finals without losing ends. The eventual finalists were Felton Eccles and Bosley, with Felton Eccles winning the final by 2 ends to 0.
In the ladies and Junior weight classes, Army Ladies won the 560kg competition, with Team ACF finishing as the runners up. In the 520kg competition, Cupids Hill won the gold medal with Army Ladies finishing as runners up.
The officials on the day were Roger Beardsmore, Tony Henshaw, Gavin Corden, Mick Grimston, Peter Craft, Dave Hamer, Ian Grant, Dave Kitchener, Wendy Dyer, Jill Thomas, Adele Hamer.
YVONNE LUDKIN - FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS
Following the passing of Yvonne on 2 May 2017, the funeral will take
place on Thursday 25th May 2017 at 11.00am at the Bracknell
Crematorium, Easthamstead Park Cemetery and Crematorium, Bracknell
Crematorium, South Road, Bracknell, Berkshire, RG40 3DW.
Family flowers only please as Yvonne would like donations for J’s Hospice
Cheques should be made out to ‘The J’s Hospice’ and should be sent to
c/o Brian Bentley Funeral Services, 27 Greenwood Road, Crowthorne,
Berkshire, RG45 6QX
Vic and Yvonne's family would love you to join them afterwards at Old Dean Bowling Club, for a celebration of Yvonne’s life.
The address is Old Dean Bowling Club, Wimbledon Road, Old Dean Estate, Camberley, Surrey, GU15 4BD,Tel: 01276 709322.
Please RSVP victor.ludkin@ntlworld.com or 01276 22253 for catering purposes.
07/05/2017 - AAA CHAMPIONSHIPS AND GREAT ORMOND STREET CHARITY EVENT RESULTS
The annual AAA Outdoor Tug of War Championships took place in warm sunny weather in Daventry, Northamptonshire.
The event started with the catchweight competition with Lincoln winning the gold medal for the fourth consecutive season. Felton Eccles finished as the silver medallists in this weight class. Photo: Catchweight AAA Gold Medallists - Lincoln
The 640kg competition was the next closed weight, with Norton winning the gold medal to win the AAA 640kg championships for the 10th consecutive year. Lincoln won the silver medal. Photo: Norton - AAA 640kg Gold Medallists
The open competitions saw Norton go on to win the 580kg and 600kg competitions, with Lincoln going on to win the 680kg competition. Photo: Felton Eccles - AAA Championship Catchweight Silver Medallists
The ladies and junior competitions saw all of the teams pull in the same competition, with winners and runners up medals being presented to the top two junior mens teams, junior ladies teams and senior ladies teams. Team ACF won the junior ladies 520kg and 560kg competitions and the junior mens 520kg and 560kg competitions. Team Army Ladies won both the ladies 520kg and 560kg competitions, with Kilroe Ladies finishing as runners up in the ladies 560kg and Penhow Ladies finishing as runners up in the 520kg competition. Well done to all teams who took part.
05/05/2017 - YVONNE LUDKIN
The Tug of War Association is sad to learn of the passing of
Yvonne Ludkin who sadly lost her battle with Cancer on Tuesday morning (2 May).
Yvonne was another dedicated servant of tug of war, serving
as a TOWA timekeeper recorder for several years, and also fulfilled these
duties at international level at TWIF events. Yvonne was the wife of TOWA judge
and former Gateway, Camberley and Sandhurst puller Vic Ludkin, who stood down as
TOWA President earlier this year.
Funeral details will be published in due course.
In the meantime, our thoughts go out to Vic,
Yvonne’s family, friends and colleagues at this difficult time.
01/05/2017 - NORTH SOMERSET SHOW RESULTS
The annual tug of war event at North Somerset Show took place on the first May bank holiday with Cupids Hill, Bridgewater YFC, Haldon Ladies, Haldon Men, Craswall, Felton Eccles and Ansty all taking part.
There were 3 weights contested at 600kg,640kg and 680kg.
680kg - Winners - Felton Eccles - Runners Up - Haldon Men
A special note
goes to Haldon Ladies who competed in the 600/640kg category and did
not disgrace themselves in any form and to Wendy Dyer for supplying the officials lunch.
The officials on the day were Alec Masson, Tim Tatler and Mark Williams
CHANGE OF EMAIL ADDRESS
Please
note that the new email address for Dave Knott (Area 2 representative and Under
23 manager) is: bigknotty720@gmail.com.
23/04/2016 - LINCOLN TOWC OPEN COMPETITION
RESULTS
The
second round of competition in the mens National League and the third round of
competition of the National League took place at Lincoln Tug of War Club’s
annual tug of war event. There was a good number of teams taking part in the
ladies and youth league competition, however there was a reduced number of
teams taking part in the mens competition this week. Lincoln (A and B), Felton
Eccles, Diesel Power, Bosley, Holland and Team ACF took part in the mens
competitions, and Team ACF Boys, two teams of ACF Girls, Kilroe, St Pats, and Team
Army took part in the ladies and youth league competition. Photo: St Pats Ladies
The
mens competitions saw Lincoln A win the catchweight and 720kg competitions,
with their B team finishing as runners up in the 720. Lincoln also finished as
runners up in the 600, 640 and 680 competitions. Felton Eccles finished in
first place in the 600, 640 and 680 competitions and also finished as runners
up in the catchweight competition. Photo: Host Club Lincoln
There
was some exciting competition in the ladies and youth league this week, with St
Pats getting their first win of the season by winning the 560kg competition,
with Army Ladies finishing as runners up. In the 520kg competition, Team Army
ladies finished as the winners to get their first win of the season with ACF
boys finishing as the runners up. Photo: Team ACF
The
officials on the day were Peter Craft, Roger Beardsmore, Mick Grimston, Gavin
Corden, Dave Kitchener, Mike Callaghan, Ian Grant, Mark Williams, Wendy Dyer
and Caroline Abri.
17/04/2017 - GUILDFORD OPEN RESULTS
The three clubs competing were: Oxney Vines Cross, Sandhurst and Thames Valley. The results were:
Catchweight - Winners - Oxney - Runners Up - Sandhurst
600 - Winners - Oxney - Runners Up - Sandhurst
640 - Winners - Sandhurst - Runners Up - Oxney
680 - Winners - Oxney - Runners Up - Sandhurst
The officials were: Peter Craft, Vic Ludkin and Peter Tuckwell.
16/04/2017 - BOSLEY TOWC CHARITY EVENT IN AID OF EAST CHESHIRE HOSPICE - RESULTS
Bosley Tug of War Club held their annual charity tug of war
competition over the weekend in support of their local charity the East
Cheshire Hospice. This event was attended by Bosley, Norton, York, Upper Eden,
Two Dales, Lincoln, Turf Turners, Leek YFC, Derby ACF, Felton Eccles and Upton
with weight classes for mens, ladies, juniors and mixed teams.
There were occasional showers throughout the day, but there
was a good mix of results in different weight classes.
In the mens weights, Norton won the 600kg, 640kg and
catchweight classes, defeating Lincoln in the final of the catchweight, Felton
Eccles in the final of the 600kg and Two Dales in the final of the 640kg.
Felton Eccles won the 720kg competition ahead of Lincoln, but Lincoln went on
to win the 680kg competition after a good 2 ends to 1 win over Felton in the
final. Photo: Lincoln.
Three weights were held for the ladies and junior teams at
520kg, 540kg and 560kg. York Ladies competed well to win all three weight
classes. Leek finished as runners up in the 560kg competition and Upton
finished as runners up in the 520kg and 540kg competitions. Photo: York Ladies/Juniors
The day finished with a 4+4 competition, which turned out to
be a good little competition, with Bosley contesting the final against Turf
Turners from County Durham. Turf Turners had gone through the competition
without losing an end, but Bosley managed to improve for the final by winning
an exciting pull by 2 ends to 0. Well done to all of the teams who took part. Photo: Norton
The officials on the day were Dave Kitchener, Tony Henshaw,
Peter Craft, Dave Hamer, Gavin Corden and Adele Hamer.
09/04/2017 - EAST OF ENGLAND CHAMPIONSHIPS - NATIONAL LEAGUE WEEK 1 RESULTS
The East of England Championships took place in good sunny
weather conditions at Kempston near Bedford. The day started with a moments
silence following the recent passing of Seamus Murphy. The catchweight
competition was pulled in a straight group with Lincoln A and Felton Eccles
finishing as the top two teams in the group ahead of Haldon, Oxney and Thames
Valley. Lincoln won this weight for the second week in a row, defeating Felton
Eccles in the final by 2 ends to 0.
The 600kg competition then followed, another round robin
competition with some close pulling between Lincoln A and B, Sandhurst, Felton
Eccles, Oxney, Thames Valley and Haldon. Felton Eccles and Oxney emerged as the
top two teams who went forward to pull each other again in the final, with
Felton Eccles coming away with a good 2 ends to 0 win. Photo: Haldon
The 680kg competition was again pulled as a straight group.
This saw Felton Eccles and Lincoln B emerge as the top two teams again to
compete in their second final of the day. Felton Eccles this time won the
competition by 2 ends to 0 to take their second win of the day. Photo: Thames Valley
The final mens weight of the day was the 640kg competition
which was split into two groups. With the hot weather conditions, some pullers
started to struggle with cramp, but this didn’t take away from the pulling.
Some of the best pulls in the group stages came between Thames Valley and
Haldon who won one end each off each other, and then Thames Valley and Felton
also had a good match between each other which Felton won by 2 ends to 0. In
the other group, Lincoln B and Sandhurst had a good battle which Sandhurst won
by 2 ends to 0, with Lincoln coming very close to taking the second end. The final
of this weight class was between Lincoln A and Felton Eccles, which Felton
Eccles eventually won by 2 ends to 0 to win their third gold medal of the day. Photo: Oxney
The ladies and youth league competition wasn’t as well
supported this week, with Army Ladies, Upton, and St Pats taking part. Army
Ladies won gold in the 560kg competition, and Upton won gold in the 520kg
competition. Well done to these teams for supporting this event. Photo: Sandhurst
Officials on the day were Roger Bearsmore, Tony Henshaw,
Peter Craft, Gavin Corden, Mick Grimston, Dave Kitchener, Wendy Dyer.
09/04/2017 - LONGRIDGE TOWC OPEN COMPETITION RESULTS
A lovely sunny day of tug of war at Longridge was enjoyed by
all. A great day out for York Penistone, Bilsborrow, Chipping, Longridge & Vale
of Lune to contest the first competition of the TOWA Northern Area League. York
won the 4+4 without losing an end and York also finished in first place in the
ladies 540kg. Kilroe Ladies went on to win the ladies 580kg competition.
Longridge the hosting team won the 600kg and Catchweight competitions. The next
TOWA Northern Area League competition takes place on 30th April and
will be hosted by Whitley Chapel in Northumberland. Photo: Pensitone
08/04/2017 - FWA LEAGUE - BIDEFORD, DEVON - RESULTS
The first league event of the Far Western Area League season took place on
Saturday at the Devon YFC Activities day at Bideford in North Devon, Haldon
Ladies, Exe Valley, Haldon Men & Meshaw Youth took part in the event. Photo: Exe Valley
The
competition was pulled in a straight 4 team round robin Haldon men were the
winners Haldon ladies the runner up followed by Meshaw and then Exe Valley.
Haldon
men took the medals for the Men’s event Haldon ladies the medals for the ladies
event with Exe Valley taking the ladies runner up
medals.
Meshaw claimed the youth medals. Well done to
all of the teams who took part.
02/04/2017 - BOSLEY TOWC OPEN COMPETITION RESULTS
Bosley Tug of War Club hosted their annual club competition,
with teams from around England taking part, as well as visiting teams “the Shop”
from Ireland and Halkyn from Wales. The English clubs competed were from
Bosley, Two Dales, Norton, Lincoln (A and B), Felton Eccles, Upper Eden, York,
Longridge, Diesel Power, Holland, Kilroe Ladies, Team ACF Boys, Team ACF Girls,
York Ladies, Leek YFC, St Pats, Team Army. Photo: host club Bosley
There was plenty of tug of war throughout the day, with both
of the ladies/junior weights and the mens 600, 640, and 680 competitions having
large entries of teams. Photo: Felton Eccles
In the mens weight classes, there was a good mix of results.
The catchweight competition was won by Lincoln A, who had good battles with
Norton in both the group stage and the final, the group pull going 1-1 and then
Lincoln winning the final by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Army Ladies
The 560kg competition saw Team ACF A taking the gold medal
overall without losing an end. York pulled strongest out of the remainder of
the field to finish as runners up. Leek YFC competed with a junior ladies team
in this weight for the first time and gained valuable experience from this
weight class. The TOWA welcomes junior male and junior female teams, so if any
other young teams wish to get involved in ladies and junior competition, then
please contact us for further information. Photo: Upper Eden
The Mens 600kg competition was a straight league of 10 with
the top two teams going through to the final. Only the Shop from Ireland
progressed to the final without dropping many ends, with the pulling close
between the remainder of the teams. Two Dales progressed to the final where
they met The Shop. The Shop continued their good form by winning the final by 2
ends to 0. Photo: York Ladies
The 680kg competition was split into two groups. In another
competitive weight class, Lincoln B and Felton Eccles progressed to the final,
with Lincoln B winning the competition by 2 ends to 0. The ladies and junior
520kg competition was pulled as a straight group, this time with Kilroe Ladies
and York progressing to the final. This was a good close final which went to
three ends, York taking the first end and then Kilroe Ladies taking the next
two. Photo: The Shop from Ireland
The mens 640kg competition was again split into two groups.
Both Felton and The Shop progressed to their second finals of the day, with The
Shop winning their second final by 2 ends to 0. The day finished with the 720kg
competition. After some more close pulling, The Shop took first place without
losing an end, Felton Eccles taking their third runners up spot on the day. Photo: Longridge
The officials on the day were Ray Fray-Smith, Peter Craft,
Mick Grimston, Tony Henshaw, David Hamer, Gavin Corden, Adele Hamer, Mark
Williams and Caroline Abri. Photo: Leek YFC
Results Summary:
Men Catchweight - Winners - Lincoln A - Runners Up - Norton
Men 720 - Winners - The Shop - Runners Up - Felton Eccles
Men 680 - Winners - Lincoln B - Runners Up - Felton Eccles
Men 640 - Winners - The Shop - Runners Up - Felton Eccles
Men 600 - Winners - The Shop - Runners Up - Two Dales
Ladies / Youth 560kg - Winners - Team ACF - Runners Up - York
Ladies / Youth 520 - Winners - Kilroe Ladies - Runners Up - York
25/03/2017 – TWIF CONGRESS NEWS
Congratulations to Pete Dyer,
chairman of our Association, who has been nominated as TWIF Senior Vice
President for the next 4 years. We wish him well in his new role within TWIF.
In addition, the date for the World
Indoor Tug of War Championships in China in 2018 has been confirmed as 8 – 11 March
2018.
TOWA NOTICE
With outdoor tug of war season now
getting under way, and the European Championships taking place in England this
year (hopefully resulting in a little bit more publicity for tug of war) teams
are reminded below of what is expected of them when competing at events
throughout the coming year to help present a more positive image of our sport:
KIT
Teams are reminded of rule 7.1, which states:
“Teams shall be properly dressed for competitions, i.e. appropriate SHIRTS,
SHORTS, SOCKS and approved footwear. A team’s dress may include sensible
headgear for those members wishing to wear it. Headgear must be in one style
and in keeping with team colours”.
Please can all clubs therefore
ensure that everyone is wearing matching kit (and that it is clean at the start
of the day), and if you know you will be travelling to an event needing to
borrow pullers, please take along spare shirts for the borrowed puller to wear.
Be proud of your sport, the kit you wear and the clubs that you represent.
TENTS / GAZEBOS
With the exception of the timekeeper/recorders tent, no tents, gazebos or other
form of event shelter are to be put up directly adjacent to the competition
arena. Please allow a gap of a minimum of 3 metres to allow any spectators
attending our events a good view of the competition.
VEHICLES
As with tents / gazebos above, under no circumstances are vehicles to be parked
adjacent to the pulling arena.
SMOKING
Smoking is not permitted in the arena.
We would appreciate the support
from ALL clubs/pullers in implementing the above on an ongoing basis.
It is with much sadness that we report the passing of former Felton Eccles puller Derrick Worle.
Affectionately known as "Long 'un", Derrick, along with brother
Peter Worle, Uncle Norman and several cousins, was a stalwart of the highly
successful Felton Eccles team of the 1960s and early 1970's that won several National
Championships and were European 640kg Champions in 1968.
Derrick started on the rope but moved to the Anchor after a car accident. After moving to Hampshire with his work, Derrick continued to pull with King Sombourn and then coached his two Sons at GBE. He loved being back on the Tug of War circuit, but we always knew it was Felton Eccles that he was rooting for.
A Farrier by trade Derrick was notoriously strong: strength he
demonstrated and relied upon in overcoming very serious illness some 25
years ago.
Our condolences to Sue, Anthony and Matthew., family, friends and team mates past and present.
Funeral details will be announced when known.
12/03/2017 - DORSET TRAINING LEAGUE RESULTS - YEOVIL
Teams Competing - Anstey, Blandford, Haldon (mens), Haldon (ladies), Felton Eccles, Somerset ACF & West Dorset
Results
600kg - Winners - Felton Eccles - Runners Up (joint) - Haldon and Anstey 640kg - Winners - Anstey - Runners Up - Felton Eccles 680kg - Winners - Felton Eccles - Runners Up - Anstey
26/02/2017 - DORSET TRAINING LEAGUE - MARSHWOOD - RESULTS
Teams Competing: Anstey, Blandford, Haldon Men, Haldon Ladies,
Sandhurst, Somerset ACF, West Dorset Men and West Dorset Ladies
RESULTS 600kg - Winners - Haldon Men - Runners Up - Anstey
640kg - Winners - Anstey - Runners Up - Haldon Men
680kg - Winners - Sandhurst - Runners Up - Anstey
Catchweight - Winners - Sandhurst - Runners Up - Blandford
UPDATED CONTACT EMAIL ADDRESS FOR DAVE KITCHENER (AREA 5 REPRESENTATIVE)
Please note the new email address of Dave Kitchener (area 5 representative and Grade 1 judge). Dave can be contacted by e-mail on marion.kitchener53@gmail.com
Please do not use the e-mail address that is in the TOWA handbook.
11 / 12 FEBRUARY 2017 - BRITISH AND IRISH INDOOR TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS - RESULTS
Saturday 11 - Closed Competition
Men 600kg
Gold - Ireland A Silver - Ireland B Bronze - Northern Ireland B 4th - Northern Ireland A Men 680kg
Gold - Ireland A Silver - Scotland A Bronze - England A (represented by Raunds) 4th - Ireland B
Mixed 600kg
Gold - Scotland A Silver - Ireland A Bronze - Northern Ireland A 4th - Ireland B Ladies 500kg
Gold - Ireland B Silver - Ireland A
Sunday 12 February - Open Competition
Men 640kg
Gold - St Pats (Ireland) Silver - Mountain View (Ireland) Bronze - Carndonagh (Ireland) 4th - Ballyhagen (Northern Ireland)
Men 560kg
Gold - Carndonagh (Ireland) Silver - Country Club (Northern Ireland) Bronze - Richill (Northern Ireland) 4th - Ayrshire (Scotland)
Men 660kg
Gold - St Pats (Ireland) Silver - Mountain View (Ireland) Bronze - Cuan Rithe (Ireland) 4th - Tinto (Scotland)
Gold - Ayrshire (Scotland) Silver - St Pats (Ireland) Bronze - B&K (Ireland) 4th - Richill (Northern Ireland
29/01/2017 - 2017 TUG OF WAR ASSOCIATION AGM
The 2017 AGM took place at the Roman Way Hotel in Cannock, Staffordshire. A few highlights from the meeting are below.
The meeting started with the opening of the meeting by outgoing TOWA President Mr Vic Ludkin. Our congratulations to Mike Callaghan who has been
elected as president of the TOWA for 2017. Mike is pictured here with
outgoing TOWA president Vic Ludkin, who stood down as president this
year. We would like to thank Vic for his time and effort in representing
the TOWA at events around the country during his time as president and
we wish Mike well in his new role. Mike has previously served as TOWA
Chairman and it is great to have him on board in his new role. Photo: Outgoing President Vic Ludkin (left) and new TOWA President Mike Callaghan (right)
Following the election of president, The TOWA Award of Merit was presented. The TOWA AGM saw three upstanding members of the TOWA receive
the TOWA Award of Merit. This award is given to people who have been
nominated for their long and distinguished service to tug of war over
the years. This year, Nick Major, Jane Major and Ray Fray-Smith were
nominated for the award and a summary of why they were nominated is
provided below. Photo: Nick Major (right) receiving the TOWA award of merit from TOWA president Mile Callaghan (left)
Firstly, both Nick and Jane Major are both a judge and timekeeper/recorder respectively. Both have served as TOWA officials over many years at many local and national events. Both have also served as a TWIF
judge and recorder. Both work tirelessly in their Area (Area 8 - Devon
and Cornwall) running Friday night competitions, and regular Saturday
and Sunday Area 8 competitions, and they also officiate at other TOWA
events. Nick also served on the TOWA general committee as an area
representative over many years and both still work tirelessly in their
area to promote tug of war and encourage new teams. Well done to Nick
and Jane. Photo: Jane Major (right) receiving the TOWA award of merit from TOWA president Mile Callaghan (left)
Ray Fray-Smith has also been recognised for his contributions to tug of
war, not just within the TOWA, but also within the armed forces tug of
war circuit as well. Ray has been influential in keeping tug of war
going in the Armed Forces in the face of severe challenges as a result
of military organisation changes and funding cuts. Ray is also a TOWA
committee member and TWIF judge. Photo: Ray Fray-Smith (left) receiving the TOWA award of merit from TOWA president Mile Callaghan (right)
At the AGM, the armed forces present
presented Ray with a combined services sports cap, which is only awarded
in special circumstances and has only been awarded for tug of war on 6
previous occasions. Congratulations Ray! Photo: Ray Fray-Smith (left) receiving the Combined Services Sports cap from Gareth Davies
2017 European Championships
Members were briefed on the forthcoming European Championships, which England are hosting in Southport in September. Further information is available at www.tugofwar2017.com. Everyone is encouraged to book and pay for accommodation early in order to guarantee their choice of accommodation. Discounted accommodation packages are available for junior competitors, and infants under 5 will be able to stay free of charge.
Volunteering
A large number of volunteers are required to help with the running of the event. The TOWA require volunteers to help out with the following:
- Marshalls for the weigh in (Wednesday 20 September) - Marshalls for the competition (daily - 21 - 24 September inclusive) - Office and Administration
- Take out, Mark / tape the ropes
- Ground crew
- Tea / Coffee / Lunches (collect and distribute)
- Daily rubbish clearing
- Refueling Generators
- Control of Scale and rope Sales
- Hospitality of any Sponsors
- Trophies and medals
- Raffle (daily)
- Merchandise Sales
- Bar (Bar staff)
- Music and Anthems
- Commentator
If you are able to help in anyway, please provide your details to the Secretary, Mick Copper.
Lunches will be provided to all volunteers, volunteers will be entitled to a discount on the official accommodation package price.
BETTY CRAFT
To all the
Tug of War Family,
It is with
great sadness that I have to inform you all of the passing away of Betty Craft in
the early hours of Christmas Eve. Betty was a fantastic woman, known by so many
in the Tug of War family throughout the world, who worked tirelessly for the
Tug of War Association and Tug of War in general. Throughout the years’, week
in week out, Betty was ever present at so many events working hard behind the scenes,
not just recording but keeping everything running smoothly. She was an
unassuming woman who worked so tremendously hard. Betty had recorded at the highest
level in Tug of War being a Twif recorder, she recorded at many World and European
Championships. Peter, her Husband, for many years was the Hon Gen Sec of the
TOWA and Betty supported Peter throughout that time again working extremely
hard behind the scenes.
Betty will be sadly missed by the Tug of War family at home and
around the world. Our thoughts are with Peter and family and friends at this sad
time.
Pete Dyer
Chairman TOWA
3/12/2016 - NATIONAL INDOOR TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS
2016 National Indoor Tug of War Championships - Final Results Summary
A full report and photos from the event will be published soon. In the meantime, a few pictures and videos from the day are available on our Facebook page
You do not need to be a Facebook to view photos on our Facebook page, so if you are not a Facebook user, feel feel free to visit our Facebook page and view our photos (not that it will ask you to sign in, but you can ignore the message).
Well done to all of the teams that who took part and thank you to all
the officials for running the event and to all of the supporters who
came along to cheer the teams on.
It would be great to see more
teams taking part in the indoor circuit next year, especially ladies teams, mixed teams and junior teams so if you want to give
indoor tug of war a go please contact us.
In the meantime we would like to wish everyone a good Christmas season and we look forward to seeing everyone in the new year!
27/11/2016 - INDOOR LEAGUE WEEK 5 RESULTS
Teams competing - Raunds, Sheen, Uppertown, Kilroe
Results:
Catchweight - Winners - Raunds - Runners Up - Sheen
600kg - Winners - Kilroe - Runners Up - Raunds
640kg - Winners - Raunds - Runners Up - Kilroe
620kg - Winners - Raunds - Runners Up - Kilroe
580kg - Winners - Raunds - Runners Up - Kilroe
680kg - Winners - Raunds - Runners Up - Sheen
20/11/2016 - INDOOR LEAGUE WEEK
4 RESULTS
The fourth week of the Indoor League saw regular clubs Raunds, Sheen,
Kilroe (A and B) and Uppertown taking part in the competition. This week we
were also joined by the newly formed Upper Eden Tug of War Club from Cumbria
who are having a go at indoor tug of war this year. The team acquitted
themselves well in the event, winning some pulls in the lighter weight classes,
culminating with a good third place in the 580kg competition. Well done to them
for their efforts. If any other teams wish to get involved on the indoor
circuit in the future, then please contact us.
Photo: The Upper Eden Tug of War squad from Cumbria
The final results of the competition were as follows:
Catchweight - Winners -
Raunds - Runners Up - Kilroe
600kg - Winners - Raunds - Runners Up - Kilroe
640kg - Winners - Kilroe - Runners Up - Raunds
680kg - Winners - Raunds - Runners Up - Kilroe
580kg - Winners - Raunds - Runners Up - Kilroe B
The next competition is the final open competition before the national
championships, which take place on Saturday 3 December at 10am. All supporters
and spectators are welcome, so please make sure you put the date in your
diaries and come along and support the teams taking part!
18/11/2016 - PETER BAKER BOOK
This is a reminder to everyone who initially requested a
copy of Peter Baker’s book.
To obtain your copy, please send a cheque for the sum of
£5.70 (£4.50 + £1.20 postage) made payable to Mrs. M Baker. Please include with
your cheque a covering letter confirming your name and the address you want the
book sending to. You need to post your covering letter and cheque to the
following address:
You will then receive a book in due course after it has
been printed.
Please note that you will not receive a copy of the book
unless you send your cheque and a covering letter to Mrs Baker as payment is
required prior to books being printed, so please send your request and payment
by post as soon as possible.
Thank you.
13/11/2016 - AAA INDOOR TUG OF WAR
CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS
The
2016 AAA Indoor Tug of War Championships were once again held at the Harry
Mitchell Leisure Centre in Sandwell with Raunds, Uppertown, Kilroe and Sheen
taking part. Sheen went into the event as winners of both indoor weight classes
in 2015.
Photo: Raunds - 2016 Indoor AAA Champions at 640kg and Catchweight
The
first championship weight of the day was the catchweight competition. Raunds
started with a 2 ends to 0 win against Kilroe, and then followed that up with a
2 ends to 0 win against Sheen. The top two teams in the weight class progressed
through to the final, and it was the match between Kilroe and Sheen that would
decide who would go through. After a well fought contest, Sheen took the match
by 2 ends to 0 to progress to the final. The final saw Raunds and Sheen meet
for the second time, and despite a good fight from the young team from Sheen,
Raunds took both ends to take the gold medal.
The
second championship weight was the 640kg competition. There were some close
ends in this competition, with Kilroe and Uppertown going 1-1 in the first
match, and Uppertown also had a close match against Sheen which Uppertown edged
by 2 ends to 0. Raunds progressed from the group stage in first place into the
final ahead of Kilroe who finished ahead of Uppertown when the TWIF criteria
was applied. The final was between Raunds and Kilroe and Raunds went on to take
their second gold medal of the day by 2 ends to 0.
AAA Championship Results Summary
AAA Catchweight - Gold - Raunds - Silver - Sheen
AAA 640kg - Gold - Raunds - Silver - Kilroe
The
open competition followed, with weights being pulled at 600kg, 640kg and 680kg.
There were some good ends in the open weights, with a good crowd pleasing pull
between Sheen and Kilroe in the 600kg competition, the first end going to
Sheen, the second end being declared a no pull after both teams received 3
cautions and the third end going to Kilroe.
The
final results of the open competition were as follows:
600kg - winners - Raunds A - Runners Up - Kilroe
640kg - winners - Raunds A - Runners Up - Uppertown
680kg - winners - Raunds A - Runners Up - Kilroe
06/11/2016 - INDOOR LEAGUE WEEK 2 RESULTS
The second week of the indoor tug of war league took place this weekend at the Harry Mitchell Centre with Raunds (A and B), Kilroe,
Sheen, Uppertown and Sandhurst all taking part.
Photo: Sheen Farmers TOWC competing in the second week of the indoor tug of war league
As with the first week of competition, Raunds dominated the proceedings by winning all of the weight classes on offer, although their A team was run close in the 600kg competition, being defeated by their B team in the first pull of the group stage, but then won the final against the B team later in the competition after their A and B team beat all of the other teams competing to reach the final.
The final results were as follows:
Men Catchweight - Winners - Raunds - Runners Up - Sheen
Men 600kg - Winners - Raunds A - Runners Up - Raunds B
Men 620kg - Winners - Raunds - Runners Up - Sheen
Men 640kg - Winners - Raunds - Runners Up - Uppertown
Men 680kg - Winners - Raunds - Runners Up - Sheen
The next competition is the AAA indoor tug of war championships and we look forward to a good day of competition.
30/10/2016 - INDOOR LEAGUE WEEK 1 RESULTS
The first week of the indoor tug of war season got underway this weekend at the Harry Mitchell Centre with Raunds, Kilroe, Sheen, Uppertown and Sandhurst all taking part.
Photo: Raunds from Northamptonshire competing in the first week of indoor competition
Raunds dominated the proceedings on the opening day by winning all of the weight classes on offer.
The final results were as follows:
Men Catchweight - Winners - Raunds - Runners Up - Kilroe
Men 600kg - Winners - Raunds - Runners Up - Kilroe
Men 620kg - Winners - Raunds - Runners Up - Kilroe
Men 640kg - Winners - Raunds - Runners Up - Sheen
Men 680kg - Winners - Raunds - Runners Up - Kilroe
2017 TUG OF WAR FIXTURES
The Tug of War Association will soon be putting together the fixture list for the 2017 tug of war season.
If you and / or your club wish to host a tug of war competition in 2017, then you need to complete a permit application form and send it to the TOWA Hon. Gen. Secretary Mick Copper before Friday 25th November. The cost of a permit to hold a competition is £20, which should accompany your permit application. Cheques should be made payable to the Tug of War Association.
You can download your permit application form by clicking the link below:
When completing your permit application, please provide the following details:
Address of the venue including post code
Contact address, phone number and e-mail address for the lead event organiser
The weight classes you wish to hold (which can include mens, ladies, mixed and junior weights)
The entry fee per weight class
The proposed date of your event - when putting forward your date, please also indicate if this date is flexible / could be held on another weekend in the event that there is a clash with other events being held in the same area or in the event that the event may clash with a championship
Hosting a tug of war competition is a great way of encouraging local teams in your areas to compete, and is also a great opportunity to promote tug of war or your own clubs in your local areas, so if you wish to hold a tug of war competition in 2017, please contact us as soon as possible.
If you wish to put forward your venue to host either the AAA Championships (before the national championships) or Inter County Championships (after the national championships), then please let us know when you submit your permit application.
All events run under a TOWA permit must be officiated by qualified and registered TOWA Officials.
Permit applications should be sent by e-mail and post to the TOWA Secretary Mick Copper as follows:
Thank you to everyone who has asked for a copy of Peter Baker's book.
To those who asked for a book, you are requested please to send a cheque for the sum of £5.70 (£4.50 + £1.20 postage) made payable to Mrs. M Baker.
Please include with your cheque a covering letter confirming your name
and the address you want the book sending to. You need to post your
covering letter and cheque to the following address:
You will then receive a book in due course after it has been printed.
TUG OF WAR OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALS
On the CBBC Blue Peter show recently, we had sight of the gold medals won by Great Britain at the 1908 and 1920 Olympic Games held in London and Antwerp respectively. The photo below shows these medals. The smaller medal is the gold medal
awarded in London in 1908, and the larger medal is the gold medal
awarded in Antwerp in 1920 - the last ever tug of war Olympic Gold
Medal. These medals were won by members of the City of London Police team who represented Great Britain during that time. Hopefully tug of war will be back at the Olympics one day!
05/10/2016 - IAN FERGUSON
The Tug of War Association have been asked by Turlough & Marion Ferguson to announce on
this site the sad news of the sudden passing of Ian Ferguson on Monday
26th September 2016.
Ian along with his twin brother Turlough, were stalwarts of the BAE/BAC
TOW club from Surrey during the 80's & 90's. Ian in his anchor
role was a tremendous competitor both on the Grass & Mat,winning
many national Medals & going on to represent England. His loyalty to
club and team was a benchmark during his pulling career, and off the field he was a fantastic bloke with great humour and generosity.
The funeral will be held at:
St John's crematorium
Hermitage Road
Woking
Surrey
GU21 8TJ
All friends and ex-pullers are welcome to attend.
Any one wishing to send condolence cards etc. can forward them to the following address:
Mrs Marion Ferguson
63 Fullerton road
Byfleet
Surrey
KT14 7TA
The Funeral will take place on Friday 14th October at 3.30 pm.
Our thoughts are with Ian's family, friends and team mates at this sad time.
29/09/2016 - TUG OF WAR ON TV
Tug of war was featured recently on the CBBC Blue Peter programme on Wednesday 29 September, and featured the England Junior tug of war teams who recently competed at the World Outdoor Tug of War Championships in Malmo, Sweden.
The feature included pulling and interviews with the England Junior team who
travelled to the BBC studios in Manchester for the day. Thank you to our junior team for taking the time to travel there.
If you missed the show, you can watch it again on the BBC iPlayer by clicking here. The show is available to watch until 08.30am on 1 November.
29/09/2016 - PETER BAKER BOOK
During his latter years former TOWA President Peter Baker wrote down
a diary of his life and experiences (at the request of several people).
Some extracts were read out at his funeral.
The family of Peter
Baker have now put a book together from Peter's diaries and are making
it available for people to purchase. The cost of the diary will be £4.50 plus postage and packing.
The family would like to know how many they need to get printed, so if
you would like a copy, please comment below directly onto this post (not
on a shared post) so that we can give them an estimate of how many they
need to get printed.
Knowing Peter, it should make for a fascinating read!
If you would like a copy of the book, please contact TOWA Secretary Mick Copper on 01933 622639 as soon as possible so that we can inform Peter Baker's family about numbers of copies that are required.
14/09/2016 - JIM STRETTON
We have just received some very sad news from the family of Jim Stretton, that Jim sadly passed away peacefully this morning.
Jim was a well respected puller (anchorman) for the St Patrick's team
from Leicester who won many national titles, and numerous medals for
club and country at world and European Championships. Jim was also
awarded the Tug of War Association Award of Merit for his long service
to our sport.
Jim was one of tug
of war's true gentleman, and after hanging up his boots, could be seen
as an avid supporter at many tug of war events around the country with
his wife, and Jim always had time to talk to everyone.
We saw Jim as recently as the British and Irish Championships held in Wales in August where he went along to support the teams and catch up with old friends.
Our thoughts go out to Jim's family, friends and team mates at this sad time. FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS
Jim will be received into St Patrick's Church, Beaumont Leys Lane,
Leicester, LE4 2BD on Sunday 25th September at 4.30pm. Refreshments will
then be at The Emerald Centre, Gipsy Lane, Leicester, LE5 OTB.
The following day on Monday 26th September, the funeral mass will
be held at St Patrick's church at 2.15pm followed by his cremation at
Gilroes. Refreshments will again be held afterwards at The Emerald
Centre.
People are welcome to attend on either or both days.
Family flowers only. Donations are welcome to the family's nominated charity.
11/09/2016 - WORLD OUTDOOR TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS - DAY 4 - INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIONS
MEN 640KG
The final weight of the championships was the mens 640kg competition
which was split into two groups of 10 teams. England were drawn in group
2, which was a tough looking group containing Germany, Switzerland,
Netherlands, Canada, Serbia, Northern Ireland, Latvia, Australia and
South Africa. England were represented by Norton in this weight class,
and had to quickly recover from their exertions in the 580kg competition
the previous day.
England competed well in the group
stages, but lost out to Germany, Netherlands and Switzerland to finish
4th in the group. Only the top two in the group progressed to the semi
finals, so it was a pull off for rankings against the 4th team from
group 1. England faced Belgium and won the pull by 2 ends to 0 to finish
7th overall.
Kilroe Ladies represented England in this weight class, and this weight
was run as a single large group. The England ladies had to battle hard
in every pull in this weight, with half of the team having pulled in the
mixed competition in the morning. Unfortunately England did not get
close enough towards the top four to challenge for a semi final place
and a medal and ended up in 8th place overall.
The final result was as follows:
Gold – Chinese Taipei Silver – Sweden Bronze – South Africa 4th - Switzerland
MIXED 600KG
England this morning competed in the mixed 600kg competition which
was split into two large groups. England were drawn into the same group
as the Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, Chinese Taipei, Lithuania and
Serbia.
England competed well in the group stages, only losing
out to The Netherlands and Switzerland, but with only the top two teams
progressing to the semi finals with a chance to win a medal, England
missed out on the opportunity to compete
for gold, silver or bronze. As the competition was run in two groups,
and to determine the rankings, England had to compete against Latvia who
finished third in the other group to see who would finish in 5th place.
England won the match by 2 ends to 0 to take a hard earned 5th place.
The final results were as follows:
Gold – Sweden Silver – Basque Country Bronze – Netherlands 4th - Switzerland 5th - England
JUNIOR MEN 560KG
England were competing in the World Junior Championships and were
represented by a composite team made up of ACF pullers. The competition
was pulled as a straight group, but England were up against it all the
way through the competition and unfortunately struggled to reach the
standard required to challenge for a medal ranking. The team ended up
finishing in 9th place overall. Well done to our junior pullers for
their efforts.
The final results were as follows:
Gold – Switzerland Silver – Germany Bronze – Chinese Taipei 4th – South Africa
10/09/2016 - WORLD OUTDOOR TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS - DAY 3 - INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIONS
MEN 580KG
England were competing in this weight class and were represented by seasoned campaigners Norton. This competition had a large entry of teams and was again split into two large groups. England were drawn in the same group as European Champions Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Canada, South Africa, USA and Wales. England performed strongly in the group to finish in first place without losing an end and progressed to the semi finals along with Northern Ireland.
In the semi finals, England met defending champions Switzerland, and Northern Ireland met the Basque Country. The first ends of both semi finals were declared no pulls after 10 minutes for inactivity and the pulls were moved to fresh ground. Both England and the Basque Country won the required ends to meet in the final and what a final it was. After some good pulling, the first end was declared a no pull for inactivity and the final was moved over to fresh ground. Both teams then went for it on the next two ends, but again, it was not to be for England, and the Basque Country took the gold medal by 2 ends to 0. Well done again to England representative pullers and staff from Norton who put in another great shift, but gutted for them to not get that elusive world outdoor gold, despite beating both of the current World Champions and European Champions on the way!
The final results were as follows: Gold - Basque Country Silver - England (represented by Norton) Bronze - Switzerland 4th - Northern Ireland
LADIES 500KG
England were competing in this weight class and were represented by the Army Ladies in a competition that was pulled as a straight large group with the top four teams progressing to the semi finals. The Army Ladies representing England went into the event having taken a lot of confidence from their performance in the open club competition. Against some very good sides, the England team battled well throughout, but didn't quite make the cut today. Nonetheless, a great performance to finish 7th, with all of the pullers in this team competing at the World Championships for the first time. This team certainly has a good future ahead if it can stick together.
The final result was as follows:
Gold - Chinese Taipei Silver - Basque Country Bronze - Sweden 4th - Switzerland
MEN 700KG
England got the international events off to a great start today in the mens 700kg competition. England were represented by Lincoln in this weight class, and the competition was split into two groups. England were drawn into the same group as Sweden, Belgium, Latvia, USA, Italy, Chinese Taipei and France. England performed strongly in the group to finish top without losing an end to make the semi finals. Sweden finished as group runners up.
The teams to progress to the semi finals were England, Switzerland, Sweden and the Netherlands. England were drawn against the Netherlands in the semi finals but unfortunately missed out on a place in the final by 2 ends to 0. England then went on to meet Sweden again to pull for the bronze medal. With confidence from the group, England put in another good performance to beat the home nation by 2 ends to 0 to take the bronze medal. Congratulations to the Lincoln pullers and staff on their achievement.
The final result was as follows:
Gold - Switzerland Silver - Netherlands Bronze - England (represented by Lincoln) 4th - Sweden
09/09/2016 - WORLD OUTDOOR TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS - OPEN CLUB COMPETITION - DAY 2 - AFTERNOON COMPETITIONS
MEN 640KG
The 640kg competition has concluded the open competitions today. Felton Eccles Tug Of War
Club were the only English club competing in this weight class and they
were drawn into group 1. Felton's group was as follows:
Felton were competing in this weight
class 40kg light, but still put in a great performance, winning many
ends, but not quite enough to finish in the top 2 and earn a place in
the quarter finals.
This was the final open competition before the internationals tomorrow and Sunday.
LADIES 540KG
The ladies open 540kg competition has just taken place, and English interest in this event came in the form of Kilroe Ladies and Gloucester ACF. The competition was pulled in a straight group, with the top four teams progressing to the semi finals. For Gloucester ACF, with a young team, it was very much about gaining experience for them, and they competed well despite not having an impact on the final standings. Kilroe Ladies managed to progress to the semi finals in third place in the group, and there they met Gelderswoude from the Netherlands. After losing by 2 ends to 0, Kilroe went into the bronze medal pull against Ayrshire. Kilroe almost had the first end, before running out of steam with Ayrshire taking it. Ayrshire then took the second end and the bronze, but it was another good top four finish for our ladies teams.
The final result was as follows:
Gold - Tai She Da Jingmei (Taipei) Silver - Gelderswoude (Netherlands) Bronze - Ayrshire (Scotland) 4th - Kilroe Ladies (England)
09/09/2016 - WORLD OUTDOOR TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS - OPEN CLUB COMPETITION - DAY 2 - MORNING COMPETITIONS
MIXED 600KG 4+4
English interest in this competition came from both Kilroe and Felton Eccles. Both teams were drawn into separate groups - Kilroe were in group 1 and Felton Eccles were in group 2.
Felton finished in the middle of group 2, but Kilroe were well in the mix in group 1. Kilroe only lost 2 straight to Stenungsunds from Sweden in the group, but a few too many 1-1 pulls dropped Kilroe to third in the group, meaning that they just missed out on a spot in the semi finals.
The final result was as follows:
Gold - Stenungsunds (Sweden) Silver - Sins (Switzerland) Bronze - Dream team Siegelau (Germany) 4th - Ozoli (Latvia)
JUNIOR MEN 560KG
Gloucester ACF from England were competing in this weight class
and were up against a number of good teams in their group, including
teams from South Africa, Switzerland, Germany and Chinese Taipei as well
as clubs from other nations. The competition was pulled as a straight
group, with the top four teams progressing to the final.
Unfortunately
Gloucester ACF did not finish in the top four of the group, so missed
out on the chance of competing for a medal. The final results are as
follows:
08/09/2016 - WORLD OUTDOOR TUG OF WAR
CHAMPIONSHIPS - OPEN CLUB COMPETITION - DAY 1 - AFTERNOON COMPETITIONS
LADIES 500KG
English interest in this weight came from Army Ladies. The competition was
split into two groups, and the Army Ladies put in a great performance to finish
in joint second position in their group. The competition in this group was very
close, and Army Ladies were in a three way tie for second place. When the TWIF
criteria was applied, Army Ladies progressed to the semi finals, which meant
that they would be in with a chance of a medal. The team came up against the
strong team of Ta Shi Da Jingmei from Chinese Taipei and were defeated by 2
ends to 0, so they went into the bronze medal match against Gaztedi from the
Basque Country who Army had pulled earlier in the group. Unfortunately the Army
Ladies missed out on the bronze medal by 2 ends to 0. With many pullers from
the Army team competing at their first world championship, a fourth place
position in the world championships is still a great achievement!
The final result was as follows:
Gold - Ta Shi Da Jingmei (Taipei) Silver - Sins (Switzerland) Bronze - Gaztedi (Basque Country) 4th - Army
Ladies (England)
MEN 580KG
English interest in this weight class came from Norton Tug of War Club and
Felton Eccles Tug Of War Club. This weight was split into four large
groups, Both clubs were drawn into different groups but unfortunately both
clubs didn't progress to the knock out stages. With very sandy ground
conditions, there were some very long ends including an end that went on for 35
minutes between Bancran from Northern Ireland and Gaztedi from the Basque
Country in the group stage.
After a delayed start to this weight after the 700kg competition ran on
for longer than anticipated, the Quarter final, semi final, final and bronze
medal pull were all completed in the dark!
The final result of this competition was as follows:
08/09/2016 - 2016 WORLD OUTDOOR TUG
OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS - OPEN CLUB COMPETITION - DAY 1 - MORNING COMPETITIONS
MEN 700KG
Lincoln were the only English team competing in this weight class, and went
into the event as the current European Club Champions in the heavier weight
class of 720kg. The competition was split into 4 large groups, with the top two
teams from each group going through.
Lincoln were drawn in the same group as defending world club champions Ebersecken
from Switzerland, as well as G&B from Ireland, Brunnsbergs from Sweden,
Ozoli A from Latvia, Bison and Koapman from the Netherlands and Helderberg from
South Africa.
Unfortunately Lincoln did not progress in the top two this time, with
Ebersecken and Bison (who both contested the 2014 World Championship final) progressing
to the quarter finals, and eventually on to the semi-finals. The final result
was as follows:
This year, an under 23 weight class for
ladies teams was held for the first time. Gloucester ACF under 23 ladies
competed in the event, but unfortunately did not finish in a medal position,
but finished in 6th place. Despite not winning a medal, it was a great
learning experience for them.
The final result was as follows:
Gold - Tai She Da Jingmei
(Taipei) Silver - Disa Ladies (South Africa) Bronze - Sins (Switzerland) 4th -
Hovmantorp (Sweden)
UNDER
23 600KG
The Under
23 competition this year was pulled in a straight group, however England did
not have a team entered this year. The final result was as follows:
Contact Pete Dyer (international representative) for further details on
01934 823462
Good luck to the following clubs from England who will be taking part in the open club competition:
Kilroe Ladies Army Ladies Gloucester ACF Lincoln Norton Felton Eccles
Good luck also to the following clubs who will be representing England in the international competitions:
Kilroe Ladies Army Ladies Gloucester ACF Lincoln Norton
28/08/2016 - NATIONAL LEAGUE FINALS - RESULTS
The national league in the mens, ladies and junior weight classes reached their conclusion over the weekend at Holland Sports Club in Barton-under-Needwood, Staffordshire with the following clubs taking part - Holland, 4 RA, Bosley, Two Dales, Felton Eccles, Norton, Lincoln, Haldon men, Haldon Ladies, Army Ladies, Kilroe Ladies, Bedford Ladies, Gloucester ACF, Derby ACF, Upton on Severn.
The points were close in most of the weight classes, resulting in a
good day of final competition. In the 600kg competition, Bosley went
into the event in first place ahead of Lincoln and Felton Eccles, and
just managed to hold on to first place. Lincoln finished as silver
medallists, and Felton Eccles took the bronze.
In the 640kg
competition, things got very interesting. There were only 3 points that
separated 3 teams (Bosley, Norton and Two Dales) for the bronze medal
going into the event, and it was close between the top two teams of
Lincoln and Felton Eccles. Norton emerged as bronze medallists, however
after the final round of competition was completed, Felton Eccles and
Lincoln finished on level points overall. Both teams therefore had to
pull each other again, and Felton Eccles won the match by 2 ends to 0 to
become overall league champions at 640kg.
The 680kg competition
saw Norton going into the final event in the lead and they held on to
that lead after the final round of competition. Lincoln finished as
league silver medallists and Felton Eccles won the league bronze.
In
the ladies weights, the top two teams going into the event were Bedford
Ladies and the Army Ladies, with the points difference between the two
teams being very close. The Army Ladies put in a strong performance on
the day to finish in first place in both the ladies 520kg and 560kg
competitions to become overall league champions in these weights.
Bedford Ladies finished as silver medallists and Haldon Ladies continued
their medal winning exploits in their first full season by winning two
bronze medals.
The junior weights were equally as close with
just three points separating the top two teams from Gloucester ACF and
Upton on Severn. Upton had the better of it on the final round of
competition and finished in first place in the junior 520kg and junior
560kg in their first full season of youth league competition. Well done
to them. Gloucester ACF finished as youth league runners up in both
weights, with Gloucester ACF B finishing as youth league runners up.
National League - Final Overall Results
Men 600kg - Gold - Bosley - Silver - Lincoln - Bronze - Felton Eccles
Men 640kg - Gold - Felton Eccles - Silver - Lincoln - Bronze - Norton
Men 680kg - Gold - Norton - Silver - Lincoln - Bronze - Felton Eccles
Junior 520kg - Gold - Upton on Severn - Silver - Gloucester ACF A - Bronze - Gloucester ACF B
Junior 560kg - Gold - Upton on Severn - Silver - Gloucester ACF A - Bronze - Gloucester ACF B
TUG OF WAR ON BBC RADIO 5 LIVE
Tug of war was featured on BBC Radio 5 Live last week - click the link below to stream the show. The feature about tug
of war starts around 2 hours and 40 minutes into the show where Adrian Chiles talks to Brian Rose (Kilroe) about tug of war.
13/08/2016 - BRITISH AND IRISH CHAMPIONSHIPS - RESULTS
The first British and Irish Outdoor Tug of War Championships
this year took place in Llandrindod Wells, Wales, with this years event being
hosted by the Welsh Tug of War Association. England teams were up against the
other nations of Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland
in the international competitions on the first day of competition, before the
club competition took place on the second day of competition. Teams weighed in
on the Friday evening before the weekend’s events.
The closed international competition took place on the
Saturday, and prior to the commencement of competition a short opening ceremony
was held and all of the teams were welcomed to the championships by Welsh TOWA
president Mr Mervyn Bufton and the deputy Mayor of Llandrindod Wells. A minutes
silence was also held in memory of former Welsh TOWA Secretary and UK
Commission Chair Rosemary Smith.
The morning session of competition started with the mens
600kg competition, junior ladies 520 competition, junior men 560 competition
and the ladies 520 competition.
The junior ladies competition saw England field A and B
teams made up of junior ladies pullers from the ACF clubs. Wales and Northern
Ireland both entered teams into this competition. Both the England A and B
teams progressed to the semi finals with Wales A topping the group. England A
pulled Northern Ireland A in the first semi final, and Wales A pulled England B
in the second semi final. England A and Wales A both progressed to the final
leaving England B and Northern Ireland A to pull for bronze. Photo: England Under 23 600kg Squad
In the bronze medal pull, Northern Ireland proved to be the
stronger team on this occasion and England B missed out on the bronze medal. In
the final, England A and Wales A enjoyed a good contest, but it was the home
team of Wales A who were the stronger team on the day and they took the gold
medal by 2 ends to 0. Photo: England B 600kg team - represented by Felton Eccles
The ladies 520kg competition saw England A being represented
by Bedford Ladies, and England B being represented by Army Ladies. In the group
stages of the competition, the two England teams went 1-1 with each other, and
both teams also defeated the A and B teams from Wales and the team from the
Republic of Ireland to progress to the semi finals along with Scotland A and
Scotland B. Photo: England B Junior Ladies Team - Represented by a combined ACF team
In the semi finals, England A pulled Scotland A and England
B pulled Scotland B. On this occasion both of the England teams were defeated
by their Scottish opponents so had to face each other for the bronze. A close
pull in the bronze medal match saw England A (represented by Bedford Ladies)
take the bronze by 2 ends to 0 against England B (represented by Army Ladies).
The final saw Scotland A take the gold medal against their B team. Photo: England A Junior Ladies 520 Team represented by a combined ACF team
The mens 600kg competition saw England A being represented
by Norton and England B being represented by Felton Eccles. England also
fielded a C team in this weight made up of pullers from the England Under 23
Development Squad. Wales also fielded an Under 23 C team in this weight which
made a good competition being pulled as a straight group of 10 teams. England B
had an exciting pull first on with Northern Ireland A who were represented by
Bancran who became European Champions in 2015. This pull saw Northern Ireland A
take the first end, but England B performed strongly on the second end to make
the score 1-1. England A progressed through the group well to go through the
group stage of the competition without losing an end. Photo: England C 600kg Under 23 Team
The England C under 23 team gave a very encouraging
performance in this weight class, going 1-1 against the Wales C under 23 team,
and then defeating the Wales B team by 2 ends to 0 in a very good performance,
which is a good stepping stone for the Under 23 team in the build up to the
European Championships in Southport in 2017. If anyone under the age of 23 is
interested in becoming part of the England Under 23 Development Squad and wish
to register your interest, then visit the Under
23 page of this web site. Photo:England A 600kg team - Represented by Norton
In terms of the medal pulls, both England A and England B
made it through to the semi finals. England A met Ireland A and England B met
Northern Ireland A. England A defeated Ireland A to make the final by 2 ends to
0 and Northern Ireland A this time defeated England B by 2 ends to 0 to reach
the final. Photo: England B Ladies 520kg team - represented by Army Ladies
The bronze medal pull saw England B take on Republic of
Ireland A and England B recorded another good performance by taking a
thoroughly deserved bronze medal by 2 ends to 0. The final saw England A take
on last year’s UK and European Champions Northern Ireland A. Unlike last year’s
UK championship final between these two teams, who both endured a very lengthy
contest, the contest was short, but fierce with England A putting in a convincing
performance to defeat Northern Ireland A by 2 ends to 0 to take the British and
Irish Championships crown. Photo: England B Junior Men 560kg team - represented by a combined ACF team
The Junior Men 560kg competition saw all of the British and
Irish nations entered other than Scotland. England fielded an A and B team in
this weight class that were made up by combined ACF teams. Both the England A
and B team progressed to the semi finals, along with the Wales A and B teams. Photo: England A Ladies 520kg Team - Represented by Bedford Ladies
England A faced Wales B, and England B faced Wales A. Unfortunately
both teams lost out to Welsh opposition and went to pull each other for bronze.
England A juniors took the bronze by 2 ends to 0 against England B. Wales A
then went on to secure the gold medal against Wales B in a very close match. Photo: England A junior men 560kg team - represented by a combined ACF team
The afternoon competitions saw the mens 680kg, ladies 560kg
and mixed 600kg take place.
In the ladies 560kg, England A were represented by Kilroe
Ladies, and England B were represented by Haldon Ladies who were representing
England for the very first time. Both teams performed well in the group stages,
with England A topping the group, and England B finishing the group in second
place, so both progressed to the semi finals. Photo: the medals up for grabs
Both clubs faced Scottish opposition. England A faced
Scotland B, and England B faced Scotland A. Both matches were identical in
outcome, with both of the England teams taking the first end in their
respective semi finals, before both Scottish teams levelled the scores by
taking the second end. On the third and deciding end in both semi finals, both
of the Scottish coaches won the toss of the coin and had the choice of the
slightly better end. Scotland won both of the second ends, so despite looking
like we might have got an all England Ladies final, we ended up with England A
and B pulling each other for bronze. On this occasion, England A took the
bronze by 2 ends to 0, but it was a great experience for the England B ladies
in their first international competition. Scotland A took the gold medal by defeating
Scotland B by 2 ends to 0. Photo - the junior mens and ladies squads
The mens 680kg competition saw Two Dales represent England
A, and Lincoln represent England B. The competition included teams from all of
the other participating nations, including the Republic of Ireland A team
represented by G&B who have been dominant in their home country this year
by winning all of the national titles available there. Photo: England B Ladies 560kg team - represented by Haldon Ladies
England B turned out to be the strongest team in this weight
class in the group stages, only dropping one end to the Ireland A team on their
way to topping the group. Ireland A finished as group runners up, followed by
Scotland A and England A. In the semi finals, England B defeated England A by 2
ends to 0, and Republic of Ireland A defeated Scotland A by the same score. Photo: England A Men 680kg team - represented by Two Dales
England A went into the bronze medal match against Scotland
A, which was another close 3 end match. Scotland A took the first end, but
England A then took the second end. Scotland won the toss for the choice of the
third end, and then pulled England over the line to secure the bronze. The
final was between England B and Republic of Ireland A. Both teams went 1-1 in
the group and many were expecting a close final, but the England B team
performed very strongly in this weight to outperform the Republic of Ireland to
take the gold medal by 2 ends to 0. Photo: England A Ladies 560kg team - represented by Kilroe Ladies
The final weight of the international competition was the
mixed 600kg. England A were represented by Norton / Kilroe Ladies and England B
were represented by Lincoln / Bedford Ladies. Both teams dominated the group
stages by finishing as the top two teams - England A in first place and England
B in second place. England A pulled Scotland A in the first semi-final, and
England B pulled Wales A in the second semi-final. Both of the England teams
progressed in straight ends to set up an all England final. The end result saw
England A win a well deserved gold medal by 2 ends to 0 against England B.
Wales A won the bronze medal by 2 ends to 1 against Scotland A. Photo: England B 680kg team - represented by Lincoln
The
following day, the open competition took place. English clubs competing in the
open competition were Norton, Lincoln, Felton Eccles, Bedford Ladies, Kilroe
Ladies, Haldon Ladies, Army Ladies, Brampton YFC, Haldon Men, Gloucester ACF,
LNR ACF, Derby ACF. Photo: England B Ladies 560kg team congratulate each other on their performances.
English clubs competed well in the open competition, coming away with a
number of good results. Lincoln won the 680kg competition by defeating G&B
from Ireland in the final. Felton Eccles finished third ahead of Cornhill from
Scotland. Lincoln then defeated G&B again in the final of the 640kg
competition, with Norton finishing third ahead of Bancran from Northern Ireland
in fourth. Felton Eccles took gold in the 600kg competition after defeating
Norton by 2 ends to 1 in the final. In the ladies competition, Army Ladies won
the 520kg competition, with Haldon picking up the silver medal. Haldon Ladies
then won the ladies 560kg competition after defeating Bedford Ladies in the
final. English success continued in the junior 4+4 competition with Gloucester
winning the gold medal, with LNR ACF finishing as runners up, and Derby ACF
finishing in third place.
England officials for the championships were Peter Craft, Mick
Grimston, Wendy Dyer and Betty Craft.
Countries Represented
Men 600kg - England (A, B and C), Wales (A, B and C), Northern Ireland (A), Republic of Ireland (A), Scotland (A)
Junior Ladies 520kg - England (A and B), Wales (A), Northern Ireland (A)
Junior Men 560kg - England (A and B), Wales (A and B), Northern Ireland (A), Republic of Ireland (A)
Ladies 520 - England (A and B) - Wales (A and B), Republic of Ireland (A), Scotland (A and B)
Men 680kg - England (A and B) - Republic of Ireland (A and B), Scotland (A), Wales (A), Northern Ireland (A and B)
Ladies 560kg - England (A and B), Wales (A and B), Scotland (A and B), Republic of Ireland (A)
600 4+4 - England (A and B), Scotland (A and B), Wales (A and B), Republic of Ireland (A).
Results Men 600 - Gold - England A (represented by Norton) - Silver - Northern Ireland A - Bronze - England B (represented by Felton Eccles) - 4th - Republic of Ireland A
Junior Ladies 520 - Gold - Wales A - Silver - England A - Bronze - Northern Ireland A - 4th - England B
Junior Men 560 - Gold - Wales A - Silver - Wales B - Bronze - England A - 4th - England B
Men 680kg - Gold - England B (represented by Lincoln - Silver - Republic of Ireland A - Bronze - Scotland A - 4th - England A (represented by Two Dales)
Ladies 520 - Gold - Scotland A - Silver - Scotland B - Bronze - England A (represented by Bedford Ladies) - 4th - England B (represented by Army Ladies)
Ladies 560kg - Gold - Scotland A - Silver - Scotland B - Bronze -
England A (represented by Kilroe Ladies) - 4th - England B (represented
by Haldon Ladies)
600 4+4 - gold - England A (represented by
Norton) - Silver - England B (represented by Lincoln) - Bronze - Wales A
- 4th - Scotland A
Sunday 14 August - Open Competition Results
Clubs competing:
Men - England - Lincoln, Norton, Felton Eccles, Haldon, Brampton - Northern Ireland - Garvagh, Bancran (A and B) - Republic of Ireland - Ballinastoe, Donoughmore, G&B - Scotland - Cornhill, Ayrshire - Wales - Llanboidy
Ladies - England - Army Ladies, Bedford Ladies, Kilroe Ladies, Haldon Ladies - Wales - Penhow - Scotland - Cornhill, Ayrshire - Ireland - Ballisastoe
Juniors - England - Gloucester (A, B), Derby, LNR - Ireland - Eire OG - Northern Ireland - ACF
Results
Men 600kg - Winners - Felton Eccles - Runners Up - Norton
Men 680kg - Winners - Lincoln - Runners Up - G & B (Ireland)
Men 640kg - Winners - Lincoln - Runners Up - G & B (Ireland)
Tug of war returned to the Cheshire Game and Angling Fair
for the second year running, with a good number of teams in attendance. The
teams that competed were as follows: Men - Bosley, Two Dales, Holland, 4 RA,
Halkyn, Norton, Ashbrook, Lincoln, Felton Eccles, Chipping, Under 23s -
Ladies/Youth - Vale o Lune, Kilroe Ladies, Haldon Ladies, Bedford Ladies,
Gloucester ACF Boys, Gloucester ACF Girls, LNR ACF, Upton on Severn, Army
Ladies.
Good crowds gathered to watch the tug of war throughout the
day, and they were treated to some good competition without, including some
good three end finals.
The first weights of the day were the mens catchweight and
ladies/youth 560kg competitions. The mens catchweight was pulled in a straight
group of 7 teams, with the top two teams pulling again in the final. In this
weight, we welcomed newly formed Ashbrook from Cheshire, and they competed well
in this weight to finish 5th overall. The top two teams emerged as
Lincoln and Felton Eccles. Lincoln repeated their catchweight success from the
previous weekend of competition by defeating Felton Eccles by 2 ends to 0 in
the final. Photo: Ashbrook
The ladies/youth 560kg competition had a good entry of teams
and was split into two groups. Bedford Ladies, Kilroe Ladies, Upton and
Gloucester Boys progressed to the semi finals. Both Gloucester Boys and Upton
progressed from their respective semi finals to meet each other in the final.
This was a very close match up going to three ends. Gloucester Boys won the
first end, but Upton put up a good fight in the next two ends to take first
place. Photo: Bosley
The mens 600kg competition then followed and was split into
two groups. Lincoln and Bosley started with a very long pull in the first match
of their group, with the match going 1-1. The winners of the first group were
Felton Eccles with the England under 23 development team finishing as group
runners up, and Two Dales were the winners of group 2, with Bosley finishing as
runners up. In the semi finals, Felton Eccles defeated Bosley by 2 ends to 0,
with the other semi final going to a close 3 ends, with Two Dales eventually
progressing. The final of this weight class between Felton Eccles and Two Dales
gave us another 3 end pull, with Felton Eccles edging it by 2 ends to 1. Photo: Two Dales
The mens 680kg and ladies/youth 520kg then followed. There
were two groups in the 680kg competition. Norton, Felton Eccles, Lincoln and
Two Dales all progressed to the semi finals. Norton overcame Two Dales by 2
ends to 0 in their semi-final, and Lincoln overcame Felton Eccles in the second
semi final. Norton and Lincoln then faced each other in the final, and Norton
came away with a 2 ends to 0 win. Photo: Gloucester Junior Ladies
The Ladies/Youth 520kg competition was an exciting event.
Again it was split into two groups. Gloucester, Upton, Army and Haldon all
progressed to the semi finals. In the first semi final, Gloucester Boys
defeated Haldon, but the second semi final was a very exciting match between
Upton and the Army Ladies. Upton took the first end, but the Army Ladies took a
very close second and third end to take a well earned place in the final. In
the final, Gloucester Boys took the win by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Chipping
The mens 640kg and ladies/youth 540kg competitions followed.
The 640kg competition was again pulled as two groups. Norton and Felton Eccles
emerged from group 1 ahead of Bosley and Lincoln, and some close pulling in
group 2 saw Halkyn emerge as group winners, along with Two Dales, ahead of
Chipping and 4 RA. The semi finals saw Felton Eccles overcome Halkyn and Norton
overcome Two Dales. The final saw Felton Eccles put up a good fight against
Norton, but it was the current national champions from Norton who took the gold
medal by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Kilroe Ladies
The ladies and youth 540kg competition was pulled as a
straight group and after the round robin stage, Haldon and Gloucester Boys
progressed to the final. In the final, Gloucester Boys took the first end, but
after a determined fightback, Haldon took the next two ends to take a well
deserved gold medal. Photo: Upton on Severn Juniors
The final weight of the day was the 4+4 competition. Felton
Eccles and Bedford contested the final, with Felton Eccles taking the gold
medal by 2 ends to 0.
The officials on the day were Mick Grimston, Gavin Corden,
Dave Kitchener, Dave Hamer, Wendy Dyer, Mark Williams and Adele Hamer. Pete
Dyer was the announcer for the day. Well done to the officials who were present
on the day who ran the competition efficiently, and despite the large number of
teams competing, completed the competition by 5pm.
Men Catchweight - Winners - Lincoln - Runners Up - Felton Eccles
Men 600kg - Winners - Felton Eccles - Runners Up - Two Dales
Men 680kg - Winners - Norton - Runners Up - Lincoln
Men 640kg - Winners - Norton - Runners Up - Felton Eccles Mixed 600kg - Winners - Felton Eccles - Runners Up - Bedford
31/07/2016 - EAST OF ENGLAND CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS
Teams competing - Felton Eccles, England Under 23s, 3RLC, Lincoln (A and B), Holland, Bosley, Halstead, Thames Valley, Haldon Ladies, Kilroe Ladies, Bedford Ladies, Army Ladies, LNR ACF, Derby ACF
This weekend, teams
battled it out in four mens weight classes, two ladies weight classes and one
mixed weight class. Even though some teams did not compete this weekend, the
competition was still very close between some of the teams competing which made
for an exciting day of competition.
The mens catchweight
and the ladies 560 competition was first on the programme. The mens catchweight
only had a small entry of teams, pulled in a small group with the top two teams
progressing to the final. The top two teams were Felton Eccles and Lincoln with
Lincoln winning the final by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Under 23 Squad
The Ladies 560 kilos
competition had a strong entry of teams, with Bedford Ladies, Army Ladies,
Haldon Ladies, Kilroe Ladies, Derby ACF and LNR ACF all taking part. There was
some close pulling in this weight, with Kilroe Ladies and Army Ladies
progressing to the final. Kilroe Ladies won the gold medal in this weight by 2
ends to 0, Army Ladies taking silver. Photo: Army Ladies
The mens 600kg
followed, pulled as a straight group with the top two teams progressing to the
final. There was some good tight pulling in this weight. The England Under 23
development team proved to be one of the strongest teams in the event, only
dropping two ends to Bosley in the group to progress. 3 RLC and Holland also
gave the teams some tight ends to contend with. The final standings at the end
of the group stage saw Bosley progress as group winners, followed by the Under
23 team who finished ahead of Felton Eccles. The final was between Bosley and
Under 23s. The Under 23s took a hard fought first end, with Bosley turning it
around to take the second end. On the third end, the Under 23s eventually ran
out of steam and Bosley took first place. Photo: 3RLC 4+4 Team
The ladies 520kg
competition saw another good entry of teams, and those entered into the 560kg
competition were joined by the 3 RLC ladies team. Like the 560kg competition,
there were some very close ends. This time Haldon and Kilroe Ladies progressed
to the final. Haldon Ladies have made great improvements throughout this season
as they build towards the British and Irish Championships on 13 and 14 August,
and they performed well to win the final against Kilroe Ladies by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Derby ACF 4+4 Team
The mens 680kg
competition was again pulled as a straight group. Felton Eccles and Lincoln
defeated all of the teams in front of them before meeting each other in the
final pull in the group stages. This was most definitely the pull of the weight
class, with Lincoln winning a tremendously tough battle between the two teams
which was really exciting to watch by those present. On the second end, Felton
Eccles won the pull to level the scores. As both teams finished top of the
group, they both had to pull each other again in the final. It wasn’t quite as
fraught as the group match however, and Lincoln pulled well to win the final by
2 ends to 0. Photo: LNR ACF 4+4 Team
The final mens
weight of the competition was the 640 kilos competition. Felton Eccles were by
far the strongest team in this weight class in the group stages and they topped
the group without losing an end, leaving Lincoln A and B, Halstead, 3 RLC,
Bosley and Holland to fight it out for second place to see who would go to the
final. After some hard ends, Bosley and Lincoln A met in the last round, and
both teams had a good battle, going 1-1. With the TWIF criteria applied, Bosley
qualified for the final having received fewer cautions. In the final, Felton
Eccles dominated the pull, winning by 2 ends to 0.
The final weight of
the day was the 600 mixed competition, which had a good entry of teams, and the
competition was split into two groups. The teams that emerged into the final
were Bedford, and they met the team formed between Haldon Ladies and Halstead
YFC. It was a good close final between the two teams, but it was Bedford who
won the final by 2 ends to 0, to finish off a day where we had 6 different
teams winning different weight classes in the 7 weights on offer, which shows
how competitive the event was this week.
Officials on the day
were Mick Grimston, Peter Craft, Peter Tuckwell, Wendy Dyer and Betty Craft.
Results Summary
Men Catchweight - Winners - Lincoln - Runners Up - Felton Eccles
Men 680 - Winners - Lincoln - Runners Up - Felton Eccles
Men 640 - Winners - Felton Eccles - Runners Up - Bosley
Men 600 - Winners - Bosley - Runners Up - England Under 23s
Ladies 560 - Winners - Kilroe Ladies - Runners Up - Army Ladies Ladies 520 - Winners - Haldon Ladies - Runners Up - Kilroe Ladies
The funeral of Mr Keith
Brindley will take place on Wednesday 3 August at 2pm at Rugby
Crematorium, Ashlawn Road, Rugby, CV22 5ET.
All members of the tug of war community past and present are welcome to attend.
25/07/2016 - 2016 INTER COUNTY TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS
640kg - Winners - Staffordshire (Represented by Norton) - Runners Up - Berkshire (Represented by Sandhurst)
680kg - Winners - Staffordshire (Represented by Norton) - Runners Up - Lincolnshire (Represented by Lincoln)
Photo: Staffordshire (represented by Norton) - Winners of the Inter County 640kg and 680kg Championship Titles 2016
17/07/2016 - SOUTH WEST OPEN TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS
This weekend saw teams
competing at the South West Open Competition, hosted by Felton Eccles Tug of
War Club in Bristol. The teams were greeted by some warm and dry weather conditions,
and it was great to see more YFC teams out and about as they prepare for the
forthcoming NFYFC National Championships in August. The teams competing were as
follows: Felton Eccles, Stourminster Newton, Haldon, Anstey, Bosley, Lincoln,
Norton, Sandhurst, and Two Dales. Photo: Felton Eccles
The day started with the
catchweight competition, pulled as a straight group with the top four teams
competing in a semi-final and final. No team went through the group stage
without losing an end, and the teams that progressed to the semi-finals were
Lincoln, Two Dales, Felton Eccles and Haldon. In the semi-finals, Felton Eccles
defeated Haldon, and Lincoln defeated Two Dales. In the final, Felton Eccles
defeated Lincoln by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Lincoln
The second weight of the day
was the 600kg competition, which was run under the same format as the
catchweight competition. This time, Norton finished top of the group, followed
by Felton Eccles. A number of other teams took ends off each other in the
remainder of the group matches, and it was Bosley and Haldon that progressed.
In the semi finals, Norton defeated Bosley by 2 ends to 0, and Felton defeated
Haldon by 2 ends to 0. In the final, Norton took the gold medal by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Anstey
The third weight of the day was
the 680kg competition. Again, this competition was pulled as a straight group,
but this time, the top two teams in the group went straight through to the
final. There was a good group match between the two
YFC teams of Haldon and Stourminster Newton, which went 1-1, but the battle for
the top two places ended up being between Lincoln, Norton and Felton Eccles.
The points difference between the teams meant that it was Lincoln and Felton
Eccles that progressed to contest the final, with Lincoln progressing without losing an end. Both of these teams had a close
pull in the group, but this time it was Felton Eccles who won the final by 2
ends to 0 to take their second win of the day. Photo: Norton
The final weight of the day was
the 640kg competition, again pulled in one straight group to give teams plenty
of competition. Felton Eccles once again emerged as the gold medal winners for
the day, making it a hat-trick of wins from the four finals they reached on the
day. Photo: Haldon
The officials on the day were -
Judges - Ray Fray-Smith, Mick Grimston, Dave Kitchener, Tim Tatler - Timekeeper/Recorders
- Wendy Dyer, Sharon Hutchins and Mark Williams. Photo: Stourminster Newton
13/07/2016
- FRED CABLE - FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS
The funeral of Fred Cable, founder
member of the Reedham Vikings TOWC, will take place on Friday 5th
August at 2pm at St John The Baptist Church, Church Road, Reedham, Norfolk, NR13 3UH. The church service will be followed by a wake
at Reedham Club.
Donations payable to Asthma UK may be sent to Gordon Barber Funeral Home, 13 Carlton Road, Lowestoft, NR33 0RU.
All members of the tug of war community are
welcome to attend.
13/07/2016 - KEITH
BRINDLEY
The Tug of War Association are sad to
learn of the passing of Mr. Keith Brindley.
Keith started his pulling career in the North West of England with
Bosley Woodtreatment during the 1960's. He competed for Bosley for some years until he
moved to Daventry in the Midlands. Keith competed with Staverton and
Daventry Tug of War Clubs until they stopped competing and then carried on in
the sport with Raunds Woodbine Tug of War Club, where he pulled until the late
1980's.
Keith pulled both Indoor and Outdoor TOW and represented England
in the United Kingdom Outdoor Championships in Jersey in 1983. Keith
was a regular visitor to our competitions and was at both Daventry and
the AAA Championships this year with his wife, Lynn.
Our thoughts and condolences are with
Keith’s family, friends and team mates at this sad time.
Funeral details will be published when
known.
10/07/2016 - EAST CHESHIRE HOSPICE RESULTS
Teams competing - Men -
Felton Eccles (A and B), Norton, Bosley, York, Whitley Chapel, Longridge, Derby
ACF - Ladies and Youth - Gloucester
ACF Boys, Gloucester ACF Girls, Derby ACF, Kilroe Ladies, Bedford Ladies,
Haldon Ladies, Army Ladies, Upton on Severn - Mixed - Bedford, York, Upton on Severn / Army.
This weekends event was hosted by Bosley Tug of War Club in Astbury
near Congleton where the club was raising funds for the East Cheshire Hospice.
There were 5 weight classes for mens teams, along with ladies and youth league
weight classes at 520kg and 560kg. The day finished with the mixed 4+4. Also in
attendance at the competition were around 20 under 23 pullers wishing to compete
for a place in the England under 23 teams for the forthcoming British and Irish
Championships and World Under 23 Championships. Photo: Derby ACF
The catchweight competition started proceedings, pulled as a straight
group with the top two teams progressing to the final. The final two ended up
being Norton and Felton Eccles, with both teams giving us a 3 end final. Norton
took a close first end, and then Felton battled hard to take the second end. The
third end was equally as close, with Norton taking first place. Photo: Whitley Chapel YFC
The ladies and youth 560kg was pulled as a straight group, which gave
all of the teams competing a lot of pulling, with a good number of ladies and
junior pullers taking part. After some close competition, Gloucester ACF Boys took
first place, ahead of Upton on Severn YFC who finished as the overall runners
up. Photo: Army Ladies
The mens 600kg competition followed with some good even contests
throughout. Felton Eccles first two pulls against Norton and Bosley all went
1-1, and the match between Norton and Bosley also went 1-1, which meant that
half way through the competition, points between these teams were even to
determine who would progress. However, later on in the competition, Felton
Eccles dropped ends to both York and Longridge, which meant that Bosley and
Norton progressed to the final. Like the group match between these two teams,
the ends were close, but Norton took the pull by 2 ends to 0 to finish in first
place. Photo: Haldon Ladies
The ladies and youth 520kg competition was another close event, with
Army Ladies and Haldon Ladies winning some good ends against some of the more
established teams in the ladies and youth league. The final standings saw Upton
on Severn win the competition without losing an end, with Gloucester ACF Boys
taking the overall runners up spot. Photo: Gloucester ACF Girls
The mens 720kg competition saw a smaller entry than the other weights,
but it was again Norton and Felton Eccles that contested the final. Felton
Eccles this time turned the tables from the catchweight competition, and took
first place by 2 ends to 0.
Photo: Gloucester ACF Boys
The 680kg competition followed, with some good competitive matches
between a number of teams, including Whitley Chapel and York who had a close
match to determine which team would finish second in the group and meet Felton
Eccles in the final. York progressed to meet Felton Eccles, and it was Felton
Eccles who finished in first place, defeating York by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Bosley
The 640kg competition was the final mens weight of the day, and at the
start of the competition, we had a heavy downpour of rain, which turned out to
be a good leveller between all of the teams. No team went through the group
without losing an end, and with a number of teams taking ends of each other, it
was interesting to see which teams would progress to the final. Felton A
progressed to the final along with Bosley. Felton Eccles A won the final by 2
ends to 0 to take their third winners spot of the day to round off a good day
for them. Photo: Upton on Severn
The last weight of the day was the 600kg 4+4. There was some close
competition in this weight class all the way through, with Bedford and Upton on
Severn / Army progressing to the final. Bedford continued their strong form by
taking both ends in the final to finish as overall winners. Photo: Felton Eccles
Well done to all of the teams who took part. The officials on the day
were Dave Hamber, Gavin Corden, Peter Craft, Betty Craft and Adele Hamer.
Results Summary
Men Catchweight - Winners -
Norton - Runners Up - Felton Eccles
Men 600kg -Winners - Norton
- Runners Up - Bosley
Men 720kg - Winners - Felton
Eccles - Runners Up - Norton
Men 680kg - Winners - Felton
Eccles - Runners Up - York
Men 640kg - Winners - Felton
Eccles - Runners Up - Bosley
Ladies / Youth 560kg - Winners
- Gloucester ACF Boys - Runners Up -
Upton on Severn
Ladies / Youth 520kg - Winners
- Upton on Severn - Runners Up -
Gloucester ACF Boys
Mixed 600kg 4+4 - Winners -
Bedford - Runners Up - Upton on
Severn / Army
ENGLAND UNDER 23 DEVELOPMENT SQUADS - MEN AND LADIES - 2016
The Tug of
War Association intends to form under 23 mens and ladies teams to compete at
the forthcoming British and Irish Championships in Wales in August, and the
World Championships in Malmo, Sweden in September.
The age limit for male Under 23
Competition is from the beginning of the year a puller turns 18 until the end
of the year you reach the age of 22.
The age limit for female under 23 competition is from the beginning of the year a puller turns 16 until the end
of the year you reach the age of 22.
Details for getting involved in
the mens and ladies teams are below
Under 23 Ladies
The
England TOWA is considering developing an under 23 ladies team to partake in
the World Championships in Sweden. We already have a number of ladies who
have come forward for this. Mr David Kitchener is managing this and has
organised a training day on 24th July at
Kempston Hammers, Kempston, Bedford starting at 11.00am.
We would
strongly encourage any eligible girls/ladies to come along.
If
you are interested please complete the form which you can download by clicking here and email to David
Kitchener - david.kitchener@lineone.net, or you can speak to
David further on 01234 720086
Under 23 Men
It is the intention of the Tug of
War Association to form Under 23 mens squads to compete at the British and
Irish Championships on the weekend of 12th - 14th August 2016 in Wales and the
World Outdoor Tug of War Championships in Malmo, Sweden on the week of 7 - 12
September 2016.
If you are interested in becoming
part of the mens Under 23 Development Squad, then please download and complete
the application form by clicking here
and return it to Under 23 Manager Dave Knott as soon as possible. The weight
class for Under 23 competition is 600kg.
When returning the form, please
indicate whether or not you are available to compete at:
a) the British and Irish
Championships (hosted by Wales)
b) the World Championships (hosted by Sweden)
c) both the British and Irish Championships and the World Championships
If you are unable to attend
either championship, but wish to be considered for selection in 2017 when
England are hosting the World Under 23 Championships in conjunction with the
European Championships, then please let us know.
There will be a meeting and training pulls for
anyone wishing to become part of the male Under 23 Development Squad on Sunday
10 July in conjunction with the event being held at Glebe Farm, Peel Lane,
Astbury, Congleton, Cheshire, CW12 4RQ. All
under 23 pullers are requested to attend. If you are unable to attend, please
inform the Under 23 manager.
Please can all clubs pass this
information on to your younger members.
It is with great sadness that friends and fellow ex-team members
have to announce the passing of Fred Cable at the age of 81 after a
short illness.
Fred was the founding member of Reedham Vikings
Tug of War Club in Norfolk, which he started in 1958 after being
introduced to the sport during his National Service, The club competed
very successfully for many years thanks to Fred's dedication and hard
training regime, culminating in becoming National Catchweight champions in 1979. Fred also served as TOWA East of England Area Chairman during the early 1970's.
He will be very sadly missed by all who were involved with him in the sport.
Funeral details will be forwarded to us when known. Our thoughts go out
to his family, friends and former team mates at this sad time.
18/06/2016 - NATIONAL OUTDOOR TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS, MACCLESFIELD - RESULTS
Teams Competing - Lincoln, Norton, Bosley, Two Dales, Holland, Haldon, Felton Eccles, Sandhurst, Oxney Vines Cross, York, 4 Regiment RA, Bedford Ladies, Kilroe Ladies, Haldon Ladies, Holland Ladies, Army Ladies, LNR ACF, Gloucester ACF
The 2016 Tug of War Association National Outdoor Tug of War
Championships were this year hosted by Macclesfield Rugby Club in Cheshire. Up
for grabs were gold medals in 6 weight classes for mens teams, 2 weight classes
for ladies teams and a senior mixed weight category. We also held the junior
national championships. Unfortunately, entries were limited this year, so we
were only able to hold a junior championship with one weight class – the junior
mixed 560kg, which was a new weight class introduced this year.
The day started with the mens 640kg competition, which was
split into two groups. Defending champions Norton were in group 1 and they went
through to the semi finals without losing an end. Lincoln finished in second
place in group 1 and also progressed. The competition was close in group 2,
with Felton Eccles and Oxney Vines Cross – 2 very successful teams in this
weight class in the past - went 1 end
each first on. Felton then continued through the group without losing another
end to progress as group winners, with Two Dales finishing in second place in
the group.
In the 640kg semi final, Norton overcame Two Dales by 2 ends
to 0, and in the second semi final, there was a great pull between Lincoln and
Felton Eccles. Lincoln took the first end, Felton Eccles took the second end
and then Lincoln won a very close third end to make it through to the final. In
the bronze medal pull, Two Dales did what they were unable to do in the group
stages and defeat Felton Eccles by 2 ends to 0 to win the bronze medal. Onto
the final between Norton and Lincoln, and Norton went on to win their 5th
National 640kg title in a row by 2 ends to 0.
After the 640kg competition, the junior mixed 560kg
competition took place. Contesting the final was Gloucester ACF and LNR ACF. It
was a great final between these two junior teams which really did go all the
way down to the wire, with Gloucester taking the gold medal by 2 ends to 1 in a
crowd pleasing 3 end pull. Well done to both of these junior teams for making
the effort to compete at this years national championships. Hopefully we will
have more junior teams enter next year in the junior men, junior ladies and
junior mixed weight classes.
The
Mens 580kg and catchweight competitions were then held, along with the ladies
540kg competition.
The mens catchweight competition turned out to be an
exciting event, despite the small number of teams entered. Holland TOWC from
Staffordshire met Oxney Vines Cross in the final, and this match went to three
ends, with Holland taking the first end and Oxney battling hard to take the
second end. Both teams gave everything in the deciding end, with Holland edging
it to take gold at this weight, after having to settle for silver in this
weight at the previous national championships.
The mens 580kg competition was pulled as a straight group.
Defending champions Norton started off by defeating Felton Eccles first on, and
Sandhurst edged out Bosley in the first round of pulling. After the group
stage, Norton, Sandhurst and Bosley emerged as the top three teams. The final
position for the fourth spot in the medal pulls was between York and Felton
Eccles. Both teams were level on points, and after using the TWIF criteria to
separate the teams, Felton Eccles progressed.
Norton and Sandhurst competed in the final, and Felton
Eccles and Bosley ended up competing for the bronze medal. Bosley took a close
pull by 2 ends to 0. In the final, we had yet another lightweight final between
Norton and Sandhurst. Norton took a tight first end, but Sandhurst rallied on
the second end and made a good fight of the pull, getting Norton under
pressure, however Norton recovered well to take the second end and the gold
medal.
The ladies 540kg was equally a very exciting competition,
with an improved entry of teams this year. No team went through the group stage
of this competition without dropping an end this year, however it was the teams
of Kilroe Ladies and Bedford Ladies that emerged as the top two teams in the
group stage. The close competition between Haldon Ladies, who were making their
national debut), Army Ladies and Holland Ladies eventually saw Haldon Ladies
and Holland Ladies emerge as the third and fourth teams.
Holland Ladies and Haldon Ladies went on to contest the
bronze medal, and Haldon Ladies came away with a fantastic bronze medal on
their national debut by 2 ends to 0, much to the delight of themselves and
their supporters. The final between Bedford Ladies and Kilroe Ladies was
another exciting final with Kilroe winning a fairly even match up by 2 ends to
0 to take the gold medal.
The mens 700kg competition followed. This was an interesting
competition which saw Norton top the group without topping an end. The battle
for second place was close, with Oxney Vines Cross and Lincoln finishing level
on points. After the TWIF criteria was applied, Oxney progressed to the final
in second place. Holland and Lincoln went on to pull for the bronze medal with
Lincoln winning the bronze medal by 2 ends to 0. In the final, Oxney put up a
good fight against Norton, but it was Norton who came away with another gold
medal by 2 ends to 0.
The ladies 500kg competition turned out to be another great
ladies competition and provided just as much excitement as the 540kg
competition. Bedford Ladies this time went through the group stage as winners,
followed by Army Ladies, Haldon Ladies and Kilroe Ladies. Bedford Ladies and
Army Ladies went on to contest the final, but first the bronze medal had to be
decided between Kilroe Ladies and Haldon Ladies. Haldon Ladies made a great day
of it by taking their second bronze medal of the day by 2 ends to 0. Well done
to them. The final was between Bedford Ladies and the Army Ladies. This was
another good ladies final. On the first end, Bedford took an early advantage,
but at one stage it looked as though the Army Ladies would get back into the
match, but Bedford managed to recover to take the end. The second end was just
as close a match up, but Bedford took the end and the gold medal.
The mens 600kg was next on the agenda, and this weight class
was split into two groups. Norton won group 1 ahead of Bosley, and Felton
Eccles were the winners of Group 2 ahead of Two Dales. In the cross over,
Felton Eccles defeated Bosley by 2 ends to 0, and Norton defeated Two Dales by
2 ends to 0. In the bronze medal match, Two Dales took their second bronze
medal of the day by 2 ends to 0 against Bosley. The final saw Felton and Norton
contest the 600kg final for the second year running, but Felton were this year
unable to turn the tables on Norton, and Norton took the gold medal by 2 ends
to 0.
The final mens weight class of the day was the 680kg
competition, which was again split into two groups. There were a lot of close
matches in this weight, but it was Norton, Lincoln, Felton Eccles and Two Dales
that emerged as the semi-finalists. In the first semi-final, Norton overcame
Lincoln, and in the second semi-final, Two Dales overcame Felton Eccles.
Lincoln and Felton contested for the bronze medal with Lincoln taking their
third medal of the day by 2 ends to 0. The final saw Two Dales take on Norton,
with Norton hoping to repeat their success from 2014 and win 5 gold medals.
Norton did just that, and won the final by 2 ends to 0.
The final weight of the day was the mixed 600kg, which saw
an improved entry of teams this year, with the competition being split into two
groups. Two Dales and Lincoln progressed from group 1, and Norton and Bedford
progressed from group 2. In the semi-finals, Lincoln defeated Bedford and
Norton defeated Two Dales. In the bronze medal match, Two Dales had run out of
steam and Bedford took the bronze medal by 2 ends to 0.
The final between Lincoln and Norton was probably the best
final of the day, which went all the way down to the wire, going to 3 ends.
Lincoln took a close first end which lasted for almost 6 minutes. Norton then
had to battle very hard to take a very close second end in just under 5
minutes. Norton eventually took a third end and their 6th gold medal
of the day.
Our thanks go to Macclesfield Rugby Club for allowing us to
stage the 2016 National Championships and to Ben Rathbone for working on behalf
of the TOWA behind the scenes in getting the event set up.
The officials on the day were:
Judges - Mike Callaghan (Chief Judge), Peter Craft,
Ernie Jones, George Ferrett, Adrian Willis, Roger Beardsmore, Mick Grimston,
Ray Fray-Smith
680kg - Winners -
Felton Eccles - Runners Up - Lincoln
Catchweight - Winners
- Lincoln - Runners Up - Felton
Eccles
Many
thanks to the teams for turning out for the competition. It was an enjoyable
days sport, with some excellent pulling.
Two
new trainee recorders (Hannah & Kate) were introduced to the job, both
ladies doing extremely well. Our thanks go to them for standing in at a minutes
notice and seeing the competition through.
30/05/2016 - NORTHUMBERLAND SHOW RESULTS
600kg - Winners -
York - Runners Up - Turf Turners
640kg - Winners -
York - Runners Up - Brampton A
680kg - Winners -
York - Runners Up - Turf Turners
22/05/2016 - FELTON ECCLES TOWC OPEN COMPETITION RESULTS
580kg - Winners -
Sandhurst
600kg - Winners -
Norton
640kg - Winners -
Norton
680kg - Winners -
Norton
Catchweight - Winners
- Norton
Ladies and Youth
560kg - Winners - Gloucester ACF
Ladies and Youth
560kg - Winners - Gloucester ACF
21/05/2016 - HEREFORDSHIRE FYFC RESULTS
Juniors - Winners
- Pontriglas
Men 600kg - Winners
- Creswell
Men 680kg - Winners
- Pontriglas
21/05/2016 - BEDFORDSHIRE FYFC RESULTS
Junior Winners -
Leighton Buzzard
Ladies Winners -
Leighton Buzzard
Men 680kg Winners
- Blunham
21/05/2016 - DEVON COUNTY SHOW RESULTS
Ladies Catchweight -
Winners - Haldon Ladies
Mens Catchweight -
Winners - Anstey
15/05/2016 - TWO DALES TOWC OPEN COMPETITION RESULTS
Men 600kg - Winners
- Norton
Men 640kg - Winners
- Felton Eccles
Men 680kg - Winners
- Norton
Men Catchweight -
Winners - Norton
Ladies 560kg -
Winners - Holland
14/05/2016 - LINCOLNSHIRE FYFC RESULTS
Junior 560kg - Winners
- Market Rasen
Ladies 580kg -
Winners - Wragby
Men 680kg - Winners
- Louth
Men Catchweight -
Winners - Louth
14/05/2016 - FARLEY ESTATE FYFC RESULTS
Junior - Winners
- Feniscliffe
Ladies - Winners - Feniscliffe
Men - Winners - Knarsborough
14/05/2016 - STAFFORDSHIRE FYFC RESULTS
Juniors 560kg -
Winners - Eccleshall
Ladies - Winners - Stone Men
Catchweight - Winners - Waterhouses
08/05/2016 - AAA CHAMPIONSHIPS AND MIDLAND AREA CHAMPIONSHIPS, ALCESTER - RESULTS
AAA Catchweight -
Winners - Lincoln
AAA 640KG - Winners
- Norton - Runners Up - Two Dales
Open 600kg - Winners
- Bosley - Runners Up - Lincoln
Open 640kg - Winners
- Norton - Runners Up - Lincoln
Open 680kg - Winners
- Norton - Runners Up - Felton
Eccles
Ladies and Youth
560kg - Winners - Gloucester ACF - Runners
Up - Upton on Severn
Ladies and Youth
560kg - Winners - Gloucester ACF - Runners
Up - Upton on Severn
02/05/2016 - GUILDFORD SHOW RESULTS
Men Catchweight -
Winners - Sandhurst
Men 680kg - Winners
- Oxney Vines Cross
Men 640kg - Winners
- Sandhurst
02/05/2016 - NORTH SOMERSET SHOW RESULTS
Men 640kg - Winners
- Felton Eccles
Men 680kg - Winners
- Felton Eccles
01/05/2016 - DAVENTRY OPEN COMPETITION
Men 580kg - Winners
- Norton
Men 600kg - Winners
- Lincoln
Men 640kg - Winners
- Norton
Men 680kg - Winners
- Norton
Men Catchweight - Winners - Lincoln
01/05/2015 - WHITLEY CHAPEL OPEN COMPETITION RESULTS
York, Whitley
chapel, Brampton A & B, Haltwhistle, Turfturners and Stamfordham competed at the Northern Region TOWA event hosted by Whitley Chapel, who were hosting a TOWA event for the first time.
The results were as follows:
Men 600kg - Winners - Whitley Chapel - Runners Up - York
Men 640kg - Winners - York - Runners Up - Whitley Chapel
Men 680kg - Winners - Whitley Chapel - Runners Up - York
Men catchweight - Winners - York - Runners Up - Brampton
600kg 4+4 - Winners - York - Runners Up - Whitley Chapel
17/04/2016 - LONGRIDGE TOWC OPEN COMPETITION
AT THAMES VALLEY TOWC OPEN COMPETITION
This weekend two competitions again took place with an event taking
place in Lancashire hosted by Longridge, and an event in Berkshire hosted by Thames
Valley Tug of War Club. Reports from both events are below.
LONGRIDGE TOWC OPEN COMPETITION
Longridge hosted the second leg of the northern league in the beautiful
sunshine, the competition was hard and the ends were all hard fought for
between all of the teams that took part. The event saw teams from Lancashire,
Yorkshire, Cumbria and Shropshire taking part. Photo: Host Club Longridge
The
final results were as follows:
Men Catchweight - Winners -
Bilsborrow - Runners Up - Chipping
Men 600kg - Winners - Longridge - Runners Up - York
Ladies 580kg - Winners - Vale o Lune
- Runners Up - Diesel Power
Men 680kg - Winners
- Bilsborrow - Runners Up - York
660k 4x4 -
Winners - York - Runners Up -
Diesel power
Men 640kg -
Winners - York - Runners Up -
Diesel power
Photo: Diesel Power
THAMES VALLEY TUG OF
WAR CLUB OPEN COMPETITION
Teams from
Thames Valley, Felton Eccles, Oxney Vines Cross, Sandhurst and Bosley took part
at Thames Valley’s annual open competition in Berkshire. Like with the
Lancashire event, the weather was dry, and there was some good close ends
between the teams in all weight classes.
The
catchweight got off to a good competitive start. Felton Eccles topped the group
stage having only dropped one end in the group, and they progressed to the
final where they met Oxney Vines Cross. Despite Felton having won the match in
the group between these two teams, Oxney performed strongly to win the final by
2 ends to 0. Photo: Oxney Vines Cross
The
second weight of the day was the 600kg competition. Again, there was some
closely fought ends in the group stage, but it was Bosley and Sandhurst who
progressed through to the final. Bosley won the 600kg competition for the
second weekend running by defeating Sandhurst by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Host Club Thames Valley
The
620kg competition was again fiercely contested, and like the 600kg competition
earlier, Bosley and Sandhurst began to emerge as the top two teams. These two
teams met in the final pull of the group stage which went 1-1, before both
teams met again in the final. This was a very hard fought final, which Bosley
won by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Sandhurst
The
final weight of the day was the 640kg competition. Oxney Vines Cross emerged as
the strongest team in this weight class, winning the competition without
dropping an end. Sandhurst reached their third final of the day by finishing as
runners up. Photo: Bosley
10/04/2016 - BEDFORD
LADIES OPEN COMPETITION AND BOROUGHBRIDGE YFC OPEN COMPETITION
This weekend two competitions took place with an event
taking place in Yorkshire hosted by Boroughbridge, and an event in Bedfordshire
hosted by Bedford Ladies Tug of War Club. Reports from both events are below.
BEDFORD LADIES OPEN
COMPETITION (TOWA NATIONAL LEAGUE WEEK 1)
Teams competing: Men - Norton, Lincoln (A and B), Felton
Eccles, Sandhurst, Oxney Vines Cross, Widecombe, 4th Regiment,
Blunham YFC, Bosley, Holland, Two Dales, Gloucester ACF
Ladies and Youth - Bedford Ladies, Gloucester ACF Boys,
Gloucester ACF Girls, Upton YFC, Kilroe Ladies, Team Army Ladies
There was a good entry of teams at the first weekend of the
Tug of War Association national league with some good competitions throughout
both the mens competitions and the ladies and youth competitions.
A minute of silence was held during the competition in
memory of former TOWA Chairman, President and Life Vice-President Mr. Peter
Baker who passed away recently.
The day
started with the mens catchweight and ladies and youth 560kg competition. The catchweight competition was pulled as a straight group
competition, with the top two teams in the group progressing to a final.
Lincoln performed strongly in the group to reach the final without losing an
end. The competition for second place in the group was close, with Norton
eventually progressing through in second place. The final between Norton and Lincoln
was very close. Lincoln took the first end, but Norton managed to take the next
two ends to win the first weight class of the day. Photo: Oxney Vines Cross
The ladies and youth 560kg competition saw Gloucester ACF
Boys win the competition without losing an end, with Upton YFC finishing as
worthy runners up ahead of the other ladies and youth teams. Photo: Holland
The mens 600kg competition was split into two groups of 6
teams. Group 1 contained Norton, Sandhurst, Two Dales, Bosley, Holland and
Lincoln, and Group 2 contained 4th Regiment, Felton Eccles, Oxney
Vines Cross, Gloucester ACF, Blunham YFC and Widecombe. The top team from each
group would progress to the final after the group stages had completed. The
winners of group 1 were Bosley, who finished ahead of Norton and Sandhurst as
the nearest challengers, however the second group was very close with teams
dropping ends. Blunham YFC certainly gave a lot of the teams a good run for
their money, taking some good scalps along the way. Oxney Vines Cross
eventually emerged as the group winners to meet Bosley in the final. In the
final, Bosley defeated Oxney by 2 ends to 0 to win their first weight class of
the season. Photo: Team Army Ladies
The ladies and youth 520kg competition again saw some close
competition, with some evenly matched ends between Bedford Ladies and Kilroe
Ladies, but the pull of the competition came in the deciding match between
Upton YFC and Gloucester ACF, with Upton YFC this time taking first place
without losing an end. Gloucester ACF finished as runners up. Photo: Host club Bedford Ladies
The mens 680kg competition was again split into two groups,
with Felton Eccles finishing as winners of group 1 ahead of Two Dales, Bosley,
Lincoln B and Oxney. Norton finished as the winners of group 2 ahead Lincoln A,
Sandhurst, Widecombe and Holland. Norton and Felton met in the 680kg final for
the second week running, with Norton taking their second weight of the day by 2
ends to 0. Photo: Gloucester ACF Junior Ladies
The final weight of the day was the mens 640kg competition
that was split into two groups. Norton progressed to the final from group 1
ahead of Oxney Vines Cross, Felton Eccles and 4th Regiment, and
Bosley progressed from group 2 ahead of Two Dales, Sanhurst and Lincoln. In the
final Norton took their third weight of the day by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Widecombe
The officials on the day were Mick Grimston, Roger
Beardsmore, Peter Craft, Graham Marshall, Vic Ludkin, Betty Craft, Yvonne
Ludkin.
BOROUGHBRIDGE YFC
OPEN COMPETITION (NORTHERN LEAGUE WEEK 1)
Only 4 teams weighed in, but it was 4 evenly matched teams
that produced some very hard fought ends of Tug of war. The teams that competed
were Boroughbridge, Whitley Chapel, York and Longridge.
The day kicked off with the 600kg, where Whitley Chapel
started with a 2 ends to 0 win over Longridge, then York and Boroughbridge went
1 end each, which seemed to be the tone early in the day. York then went 1 end
each with Whitley Chapel and so did Longridge and Boroughbridge. The final
round saw York and Longridge go to 1 end each and Whitley Chapel beat Boroughbridge
2-0. York and Whitley Chapel then went again in the final with York taking a
close 2-1 victory. Photo: Boroughbridge
The 640kg was a very tough weight, again all 4 teams went
hard and ended up with a three way tie between York, Longridge and Whitley
Chapel, so there was a three way pull off to decide who should meet in the
final. Whitley Chapel beat Longridge 2-0, then York beat Whitley Chapel 2-0,
then York went 1 each with Longridge, so we had a rematch of the 600kg final. This
time Whitley Chapel fought very hard and took a 2-0 victory. Photo: Whitley Chapel
The 680 kg followed, again all 4 teams pulled hard, and this
time it was Whitley Chapel and Boroughbridge that met in the final, Whitley
Chapel showed why they are YFC national champions and put on a show of strength
and style to take a 2-0 victory. Photo: York
The day finished with a two team catch weight, but as there
was 4 ladies present, each team included
2 ladies. This time Boroughbridge took revenge and beat Whitley Chapel 2-1 in a
hard fought pull.
A massive thankyou to all the teams for attending and to
Stuart Bell for Judging all day and to Georgina Spakouskas and Rachel Lewis for
recording. The organisers are looking forward to the next round of the Northern
League, which is being hosted by Longridge on Sunday 17 April.
08/04/2016 - PETER BAKER
The Tug of War Association is very sad to announce the
passing of former TOWA Chairman, President and life Vice President Mr. Peter
Baker.
Peter was involved in tug of war for very many years. After
many years of active pulling, Peter served tug of war as a judge and committee member.
Peter became a TOWA Grade 1 Judge and a TWIF International Judge.
Between 1991 and 1998 Peter served as TWIF Senior Vice
President.
Peter was a well respected puller, committee member and
judge. He was well known for his booming voice and firm but fair judging and
his decisions were always fully respected by pullers.
In recent years, Peter took a back seat from organising,
officiating and attending tug of war events, however he attended recent
European Championships hosted by England in both 2007 and 2011 as an announcer,
with many pullers and officials often stopping by the control box to say hello
and catch up, such was the regard people had for him.
In 2004 Peter Baker was awarded with an Olympic Diploma from
the International Olympic Committee for his services to tug of war. Peter also
holds the Tug of War Association Award of Merit for services to tug of war and
the Tug of War Association.
The Tug of War Association passes on their condolences to
the Baker Family, friends and colleagues at this sad time. We will share the
funeral arrangements when known.
03/04/2016 - BOSLEY TUG OF WAR CLUB OPEN COMPETITION RESULTS
Bosley
Tug of War Club this weekend hosted their own tug of war competition in Astbury,
near Congleton, Cheshire. The event was short on officials this year but those
officials in attendance did a good job in the circumstances getting 5 mens
weights and 2 ladies and youth weights done before 6pm. The weather remained
dry all day although the ground was soft following the recent wet weather.
The teams
who took part were Bosley, Norton, Felton Eccles, Lincoln, York, 4 Regiment, Two
Dales, Holland Men, Kilroe Ladies, Bedford Ladies, Upton on Severn, Vale o Lune
ladies, Gloucester ACF and Holland Ladies. Photo: Upton on Severn Juniors
The soft
ground made for some good competitive ends, however it was Norton who were the
dominant force on the day, winning all 5 of the mens weight classes at 600kg,
640kg, 680kg, 720kg and catchweight. Photo: Vicky Plant of Kilroe Ladies
The most
competitive weight of the day was the mens 600kg competition, with 9 teams
entered pulling as a straight group, with some hard fought battles and some 1-1
pulls. Bosley finished as runners up to Norton in this weight after a good
battle between these two teams to decide the winner. Photo: Vale o Lune Ladies
In the
other mens weights, Lincoln finished as runners up to Norton in the Catchweight
and 720kg competitions, Felton Eccles finished as runners up in the 680kg
competition, and Bosley finished as runners up in the 640kg competition. Photo: Norton lining up ready to pull
There was
some good competition in the ladies and youth weights also, with 6 clubs taking
part. Upton-on-Severn from Worcestershire finished as winners in the 560kg
competition, with Gloucester ACF finishing as runners up. Photo: 4 Regiment
In the
520kg competition, Bedford Ladies finished as the winners, with Upton-on-Severn
finishing as the runners up. The pull of the ladies and youth competitions was
between Vale o Lune Ladies and Bedford Ladies, with Vale o Lune coming very
close to taking a hard fought first end, with the experience of Bedford Ladies
coming through in the end. Photo: Host Club Bosley
The
officials on the day were Ray Fray-Smith, Tony Henshaw, David Hamer and Adele
Hamer.
2017 EUROPEAN OUTDOOR TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS AND WORLD
JUNIOR AND UNDER 23 CHAMPIONSHIPS - SOUTHPORT - ENGLAND
We are pleased to announce that the European Outdoor Tug of War Championships
will be taking place in England during 18-25 September 2017, and will be held
in Southport, Lancashire.
The event will include both the international competitions, as
well as an open club competition, which any club team can take part in,
as long as your national governing body is affiliated to TWIF, and as
long as your team is a registered member of your national governing
body. The competition will be held at Carr Lane Playing Fields in Southport,
and accommodation will be provided by Pontins.
We are pleased to be able to announce package prices for accommodation,
which will be available for 3, 5, 6 and 7 night packages on either a self
catering or half board basis. All package prices include accreditation.
We are also pleased to announce discounted accommodation package prices
for all juniors (aged 18 and under in accordance with the TWIF age group for junior competitors) attending the event!
Our event web site will be available later this year, but in the
meantime, you can download a leaflet about the event, which includes
accommodation package options, by clicking
here.
A MESSAGE FROM THE FAMILY OF PAT MERCER
The family of Pat Mercer would like to thank everyone for the
beautiful floral tributes and messages of sympathy for our mum Pat who
passed away recently, and to all of you that attended the funeral.
It meant so much to us, to see how highly thought of she was by everyone.
Thank you
Janet, Susan and Family
21/02/2016 - WORLD INDOOR TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS
The 2016 World Indoor Tug of War Championships have just concluded in Volendam, Netherlands.
England traveled to the event with probably our smallest number of
teams and pullers ever to an indoor world championships, meaning that we were only
entered into three mens weight classes.
Unfortunately this time
we have not come away with any medals from a World Indoor
Championships, the very first time this has happened.
Our thanks go to the clubs of Raunds, Uppertown and Kilroe, their
pullers, coaches and supporters who made the effort and showed the
commitment to travel out to this event to represent their country at
their own personal expense.
We would like to thank everyone back home for all of the messages of support as well.
The full results from the event are below.
The indoor tug of war season has now concluded and will start again in
October 2016. We are looking for more teams and pullers to take part in
the next indoor season, so if anyone fancies giving indoor tug of war a go, then please
contact us.
See you all soon on the outdoor circuit!
21/02/2016 - WORLD INDOOR TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS - DAY 4 - INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION RESULTS - AFTERNOON SESSION
Men 680kg
The 680kg competition took place this this afternoon, with England
entered into the event and being represented by Kilroe, supported by
Raunds and Uppertown. England progressed from the group to reach the knock out stages of the
competition and went into the semi finals, being defeated by the hosts the Netherlands
in the semi finals before going into the bronze medal match against
Ireland. Unfortunately England missed out on a medal again to finish in
fourth place. Well done and thank you again to those pullers from
Kilroe, Raunds and Uppertown for your efforts at these championships.
The final result was as follows:
Gold - Scotland Silver - Netherlands Bronze - Ireland 4th - England (represented by Kilroe)
Junior Men 560kg
England did not have a team entered into this weight class, however the final result was as follows:
England did not have a team entered into this weight class, however the final result was as follows:
Gold - Chinese Taipei Silver - China Bronze - Basque Country 4th - Netherlands
21/02/2016 - WORLD INDOOR TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS - DAY 4 - INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION RESULTS - MORNING SESSION
Men 600kg
England were entered into this weight class and were represented by Raunds Tug of War Club from Northamptonshire. This was one of the largest groups of the international competition, which made for some good competition. Unfortunately on this occasion, England missed out on a place in the knock-out stages of the competition and the chance to compete for a medal. England finished 6th in the world overall. Well done to Raunds, and The Tug of War Association would like to thank them for their hard work and commitment to train for and prepare for this event.
The final result was as follows:
Gold - Scotland Silver - Chinese Taipei Bronze - Basque Country 4th - Ireland
Ladies 500kg
England did not have a ladies team entered in this weight class this year. The final result was as follows:
Gold - China Silver - Chinese Taipei Bronze - Basque Country 4th - South Africa
20/02/2016 - WORLD INDOOR TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS - DAY 3 - INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION RESULTS - AFTERNOON SESSION
Men 640kg
England competed in this weight class and were represented by Uppertown Tug of War Club from. England competed well in this weight class to reach the semi finals. In the semi finals, England were defeated by Scotland and went into the bronze medal match to face Ireland. Unfortunately, England missed out on a medal in the 640kg competition
finishing in 4th place. Scotland retained their title from 2014
defeating the Netherlands in the final. Well done to
Uppertown tug of war club and all the hard work and effort you have put
in to represent your country.
The final result was as follows:
Gold - Scotland Silver - Netherlands Bronze - Ireland 4th - England (represented by Uppertown) Men Under 23 600kg
England didn't enter a team into the mens Under 23 competition, however the final result was as follows:
Gold - Chinese Taipei Silver - Basque Country Bronze - Netherlands 4th - Belgium
20/02/2016 - WORLD INDOOR TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS - DAY 3 - INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION RESULTS - MORNING SESSION
Men 560kg
England did not enter a team into the mens 560kg competition this year, however the results were as follows: Gold - Ireland Silver - Chinese Taipei Bronze - Northern Ireland 4th - Scotland
Ladies 540kg
England did not enter a team into the ladies 540kg competition this year however the final results were as follows: Gold - China Silver - Chinese Taipei Bronze - Basque Country 4th - Netherlands
19/02/2016 - WORLD INDOOR TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS - DAY 2 - OPEN COMPETITION RESULTS - AFTERNOON SESSION
There were no English clubs competing this afternoon, however the results of this afternoons weight classes were as follows:
Men Open 680kg Result
Gold - St Pats (Ireland) Silver - TTV IT Heidenskip B (Netherlands) Bronze - TTV IT Heidenskip A (Netherlands) 4th - Carndonagh (Ireland)
Mixed 4+4 Open 600kg Result
Gold - Chinese Taipei Silver - Ibarra (Basque Country) Bronze - Tinto (Scotland) 4th - TTV De Groene Oase (Netherlands)
Junior Men Open 560kg Result
Gold - Nantou High School (Chinese Taipei) Silver - TTV De Groene Oase (Netherlands) Bronze - TTV De Berketrekkers (Belgium)
19/02/2016 - WORLD INDOOR TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS - DAY 2 - OPEN COMPETITION RESULTS - MORNING SESSION
Men Open 600kg Result
Gold - St Pats (Ireland) Silver - Mountain View (Ireland) Bronze - Sokarri (Basque Country) 4th - TTV Lagerweij (Netherlands)
Raunds from England competed in this weight class, finishing 3rd in
their group, so missed out on finishing in the top two of their group to
progress to the knock-out stages of the competition.
18/02/2016 - WORLD INDOOR TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS - DAY 1 - OPEN COMPETITION RESULTS - AFTERNOON SESSION
Men Open 640kg Result
Gold - St Pats Tug of War Club (Ireland) Silver - TTV Deinum Britsum (Netherlands) Bronze - Tinto (Scotland) 4th - TTV IT Heidenskip (Netherlands)
Kilroe from England competed in the 640kg event today, but
unfortunately didn’t progress from their group to the knock-out stages.
Men Under 23 Open 600kg Result
Gold - NTUS (Chinese Taipei) Silver - University of Taipei (Chinese Taipei) Bronze - Berriozar (Basque Country) 4th - TTV De Berketrekkers (Belgium)
18/02/2016 - WORLD INDOOR TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS - DAY 1 - OPEN CLUB COMPETITION RESULTS - MORNING SESSION
Men Open 560kg Result
Gold - Mountain View (Ireland) Silver - St. Pats Tug of War Club (Ireland) Bronze - Sokarri (Basque Country) 4th - Country Club Tug of War Club (Northern Ireland)
Ladies Open 540kg Result Gold - Chinese Taipei Silver - Gaztedi (Basque Country) Bronze - Ibarra (Basque Country) 4th - Disa Ladies (South Africa)
09/09/2016 - PAT MERCER
The Tug of War Association is sad to announce the passing
of Pat Mercer on Monday night, Pat passed away peacefully after a long
term illness.
Pat and her husband Joe were stalwarts of the Association
and were there at its inauguration in 1958.
Pat will be remembered by many within the Tug of war community as an
uncompromising supporter of all the teams her husband pulled for and
trained, Beckton Gas, Curzon Ben Truman, Rainham Lessa and finally
St.Georges, and as many will recall she didn't take prisoners from the
sidelines, or when she collected raffle money for the Rosedale League.
Even when Joe retired they were both ever present at the numerous
competitions up and down the country and abroad.
She will be greatly missed.
Details of the funeral will be posted when confirmed and anybody wishing
to send a card may send them to:
Mrs J Donelly
80 Sandown Road
Benfleet
Essex
SS7 3SJ.
06/02/2016 - 2016 BRITISH AND IRISH INDOOR TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS
The
British and Irish Indoor Tug of War Championships took place at Huddersfield Sports
Centre at the weekend with representative teams from the British and Irish
Countries battling it out for the gold medals in the three international weight
classes on offer at 600kg, 680kg and Mixed 600kg, before competing in an open
club competition at 560kg and 640kg.
This
was the very first British and Irish Championship as the previous Unitied
Kingdom Championship was expanded this year to include the Republic of Ireland.
A big welcome to the Irish Tug of War Association, and we look forward to
having some great championships going forward. Photo: England B 600kg Team Represented by Raunds
The
event started with a short opening ceremony to welcome all of the teams, and a
minutes silence in memory of UK Commission Chair Rosemary Smith from Wales was
observed. This is the first championship for many years where Rosemary will not
be present and she will be missed by everyone. Photo: England A 600kg Team Represented by Kilroe
The
pulling started with the mens lightweight category with the teams competing up
to the maximum team weight limit allowed of 600 kilos. In this competition,
England A were represented by Kilroe, and England B were represented by Raunds.
All of the countries taking part fielded A and B teams in this weight class.
There was some very intense pulling the group stage, with England A having a
couple of No pulls against Scotland B and Northern Ireland A to make their
start to the competition very tough. England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and
Republic of Ireland all got a team through to the semi finals. The English team
to get through were England B, represented by Raunds. In the semi finals,
Scotland A defeated Republic of Ireland A, and Northern Ireland B defeated
England B. England B were left to fight it out for the bronze medal with
Ireland A, and in a very exciting contest came away with the bronze medal,
winning by 2 ends to 0. Photo: England A 680kg Team Represented by Uppertown
The
final between Northern Ireland B and Scotland A was a good spectacle,
especially on the first end, which was very close with Northern Ireland taking
Scotland a good way, before Scotland took a good amount of rope back. Northern
Ireland got themselves back into the pull and Scotland were eventually blown
out for receiving three cautions. Northern Ireland then took the second end a
little easier to take a well deserved gold medal. Photo: England B 680kg Team Represented by a Composite Team
The
mens heavyweight division was contested with a maximum team weight limit of 680
kilos. England A were represented by Uppertown and England B were represented
by a composite team. Again, each of the participating countries contested the
group stage with A and B teams. The group stage was again keenly fought, but this
time, England got both their A and B team through to the semi finals, along
with Scotland A and Republic of Ireland A. Photo: England A Mixed 600kg 4+4 Team Represented by Kilroe
The
first semi final saw England A defeat Republic of Ireland A, but the contest of
the tournament came in the other semi final between England B and Scotland A.
This match went to 5 ends. England B took the first end, but the second end was
declared a “no pull” after each team had received three cautions each. Scotland
then took the restart, and the next end was again declared a no pull. The final
end saw Scotland A take it which denied an all England final. Photo: Scotland A 680kg Team
Republic
of Ireland A defeated England B for the bronze medal by 2 ends to 0, but in the
final England A took the gold with a great performance against Scotland A to
win by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Republic of Ireland A 600kg team
The
final international weight class of the day was the mixed 600kg competition,
where each team competes with four men and four ladies in their teams. England
A (represented by Kilroe) again proved to be the dominant force by taking the
gold medal by 2 ends to 0 against Scotland A in the final. Photo: Country Club from Northern Ireland in the Open Club Competition
Following
the international competition, a club competition was held, with tug of war
clubs from all of the UK and Ireland countries taking part. Again there was
more exciting contests with the Uppertown Club from near Chesterfield in
Derbyshire taking gold in the mens 640kg competition by defeating Country Club
from Northern Ireland in the final. Cuan Rithe from Ireland won the bronze
medal, with Kilroe finishing in 4th place. Photo: Uppertown Tug of War Club from Derbyshire - winners of the Open Club 640kg Competition
The
final weight of the day was the mens 560kg competition, which is the lightest
weight division for mens teams. This competition was again keenly contested
with Country Club from Northern Ireland taking gold against Raunds from
Northamptonshire who won silver. Uppertown took bronze to claim their second
club medal of the competition after an exciting 2 ends to 1 win against Cuan
Rithe from the Republic of Ireland which had everyone on their feet cheering on
both of the teams.
Following
the competition, the teams enjoyed the presentation dinner at the Cedar Court
Hotel where awards for the gold, silver and bronze medallists in each weight
category were presented. Awards were also presented to the officials and
speeches made. Well done to all of those who took part in the first British and
Irish Tug of War Championships. It was a memorable day of competition, and it
sets the standard for some excellent competition going forward. We look forward
to the next British and Irish Championships, which takes place outdoor on 12
August 2016 and will take place in Llandrindod Wells, Wales.
Championship
Officials - Judges - Mick Grimston, Mike Callaghan and Peter Craft (England),
David Wilson (Northern Ireland), Dan McCarthy (Republic of Ireland) - Recorders
- Betty Craft and Wendy Dyer (England)
Thank you also to everyone who helped to set up and set down the arena
before and after the competition, and thank you also to TOWA Secretary Mick
Copper who did an awful lot of work behind the scenes to secure the venue,
accommodation and facilities for the presentation dinner.
Good
luck to all of the teams taking part at the World Indoor Championships in
Volendam, Netherlands later this month.
The final results were as follows:
Men Closed 600kg Gold - Northern Ireland B Silver - Scotland A Bronze - England B (represented by Raunds) 4th - Republic of Ireland A Men Closed 680kg Gold - England A (represented by Uppertown) Silver - Scotland A Bronze - Republic of Ireland A 4th - England B (represented by a composite team)
Mixed Closed 600kg 4+4 Gold - England A (represented by Kilroe) Silver - Scotland A
Open Club 640kg Gold - Uppertown (England) Silver - Country Club (Northern Ireland) Bronze - Cuan Rithe (Republic of Ireland) 4th - Kilroe (England)
Open Club 560kg Gold - Country Club (Northern Ireland) Silver - Raunds (England) Bronze - Uppertown (England) 4th - Cuan Rithe (Republic of Ireland)
ROSEMARY SMITH
The Tug of War Association is sad to learn of the passing of Rosemary
Smith from the Welsh Tug of War Association. Rosemary was Secretary and
more recently chair of the U.K. Commission, Secretary and Chair of the
Welsh Association and a well known timekeeper/recorder at UK and TWIF
championships. Rosemary was a huge tug of war supporter and did a huge
amount for tug of war over very many years. Our condolences to
Rosemary's family, friends and the Welsh Tug of War Association.
2016 WORLD OUTDOOR TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS - MALMO - SWEDEN - 8-11 SEPTEMBER 2016
The event will include the open club competition on the first two days,
with the closed international competition taking place on the second two
days.
WHAT IS HAPPENING IN 2016?
A very happy new year!
We have lots of exciting things to look forward to throughout 2016. Below is a list of some of the big events that we have to look forward to:
Saturday 30th January - Tug of War Association Annual General Meeting - Roman Way Hotel, Cannock, Staffordshire
Saturday 6th February - UK Indoor Tug of War Championships - Huddersfield
18th - 21st February - World Indoor Tug of War Championships - Volendam, Netherlands
Saturday 18th June - National Outdoor Tug of War Championships - Macclesfield Rugby Club, Cheshire
Sunday 24th July - Inter County Tug of War Championships - Hosted by Forge Lane / Oxney - Sussex
8th - 11th September - World Outdoor Tug of War Championships - Malmo, Sweden
Saturday 3rd December - National Indoor Tug of War Championships - Harry Mitchell Centre, Smethwick, West Midlands
Make sure you put these events into your diaries and get your teams and supporters along. We are looking forward to a great year! A full list of the various events that will be taking place around the country indoor and outdoor throughout the year will be published at the end of January.
In addition to the above, the TOWA will be busy planning for the 2017 European and World Junior and Under 23 Outdoor Tug of War Championships, which England will be hosting in September 2017. If you are able to provide some time to support us with our preparations, or wish to sponsor this major event where well over 1500 pullers are expected to take part from all over the world, then please contact us.
05/12/2015 - NATIONAL
INDOOR TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS
The 2015 National Indoor Tug of War Championships were held at the Harry Mitchell Leisure Centre in Smethwick, West Midlands. The teams that competed were Lincoln, Raunds, Kilroe, Sheen, Uppertown, Sandhurst, Bedford Ladies and Kilroe Ladies. The results were as follows:
Well done to all of the teams and officials who took part. Photos and videos from the event are available on our Facebook Page.
SATURDAY 5 DECEMBER 2015 - NATIONAL INDOOR TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS NEWS
Follow the progress of the 2015 National Indoor Tug of War Championships throughout the day via our Facebook Page where results and photos will be published throughout the day.
If you use Facebook, make sure you like our page so you can see updates from the day and you can also view our photo albums from past events.
If you do not use Facebook, you can still view this page, even if you are not a Facebook member.
22/11/2015 - INDOOR LEAGUE WEEK 4 RESULTS
This weekend’s indoor tug of war competition saw Raunds,
Sheen (A and B), Kilroe, Uppertown, Sandhurst, Kilroe Ladies, Gloucester ACF (A
and B) and Bedford Ladies taking part. Competitions were held in weight classes
for mens teams and ladies and youth teams.
Raunds got the day off to a winning start by winning the
catchweight competition ahead of last weekend’s AAA championship winners Sheen.
The 600kg competition followed, which was well supported and was pulled in two
groups. Kilroe edged out Uppertown to finish top of group 1 and Raunds finished
ahead of Sheen in the second group to make their second final of the day so
far. In a well fought out final, Kilroe defeated Raunds by 2 ends to 0 to take
their first win of the day. Photo: Kilroe
The first ladies and youth competition was the 560kg
competition. Kilroe Ladies won the competition without losing an end. This
week, Gloucester ACF Juniors fielded two teams, having junior men and junior
ladies competing. In this weight however, Bedford Ladies finished as the
runners up. Photo: Uppertown coach Clem Sorrell urging his team on.
The 640kg competition was another keenly contested weight
class, with Uppertown and Raunds having a closely fought pull early on,
finishing 1-1. Both of these teams won all of their remaining matches in the
competition ahead of Sandhurst, Kilroe, and Sheen A and B. The final between
Raunds and Uppertown was another close match, going to three ends. Uppertown
took the first end, with Raunds winning the next two to take their second win
of the day. Photo: Sandhurst
The ladies and youth 520kg competition was another well
contested weight category, with Kilroe Ladies again finishing in first place.
This time, Gloucester ACF A made their first final of the indoor season to
finish as runners up ahead of Gloucester ACF B and Bedford. Well done to the
ladies and youth teams who competed again this week, and good luck to the cadets
who are taking part in the Army Indoor Tug of War Championships this Wednesday. Photo: Sheen
The 680kg competition was contested as a full group, and was
again a very close competition. At the end of the group stage, Raunds, Sheen
and Kilroe finished on level points having all taken ends off each other. After
the TWIF criteria was applied, Raunds and Sheen progressed to the final. In the
final, Raunds earned their third win of the day by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Gloucester ACF Juniors
This Sunday (29th November) is the final weekend
of competition before the Tug of War Association National Indoor Tug of War
Championships takes place on Saturday 5th December. All supporters
and spectators are welcome to come along and cheer the teams on, so make sure
you get yourselves there! Photo: Vicky Smith - Kilroe Ladies
15/11/2015 - AAA INDOOR TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS
The 2015 AAA Indoor Tug of War Championships took place this
weekend at the Harry Mitchell Leisure Centre, and it was good to see an upturn
in the number of competitors and people around the arena, and in particular a
nicely supported ladies and youth competition. The event saw teams from Beford
Ladies. Kilroe Ladies, Gloucester ACF, Raunds, Sandhurst, Sheen (A and B),
Kilroe, Uppertown, and Lincoln take part.
Photo: 2015 AAA Indoor Tug of War Championship Catchweight and 640kg Gold Medal Winners Sheen
The first competition was the AAA catchweight competition,
pulled as a round robin points competition with the top two teams competing in
the final to decide the gold and silver medals. Sheen were the dominant team in
the group stages, finishing top of the group without losing an end. Kilroe were
the team who progressed to the final as group runners up. In the final, Sheen
retained their AAA catchweight gold medal from 2014 by winning the gold medal
by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Raunds 640kg silver medal winning team.
The second weight of the day was the 640kg competition, with
Raunds entering the competition as the defending champions of 2014. Uppertown got
the competition off to a strong start by defeating Kilroe by 2 ends to 0, but
then had a good battle with Raunds, which Raunds won by 2 ends to 0. Sheen
started the competition well also, winning their early rounds, and eventually
progressed again as group winners. Raunds finished ahead of Uppertown, Kilroe
and Sandhurst for the second place in the group and a place in the final.
Raunds put up a good fight in the final against Sheen, but Sheen held firm on
both ends with Raunds never giving up. It was, however, Sheen’s day and they
took the gold medal by 2 ends to 0 to add to their very impressive list of
indoor tug of war titles. Photo: Lincoln
The open competition saw a good amount of pulling, with
three mens open weights and 2 ladies and youth weights.
The ladies and youth weights saw Gloucester ACF competing at
their first indoor tug of war competition alongside Bedford and Kilroe, which
was a good learning curve for them and it was great to see these youngsters
coming out and giving it a go, and above all enjoying themselves. The juniors
didn’t make any finals this time, but with more practice, they will make finals
in the future. In both the 520kg and 560kg weights, Kilroe Ladies were the
winners, with Bedford Ladies finishing as runners up. Well done to all of the
ladies and junior teams who took part this week. Photo: Gloucester ACF Juniors
The mens 680kg competition was split into two groups. There
were some good pulls in this weight, particularly between Sheen B, Sandhurst
and Lincoln, with Lincoln winning some very keenly contested ends between these
three teams. Kilroe finished as top of this group to make the final. In the
second group, Uppertown competed Strongly to head off strong challenges from
Raunds and Sheen in another keenly contested group. In the final, Uppertown met
Kilroe and pulled strongly to win the competition by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Bedford Ladies
The 600kg competition followed and was another keenly
contested competition that was split into two groups. Sheen won their group
ahead of Raunds, Bedford and Gloucester, with Kilroe winning their group ahead
of Uppertown and Sandhurst. In the final, Sheen and Kilroe had a good tight
pull on both ends, which Sheen won by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Uppertown - 680kg Winners
The final weight of the day was the open 640kg competition,
and another weight pulled in two groups. Sheen A won their group ahead of
Raunds and Sandhurst, whilst Kilroe won their group ahead of Sheen B, and
Lincoln. Sheen completed a dominant day by winning the final by 2 ends to 0.
There are now only 2 more open competitions to go before the
National Indoor Tug of War Championships take place on Saturday 5th
December. We look forward to more good competition in the coming weeks!
01/11/2015 - INDOOR TUG OF WAR WEEK 1 - MIDLAND INDOOR TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS
The 2015/16 indoor tug of war season commenced this weekend at the
Harry Mitchell Leisure Centre in the West Midlands. The competition was held on
the new indoor tug of war mats that have been purchased by both the Tug of War
Association, and the Tug of War Association Midland Area and our thanks are
extended to all of the volunteers who gave up their own free time over the past
few weekends to get the mats ready in time for the start of the indoor tug of
war season. Photo: Raunds competing in the 680kg competition
5 weight classes were held on the day at catchweight, 600, 620, 640 and
680. All of the weights were pulled as a straight group, with the top two teams
pulling again in the final. The teams that were competing at the competition
were Raunds, Sheen, Uppertown, Kilroe, Sandhurst and Kilroe Ladies. Photo: Sheen competing in the 620kg competition
A close catchweight competition started the day off with Raunds
progressing through the group unbeaten. The competition for the second place in
the final was close, with Sheen and Kilroe being the teams in contention. The
pull between these two teams went to 1 end each, but with Sheen picking up more
cautions through the competition it was Kilroe who made the final. In the
final, Raunds won the first weight of the season by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Kilroe Ladies
The second weight of the day was the 600kg competition. Sheen were the
dominant team in this weight with a good squad of young men, some of who were
pulling indoor for the first time this year. Sheen won the competition without
losing an end. Raunds finished as runners up after making their second final of
the day. Photo: Paul Rose of Kilroe
The 680kg competition saw Sandhurst start off Strongly by defeating
Sheen and Kilroe, and they made the final along with Raunds, who went through
the group unbeaten, only losing an end to Sheen. In the final, Raunds finished
as winners by beating Sandhurst by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Phil Lewis of Sandhurst being coached by Keith Dawkins, under the supervision of TOWA Judge Dave Kitchener
The 620kg competition saw Sheen follow up their good performance in the
600kg competition by going through the group stage of the competition unbeaten,
followed by Sandhurst who only dropped the two ends to Sheen. The final saw
Sheen take their second win of the day, winning the final by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Uppertown in the 640kg competition
The final weight of the day was the 640kg competition, with all teams
entering the fray for the final competition. Sheen topped the group without
losing an end, followed by Raunds who just edged out Uppertown to claim the
second spot in the final. Photo: TOWA Judge Gavin Corden
Results Summary
Catchweight - Winners - Raunds - Runners Up - Kilroe
600 - Winners - Sheen - Runners Up - Raunds
680 -Winners - Raunds - Runners Up - Sandhurst
620 -Winners - Sheen - Runners Up - Sandhurst
640 -Winners - Sheen - Runners Up - Raunds
GRAHAM TAYLOR
The Tug of War Association is sad to learn of the passing of Mr. Graham
Taylor.
Graham was both a puller and more recently a TOWA Judge. Graham was a
puller with the G&R team from St Austell, Cornwall for many years and after
hanging up his tug of war boots, became a TOWA Judge. Graham recently became a
Grade 1 TOWA Judge and was a well respected puller and judge on the circuit.
Our thoughts go out to his family, friends, team mates and colleagues
at this sad time.
TOWA HELP AND ASSISTANCE AT NON TOWA EVENTS
The Tug of War Association is compiling a record of “non-TOWA” events
that have taken place throughout 2015 around the country and we would like the
help of the membership to compile our record so that we can establish the level
of tug of war activities outside of the Tug of War Association circuit and
consider how we can better use this events to promote tug of war and encourage
more teams and pullers into the sport.
As such, if you or your team have helped to run a local tug of war
competition, fete, school sports day, scouts competition, charity tug of war
competition, YFC event, etc. or if you know of any other events that happen in your local area then please download the record form below and
return it to Terry Spoore by 31 October 2015.
Non TOWA Events – Record Form (Word Format)
As many people will be aware, Paddy Lewis, former Thames Valley coach passed away recently.
The funeral of Paddy Lewis will take place at 10:30 am Thurs 17th Sept
at St Michael's church Sandhurst, GU47 8HN, followed by the wake at
Sandhurst community Hall. Everyone is welcome to join the family. He wished for any donations to go to Thames Valley and Chiltern
air ambulance trust via Camberley and District funeral directors.
Our thoughts are with Paddy's family, friends and team mates at this sad time.
EUROPEAN OUTDOOR TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS - DAY 4 RESULTS
The final day of competition saw the mens 640kg and 720kg competitions take place, along with the under 23 600kg competition and the ladies 520kg competition.
The 720kg competition was on first and England were represented by Lincoln who won the club competition two days previously. England started off first with a good win against Ireland, before going on to pick up points against the other teams including Lithuania and Latvia to make the semi finals where they met Switzerland. Unfortunately England lost the semi finals and went into the bronze medal pull against the Netherlands. The first end was very close which went to the Netherlands, with Netherlands then taking the second end to take the bronze. Switzerland won the competition by beating Sweden in the final.
The Under 23 competition took place in the morning, with England being represented by a development team. It was a young and inexperienced team, and it ended up being a very tough competition, with the England team missing out on the semi finals. The team will have learned a lot from the experience and should come back stronger next year. The competition was again won by Switzerland with Germany taking silver, and Sweden the bronze.
The afternoon saw the mens 640kg competition take place. The competition was split into two groups and England were in a tough group with Switzerland,
Sweden, Ireland, Latvia and Scotland. England beat Scotland and Latvia and had a great pull with Ireland going 1-1. The team gave a good
account of themselves against Sweden and Switzerland but lost those two
matches by 2 end to 0. Ireland then took a point against Switzerland to
knock England down to fourth in the group. England then beat Belgium in
the 7th-8th pull off. Switzerland were again crowned champions after beating Germany in the final. Sweden took bronze.
The ladies 520kg competition saw England being represented by Kilroe Ladies. This was another close and keenly contested competition with lots of 1-1 pulls, with England unfortunately missing out on the semi-finals by 1 point. Switzerland finished a dominant championship by winning the gold, Sweden silver and Netherlands bronze.
EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS DAY 3 - RESULTS
The first day of the international competitions took place today, with England represented in the 560kg, 680kg, ladies 560kg, mixed 4+4 and junior 560kg competitions.
There was some excellent competition across all weight classes. The morning session saw the ladies 560kg and mens 680kg take place.
In the ladies 560kg competition, England were represented by Bedford Ladies and competed strongly in the group to progress to the semi finals along with Switzerland, Sweden and Scotland. In the semi finals England met Switzerland and lost out by 2 ends to 0. England then went into the bronze medal match to face Scotland. England put up a brave fight, but it was the Scottish girls who took the bronze with England having to settle for fourth place. Switzerland won the gold ahead of Sweden, with Sweden losing their first ladies European Championship for a very long time.
The mens 680kg competition saw England being represented by Felton Eccles. Unfortunately in this weight, England got off to a bad start and didn't recover enough ground on the other teams to make the semi finals. Sweden, Switzerland, Netherlands and Ireland all progressed to the semi finals, with Switzerland taking gold, Netherlands Silver, and Ireland bronze.
In the afternoon, the junior 560kg saw Gloucester ACF representing England. A very spirited performance from our young men saw them pick up points in the competition, but unfortunately not enough to progress to the semi-finals. This competition was again won by Switzerland, with South Africa taking silver and Sweden bronze.
The Mixed competition saw Holland represent England. Holland didn't have a lot of time to prepare for the event beforehand, but in the circumstances competed well but did not progress. Switzerland took gold, with the Basque Country taking silver and bronze went to Sweden.
The 560kg competition was very exciting with England being represented by Norton. The group stages were very open with lots of 1-1 pulls and a number of countries looked capable of winning the gold medal. England progressed to the semi finals along with Northern Ireland, Switzerland and Basque Country. England went into the semi-finals in fourth place having not actually lost to any other team in the competition. In the semi final they met the home nation Northern Ireland, but unfortunately lost out by 2 ends to 0 so went into the bronze medal match to face the Basque Country. This was another good match, going all the way to three ends. Unfortunately, England had to settle for fourth place. The final saw Northern Ireland take a well deserved gold medal by 2 ends to 0 against Switzerland.
EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS DAY 2 - RESULTS
English clubs were again in action in a number of weight classes on the second day of competition. Lincoln, Holland TOWC, Two Dales, our Under 23s and Kilroe Ladies were all in action.
The England Under 23 team was a young and inexperienced team, but coped with the occasion well and gave most of the teams competing a good run for their money. Unfortunately they didn't make the top 4 in the competition, but it was a good learning experience, finishing in 8th place overall.
The 720kg competition took place in the morning along with the under 23 competition, with the 720kg competition split into two leagues. Holland and Lincoln took part in the competition and were each in separate groups. Holland competed well in their group to finish third overall, so just missed out on a top two place in the group to progress to the semi finals. Lincoln were in a tough group containing some good Irish and Dutch teams, and progressed to the semi finals in second place in their group. In the semi finals, they met the team who they beat in the 2013 final - Gelderswoude from the Netherlands. Lincoln won the semi final by 2 ends to 0 where they went on to meet Lakehill from Ireland in the final. It was a good competitive final, but Lincoln held firm to take a well deserved gold medal by 2 ends to 0.
The afternoon competition saw the mens 640kg and ladies 520kg competition take place. Two Dales and Holland took part in the 640kg competition. Two Dales had a good competition, only losing to the German team of Bollen who went on to win the bronze, but a couple of 1-1 pulls meant that Two Dales missed out on a place in the knock-out stages.
Kilroe Ladies competed well in the ladies 520kg competition to make the semi finals of the competition, but lost to Jing Mei from Chinese Taipei in the semi-finals. Kilroe then missed out on bronze to Fam. Jannssens from Belgium for the bronze.Jing Mei went on to win the gold against Koapman in the final
English clubs were in action in a number of weight classes on the first day of the European Championships in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Felton Eccles, Holland TOWC, Bosley Wood Treatment, Gloucester ACF, Bedford, Norton and Kilroe were all competing in the 560kg, 680kg, mixed, junior and ladies weight classes that were on offer.
Felton
Eccles made the quarter finals of the 680kg competition in the morning, progressing in second place from their group to the quarter finals where they met
the eventual winners of the competition Ebersecken from Switzerland. In
the 560kg competition Bosley made the also made the quarter finals losing out to
the Basque team of Goiherri who went on to win the competition. Norton also competed in the 560kg competition, but missed out on progressing from their group behind Engelberg and Bancran.
Bedford Ladies and Gloucester ACF who
competed well in the ladies and junior weights but missed
out on the knock out stages of the competition after competing in a large group against some good teams
The best result for English clubs came at the end of the day, with Kilroe winning the gold medal in the 600kg 4+4 competition, finishing top of the group, and then went on to beat Huere from the Netherlands in the semi-finals before going on to defeat Eibergen from the Netherlands by 2 ends to 0 in the final.
Results Summary
Men 680kg European
Club Championships - gold - Ebersecken (Switzerland) - Silver - Bisons (Netherlands) -
Bronze - Engelberg (Switzerland) -
4th - G&B (Ireland)
World open club
junior 560kg - gold - Mosnang (Switzerland) - Silver - Oakdale B (South Africa) - Bronze - Oakdale A (South Africa)
European Club
Championships men 560kg - Gold - Gohierri (Basque) - Silver - Stans Oberdorf (Switzerland) - Bronze - Sins (Switzerland) – 4th
– Bancran (Northern Ireland)
We are considering venues for the
2016 National Championships. If any member has a venue in mind, taking into
consideration such things as, hotels, weigh in facilities, water, electricity
and that it needs to be generally self funding, could they please pass the
information to their Area Rep(s) or the Championships Secretary, Mr Mick Grimston.
Suggestions should be submitted for the next TOWA committee meeting on the 22nd
August so that any proposals can be reviewed and assessed prior to the November
TOWA committee meeting where a final decision will be made. A check-list of
requirements can be downloaded by clicking
here.
29/08/2015 - GENSB YOUTH INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT - HEINO - NETHERLANDS - RESULTS
This weekend,
the annual GENSB Youth International Tournament took place in Heino,
Netherlands. Around 350 Competitors from 9 different countries formed 40 junior
teams made up of junior male and junior female pullers. Photo:the teams line up for the GENSB opening ceremony
40
teams from 9 nations entered the competition (Germany 2 teams, England
4 teams, Netherlands 14 teams, Switzerland 8 teams, Belgium
5 teams, plus guests Ireland 2 teams, Northern Ireland 1 team, Wales 1 team,
Lithuania 1 team plus 2 Europa Mix). Photo: Grayrigg YFC from Cumbria waiting to pull.
The
ethos of the GENSB competition is a friendly international event, hosted on a
budget, with the price of accommodation capped at an affordable level for
competitors. As such, GENSB is an important event in terms of encouraging young
people involved in tug of war, and this is demonstrated by the number of teams
that take part in GENSB every year. Photo: Grayrigg YFC in action
England
had 4 teams competing in the event, with Gloucester ACF fielding 3 teams with
the support of other ACF clubs, including Derby, LNR and Somerset, with the
fourth team taking part being Grayrigg YFC from Cumbria, who were the runners
up in this year’s National Federation of Young Farmers GENSB Youth Tug of War
competition. Photo: Grayrigg YFC from Cumbria with Trecastle YFC from Wales.
The competition
was split into four groups of 10. All of the teams from England gave an
excellent account of themselves in the groups stages, with the top four in each
group progressing to the knock-out stages of the competition. Unfortunately
none of the England teams made it through the group stages, with the Gloucester
1 team coming closest, finishing 6th in their group. Photo: Sins from Switzerland - GENSB 2015 winners
The
overall placings for the English teams were as follows:
The
tournament was once again dominated by the Swiss teams, with 4 of the top five
positions being occupied by the Swiss Teams.
The
final result of the competition saw Sins from Switzerland take gold,
Stans-Oberdorf from Switzerland take silver, and Spoortrekkers 2 from the
Netherlands winning bronze after defeating Mosnang from Switzerland. Photo: The ACF Tug of War Squads
At the
end of the competition, medals were presented to the winning teams, and awards
and thanks were given to all participants and the officials. The GENSB flag was
then handed over to Switzerland who host next years competition.
Finally,
congratulations to all the English teams who competed with commitment and
maturity.
The
full results book is available via the GENSB web site at www.gensb.eu.
Photos courtesy of Steve and Marion Goss
23/08/2015 - 2015 INTER COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIPS & LADIES AND YOUTH LEAGUE FINALS
Results Summary
Inter County Championships:
Men 640kg - Gold - Staffordshire A (represented by Norton) - Runners Up - Somerset (represented by Felton Eccles)
Men 680kg - Gold - Staffordshire A (represented by Norton) - Runners Up - Derbyshire (represented by Two Dales)
2015 Ladies and Youth League Final - overall results:
Open Competition Men 720kg - Winners - Lincoln - Runners Up - Two Dales
Men 600kg - Winners - Norton - Runners Up - Lincoln
Report and photos to follow
16/08/2015 - NATIONAL LEAGUE FINALS RESULTS
Tug of war teams from around the country gathered at the Cheshire Game
and Angling Fair at Peover Hall, near Knutsford, Cheshire over the weekend to
compete in the Tug of War Association National League Finals. The event was the
culmination of 8 events that have run over the course of the outdoor tug of war
season, with the final points on offer determining who would win the gold,
silver and bronze medals in the Tug of War Association National League.
Teams from Oxney Vines Cross, Felton Eccles (A and B), Lincoln (A and
B), Norton, Holland, Bosley, Longridge, Two Dales, Chipping, and Billsborrow
took part in the event which was held over three weight classes. Weight classes
were held at 600kg, 640kg and 680kg.
Large crowds gathered around the tug of war arena all day to watch the
teams taking part battle it out in some thrilling competition which resulted in
overall national league victories for Norton in all three of the weight classes
up for grabs.
The remaining medals were shared between Two Dales from Derbyshire who
took silver in the 600kg division and bronze in the 680kg division, with
Lincoln taking silver in the 640kg and 680kg divisions. Oxney Vines Cross from
Sussex took the bronze medals in the 600kg and 640kg divisions.
The results of the actual competitions that took place on the day saw
Norton win both the 600kg and 640kg competitions, with Two Dales finishing as
runners up in the 600kg competition and Felton Eccles finishing as runners up
in the 640kg competition. The 680kg competition saw Two Dales and Felton emerge
as the top two teams on the day.
Whilst the focus tends to be on the winning teams at national events,
there was some notable pulling from all of the other teams who took part, in
particular from Billsborrow and Longridge who gave all of the top teams a good
run for their money across all weight classes, being very difficult teams for
most to handle. They really enjoyed the competition as well, and they have
informed us that they will be back again to compete at more events next year!
Well done to all of the teams who took part. It was a good day of
sport, and we put a good competition on for the hundreds of spectators who
continually stopped by throughout the day to watch the tug of war. The
organisers of the show were very impressed with the competition and they have
had lots of good feedback from their visitors who have told them what a welcome
addition tug of war was to their event. They have asked us to take tug of war
back there next year, so watch this space for details about next year’s event!
The officials on the day were Peter Craft, Roger Beardsmore, Mick Grimston, Ray Fray-Smith, Gavin Corden and Betty Craft.
09/08/2015 – BEDFORD LADIES OPEN COMPETITION
This weekend saw the annual Bedford Ladies Open Competition
take place at Kempston near Bedford. There were teams competing from Bedford
Ladies, Kilroe Ladies, Lincoln, Felton Eccles, Norton, Two Dales, Oxney Vines
Cross, Holland, and Bosley.
The weather conditions were warm and the ground was
dry although a little endy, but there was still a lot of competitive matches,
with many 1-1 pulls, and 3 end finals. The final results on the day were:
Men Catchweight –
Winners – Felton Eccles – Runners Up
– Lincoln
Men 600kg – Winners
– Norton – Runners Up – Oxney Vines
Cross
Men 680kg – Winners
– Lincoln – Runners Up – Norton
Men 640kg – Winners – Norton – Runners Up – Oxney Vines Cross
The officials were Peter Craft, Peter Tuckwell, Mick
Grimston, Ernie Jones, Betty Craft, Wendy Dyer.
UK TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS MEDIA COVERAGE
Please click here for a feature from the UK Open Club Competition produced by ITV News.
UK CHAMPIONSHIP VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE
You can watch the finals of the UK closed championships via our YuoTube Channel by clicking here
01/08/2015 & 02/08/2015 - UK TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS
The Tug of War Association hosted the 2015 UK Outdoor Tug of
War Championships at Wyboston Lakes in Bedfordshire, with representative teams
from England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales taking part.
The day started with a short opening ceremony before the
mens 600kg competition kicked off the proceedings. The competition was first
pulled as a straight group with the A and B teams from each of the home
countries taking part, including an England “C” team which was formed by Under
23 pullers. There was some good close competition in the group stages, with
Northern Ireland finishing as the top team in the group stage, followed by
England A in second place who were represented by Norton. The competition for the remaining two places
in the top four was very close between Scotland A, Northern Ireland B, England
B (represented by Oxney Vines Cross), and Wales A. In the end, it was England B
and Wales A that progressed to the semi-finals. Photo: England Under 23 600kg Team
In the semi-finals, England A met England B, and Wales A met
Northern Ireland A. Northern Ireland A comfortably overcame Wales A in their
semi-final, and England A defeated England B to progress. Before the final, the
bronze medal had to be decided between England B and Wales A. Wales A put in a
spirited performance, and never gave up at any point throughout the pull,
making it very difficult for England B, but it was England B who took the
bronze medal by 2 ends to 0. Photo: England A 600kg Team - represented by Norton from Staffordshire
The supporters of England A and Northern Ireland A, along
with everyone else in the crowd were treated to a very close an competitive
final between two teams who are very likely to be challenging for the top
medals at the forthcoming European Championships which are taking place in
Belfast, Northern Ireland in September. Photo: England A Ladies 520kg Team - Represented by Kilroe Ladies
The first end went to 9 minutes and 7 seconds. The first
part of the pull saw the two teams waiting for the first opportunity to take an
advantage, and after that, we were treated to a hard fought pull, which
eventually went to Northern Ireland A. The second end was again keenly
contested, but didn’t go on as long, with the pull going on for less than 3
minutes before Northern Ireland A took the end to retain the UK 600kg title
which they won in 2014. Photo: England B Junior 560kg team.
The Ladies 520kg competition was the first ladies weight of
the day. England A were represented by Kilroe Ladies, and England B were represented
by Bedford Ladies, and they were up against the ladies teams from Scotland and
Wales. England A topped the group without losing an end. The pulling was close
between Scotland A and England B, with both teams finishing the group level on
points in second place. The Wales A ladies team joined the two England teams
and Scotland in the semi-finals. Photo: England A Junior Men 560kg team - represented by Gloucester ACF
In the semi-finals, England A defeated Wales A, but we were
treated to a good second semi-final between England B and Scotland A which went
the distance, going the 3 ends. England B took the first end, and Scotland B
took the second end. The deciding pull saw England B edge it to make it an all
England final. Photo: England B 600kg team - represented by Oxney Vines Cross TOWC from Sussex
The bronze medal match was contested first between Scotland
A and Wales A, with Scotland ladies winning the bronze medal by 2 ends to 0.
The final saw England A face England B, and it was England A who were the
stronger of the two teams on the day, winning the final by 2 ends to 0. Photo: England Judge Ian Grant
The junior men 560kg competition then took place, with
England, Scotland and Wales all having teams entered into the competition.
England A were represented by Gloucester ACF and England B were represented by
a composite team. The group stage of the competition saw Wales A top the group,
followed by England A, England B and Scotland A. Photo: England B Junior Ladies 520kg Team
In the semi-finals, Wales A defeated Scotland A, and England
A defeated England B. In the bronze medal match, England B put in a good
performance to take the bronze medal by 2 ends to 0. The final was between
Wales A and England A. England A looked to attack the drop on the first end
however the Wales team stood firm and took the first end. The second end saw
Wales take the end and the gold medal. Photo: England Judge Mike Callaghan
The afternoon saw the mens 680kg competition take part, with
all of the countries fielding A and B teams. There were some close ends in this
competition, and England A (represented by Lincoln) and England B (represented
by Felton Eccles) finished on level points at the top of the group, followed by
Wales A and Northern Ireland A. Taking into account TWIF criteria, England B
finished top, followed by England A, Wales A and Northern Ireland A. In the
semi-finals, England B defeated Northern Ireland A, and England A defeated
Wales A. Northern Ireland A and Wales A went into the bronze medal match, and Wales
A took the bronze medal by 2 ends to 0. Photo: England A 680kg team - represented by Lincoln TOWC
Yet again, we were treated to another close and competitive
final, this time between England A and England B. Both teams gave everything to
try and take the gold medal, and the first end went to England A, represented
by Lincoln. The second end was equally as competitive, with England A taking
England B close to the line, but were disqualified for receiving 3 cautions.
The third and deciding end was again very exciting, with England A this time
managing to take England B over the line and win the gold medal. Photo: England Judge Mick Grimston
The Junior Ladies 520kg competition saw teams from England
and Scotland taking part. There has yet to be enough support at international
level to run a Junior Ladies tug of war competition at the World Junior Tug of
War Championships (which is a great shame), but it is good to see this weight
division being contested at a UK Championship. The England A junior ladies team
(represented by a composite team) were in fine form on the ay, topping the
group without dropping an end, followed by England B (who were represented by a
second composite team). Scotland A were in third place in the group stage. The
final was contested by England A and England B, with the England A junior
ladies winning a well deserved gold medal by 2 ends to 0. Well done to both of
our junior ladies teams. Photo: England B 680kg Team - Represented by Felton Eccles from Somerset
The Ladies 560kg competition saw two composite teams
represent England A and England B, who were again up against good opposition
from Scotland. England A and B both performed strongly again to progress to the
final, with England A taking the gold medal by 2 ends to 0. Scotland A won the
bronze medal. Photo: England A Junior Ladies 520kg Team
The final weight of the day was the 600kg 4+4 competition
with Scotland, England and Wales all represented with A and B teams. England B
(represented by Kilroe Ladies) topped the group stage of the competition,
followed by England A (represented by Lincoln), with Wales A and Wales B also
making it through to the semi finals. In the semi finals, England B defeated
Wales B, and England A defeated Wales A. In the bronze medal match, Wales A
took the bronze medal by 2 ends to 0. The final was another contest between
England A and England B, which this time saw England B take the gold medal by 2
ends to 0. Photo: Billy Reilly Memorial Trophy - Presented to the winners of the UK 600kg 4+4 competition
The 600kg 4+4 competition saw the donation of a new trophy
to the championship – the Billy Reilly memorial trophy. As many people know,
Billy coached both the Kilroe Mens team and also the Kilroe Ladies team, so it
is fitting that a trophy was presented for the mixed weight class, and it was
made all the more special with the Kilroe Ladies team getting their name on the
trophy first. Our thanks go to the Reilly family for donating the trophy. Photo: England B Ladies 520kg Team - Represented by Bedford Ladies
The evening saw the presentation of awards take place at the
presentation dinner.
The Sunday saw the open competition take place with teams
from Garvagh and Bancran from Northern Ireland; Penhow and Llanboidy from
Wales; Holland men and ladies, Bedford Ladies, Gloucester ACF (A and B),
Norton, Felton Eccles, Bosley, Oxney Vines Cross and Lincoln from England; and
Kinneff, Ayrshire and Glasgow and Lanarkshire from Scotland taking part. There
was some fiercely competitive pulling in all weights despite the heat. The final
results were as follows:
Results Summary
Saturday 1st August - UK International Competition
Men 600kg - Gold - Northern Ireland A - Silver - England A (represented by Norton) - Bronze - England B (represented by Oxney Vines Cross) - 4th - Wales A Men 680kg - Gold - England A (represented by Lincoln) - Silver - England B (represented by Felton Eccles) - Bronze - Wales A - 4th - Northern Ireland A Ladies 520kg - Gold - England A (represented by Kilroe Ladies) - Silver - England B (represented by Bedford Ladies) - Bronze - Scotland A - 4th - Wales A
Ladies 560kg - Gold - England A (represented by a composite team) - Silver - England B (represented by a composite team) - Bronze - Scotland A 600kg 4+4 - Gold - England A (represented by Kilroe Ladies) - Silver - England B (represented by Lincoln) - Bronze - Wales A - 4th - Wales B
Junior Men 560kg - Gold - Wales A - Silver - England A (represented by Gloucester ACF) - Bronze - England B (represented by a composite team) - 4th - Scotland A Junior Ladies 520kg - Gold - England A (represented by a composite team) -
Silver - England B (represented by a composite team) - Bronze -
Scotland A
Junior Men 560kg - Gold
- Gloucester ACF A (England) - Silver - Gloucester ACF B (England) - Bronze
- Glasgow and Lanarkshire (Scotland) Junior Ladies 520kg - Gold
- Gloucester ACF A (England) - Silver - Gloucester ACF B (England) - Bronze
- Glasgow and Lanarkshire (Scotland)
Well done and thank you to everyone who attended this years
UK championships, and thank you also the officials: Patrick Kiernan from
Northern Ireland, David Evans from Wales, Ernie Jones, Ray Fray-Smith, Mick
Grimston, Ian Grant, Mike Callaghan from England; Recorders Rosemary Smith from
Wales and Wendy Dyer from England; and Marshalls Ben Rathbone and Nigel
Summers. Thanks also to Steve Goss, Pete Dyer, Mick Grimston and Mick Copper and
all of their other helpers who did a lot of hard work behind the scenes to make
the championships possible.
26/07/2015 - SOUTH WEST OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
The South
West Open Championships were hosted by Felton Eccles TOWC at the weekend in wet
weather conditions, although the weather didn’t turn out quite as bad as the
forecasts predicted. Teams from Felton Eccles (A and B), Sandhurst, Oxney Vines
Cross, Norton, Wood Treatment Bosley, Lincoln, Two Dales, Holland and the Under
23 team took part across the four weight classes on the day.
Photo: Tug of war teams observing a minute silence for the victims of the fire at Bosley Wood Treatment in Cheshire
A minute
silence was held on the day following the recent tragic events that occurred at
Bosley Wood Treatment in Cheshire. Wood Treatment Limited have had a long
association with tug of war, being the patrons of Bosley Tug of War Club who
adopted their name in 1957 and are still an active team, being present at this
year’s South West Open. The Bosley team also wore black armbands as a mark of
respect.
The
competitions started with the catchweight competition, pulled as a straight
group with the top two teams competing again in the final. Lincoln topped the
group, and were joined in the final by Felton Eccles. This weight gave us a
three end battle, with Lincoln taking the first end, with Felton taking the
second end. The third end was another closely fought out pull, with Felton
taking the end and the gold medal. Photo: Wood Treatment Bosley TOWC
The second
weight of the day was the 600 kilos competition, again pulled as a straight
group with the top two teams going through to the final. This was an
interesting weight class, as no team went through the competition without
dropping an end. There was some close fought matches in this weight, with
Oxney, Bosley and Norton all being close on points going into the final couple
of rounds. Oxney progressed to the final along with Bosley. The final brought
us another three end final, with Bosley taking the first end, and Oxney taking
the next two ends to win the gold medal. Photo: Host club Felton Eccles TOWC
The third
weight of the day was the 680kg competition, which was split into two groups.
Norton and Felton A progressed from group 1, with Lincoln and Holland
progressing from group 2. In the semi-finals, Norton defeated Holland and
Lincoln defeated Felton Eccles. Another good final was contested between Norton
and Lincoln, this time with Lincoln winning the match in two straight ends. Photo: Lincoln TOWC
The final
weight of the day was the 640kg competition, which was again split into two
groups. Oxney Vines Cross were the winners of group 1, closely followed by
Holland. Group 2 saw Felton A top the group, with Bosley progressing in second
place. In the semi-finals, Oxney defeated Bosley and Felton Eccles A defeated
Holland. The final match of the day gave us a third 3 end final, with Felton
Eccles taking the first end, and Oxney taking the next two to take their second
gold medal of the day.
The officials
on the day were Nick Major, Ray Fray-Smith, Matt Cowlard, John Neal, Mick
Grimston, Wendy Dyer, Sharon Hutchins, Jane Major.
Up next,
the UK outdoor tug of war championships are being hosted by the Tug of War
Association in Bedfordshire. Good luck to all of our teams taking part in the
open and closed competitions.
15/07/2015 - TRI-SERVICES TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS
The annual tr-services tug of war championships took place recently and were held in Sandhurst, with teams from the Civil Service, Combined Services (Army, Navy and RAF), and the Police taking part in four weight classes. Photo: The Civil Service team competing at the event.
The Civil Service squad won all 4 gold medals on the day. The runners up positions in the different weights
were shared between the Combined Services and the Police
teams. There was a good standard of competition between the teams throughout the day. Well done to all of the teams who took part. Photo: The Civil Service squad with their winners trophies
12/07/2015 - BOSLEY TOWC EAST CHESHIRE HOSPICE CHARITY EVENT RESULTS
This weekend Bosley TOWC
hosted their annual charity tug of war event in aid of the East Cheshire
Hospice in Astbury in Cheshire, with mens, ladies and junior weight classes on
offer. Teams from Bosley, Norton, Lincoln, Holland, Two Dales, Felton Eccles,
Whitley Chapel, Longridge and Stone competed in the mens weight classes, with
teams from Upton, Bedford, Stone, Holland and Kilroe competing in the ladies
and youth weights. Under 23 pullers were also involved in the days’ events,
with England Under 23 triallists taking part in the catchweight competition. Photo: Lincoln TOWC
The catchweight was
first on pulled as a straight group with the top two going through to the
final. There were some close ends in
this weight with Lincoln, Felton and Two Dales emerging as the top three teams
in the group stage, with all teams having dropped ends. Lincoln and Felton had
the most points at the end of the group stage where they went on to contest the
final, with Felton going on to take first place with a good 2 ends to 0 win. Photo: Two Dales TOWC
The ladies and youth
520kg competition was first on with Stone and Upton having a good match first
on going to one end each. There was more good competition to come in this
weight with some good ends also involving Bedford Ladies. Stone finished as the
eventual winners of this weight class with Upton finishing as runners up. Photo: Upton YFC Junior Team
The mens 600kg
competition followed and was pulled as a straight group. There was some good
competitive ends in this competition, with a number of pulls going 1-1. The top
two teams in this weight were Norton and Felton, with Norton winning the final
by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Bedford Ladies TOWC
The Ladies and youth
560kg competition was again another competitive weight class. Having won the
first weight, Stone YFC gained more confidence and were again a very strong
team, emerging as the winning team without losing an end. Upton again finished
as worthy runners up. Photo: Felton Eccles TOWC
The mens 720kg
competition was another keenly contested weight class which was again pulled as
a straight group of 6 with the top two teams progressing to the final. Lincoln
finished top of the group followed by Norton with both teams contesting a good
final. Both ends were good long ends, with Lincoln eventually taking a hard
fought win by 2 ends to 0.
The ladies and youth
500kg competition only saw a small entry of teams with Kilroe and Bedford
contesting the final, with Kilroe Ladies winning the final by 2 ends to 0. The
ladies and youth 540kg competition saw Holland ladies win the gold medal with Upton
finishing as the runners up. Well done to all of the teams who contested the ladies
and youth weight classes. Photo: Whitley Chapel YFC TOWC
The 640kg competition
was up next, which was split into two groups with the top team from each group
progressing to the final. Norton won group 1 ahead of Felton, Bosley and
Longridge, with Two Dales winning group 2, needing to win a very hard fought
battle with Holland by 2 ends to 0 to make sure that they progressed to the
final. The final of the 640kg competition was a repeat of the National 640kg
championships final, which was contested between Norton and Two Dales. The result
of the nationals was repeated with Norton winning by two ends to 0. Photo: Longridge YFC TOWC
The final weight of the
day was the mens 680kg competition. Another good weight class, split into two
groups and some good pulling to end the day with. Felton Eccles won group 1
ahead of Two Dales, Holland and Stone, but what a great result in group 2 for
Whitley Chapel who overcame Norton, Lincoln and Bosley to reach the final.
Whitley Chapel went on to contest the final against Felton Eccles; and although
they didn’t quite manage the scalp of Felton in the final they put up a good
battle and never gave in until the rope crossed the line with Felton finishing
as overall winners. Well done to Whitley Chapel who travelled down from
Northumberland to compete at the event as they prepare for the National YFC
finals at Tenbury Show in August. Photo: Host Club Bosley TOWC
Finally, a massive thank
you to Peter Craft, Tony Henshaw and Betty Craft who were the officials on the
day. They did a great job running through 5 mens weights and 4 ladies and youth
weights with good entries of teams without a break and managing to get the
competition completed before 6pm. Photo: Stone YFC TOWC
TUG OF WAR MISSES OUT ON OLYMPIC INCLUSION FOR 2020
The shortlist of sports who have been selected for the next round of the
bidding process for the 2020 Olympic Games has been published this morning. The
eight shortlisted International Sports federations (from a shortlist of 26
sports) are as follows:
　1.
World Baseball Softball Confederation – WBSC
　2.
World Bowling - WB
　3.
World Karate Federation - WKF
　4.
International Roller Sports Federation – FIRS
　5.
International Federation of Sport Climbing - IFSC
　6.
World Squash Federation - WSF
　7.
International Surfing Association - ISA
　8.
International Wushu Federation – IWUF
Unfortunately, tug of war has missed out this time as well as 18 other
sports.
As part of recent reforms initiated by the IOC, Games hosts now have
the chance to bring in one or more sports popular in their country and popular with young people to boost
ratings and attract greater sponsorship with a limit in the number of
competitors across all sports of 10,500, and a limit of 310 events. The IOC can
also decide on the inclusion of any sport on the Olympic Programme at any IOC
session.
The door certainly is not closed for the inclusion of tug of war at a
future Olympic Games, and the Tug of War Association remains supportive of TWIF’s
ambition and initiatives to get tug of war back into the Olympics in the future.
Tug of War is certainly a great team sport, that is very inclusive and
something that everyone of all ages can have a go at, so if you want to give tug of war a
go, then contact us for help and advice on starting your own team or visit our club directory page to contact your
local club!
22/06/2015 - TUG OF WAR IN THE MEDIA
Click herefor an article published in the Independent on Sunday for an article about tug of war and its potential inclusion in the 2020 Olympic Games
Click here for an article about the National Championships published in the Western Gazette
Click here for an article about the National Championships published in the Yeovil Press Click here for a photo gallery from the National Championships by the Yeovil Press
20/06/2015 – 2015 NATIONAL
OUTDOOR TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS
The 2015 National Outdoor Tug of War Championships were held
at Johnson Park in Yeovil Somerset, hosted with the support and assistance of
Tim Tatler and the Somerset ACF. Despite the odd rain shower, the ground was
still very dry and it did not take away from what was a more competitive
championships than we have seen for the past couple of years, with a good
spread of medal winners throughout the day.
The day started with the mens 640kg competition, which was
run in two leagues, with the top two from each group progressing to the semi-finals.
Defending champions Norton won group 1 ahead of Lincoln, Oxney, Kennford and
the Combined Services. Lincoln progressed through the group in second place.
The second group was keenly contested between Raunds, Holland, Two Dales,
Felton and Haldon. Felton and Two Dales finished on level points at the top of
the group, with Two Dales progressing as group winners when the TWIF criteria
was applied. In the semi-finals, Norton defeated Felton by 2 ends to 0, with
Lincoln and Two Dales taking part in a closely fought and competitive second
semi-final, which went to 3 ends. Lincoln took the first end, but Two Dales
took the next two ends to make the 640kg final for the second successive year. Photo: Norton 640kg Team
Lincoln and Felton met in the bronze medal pull, and the
exertions of the semi-finals took some energy away from the Lincoln team,
however Felton performed well in any event and won the bronze medal by 2 ends
to 0. The final was a good match-up between Norton and Two Dales, with a good
first end between the two teams. Two Dales managed to get Norton moving early
on in the first end, before Norton edged the rope back over the line to take
the first end. There were no slip ups on the second end as Norton took the
640kg gold medal for the fourth consecutive year. Photo: Bosley 560kg Team
The ladies 560kg was the first ladies weight class, that was
very keenly contested. Kilroe Ladies made a return to ladies tug of war this
year and they won a closely fought first match by 2 ends to 0 against Bedford
Ladies. The surprise package in this weight were the Holland Ladies team who
then went on to beat both Kilroe Ladies and Bedford Ladies to finish top of the
group. Kilroe Ladies and Holland Ladies met each other again in the final, and
in another hard fought battle, it was Kilroe Ladies this time who won the final
by 2 ends to 0 to take the gold medal. Photo: Two Dales Catchweight Winning Team
The junior 530kg competition was the first junior weight of
the day, with Somerset and Gloucester meeting in the final, a repeat of the 2014
final. This time, it was Gloucester who took the gold medal by 2 ends to 0 in a
good battle that was enjoyed by the local spectators who were supporting the
home team. Photo: Felton Eccles 680kg Team
The mens 560kg competition was next and was pulled as a
single group with the top 4 teams progressing to the semi-finals. This was
another good competition with Widecombe, Sandhurst, Bosley and Norton all
making the cut to go through to the semi-finals. In the semi-finals, Norton met
Widecombe and Bosley met Sandhurst. Both semi-finals were well fought, with
Norton winning their semi-final by 2 ends to 0. The second semi-final saw
Bosley take the first end from Sandhurst, however Sandhurst took the next two
to progress to the final. Photo: Lincoln 680kg Gold Medal Winning Team
The bronze medal match was another good crowd pleaser that went
to three ends. Widecombe took a hard fought first end, and looked to be on
their way to taking the second end. Bosley never gave up and they managed to
take the second end and level the match. The third end saw Bosley take rope
from the start, eventually taking the end and the bronze medal. The final was a
Norton and Sandhurst final, which over a good number of years, tug of war
supporters have been accustomed to in the lighter weight class, although Oxney
made the lightweight final against Norton last year. Another tight final, but
again, there only ever looked to be one winner, and that was Norton who took
the gold medal by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Holland TOWC 600kg 4+4 Team
The catchweight competition was contested at the same time
as the 560kg competition, and this was another lively competition. Two Dales
and Holland progressed as the top two teams in this weight into the gold medal
match, with Haldon and Raunds contesting the bronze medal match after a lively
group stage had been completed, which saw the Haldon team from Devon give all
of the other teams a real run for their money. Photo: Widecombe take on Bosley in the 560kg competition.
The bronze medal match saw Raunds take the bronze medal
against Haldon by 2 ends to 0, and we were treated to another good medal
decider with a crowd pleasing final between Holland and Two Dales which went to
three ends. Two Dales took the first end, with Holland taking the second end.
The third end was equally close before Two Dales took the gold medal by 2 ends
to 1, and to win the catchweight competition for the second year running. Photo: Sandhurst take on Norton in the 560kg competition.
The 720kg competition only had a small entry of teams this
year, and after the group stage, Raunds were eliminated from the competition
and Lincoln and Holland contested the final. Lincoln performed strongly in this
weight class, and the gold medal never looked in doubt as they defeated Holland
by 2 ends to 0. Photo: LNR ACF take on Somerset ACF in the Junior 560kg competition.
The ladies 520kg competition saw some more good battles,
with Gloucester ACF Ladies entering the fray in the lighter of the two ladies
weight divisions. This time, it was Kilroe Ladies and Bedford Ladies who
progressed to the final. Kilroe Ladies won the match between these two teams in
the group stages, and after another close final, Kilroe Ladies took their
second gold medal of the day by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Somerset ACF Junior Team
The junior 560kg competition was another good weight class
for the youth, but again, it was the Gloucester and Somerset youth teams who
emerged at the top of the group to progress through to the final. The final was
another good match between the two teams from the neighbouring counties, and
Gloucester this time took their second gold medal of the day by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Kilroe Ladies 520kg team
The mens 600kg competition followed, with the competition
being split into two leagues with the top two teams going through to the
semi-finals. Defending champions Norton started off with a hard fought battle
with Two Dales, with that pull going to 1 end each, before Norton recovered to
top the group. Oxney Vines Cross progressed in second place from group 1. The
second group saw some more equally tough pulling, this time with Felton
progressing as group winners. Bosley progressed as group runners up, 1 point
ahead of the nearest challengers Widecombe. In the semi-finals Felton Eccles
defeated Oxney by 2 ends to 0, and Norton defeated Bosley by the same score. Photo: Bedford Ladies 520kg Team.
The bronze medal match was between Bosley and Oxney, with
Oxney winning the bronze medal by 2 ends to 0. The final saw Norton reach their
third final of the day against Felton, and it was Norton who took another gold
medal by winning the final without losing an end.
The final mens weight class of the day was the 680kg
competition, with Norton looking to make it four gold medals from the four
weights entered. The competition was split into two groups in what turned out
to be a very close run competition. Lincoln topped group 1 this time ahead of
defending champions Norton who finished second in the group. Felton Eccles
topped group 2 ahead of Two Dales. Photo: Raunds Catchweight Team
The semi-finals saw Norton overcome Felton in a close pull
by 2 ends to 0, whilst Lincoln defeated Two Dales by the same score. The bronze
medal match saw Two Dales pull Felton Eccles, with Felton Eccles securing their
third medal of the day by 2 ends to 0. The final was a good battle between
Norton and Lincoln, with both teams having good campaigns in the build up to
the event. Lincoln had made big improvements since 2014, and they performed
exceptionally to take the title from Norton by 2 ends to 0 to take their second
gold medal of the day. Photo: Haldon Catchweight Team.
The final weight of the day was the 600kg 4+4 for mixed
teams of men and ladies. There was again, only a small entry in this weight
class this year, but it was a good competition. Kilroe and Holland had two very
long ends on the very first match, which Kilroe eventually won by 2 ends to 0.
Lincoln then defeated Holland, and so Kilroe and Lincoln met in the final. Not
content with two gold medals, Lincoln went on to win their third gold medal of
the day by 2 ends to 0 to round off a very successful day for them. Photo: Gloucester ACF Junior 560kg winners.
The Tug of War Association would like to congratulate all of
the teams who took part in the 2015 National Championships, and we appreciate
the efforts that all teams have made in preparing for and getting to the
championships. A special mention of thanks to Tim Tatler and his helpers for
doing all of the work behind the scenes to make the championships possible.
If you would like to put forward a venue to stage the 2016
National Championships, then please contact the Championships Secretary Mick Grimston on 01205 369753.
The officials on the day were: Mike Callaghan (Chief Judge),
Peter Craft (referee), Steve Bowler (controller), Mick Selwood, Matt Cowlard,
Ray-Fray Smith, Roger Beardsmore, Peter Tuckwell, Ernie Jones, Graham Taylor,
George Ferrett, Graham Marshall, Barry Angus, Wendy Dyer, Betty Craft, Sharon
Hutchins, Richard Edwards.
Results Summary
Men 640kg – Gold –
Norton (Staffordshire) – Silver –
Two Dales (Derbyshire) – Bronze –
Felton Eccles (Somerset) – 4th
– Lincoln (Lincolnshire)
12/06/2015 - TUG
OF WAR – A CANDIDATE SPORT FOR THE 2020 OLYMPIC GAMES?
The English Tug of War Association is pleased to learn that
it has been announced officially today that tug of war is one of 26 sports to
be considered for potential inclusion on the 2020 Olympic Games which are to be hosted by
the city of Tokyo in Japan.As
part of recent reforms initiated by the IOC, Games hosts now have the chance to
bring in one or more sports popular in their country to boost ratings and
attract greater sponsorship with a limit in the number of competitors across
all sports of 10,500, and a limit of 310 events. The IOC can also decide on the
inclusion of any sport on the Olympic Programme at any IOC session.
Tug of War was previously on the Olympic programme between
1900 and 1920, taking place at 5 Olympic Games. During that time, Great Britain
won 5 medals, including two gold medals. If tug of war does return to the
Olympic programme, Great Britain would defend the title won at the Antwerp
(Belgium) Olympic Games in 1920.
What makes tug of war a good Olympic sport?
Tug
of war has far more in keeping with the old Olympic motto of 'faster,
higher, stronger' than many sports. And it was actually performed in
ancient Greece.
Tug of war as a team sport
tests a wider range of athletic and organisational skills than some sports
- even some of the most traditional Olympic sports.
Tug
of war has a set of rules and objectives which make it simpler for the
wider international community to follow than most modern, more complex
sports.
Tug of war equipment at a
basic level is inexpensive and accessible to all. The people of any
nation, however economically disadvantaged, can play the sport.
Tug
of war does not require subjective scoring by a team of judges. Apart from
evaluation of rule infringements, tug of war contests are clear cut and
decisive.
Tug of war has an ethos of
sportsmanship which reflects traditional Olympic values - values largely
lost from many of today's professional sports.
And
tug of war would benefit so much more from International representation
than some elite, multi-million dollar sports included in the Olympic
Games.
Tug of war must be one of the purest of all athletic events
in terms of the natural human abilities it tests, and therefore the case in
support of tug of war on all counts is very strong, and stronger than that of
many other sports. The message of this article is therefore very clear:
TUG OF WAR SHOULD ONCE AGAIN GRACE THE OLYMPIC STAGE.
This weekend teams were competing at Sandhurst TOWC’s annual
open competition in Berkshire. Attendance was a little lower at this weekend’s
competition, with Felton Eccles competing abroad in Switzerland, and with other
teams concentrating on their final preparations for the fast approaching
National Championships on 20th June. Photo: Host club Sandhurst TOWC
The day started with the mens 600kg competition with 9 teams
entered and split into two groups. The top two teams from each group progressed
to the semi-finals, with Oxney and Widecombe progressing from group 1 and
Sandhurst and Bosley progressing from group 2. In the semi-finals, Sandhurst
defeated Widecombe in the first semi-final, with Bosley defeating Oxney in the
second semi-final. Bosley and Sandhurst met for the second time in the final,
with Sandhurst winning the match by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Raunds TOWC
The mens catchweight competition then followed, which was
only contested by two teams – Raunds and Bosley, with Raunds taking the win by
2 ends to 0.
The 640kg competition followed and this was pulled as a
straight group. There was some very close competition in this weight and no
team went through the group stage without dropping any ends. Widecombe and
Oxney progressed to compete in the final, with Oxney winning the final by 2
ends to 0. Photo: Oxney Vines Cross TOWC
The 580kg competition was pulled as a straight group, and
again there was some good pulling between all of the teams. Sandhurst, Oxney,
Widecombe and Bosley progressed to the semi-finals, with Bosley and Sandhurst
finishing level on points in the top two positions after going 1-1 in the group
stage. In the semi-finals, Oxney defeated Sandhurst by 2 ends to 1 in a hard
fought match, and Bosley defeated Widecombe by 2 ends to 0 in their semi-final.
The final was a turnaround from what happened in the group stages with Oxney
this time defeating Bosley by 2 ends to 0 to win the competition. Photo: Widecombe TOWC
The final men’s weight of the day was the 680kg competition,
which was again pulled as a straight group. There was some good close pulling
again, this time with Raunds and Widecombe progressing to the final. The final
was very even and went to three ends. Raunds took the first end, with Widecombe
fighting back hard on the next two ends to take a well deserved first place. Photo: Bosley TOWC
There was a smaller entry in the ladies and youth competition
this week, with Bedford, Gloucester ACF Boys, Gloucester ACF Girls and Somerset
ACF taking part. Gloucester ACF Boys were the dominant force again this week,
finishing first in both the 560kg and 520kg competitions. The runners up
positions in these weights went to Somerset ACF in the 560kg competition and
Bedford in the 520kg competition. Well done to these teams for travelling along
this event to compete, and good luck to all of the ladies and youth teams
competing at the National Outdoor Tug of War Championships on 20th
June.
The officials on the day were Peter Craft, Vic Ludkin, Ernie
Jones, Mike Callaghan, Mick Selwood, Yvonne Ludkin and Betty Craft.
Results Summary Men Catchweight - Winners - Raunds - Runners Up - Bosley
Men 680kg - Winners - Widecombe - Runners Up - Raunds Men 640kg - Winners - Oxney Vines Cross - Runners Up - Widecombe
Men 600kg - Winners - Sandhurst - Runners Up - Bosley
Men 580kg - Winners - Oxney Vines Cross - Runners Up - Bosley
Ladies Youth 560kg - Winners - Gloucester ACF A - Runners Up - Somerset
Ladies Youth 520kg - Winners - Gloucester ACF A - Runners Up - Bedford
6th & 7th JUNE 2015 - MOSNANG OPEN INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT - SWITZERLAND
This weekend, Felton Eccles Tug of War Club traveled over to Switzerland to compete in Mosnang's open international tournament. Some of the best teams in the world were competing at the event, which meant that finishing in the top four in any weight class was going to be very challenging. Unfortunately Felton didn't make it through to any of the semi-finals, with the final results being dominated by many of the great Swiss teams, such as Engelberg, Stans-Oberdorf and Engelberg. A summary of the results is below:
Men 580kg: 1. Stans- Oberdorf (SUI) 2. Goiherri (Bask Country) 3. Sins (SUI)
31/05/2015 - SHROPSHIRE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS - BRAND HALL INTERNATIONAL HORSE TRIALS, MARKET DRAYTON, SHROPSHIRE
Teams in attendance
– LNR ACF, Kilroe Ladies, 4th Regiment RA, Lllangollen YFC, Lincoln,
Norton, Two Dales, Holland, Bosley, Felton Eccles, Sandhurst, Widecombe,
Raunds.
This weekend, the Shropshire Open Tug of War Championships
took place in conjunction with Brand Hall Horse Trials near Market Drayton,
Shropshire. After a wet start, the weather dried up and the teams enjoyed a
good day of tug of war.
There was a good entry of teams in most of the weight
classes, with the 600kg competition opening proceedings. This competition was
split into two groups. Group 1 contained Lincoln, Felton, Norton, 4th
Regiment, Holland and Raunds, with group 2 containing LNR, Sandhurst, Kilroe,
Bosley and Widecombe. There were some close ends in both groups, with the top
team from each group progressing to the final. Norton won group 1 without
losing an end, and Sandhurst emerged from a keenly contested second group with
Widecombe, Bosley and Sandhurst all finishing on the same amount of points,
Sandhurst going through having received less cautions. The final was between
Norton and Sandhurst with Norton taking a 2 end to 0 win. Photo: Holland TOWC
The 680kg competition followed, which was another good entry
of teams, the competition being split into two groups. Lincoln progressed from
group 1 ahead of Raunds, Widecombe, Felton, Llangollen and 4th
Regiment, with Norton progressing from group 2 ahead of Two Dales, Sandhurst,
Bosley, and Holland. The final was a good battle between Norton and Lincoln
with Lincoln taking Norton to within two foot of the line on the first end,
only for Norton to recover and take the end. Norton then took the second end to
win their second weight of the day. Photo: Widecombe TOWC
The 640kg competition was another competition split into two
groups. Norton were the winners of group 1 ahead of Holland, Llangollen,
Bosley, Widecombe and Felton, and Lincoln were the winners of group 2 ahead of Sandhurst,
4th Regiment, Two Dales and Raunds. The final wasn’t quite as close
as the 680kg competition, but it was still Norton who took the win by 2 ends to
0. Photo: Llangollen YFC
The final weight of the day was the catchweight, and again
it was split into two groups. This was the first competition of the day where
Norton didn’t make the final, after they lost out to Lincoln in a keenly
contested match in their group. Lincoln progressed to the final where they met
the winners of group 2 Holland. Lincoln went on to win the event by 2 ends to
0. Photo: Two Dales TOWC
Well done to all of the teams who took part, and thanks to
Vicky Plant and the Brand Hall Horse Trial Event Organisers for accommodating
us again this year. The officials on the day were Roger Beardsmore, Dave
Kitchener, David Hamer, Wendy Dyer and Adele Hamer.
Results Summary
Men Catchweight –
Winners – Lincoln – Runners Up –
Holland
Men 680kg – Winners
– Norton – Runners Up – Lincoln
Men 640kg – Winners
– Norton – Runners Up – Lincoln
Men 600kg – Winners
– Norton – Runners Up – Sandhurst
TOWA MERCHANDISE
We now have a merchandise page on this web site where orders for TOWA t-shirts and merchandise can be placed.
Further items will be added in due course, so please continue to check back for updates!
18/05/2015 - AAA CHAMPIONSHIPS AND FELTON ECCLES OPEN COMPETITION RESULTS
This Year's AAA championships were hosted by Felton Eccles TOWC in conjunction with their annual open competition near Bristol. The teams that were competing were as follows: Men - Felton Eccles (A and B), Lincoln, Norton, Raunds, Widecombe, Holland, Sandhurst, Oxney, Bosley, Gloucester ACF, with The Shop team from Ireland traveling over to compete in the open competition. Ladies/Youth - Gloucester ACF Boys, Gloucester ACF Girls, Bedford Ladies, Kilroe Ladies, Cupids Hill Ladies.
The championship weights of
Catchweight and 640 kilos were contested, as well as open weights at 580kg,
600kg, 680kg, and ladies and youth 520kg and 560kg. Photo: Norton 640kg team
The championship weights kicked off the event, with the
event starting with the catchweight competition. Lincoln were the defending
champions from 2014, and they got off to a winning start against the 2014
silver medallists Norton. Lincoln went on to finish the competition without
losing an end to win the gold medal. The race for the silver meal was a close
one between Norton, Felton Eccles and Raunds. All of these teams dropped ends
against each other, however it was Felton Eccles who emerged with more points
from the three teams and they finished with the silver medal. Photo: Widecombe 640kg team
The 640kg competition followed, again run as a full points
competition. There were again some close matches in this competition, with a
few 1-1 pulls following the TWIF criteria. Norton finished as the eventual gold
medallists, and yet again, there was a close race for the silver medal, this
time between Widecombe, Sandhurst and Oxney. Widecombe performed really well
ahead of the other two teams to take a well deserved silver medal. Photo: Lincoln Catchweight Team
The open competitions followed, with The Shop team from
Ireland joining the men’s competition and Cupids Hill from Wales joining the
ladies and youth competition.
The ladies and youth weights were held at 520kg and 560kg
with the Gloucester ACF Boys emerging as the top team again by winning both
weights. This certainly did not detract from the remaining competition with
some good ends taking place between the remaining teams. Bedford Ladies
finished as the eventual runners up in the 560kg competition, and Kilroe Ladies
finished as the eventual runners up in the 520kg competition. Photo: The Shop from Ireland
The Mens 600kg competition was run in two groups with the
top two teams from each group progressing to the final. The semi finals saw
Oxney and Sandhurst progress from group 1 and Norton and Widecombe progress
from group 2. Oxney defeated Widecombe in their semi final, and Norton defeated
Sandhurst in their semi-final. Norton and Oxney were involved in a good final,
which Oxney took by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Bosley
The 680kg competition followed, which was again split into
two groups with the top two teams progressing. Norton and Lincoln were the
eventual finalists, with Norton winning the gold medal by 2 ends to 0.
The mens 580kg competition followed the same format as the
other open competitions with two groups and a semi final. Sandhurst finished as
the winners of group 1, with Widecombe finishing as runners up, and Bosley were
the winners of group 2 with The Shop finishing as runners up. In the semi
finals, Bosley defeated Widecombe and Sandhurst defeated The Shop. The final
was very much a crowd pleaser which went to 5 ends. Bosley took, the first end with Sandhurst taking
the second end. Sandhurst won the toss and chose what was the slightly better
end, with the next two ends being declared no pulls with both teams receiving 3
cautions each for persistent infringements. The final end was equally close,
with Sandhurst eventually taking it. A great effort from all of those pullers
involved, who left everything out on the field. Photo: Felton Eccles
The officials on
the day were Nick Major, Graham Taylor, Mick Grimston, Vic Ludkin, Ernie Jones, Matt Cowlard, Wendy Dyer, Sharon Hutchins and Jane Major. Thank you to Felton
Eccles TOWC for staging this years AAA Championship. Photo: Sandhurst
If you are interested in
hosting next year’s AAA Championships, please contact the TOWA Secretary Mick Copper.
This weekend saw another well attended northern area competition take place at Otley Show in Yorkshire. The teams that were competition were Durham, Stamfordham, Whitely Chapel, Silsden with Skipton, York, 4th Regiment, Upper Wharfedale, Harrogate, Kilroe Ladies, Pontefract and Boroughbridge take part.
Results summary
Ladies 580kg - Winners - Kilroe Ladies - Runners Up - York Ladies
Men 600kg - Winners - Boroughbridge - Runners Up - Whitley Chapel
Men 640kg - Winners - Whitley Chapel - Runners Up - Stamfordham
Men Catchweight - Winners - York - Runners Up - Whitley Chapel
660kg 4+4 - Winners - York - Runners Up - Stamfordham
This weekend, the Midland Tug of War Championships returned
to Alcester in Warwickshire. The teams that were competing were as follows –
Men – Raunds, Bosley, Norton, Widecombe, Felton Eccles, Holland, Lincoln, Upton
YFC and Two Dales – Ladies and Youth – LNR ACF, Gloucester ACF Boys, Gloucester
ACF Girls, Derby ACF, Bedford Ladies, Inkberrow YFC, Upton YFC.
The first weight of the day was the mens catchweight
competition, which was pulled as a straight group with the top two teams going
through to the final. The first pulls in the round saw Lincoln pull Felton and
Two Dales pull Raunds. Both matches were very close, with Lincoln defeating
Felton by 2 ends to 0, and Raunds went 1-1 with Two Dales. Lincoln finished the
group stage top of the group without losing an end, however it was very close
for second place, with Two Dales and Felton going into the final round of
matches as the most likely contenders. This pull ended 1-1, but it was Felton
who progressed through to the final where they met Lincoln. Lincoln continued
their winning streak at catchweight to win the final by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Widecombe TOWC
The ladies and youth 560 kilos was the first ladies and
youth weight of the day, and as with previous weeks of competition, there were
some keenly contested matches, again with many teams going 1-1 with each other,
which shows how close some of the ladies and youth competitions are this year.
Gloucester Boys emerged as the winning team overall in this weight, with
Bedford Ladies finishing as runners up. Inkberrow Ladies and Upton YFC entered
the competition this week, with both teams giving a very good account of themselves. Photo: Lincoln TOWC
The mens 640kg competition was split into two groups with
the top two teams progressing to the semi-finals. There was some good
competition in this weight with Widecombe and Bosley progressing from group 1
ahead of Holland and Raunds, and Norton and Two Dales progressed from group 2
ahead of Felton Eccles and Lincoln. The
semi-finals saw Norton pull Bosley and Two Dales pull Lincoln. Both semi-finals
were very competitive with no teams winning easily. The eventual finalists were
Norton and Widecombe, with Norton winning the final by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Inkberrow Ladies YFC
The Ladies and youth 520kg competition was another
competitive weight class, with Gloucester Boys, Derby Boys, Upton, and Bedford
all competing well ahead of the other teams that were taking part. The final
result saw Gloucester take their second gold medal of the day, with Bedford
Ladies finishing as the runners up. Photo: Upton YFC Junior Team
The mens 680 kilos competition was pulled as a straight
group, with some good pulls early on, the pick being Lincoln vs Norton which
went 1-1 in a keenly contested match, with Norton taking the first end and
Lincoln taking the second end. The final saw these two teams meet again, which
Norton won by 2 ends to 0.
The final weight of the day was the 600kg competition, which
finished up with a great final between Two Dales and Felton Eccles, with Felton
winning the final in a good 3 end battle by 2 ends to 1. Well done to all of
the teams who took part, and also to the officials – Roger Beardsmore, Mick
Grimston, Vic Ludkin, Ray-Fray Smith, Jill Thomas, Wendy Dyer, Yvonne Ludkin.
03/05/2015 - GREAT ORMOND STREET CHARITY COMPETITION - DAVENTRY
This weekend teams were competing at the annual Great Ormond
Street Charity competition at Daventry. Despite a wet start to the day, the
weather quickly dried up, and those taking part enjoyed a warm day and some
good tug of war in the mens, ladies and youth weight classes. The teams
competing on the day were as follows –
Men – Coleshill, Holland, Two Dales, Diesel Power, Lincoln, Norton, Bosley,
Felton Eccles, Sandhurst, Oxney, Raunds – Ladies/Youth
– Diesel Power, Bedford, Gloucester ACF Boys, LNR ACF Boys, LNR ACF Girls,
Derby ACF Boys, Derby ACF Girls,
Inkberrow.
The men’s catchweight competition opened the proceedings,
pulled as a straight group. The final placings came down to the results of the
matches between Lincoln, Two Dales and Felton Eccles. Lincoln and Two Dales
both claimed the points needed against Felton Eccles, and Lincoln also defeated
Two Dales in the group stages, which meant that Two Dales and Lincoln competed
again in the final. Lincoln came away with a 2 ends to 0 win in the final to
continue their good run of form in this weight over recent weeks. Photo: Diesel Power Ladies
The mens 600 kilos competition followed, which was split
into two groups. Two Dales, Norton, Bosley, Oxney, and Sandhurst competed in
group 1, and Lincoln, Holland, Felton, and Diesel Power competed in group 2.
There were some close matches in group 1, with Norton eventually topping the
group, and the pull of the competition came in group 2, with Holland and Diesel
Power going to 1 end each with two really competitive ends. The eventual
winners of this group were Lincoln. Norton and Lincoln met in the final, with
Norton winning the gold medal by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Gloucester ACF Junior Men
The 680 kilos competition followed and again this was split
into two groups. Norton were the winners of group 1, and Lincoln again finished
as the winners of group 2, with both teams progressing to the final. The second
final of the day between these two teams again saw Norton come out on top by 2
ends to 0. Photo: Derby ACF Junior Men
The 580 kilos competition was up next, and was another
weight class that was split into two groups. Bosley won group 1 ahead of
Norton, Sandhurst and Oxney, and Two Dales won group 2 ahead of Diesel Power,
Felton Eccles and Holland. The final was a good pull with Bosley and Two Dales,
with Two Dales lifting Bosley very close to the line, but didn’t quite manage
to get the pull over the line before Bosley got back into the pull to take the
first end. On the second end, Bosley managed to take Two Dales over the line
for the win. Photo: Oxney Vines Cross
The final mens weight of the day was the 640 kilos
competition, again split into two groups. Norton finished as the winners of
group 1 ahead of Oxney, Lincoln, Coleshill and Felton, with Holland pulling
well to win group 2 ahead of Two Dales, Bosley, Diesel Power and Sandhurst.
Holland and Norton both progressed to the final, with both teams having a good
first end, with Norton eventually taking it. Norton picked up an injury and
carried on pulling with 7 pullers, with Holland sportingly dropping a puller so
that both teams competed with equal numbers. Despite the injury setback, Norton
went on to take their third final of the day by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Bedford Ladies
The ladies and youth weight classes this week saw some very
close competition in the 520kg and 560kg weight classes with a number of pulls
going 1-1, which meant that most teams came away with lots of points towards
their 2015 Ladies and Youth League tallies. Bedford, Derby ACF and Gloucester
ACF emerged as the medal winning teams in the ladies and youth weight classes.
Confirmation of the final placings from the ladies and youth weight classes on
the day are awaited. Photo: Two Dales TOWC
Well done to all of the teams who took part. The officials on the day were Roger Beardsmore, Mick Grimston, Vic Ludkin, Peter Craft, Ernie Jones, Betty Craft, Yvonne Ludkin
26/04/2015 - LINCOLN TOWC OPEN COMPETITION RESULTS
Catchweight - Winners - Lincoln - Runners Up - Holland
Men 600kg - Winners - Norton - Runners Up - Sandhurst
Men 720kg - Winners - Lincoln - Runners Up - Norton
Men 640kg - Winners - Sandhurst - Runners Up - Lincoln
Men 680kg - Winners - Norton - Runners Up - Raunds
19/04/2014 - LONGRIDGE TOWC OPEN COMPETITION RESULTS
This weekend, there was a fantastic turn out of clubs at
Longridge YFC Tug of War Club’s open competition. The teams that were competing
were Longridge, Bilsborrow, Diesel Power, Bosley, York, Chipping,
Boroughbridge, Pontefract, Silsden with Skipton, Parbold, Brampton, South West
Yorkshire, Chipping, Boland, Flyde, Kilroe Ladies and Vale of Lune.
The event started with the ladies 580 kilos competition with
7 ladies teams competing from Kilroe Ladies, Vale of Lune, Bilsborrow,
Chipping, Silsden with Skipton, Parbold and Diesel Power. There were some very
close ends in this competition, but it was the Kilroe Ladies team who finished
top without losing an end and the Vale of Lune Ladies finished as very worthy
runners up, only losing ends to Kilroe
Ladies. Photo: Chipping Ladies TOWC
The 680 kilos competition followed with 10 teams competing
in two groups of 5. York emerged as the winners of group 1, and Bilsborrow
emerged as the winners of group 2. A good final took place between the
Lancashire and Yorkshire teams, and it was the strong lifting style of
Bilsborrow that won the day as they won the final by 2 ends to 0.
The 640 kilos competition followed which was again split
into two groups. Boroughbridge were the winners of group 1, and things were
close again in group 2. As with the competition held at Bosley a couple of
weeks ago, Bosley and Longridge drew 1 end each, with Longridge going through
to the final when the TWIF criteria was applied. In the final, Longridge pulled
strongly to win their first gold medal of the day. Photo: Bilsborrow TOWC Ladies
The 660kg 4+4 competition had a very strong entry with 11
teams competing in two groups. Kilroe Ladies were the winners of group 1 and
York were the winners of group 2. There was another good final held on the day
between the two teams, which was very close. Kilroe Ladies went on to take
their second win of the day by 2 ends to 0.
The final weight of the day was the 600 kilos competition.
Again, another strong entry of teams meant that the competition was split into
two groups. Longridge kept up their good performances through the day to finish
top of group 1 and Bosley finished top of group 2. The crowd were treated to
another good final which went to three ends. Bosley took a close first end, and
looked to be well on their way to winning the second end before receiving two
quick cautions and then a third caution which meant that the pull was awarded
to Longridge. The third end was another good battle, which went to the host
team Longridge.
Well done to all of the teams who took part. It was nice to
see another well supported event, and hopefully we will see all of these teams
out again soon. The officials on the day were Dave Hamer and Adrian Willis who
did a good job running a large event with a small number of officials.
12/04/2014 – DORSET TRAINING
LEAGUE – FINAL RESULTS
The Dorset Training League took place over four competitions over March
and early April with a number of teams from the south western area taking part.
Weight classes were held at 600, 640, 680 and catchweight.
The final competition took place on Sunday 12th April in
Blandford and was attended by Ansty, Blandford, Haldon Men, Haldon Ladies,
Kennford and Widecombe. Other teams who
took part at previous training league events were Somerset ACF and Felton
Eccles. The final overall result of the league was as follows:
Men 600kg – Winners –
Kennford – Runners Up – Haldon Men
Men 640kg – Winners –
Kennford – Runners Up – Widecombe
Men 680kg – Winners –
Kennford – Runners Up – Widecombe
Men Catchweight – Winners –
Blandford – Runners Up – Widecombe
The overall winners of the training league were Kennford, with Ansty
finishing as the overall runners up. Well done to all of the teams who
participated in this training league.
12/04/2015 - EAST OF ENGLAND CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS
Men Catchweight - Winners - Lincoln - Runners Up - Norton
Men 680kg - Winners - Norton - Runners Up - Lincoln Men 640kg - Winners - Norton - Runners Up - Lincoln
Men 600kg - Winners - Norton - Runners Up - Oxney Vines Cross
Ladies/Youth 560kg - Winners - Derby ACF Boys - Runners Up - Gloucester ACF Boys
Ladies/Youth 520kg - Winners - Gloucester ACF Boys - Runners Up - Bedford Ladies
06/04/2015 - GUILDFORD LIONS OPEN COMPETITION
This competition was a bit smaller than the competition held at Bosley the previous day with just three teams in attendance - Sandhurst, Oxney Vines Cross and Thames Valley. The results were as follows:
This Sunday Bosley Tug of War Club hosted their annual tug
of war competition in Mobberley, Cheshire. The day started off with overcast
weather, but soon brightened up and an excellent day of tug of war was had by
all, with a good number of teams including senior men’s teams from Bosley,
Norton, Waterhouses YFC, Two Dales, Lincoln, Diesel Power, Felton Eccles,
Holland, Pontefract YFC, York and Longridge YFC. There was also a good number
of Ladies and Youth teams in attendance, including Gloucester ACF boys,
Gloucester ACF Girls, Leicester and Northants ACF, Derby ACF boys, Derby ACF
Girls, Leek YFC, Bedford Ladies and Kilroe Ladies.
All of the competitions on the day were run under the TWIF
rules format with a points competition and finals in each weight class.
The first weight of the day was the catchweight competition
with some good competitive matches and a few 1-1 pulls. Lincoln and Felton
finished as the top two teams at the end of the group stage and went on to
compete against each other again in the final with Lincoln winning the first
final of the day by 2 ends to 0 to win the Norman Hyde shield. Photo: Host club Bosley
The first ladies and youth weight class was the 560 kilos
competition, pulled as a straight group of all 8 clubs entered. There was again
some good ends in this competition with a few more 1-1 pulls. It was good to
see a strong entry with Leek YFC competing in a TOWA youth event for the first
time. The eventual winners were Gloucester Boys ACF, with Kilroe ladies
finishing as worthy runners up after a spell away from the sport. Photo: Diesel Power from Shropshire
The mens 640 kilos competition was split into two groups
with a good mixture of teams in each group and some more competitive pulling,
with no ends being won easily. Norton and Lincoln finished in first place in
their respective groups to compete against each other in the final. The first
end was a lengthy pull with Lincoln managing to take Norton a good way down the
line before Norton managed to turn the pull around to win the first end. On the
second end, Norton managed to keep a bit more control to take the end and the
win. Photo: Waterhouses YFC from Staffordshire
The ladies and youth 520 kilos competition followed and was
again another competitive weight class with a few 1-1 pulls and all teams
picking up league points. Gloucester ACF Boys took their second win of the day
finishing in first place unbeaten with Bedford Ladies finishing as runners up
this time. Photo: Longridge YFC from Lancashire
The next mens weight was the 720 kilos competition, which
was pulled as a straight group. Like the catchweight competition, there were a
few 1-1 pulls, with Norton and Lincoln coming out in first and second place in
the group to pull again in the final. Norton competed well in the final and won
the competition with a 2 ends to 0 win. Photo: Felton Eccles TOWC
The 600 kilos competition was a keenly contested weight
class, and was again split into two groups. Norton won the first group ahead of
Lincoln, Waterhouses, Pontefract, and Diesel Power. The second group saw Bosley
and Longridge finish level on points ahead of York, Felton and Holland, with
Longridge going through when the TWIF criteria was applied. The final provide
to be one of the best pulls of the day between Longridge and Norton, which went
to three ends. Longridge’s strong lifts gave the team some good momentum on the
first end, which gave them the upper hand. The second end saw Norton draw
level, which meant that a deciding end was needed. Longridge again got Norton
into a lot of trouble, but Norton managed to hand on to take the win in a good
final that was appreciated by everyone in attendance. Well done to both teams! Photo: Leek YFC Youth from Staffordshire
The final mens weight was the 680 kilos competition. A few
teams withdrew from the competition after a long hard day of pulling, so
Bosley, Felton and Norton remained to compete in this weight class. The first
match saw Felton and Norton go 1-1, with Norton then going 1-1 with Bosley.
Felton then defeated Bosley by 2 ends to 0, which meant that Norton and Felton
met each other again in the final. This time Norton went on to beat Felton by 2
ends to 0 to win their fourth weight of the day. Photo: Leicester and Northants ACF
The day ended with the 600 4+4. Only two teams entered this
weight class, with Norton and Kilroe Ladies fielding teams. Norton won this
competition with a 2 ends to0 win to round off an excellent day of competition. Photo: Gloucester ACF Junior Ladies
Well done to all of the teams who made it a good day of
sport. A special mention must go to the four judges who kept the competition
going all day. The four judges on the day were Tony Henshaw, Gavin Corden, Dave
Hamer and Dave Kitchener. Most of these officials forfeited a day of pulling or
coaching with their own teams to ensure that this competition could go ahead,
so many thanks to them. The Tug of War Association is looking for more judges
to help run the many competitions that take place throughout the year, so if
you have recently retired from active pulling and if you want to stay actively
involved with tug of war, then please contact us to find out how you can become
a judge. Photo: York TOWC
Finally, thank you to the recorders on the day – Wendy Dyer,
and to two new trainee recorders – Adele Hamer and Katrina Corinaldi, which
assisted with the running of the event and ensuring that four ropes could run
all day. Again, if anyone is interested in becoming a timekeeper/recorder, then
please contact us to register your interest and further information about how
to get involved.
SOUTH WEST ENGLAND ARMY CADET CHAMPIONSHIPS 2015
The South West England Cadet Championships were hosted by Gloucester ACF at Upton St Leonard's Sports Ground Sunday 29th March 2015.
Teams from Gloucester ACF, Bristol ACF and Dorset totalling over over 40 Cadets competed in the SW England Cadet Championships in 2 weights, 560kg and 4x4, and a very good days pulling was enjoyed by all.
A big thanks should go to Barry Angus for officiating single handed all day, and to Steve Smith for ensuring that all the administration was in place for a well run event. Teams from Glos ACF and Dorset ACF will now go forward to represent SW Region at the Cadet National Championships to be held at York on Sat 4th Jul 15.
Report by Maj Alec Masson (National/SW Region TOW Officer)
22/03/2015 – MIDLAND EARLY PULL
RESULTS - HOLLAND SPORTS CLUB, STAFFORDSHIRE
Teams competing – Holland,
Norton, Stone YFC, Thorne, Vale of Lune YFC, Gloucester ACF Boys, Gloucester
ACF Girls
Results:
Men Catchweight - 1st - Norton -
2nd – Holland - 3rd - Stone YFC Men 680 - 1st - Norton - 2nd – Holland - 3rd - Stone YFC Men 660 - 1st - Norton -
2nd – Holland - 3rd – Thorne Men 640kg – 1st - Gloucester ACF – 2nd – Thorne – 3rd – Holland – 4th - Stone640 1st Gloucester ACF, 2nd Thorne, 3rd Holland, 4th
Stone Men 600 - 1st – Norton - 2nd – Thorne - 3rd – Holland - 4th – Gloucester - 5th
- Stone YFC - 6th – Vale of Lune
Ladies/Youth 560 - 1st - Gloucester Boys - 2nd - Gloucester Girls - 3rd – Vale of Lune Ladies/Youth 520 - 1st - Gloucester Boys - 2nd - Gloucester Girls - 3rd – Vale of Lune
Officials: Roger Beardsmore, Tony Henshaw, Mick Grimston, Jill Thomas
Photo: Stone YFC taking the strain during one of the men's weight classes - photos and results courtesy of the Tug of War Association Midland Area. You can view further photos from this event via the Tug of War Association Midland Area Facebook Page.
22/03/2015 – DORSET TRAINING LEAGUE RESULTS –
JOHNSON’S PARK, YEOVIL, SOMERSET
Teams Competing: Somerset ACF, Felton Eccles, Kennford, Blandford,
Haldon, Ansty
The organisers
would like to thank all of the teams who made the effort to come along and
compete, and would also like to thank Steve and Marion Goss for attending as
guests.
CONGRATULATIONS TO TARA ADAMS FOR ROWING THE ATLANTIC!
Well done to Bedford Ladies Tug of War Club puller Tara Adams, who as part of a rowing team, has successfully rowed 3800 nautical miles from Mainland Europe to Mainland South America in 51 days and 17 hours, breaking the record for the fastest time to row across the Atlantic.
Tara was part of a team raising money for Macmillan Cancer Support. In recognition of this achievement, and if you wish to make a donation to Macmillan, you can do so by visiting Tara’s Just Giving Page at https://www.justgiving.com/TaraAdams4
A MESSAGE OF THANKS FROM THE
REILLY FAMILY
The Reilly family would like to
offer their sincere and heartfelt thanks to all the tug of war men and women in
the tug of war community that turned up for Billy's funeral last week and they would
like to let you all know how much it meant them. You all did Billy proud and
the family were amazed when they saw the guard of honour and to see so many
grown men with a tear in their eye. What an amazing tribute to him, and the family will never forget it.
Sean Reilly, on behalf of the
Reilly Family.
BILLY REILLY
As many people will already be aware, Billy Reilly, coach of Kilroe Tug of War Club passed away suddenly on Friday 20th February.
Billy was a passionate tug of war man did a huge amount for English Tug of War over many years. It was only for the current indoor season where Billy decided to take a back seat from tug of war. Apart
from his great success with Kilroe Tug of War he also served for many
years on the TOWA General Committee.
Billy founded the Waggon and Horses Tug of War team in 1977 along with his brothers, friends and colleagues. The club later changed its name to Kilroe, with the club winning its first national championship in 1982. The rest as they say is history and the record of the club speaks for itself.
Billy will be sadly missed. Our condolences go to Angie and the extended
family and all of the members of the Kilroe mens and ladies teams.
Many people from the tug of war community at home and abroad have left a huge number of tributes on our Facebook page, and we have been asked to thank everyone for their kind words, sympathy and support on behalf of the Kilroe team.
21/02/2015 - 22/02/2015 - UK INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS - SCOTLAND
The 2015 UK indoor tug of war championships were this year hosted by Scotland. The weekend started on a very sad note after we learned of the sudden passing of Kilroe coach and founder of the Kilroe Club (who originally started out as the Waggon and Horses) Billy Reilly.
The competition went ahead as planned, and the Kilroe team who were represented in both the closed and open competition bravely competed throughout the weekend.
The final results were as follows:
UK Championships Closed Competition
Men 600kg - Gold - Northern Ireland B - Silver - Scotland A - Bronze - England A (represented by Raunds) - 4th - Northern Ireland A
Men 680kg - Gold - Scotland A - Silver - England A (represented by Uppertown) - Bronze - England B (represented by Kilroe) - 4th - Northern Ireland A
Mixed 600kg - Gold - Scotland A - Silver - England A (represented by Kilroe) - Bronze - England B (represented by Kilroe Ladies)
Open Competition
Men 640kg - Gold - Country Club (Northern Ireland) - Silver - Monnickendam (Netherlands)
Men 700kg - Gold - Tinto (Scotland)
Ladies 500kg - Gold - St Pats TOW (Ireland)
Ladies 520 - Gold - St Pats TOW (Ireland) Ladies 540 - Gold - St Pats TOW (Ireland) - Silver - Kilroe (England)
Mixed 560kg - Gold - St Pats A (Ireland) - Silver - St Pats B (Ireland)
The new TOWA promotional T-shirts are available to purchase at £16 each. The t-shirts are made
with cool-tex material and are quick drying, ideal for wearing when
training in the gym, etc.
The idea is for everyone to wear these
when you are out amongst the general public, in the gym, etc to promote
our sport to a wider audience.
Available in red, white and
amber in the following chest sizes: 32/34 inch; 34/36 inch; 38/40 inch;
42/44 inch; 46/48inch; 50/52 inch; and 54/56 inch.
These t-shirts will be on sale at outdoor tug of war competitions or contact Alan Knott for to get yours on 07976 591222 or e-mail alan_p_knott@hotmail.com
VIC LUDKIN ELECTED AS NEW TOWA PRESIDENT
Congratulations to Vic Ludkin who was duly nominated and elected as Tug of War Association president for 2015 at the recent TOWA AGM. Vic is a current TOWA judge, has recently served as chair of the GENSB committee, has also been a TWIF judge, and prior to becoming an official was an active puller. We wish Vic well in his new role.
Vic replaces outgoing president Steve Bowler. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Steve for his diligent service as president over the past few years and we look forward to seeing him out and about on the tug of war circuit in the future. Photo: Former TOWA President, Steve Bowler (right) handing over to new TOWA President Vic Ludkin (Left)
SATURDAY 6TH DECEMBER NATIONAL INDOOR TUG OF WAR TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS - RESULTS
The
2014 National Indoor Tug of War Championships took place yet again at the Harry
Mitchell Centre in Smethwick, West Midlands, with a small number of committed
teams again taking part this year. The entry in some weight classes was smaller
this year, however some of the competitions in the different weight classes
were very close and very exciting to watch.
The day
started with a minute silence for a former stalwart member of the Tug of War
Association, Mr. Peter Clarke, who passed away a couple of weeks ago. Peter had
served as a puller, judge and area representative for Tug of War Association
Midland Area number 2, as well as serving the Tug of War Association as
championships secretary and AAA representative, as well as volunteering his
time in other capacities for our sport. Our thoughts go out to his family and
friends.
The
competitions started with the mens 640kg competition, which got the day started
with a bang. The first matches saw Uppertown take on Kilroe and Raunds take on
Sheen. Uppertown won the first match by 2 ends to 0, but the pull between Sheen
and Raunds was a great match between the two sides. The first end went on close
to 4 minutes, eventually being declared a no pull after both teams received
three cautions. The teams then went at it again after the restart, with Sheen
taking the first end. The second end was equally as close, this time the pull
going to Raunds. Kilroe then defeated Sheen by 2 ends to 0, and Raunds and
Uppertown went to one end each. In the final round, Sheen then beat Uppertown
by 2 ends to 0 and Kilroe and Raunds went one end each. When the scores were
added up, Sheen, Kilroe and Uppertown were all joint first with 4 points each. After
the criteria was applied, Kilroe and Uppertown progressed to the final, with
both of theses teams having picked up less cautions than Sheen. Photo: Sheen 640kg Team
Raunds
and Sheen then faced each other in the bronze medal pull, which like the first
pull of the competition was very close and very exciting to watch, with the
match going all the way to three ends. Sheen took a hard fought first end, but
Raunds managed to last the distance to take the next two ends and win a hard
earned bronze medal. The final was between Kilroe and Uppertown, and with no
teams going through this weight without dropping an end, both teams would have
fancied their chances. On this occasion, Uppertown managed to get the job done
without losing an end to take the 640kg national title, Kilroe winning the
silver medal. Photo: Raunds 640kg Team
To
watch the first end of the bronze medal pull, please click here To
watch the second end of the bronze medal pull, please click here To
watch the third end of the bronze medal pull, please click here To
watch the first end of the final, please click here To
watch the second end of the final, please click here
The
catchweight competition followed, with Sheen and Kilroe contesting the final.
Sheen had a big strong team in this weight class, and went on to take the gold
medal by 2 ends to 0 to win the catchweight title for the 10th
consecutive year.
To
watch the first end of the final, please click here To
watch the second end of the final, please click here
The
560kg championship then followed, and again, there was only a small entry in this
weight class this year. The final was contested between Raunds and Sandhurst,
which meant that there would be a new name on the championship trophy this
year. Raunds put in a solid performance in this weight despite a strong
challenge from Sandhurst to win their first national indoor title since 2000
and their first ever championship at 560kg. Photo: Uppertown 640kg winning team
To
watch the first end of the final, please click here To
watch the second end of the final, please click here
The
720kg final followed the 560kg competition, with Sheen and Kilroe again
contesting the final. Again, Sheen had a bit too much size and power for Kilroe
on this occasion and they took their second gold medal of the day by 2 ends to
0.
To
watch the first end of the final, please click here To
watch the second end of the final, please click here
The
600kg competition again saw a lower number of entries this year, and as with
the 560kg competition, Raunds and Sandhurst contested the final, which again
meant that there would be another new name on the championship trophy. Raunds
again were the dominant force having had a good indoor season all year, and
they won the gold medal by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Sandhurst National Championships Squad
To
watch the first end of the final, please click here
To
watch the second end of the final, please click here
The
final mens weight class of the day was the 680kg competition. Like the 640kg
event, this was again a very close competition. Uppertown, the defending
champions from 2013 went through the group stage without losing an end. The
competition between the rest of the teams was close, and in the end, it was
Sheen who progressed to the final in second place in the group. The bronze
medal match was between Raunds and Kilroe, and as with the 640kg competition,
the bronze medal match went to three ends. Kilroe took the first end, and after
another two very close ends, Raunds took the next two to win bronze and their 4th
medal of the day. The final saw Sheen throw everything they could at defending
champions Uppertown, however it wasn’t quite enough and Uppertown took their
second national title of the day by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Kilroe Men and Ladies National Indoor Championships Squad
To
watch the first end of the bronze medal pull, please click here To
watch the second end of the bronze medal pull, please click here To
watch the third end of the bronze medal pull, please click here
To
watch the first end of the final, please click here To
watch the second end of the final, please click here
The day
finished with the mixed 4+4 competition at 600kg with Kilroe and Kilroe ladies
contesting the final. The first end was tight with Kilroe taking the end.
Kilroe then took the final end needed to secure the gold medal, with Kilroe
ladies taking silver.
Well
done to all of the teams who took part at this years championships, and thank
you to everyone for their continued support for indoor tug of war. The
officials on the day were Ray Fray Smith, Peter Craft, Mick Grimston, Roger
Beardsmore, Dave Kitchener, Vic Ludkin, Mick Selwood, Wendy Dyer, Betty Craft, Jill Thomas.
This
was the final tug of war competition of 2014. We hope that everyone has enjoyed
their tug of war this year, and we look forward to seeing everyone on the tug
of war circuit in 2015!
Teams Competing - Raunds, Sheen, Kilroe, Sandhurst, Uppertown, Kilroe Ladies.
Results:
Catchweight - Winners - Raunds - Runners Up - Kilroe
720kg - Winners - Sheen - Runners Up - Kilroe
680kg - Winners - Raunds - Runners Up - Sheen
640kg - Winners - Raunds - Runners Up - Uppertown
620kg - Winners - Raunds - Runners Up - Uppertown
600kg - Winners - Raunds - Runners Up - Sheen
Report and pictures to follow
23/11/2014 - INDOOR LEAGUE WEEK 4 RESULTS
Teams competing - Raunds, Kilroe, Sheen, Uppertown, Sandhurst, Kilroe Ladies.
This weekend, teams took to the mats again in five different weight classes, with some good competitive matches in most weight classes. The final results were as follows:
Catchweight - Winners - Raunds - Runners Up - Kilroe 680kg - Winners - Raunds - Runners Up - Kilroe 640kg - Winners - Raunds - Runners Up - Uppertown
620kg - Winners - Raunds - Runners Up - Sheen
600kg - Winners - Raunds - Runners Up - Sheen
16/11/2014 - AAA INDOOR TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS
Teams competing - Raunds (A and B), Kilroe (A and B), Kilroe Ladies (A and B), Uppertown, Sandhurst, Sheen
This weekend a small, but dedicated number of teams took
part in the annual AAA Indoor Tug of War Championships at the Harry Mitchell
Centre in Smethwick, West Midlands. The event kicked off with the catchweight
competition, which was well fought out and closely contested. Raunds and
Uppertown started off with a great first pull, which after two very close ends
which went backwards and forwards resulted in a 2 ends to 0 win for Uppertown.
In the other match first on, Kilroe and Sheen had another competitive contest,
with Sheen winning the match by 2 ends to 0. In the remainder of the
competition, Kilroe went 1-1 with Uppertown and Raunds, with Sheen defeating
Raunds, and then Uppertown defeating Sheen. Sheen and Uppertown both progressed
to the final and after a substitution by Sheen to alter the balance of their
team, Sheen went on to claim the AAA gold medal at catchweight by 2 ends to 0
against Uppertown. Photo: Sheen Catchweight Team - AAA Gold Medallists
The 640kilos competition also saw a small entry of teams,
with Raunds and Kilroe going on to contest the final. Raunds put in a good
performance to win the gold medal by 2 ends to 0 and win their first AAA Indoor
title since 2000. Photo: Kilroe 640kg team - AAA Silver Medallists
The open competitions were held at 600kg, 620kg and
680kg. The 600kg competition was split into two groups, with Raunds A winning
group 1 and Sheen winning group 2. In the final, Raunds A continued their good
run of form to win the competition by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Raunds 640kg Team - AAA Gold Medallists
The 680kg competition was run as a single large group
with the top two teams after the round robin stage going through to the final.
The top two teams to emerge were Raunds A and Uppertown. Uppertown again
competed strongly to win the final by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Uppertown Catchweight team - AAA Silver Medallists
The final weight of the day was the 620kg competition.
Another keenly contested weight class, with no teams going through the
competition without dropping ends, it was eventually Raunds A and Raunds B who
finished top of the group to meet each other again in the final. Raunds A won
the competition against their B team to round off a good day for them.
680kg - Winners - Uppertown - Runners Up - Raunds A 620kg - Winners - Raunds A - Runners Up - Raunds B
TWIF MAGAZINE - NOVEMBER 2014
You can download and read the latest edition of the TWIF (Tug of War International Federation) magazine byclicking here. The TWIF magazine features articles from the recent World Outdoor Championships held in the USA, as well as an article from the GENSB Youth International Competition held in England.
09/11/2014 – INDOOR LEAGUE WEEK 2 - RESULTS
This weekend, the second
competition of the indoor season took place at the Harry Mitchell Centre in the
West Midlands.
After the teams had weighed in, a two minutes silence was held
at 11am to mark our respects for remembrance Sunday.
Following on from the two minutes
silence, teams contested five weight classes at catchweight, 600kg, 620kg,
640kg, and 680kg.
Teams from Raunds (A and B),
Sheen, Kilroe Men, Kilroe Ladies, Uppertown and Sandhurst took part in the
event, with the final results as follows:
Catchweight – Winners – Raunds A – Runners Up – Uppertown
620kg – Winners – Raunds A – Runners
Up – Raunds B
680kg – Winners – Uppertown – Runners
Up – Sheen
600kg – Winners – Uppertown – Runners
Up – Raunds A
640kg – Winners – Raunds A – Runners
Up – Kilroe
The next competition is the AAA
tug of war championships at 640kg and Catchweight, along with open weight
classes. All teams and supporters are encouraged to attend.
02/11/2014 – INDOOR LEAGUE
WEEK 1 RESULTS
This weekend saw the first indoor competition of the 2014/15
season take place at the Harry Mitchell Centre in the West Midlands with a
small number of committed teams taking part. Raunds had the largest squad of
pullers competing on the day, fielding A and B teams in three weight classes. The
indoor circuit also saw Kilroe Ladies return to the tug of war scene after a
period of absence. The teams competing were as follows: Raunds (A and B),
Sandhurst, Uppertown, Kilroe Men and Kilroe Ladies.
The final results were as follows:
Catchweight – Winners
– Raunds A – Runners Up – Kilroe
640 – Winners –
Uppertown – Runners Up – Raunds A
680 – Winners –
Raunds A – Runners Up – Uppertown
620 – Winners – Sandhurst – Runners Up – Raunds B
600 – Winners –
Raunds A – Runners Up - Sandhurst
MR JOHN JOHNSTON
It is with great sadness that John
Johnston passed away last Thursday 23rd
October 2014. A service will be held at
Parndon Wood, Harlow, Herts at 2.30pm on Friday 31st October 2014
and then after at Halsey Masonic Hall in Cheshunt,
Hertfordshire.
Johnnie was a well respected
member of the TOWA who pulled for Cheshunt TOW Club and on his retirement as a
puller, he went on to become the club’s Coach.
The Club were the first Club to
stage a competition on a Sunday and had twelve teams in attendance.
Johnnie along with Rex Trollop were
the originators of the Rosedale League in 1970 which remains in name today.
Johnnie was a police officer, and
at one competition he turned up in his panda car, a (Morris Minor) opened his
boot and delivered two tug of war ropes whilst still on duty.
He was also the first member to
attempt to include a female in his team.
Sid Butcher was the Chief Judge, so one can imagine the heat of the
debate. Needles to say Sid won the argument,
but that didn’t stop Johnnie forming a team of females.
Our sincere condolences go to his
family, who are in our thoughts at this sad time.
HERBERT MAYORS
The Tug of War Association is saddened to learn of the
passing of Mr. Herbert Mayors. Herbert was
the coach of Adlington Young Farmers Tug of War Club (Cheshire) during
the 1970’s, coaching the team to victory in the mens 680kg national
championships in 1971, with the team also finishing as runners up in the 640kg
national championship that same year. Our
thoughts go out to Herbert’s family and friends.
19/10/2014 - FLANDERS CUP, BELGIUM
Well done to the English teams competing at the Flanders Cup at the
Weekend - York, Raunds, LCS, Holland 1 and Holland 2 competed at the event which sees teams of 7 weigh in at 550kg, or teams can enter teams of 6 pullers with no weight limit. Photo: Holland TOWC - 2014 Flanders Cup Finalists
After a very long afternoon of a straight 15 competition, Photo is Holland
TOWC made
the Final against Familie Jannsens from Belgium. On this occasion
Familie Jannsenns took home the Flanders Cup despite a great effort from Holland.
Well done to all the teams for a great performance, and also to York TOWC
pulled their way through to a great fifth place. Photo: York TOWC - 5th Place at the Flanders Cup
Results and photos courtesy of Steve Gardner.
19/10/2014 - YORKSHIRE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS - COUNTRYSIDE LIVE - HARROGATE
This years Yorkshire Open Championships were again held at
the Countryside Live agricultural show at the Great Yorkshire Showground in
Harrogate. The event was well supported by teams from Yorkshire, Lancashire and
Cheshire in the mens, ladies and mixed competitions, with the weather remaining
dry. The competition was run on a points basis, with matches pulled as best of
three ends, rather than the TWIF format of best of two ends. Photo: Penistone Ladies
The first weight of the day was the ladies 580kg competition
with 5 teams competing. The competition opened with a very exciting three end
pull between the ladies teams of Billsborrow and Vale-o-Lune, both from
Lancashire. Billsborrow took a close first end, with Vale-o-Lune taking the
next two ends to win the match. Vale-o-Lune only lost another to ends to the
eventual winners Penistone from Yorkshire (runners up in the National YFC
Ladies final in August), who won the competition without losing an end. Photo: Vale-o-Lune Ladies
The Mixed 4+4 weight was pulled as 660kg. Penistone emerged
as the strongest team in this weight class, again winning the competition without
losing an end. The battle for second place was very close between the two teams
from Lancashire, Longridge and Billsborrow, with Longridge winning this match
by two ends to nil to finish as eventual runners up. Photo: Longridge
The mens weights then followed, the first weight being
600kg. Longridge YFC were outstanding in this weight class, winning the
competition without losing an end and hardly losing any ground. Their
Lancashire rivals Billsborrow finished as the worthy runners up. Photo: Billsborrow
The 640kg competition featured a very close and exciting
pull first on between the very strong team of Billsborrow and Bosley, which
went to three ends. Billsborrow took the first end, with Bosley taking the next
two, which took a lot out of both teams. Going into the later stages of the
competition, Bosley and Longridge emerged as the top two teams, and these two
teams had another tough match, going all the way to three ends. Longridge took
the first end with Bosley having to battle hard to take the next two ends.
Another great match. At the end of a very close competition, Bosley finished as
winners, with Longridge finishing as runners up. Photo: Upper Wharfedale
The final weight of the competition was the mens 680kg
competition. This weight was split into two groups, with the top two teams from
each group progressing to the semi finals. The semi finals saw Billsborrow,
Chipping, Upper Wharfedale and Bosley progress. Billsborrow defeated Chipping
in their semi final, and Bosley defeated Upper Wharfedale in the other semi
final. The final was another exiting pull between Billsborrow and Bosley, with
Billsborrow coming very close to taking the first end, only for Bosley to take
it all the way back over the line. Another hard fought second end saw Bosley
take the win. Photo: Bosley
Well done to all of the teams who took part and made this a
good event, along with the officials Stuart Bell, Adrian Willis, and Colleen
Scruton. Thanks again to the Yorkshire Agricultural Society for providing the
venue and the prizes.
Men 600kg - Winners - Longridge - Runners Up - Billsborrow
Men 640kg - Winners - Bosley - Runners Up - Longridge
Men 680kg - Winners - Bosley - Runners Up - Billsborrow
31/08/2014 - WORLD OUTDOOR TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS - DAY 4
Today was the final day of the 2014 World Outdoor Tug of War Championships, with England being represented in the Mixed 600kg 4+4 and the Mens 640kg competition.
MEN 640KG WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULT
The final mens weight class of
the World Championships was the 640kg competition. In this weight class,
England were represented by a composite team. Under TOWA rules, teams who win
more than one weight class at a national championship can only select one
weight class to represent England at, and because other teams who were eligible
to represent England at 640kg were unable to travel to the USA, a composite
team was formed to ensure that England were represented. The English team was
made up of pullers from Norton, Lincoln, Sandhurst and Oxney Vines Cross.
Photo: England 640kg team competing at the World Outdoor Tug of War Championships
The
640kg competition was split into two groups, and on paper, England were drawn
in a tough group against Switzerland, Germany, Netherlands, South Africa, Italy
and Canada. England started off with a good 2 ends to 0 win against the
Netherlands, before defeat to Switzerland. England then went on to defeat South
Africa, Italy and Canada, with their final match against Germany. The result of
the match between England and Germany would decide who would go through to the
semi finals. In this match, the pull went to 1 end each, meaning that both
teams finished on level points. When the TWIF criteria was applied, England
finished in third place in the group on cautions.
When TWIF international
competitions are split into groups, teams pull for placings to determine the
overall world ranking. As such, England went into a 5th place pull
against Ireland who finished third in the other group. England wrapped up the
competition with an excellent 2 ends to 0 win over Ireland to finish in 5th
place overall. Well done to our squad of 640kg pullers. The final result was as
follows:
Gold – Switzerland
Silver – Sweden
Bronze – Germany
4th – Basque Country
MIXED 600KG WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULT
Photo: England 600kg mixed team competing at the World Outdoor Tug of War Championships
England were represented in this
weight class by a composite team formed of pullers from Bedford, Holland, Oxney
Vines Cross and Raunds. The competition was pulled in a straight group with the
top four teams going through to the semi finals. England performed well in the
group, starting off with a good 2 ends to 0 win over Chinese Taipei, and also
recorded wins against the USA and South Africa to secure a place in the semi finals.
In the semi finals, England were defeated against reigning champions Sweden and
went into the bronze medal match against the Basque Country. England again
performed strongly, but it wasn’t enough against the Basque team and England
finished in a respectable 4th position. The final result was as
follows:
Gold – Sweden
Silver – Netherlands
Bronze – Basque Country
4th - England
UNDER 23 600KG WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULT
Unfortunately we had no England
team competing in this weight class, however the final result was as follows:
Gold – Switzerland
Silver – Sweden
Bronze – Germany
4th – South Africa
LADIES 500KG WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULT
Unfortunately we had no England
team competing in this weight class, however the final result was as follows:
Gold – Chinese Taipei
Silver – Sweden
Bronze – Switzerland
4th – USA
WORLD OUTDOOR TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS - DAY 3
Today was the first day of the closed international competition at the World Championships, with each country being represented by their best teams of pullers in each weight class. England were represented in the mens 700kg and 580kg competitions.
MEN 700KG WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP RESULT
Photo: England 700kg team competing at the World Outdoor Tug of War Championships
In the mens 700kg competition, England were represented by Lincoln. The 700kg competition was split into two groups, and England were drawn in a group which included defending champions Ireland and European 720kg champions the Netherlands. England made a great start to the competition to defeat Ireland first on and set them up nicely for the rest of the competition. England progressed well through the group, only losing to the Netherlands to finish second place in the group and go through to the semi finals. In the semi finals, England met a very good Switzerland team and lost by 2 ends to 0 to miss out on a place in the final. In the bronze medal pull, England met the Netherlands again who were defeated in their semi final by Sweden. England gave another excellent account of themselves, but unfortunately missed out on the bronze medal by 2 ends to 0. Well done to England and our representative team, Lincoln. The final result was as follows:
Gold - Switzerland
Silver - Sweden
Bronze - Netherlands
4th - England
MEN 580KG WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP RESULT
Photo: England 580kg team competing at the World Outdoor Tug of War Championships
In the men 580kg competition, England were represented by Norton. The 580kg competition was split into two groups, and England were in a group which contained the USA, Canada, South Africa, Ireland ad Chinese Taipei. England again performed strongly in the group stages starting with a good 2 ends to 0 win over Ireland, and won all of their remaining matches in the group to finish top of the group and progress through to the semi finals. In the semi finals, England met the Basque Country and went on to secure a 2 ends to 0 win to progress to the final with a silver medal guaranteed. In the final, England met Switzerland, a repeat of the 2012 World final, and what a great final it was. England battled hard on the first end which went to 5 minutes, Switzerland just edging the pull, England fighting all the way to the line. The second end was not as long, but another great effort by England. Unfortunately, it was not to be and England were defeated by 2 ends to 0 against an excellent Switzerland side. Well done England and our representatives Norton. Final Result:
Gold - Switzerland
Silver - England
Bronze - Basque Country
4th - Ireland
WORLD OUTDOOR TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS - DAY 2
MEN 640KG WORLD OPEN
CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULT
Oxney Vines Cross competed in this weight class, which was
split into two large groups, with the top two teams from each group going
through to the semi finals. Oxney were drawn in group 2, which turned out to be
very competitive. Defending champions from 2012 Ebersecken topped the group
unbeaten, however there was a three-way tie between Oxney Vines Cross, Boley
from Ireland and Fam. Janssens from Belgium for second place. After the TWIF
criteria was applied, Oxney missed out on going to the semi finals at the
expense of Boley from Ireland. Well Done Oxney. The final result was as
follows:
Gold – Ebersecken
(Switzerland)
Silver – TTV Veenseboys
(Netherlands)
Bronze – TTV Bison
(Netherlands)
4th – Boley
(Ireland)
MIXED 600KG WORLD
OPEN CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP RESULT
There were no English clubs competing in this weight class
today, however the final result was as follows:
Gold – Gaztedi (Basque
Country)
Silver – TTV Jagersrust
(Netherlands)
Bronze – TTV Eibergen
(Netherlands)
4th –
Fam. Janssens (Belgium)
UNDER 23 600KG WORLD
OPEN CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP RESULT
There were no English clubs competing in this weight class
today, however the final result was as follows:
Gold – Simonswald
(Germany)
Silver – Mosnang
(Switzerland)
Bronze – Wynland
B (South Africa)
4th – Wynland
A (South Africa)
LADIES 500KG WORLD
OPEN CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP RESULT
There were no English clubs competing in this weight class
today, however the final result was as follows:
Gold – Jingmei (Chinese
Taipei)
Silver – Gaztedi
(Basque Country)
Bronze – DJ’s A (USA)
4th – Allgäu
Power Zell (Germany)
WORLD OUTDOOR TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS - DAY 1
MEN 580KG WORLD OPEN CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP RESULT
Photo: Norton TOWC competing in the Open Club competition at the World Outdoor Tug of War Championships
Norton and Oxney Vines Cross both competed in the 580kg world open club competition, which was a competition split into 4 groups, with the top two teams from each group going through to the quarter finals. Norton performed strongly in their group, finishing top without losing an end ahead of Goiherri from the Basque Country. Unfortunately, Oxney had a much more difficult time of things and failed to progress from their group, with Mount Vernon from the USA and TTV Veenseboys from the Netherlands emerging as the top two teams in their group. In the quarter finals, Norton met TTV Eibergen from the Netherlands, and took a good 2 ends to 0 win to reach the semi finals against home team Mount Vernon. Norton won that pull again by 2 ends to 0 to reach the final. In the final, Norton met the defending champions Engelberg from Switzerland, where unfortunately they succumbed to a 2 ends to 0 defeat to win the silver medal. Well done Norton and Oxney. The final result was as follows:
Gold – Engelberg (Switzerland)
Silver – Norton (England)
Bronze – Gaztedi (Basque Country)
4th – Mount Vernon (USA)
MEN 700KG WORLD OPEN CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULT
In 700kg world open competition, Lincoln were the English club represented in this weight class. The team competed well in the event that was split into two large groups. With the top two teams from each group going through to the semi finals. Lincoln lost one match in the group stage to TTV Bison from the Netherlands, and went 1 end each with Lakehill from Ireland. Lakehill took an end off TTV Bison to finish 1 point ahead of Lincoln, meaning that Lincoln finished third in the group to miss out on the semi finals. Well done Lincoln. The final result was as follows:
Gold – Ebersecken (Switzerland)
Silver – TTV Bison (Netherlands)
Bronze – TTV Heure (Netherlands)
4th – Lakehill (Ireland)
JUNIOR 560KG WORLD OPEN CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULT
Unfortunately there are no English junior teams competing in the USA, however the final result was as follows:
Gold – Luthern (Switzerland)
Silver – Vedum AIS (Sweden)
Bronze – Oakdale A (South Africa)
4th – Oakdale B (South Africa)
LADIES 540KG WORLD OPEN CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULT
Unfortunately there are no English Ladies teams competing in the USA, however the final result was as follows:
Gold – Jingmei (Chinese Taipei)
Silver – Gonten (Switzerland)
Bronze – Gaztedi (Basque Country)
4th – DJ’s A (USA)
GENSB PHOTOS AND VIDEOS
You can view photos from the 2014 GENSB Youth International Tournament via our Facebook page by clicking here
You can view a full playlist of videos from the knock-out stages of the GENSB competition byclicking here
You can download the GENSB Result Book byclicking here
23/08/2014 - GENSB YOUTH INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT RESULTS
Once again the young pullers of Europe gathered to compete
under the GENSB banner. This year’s GENSB tournament was hosted by the Tug of
War Association at St Martin’s Plain, Folkestone, Kent in association with the
Army Cadet Force. Around 550 Competitors from 9 different countries formed 39
junior teams made up of junior male and junior female pullers.
39 teams from 9 nations entered the competition (Germany 3 teams, England 8 teams, Netherlands
6 teams, Switzerland 6 teams, Belgium 7 teams, plus guests Ireland 2
teams, Northern Ireland 1 team, Scotland 2 teams, Lithuania 3 teams plus 1
Europa Mix). The GENSB competition saw Northern Ireland and Scotland enter
junior teams into the event for the first time. Photo: Gloucester ACF Girls carry the GENSB Flag into the arena
The ethos of the GENSB competition is a friendly
international event, hosted on a budget, with the price of accommodation capped
at an affordable level for competitors. Studies by Sport England suggest that
in addition to access to transport and the availability of good facilities,
cost is a huge barrier to participation in sport by young people. As such,
GENSB is an important event in terms of encouraging young people involved in
tug of war, and this is demonstrated by the number of countries that take part
in GENSB every year. Photo: The GENSB flag is raised
With the world championships only a week away, some
teams made a choice between competing at GENSB or the World Championships in
the USA, which was unfortunate, however having 39 junior teams competing at an
international event is still a strong entry.
England had 8 teams competing in the event as
follows – England Barbarians (a composite team of pullers from Somerset ACF,
Gloucester ACF, Felton Eccles and Oxney Vines Cross); Gloucester ACF Boys;
Gloucester ACF Girls; Gloucester/Somerset ACF; Derbyshire ACF, J Coy (Somerset)
ACF; Leicester Northants and Rutland ACF and Parbold YFC. Parbold YFC and
Derbyshire ACF were competing at the GENSB international competition for the
first time. Photo: Parbold YFC
England
had a total of 69 competitors taking part in the event, made up of 43 boys and
26 girls.
The competition was split into 3 groups of 10 and 1
group of 9. All of the teams from England gave an excellent account of
themselves in the group stages. The top 4 teams from each group progressed
through to the last 16 knock-out stage and in many cases, the competition to
get through was very close. Notable mentions go to Gloucester ACF girls who
competed with 10 girls against other teams of boys, or mixed teams containing
boys and girls and also Derbyshire ACF who gave a good account of themselves
after entering this event for the first time. It was also a baptism of fire for
Parbold YFC who recently won the GENSB competition at the National Federation
of Young Farmers Finals. Parbold finished 5th in their group to just
miss out on a place in the knock-out stages. Parbold a certainly keen to enter
the 2015 GENSB competition in the Netherlands. The combined team from
Gloucester and Somerset ACF also finished 5th in their group. Photo: Gloucester ACF Boys
The England Barbarians and Gloucester ACF Boys
performed strongly in their group, with the England Barbarians finishing as
runners up to Sins from Switzerland in their group. Gloucester ACF Boys were
also in the same group, and they progressed in joint third place with TTV
Schijf from the Netherlands. Photo: England Barbarians
The last 16 matches were as follows:
Mosnang (Switzerland) vs Ramygala (Lithuania)
TTV Schijf (Netherlands) vs TTV Powerrangers
(Belgium)
TTV De Spoortrekkers (Netherlands) vs England
Barbarians
TTV Bison (Netherlands) vs TTV Elektrotrekkers
(Belgium)
Appenzel (Switzerland) vs Eire OG (Ireland)
Ebersecken (Switzerland) vs Gloucester ACF Boys
Sins (Switzerland) vs Walkirch (Switzerland)
Simonswald (Germany) vs Eschbachtal (Germany)
You can watch a video of last 16 matches 1-4 by clicking here.
You can watch a video of last 16 matches 5-8 by clicking here.
Ramygala, TTV Powerrangers, England Barbarians, TTV
Elektrotrekkers, Appenzel, Ebersecken, Sins and Eschbachtal progressed to the
quarter finals. The quarter final line up was as follows:
Ramygala (Lithuania) vs TTV Powerrangers (Belgium)
TTV Elecktrotrekkers (Belgium) vs England
Barbarians
Ebersecken (Swizerland) vs Appenzell (Switzerland)
Sins (Switzerland) vs Eschbachtal (Germany)
Unfortunately, the England barbarians succumbed to
a 2 ends to 0 defeat against the Elektrotrekkers to miss out on a place in the
semi finals, but getting this far in an international competition was a
fantastic achievement. TTV Electrotrekkers were joined in the semi finals by
Ebersecken, TTV Powerrangers and Sins. Photo: Gloucester/Somerset ACF
You can watch a video of the quarter final matches
by clicking here
The semi finals featured two teams from Switzerland
and two teams from Belgium. Sins and Ebersecken faced each other in the first
semi final, and Powerrangers and Elektrotrekkers faced each other in the second
semi final, meaning that both Switzerland and Belgium were each guaranteed a
team in the final. Ebersecken and Elecktrotrekkers won their respective semi
finals to reach the final, leaving Sins and Powerrangers to fight it out for
the bronze medal. Photo: Derby ACF
You can watch a video of the semi final matches by clicking here
The bronze medal match saw Sins take the bronze
medal by 2 ends to 0, which never looked in doubt. The final was between
Ebersecken and Elektrotrekkers, two teams who had gone through the competition
without losing an end. Both teams performed very strongly, but it was the very
good team from Switzerland who took the gold medal by 2 ends to 0 to become the
2014 GENSB Champions. Photo: Leicester, Northants and Rutland ACF
You can watch the first end of the bronze medal
match by clicking here You can watch the second end of the bronze medal
match by clicking here You can watch the first end of the final by clicking here You can watch the second end of the final by clicking here
At the end of the competition, medals were
presented to the winning teams, and awards and thanks were given to all
participants and the officials. The GENSB flag was then handed over by Vic
Ludkin (England GENSB representative and chair of the GENSB committee) to the
Netherlands who host next years competition. Well done to everyone who took part
and thanks to the Army Cadet Force for looking after everyone over the weekend. Photo: Gloucester ACF Girls
The GENSB trophy and medals were presented by Her Majesty’s
Deputy Lord-Lieutenant of Kent Lieutenant Colonel Richard C B Dixon TD DL. Medals
to the officials were presented by the German Attache. Photo: J Coy (Somerset) ACF
The final rankings for the England teams were as
follows:
England Officials – Vic Ludkin, Ray Fray-Smith,
Peter Craft, Ian Grant, Gavin Corden, Betty Craft, Yvonne Ludkin
In previous years we have reported on the educational visits
undertaken by the cadets after the tournament. This year we would like to thank
Major Masson’s team of cadets, officers and volunteers who worked so hard to
get the camp and pulling arena ready for the event. Photo: The winning team of Ebersecken from Switzerland - 2014 GENSB Champions
Also our thanks to all the Association members, clubs and
areas which supported the event by bring ropes, scales, equipment, barriers
etc. In addition our thanks to those who acted as judges, marshals, recorders
or just came along to support. We cannot mention you all by name, but our
thanks for helping to make the event a success.
Finally, congratulations to all the English teams who
competed with commitment and maturity. Photo: the GENSB Officials
UNDER 23 UK CHAMPIONSHIPS REPORT
Please see the Under 23 Tug of War page for a report from the recent UK Championships held in Northern Ireland.
17/08/2014 - NATIONAL LEAGUE FINALS - RESULTS
Following the completion of 8 rounds of national league competitions during the course of the season, the final results are as follows after the final event held at Daventry Rugby Club:
Men 600kg - Gold - Oxney Vines Cross - Silver - Holland TOWC - Bronze - Felton Eccles
Men 640kg - Gold - Oxney Vines Cross - Silver - Norton - Bronze - Lincoln
Men 680kg - Gold - Norton - Silver - Oxney Vines Cross - Bronze - Lincoln
Well done to all of the teams who have taken part in the various league events throughout the season.
More to follow.
The ladies and youth league finals will be taking place on Sunday 14th September. Please see the fixtures page for info.
UK OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS - VIDEOS
Videos from some of the finals and bronze medal pulls at the UK Outdoor Tug of War Championships which took place in Belfast on Friday 1st August are now available via our YouTube Channel by clicking here.
10/08/2014 - INTER COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIPS AND BEDFORD LADIES OPEN COMPETITION RESULTS
Inter County Championships
Men 640 Kilos - Winners - Staffordshire A (represented by Norton) - Runners Up - Sussex (represented by Oxney Vines Cross)
Men 680 Kilos - Winners - Staffordshire A (represented by Norton) - Runners Up - Derbyshire (represented by Two Dales)
Open Competition
Men 700 Kilos - Winners - Lincoln - Runners Up - Two Dales
Men 600 Kilos - Winners - Oxney Vines Cross - Runners Up - Felton Eccles A
Ladies 500 Kilos - Winners - Bedford Ladies - Runners Up - Holland Ladies
Ladies 540 Kilos - Winners - Bedford Ladies - Runners Up - Holland Ladies
01/08/2014 & 02/08/2014 - UK CHAMPIONSHIPS - RESULTS SUMMARY
The 2014 UK outdoor tug of war championships were this year held at the
City of Belfast Playing Fields in Northern Ireland. A and B teams from England,
Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland took part in the event, with weights
taking place for mens teams, ladies teams, mixed teams, junior mens teams and
junior ladies teams.
The closed competition kicked off with a short opening ceremony followed
by the mens 600 kilos competition and the ladies 520 kilos competition.
Photo: England A 600kg team (represented by Bosley)
The mens 600 kilos competition saw Bosley represent England A and Felton
Eccles represent England B. England also had a C team competing in the event
made up of Under 23 pullers. England B started with a defeat to Northern
Ireland A, and England A started off with a 2 ends to 0 win over Wales A, the
first end being very close with Wales A having England A to the line. England C
started off with a defeat to Northern Ireland B. England A and England B then
went on to pick up points, whilst the England C team battled hard through the
competition gaining valuable experience on the way. By the time the last round
of matches came around, the A and B teams from England and Northern Ireland
were already guaranteed a place in the semi finals, although the final placings
were not a full gone conclusion to determine the draw for the semi finals. The
last round of pulling saw Northern Ireland’s A and B teams face each other, and
likewise, the England A and B teams faced each other.
Photo: England B 600kg team (represented by Felton Eccles)
Northern Ireland A were already guaranteed top spot having not lost an
end so far. England B were second, and Northern Ireland B and England A were
level on points. Northern Ireland B were content on a place in the top four and
opted to conserve energy against Northern Ireland A, whilst England B and
England A battled it out to ensure second and third place and to fight it out
again for a place in the final. The final pull between these two teams went
1-1.
In the semi finals, England A met England B and Northern Ireland A met
Northern Ireland B. Northern Ireland B were content to walk forward in the semi
final and focus their attention on the bronze medal. England A and England B
took part in a very competitive semi final, the first end going to almost 6
minutes and the second end to around 4 minutes. England B won the pull by 2
ends to 0 to make the final.
In the bronze medal pull, England A met Northern
Ireland B. One team had about a minute of pulling in their last four ends, and
the other team had around 15 – 20 minutes of pulling in their last four ends.
England A competed well, but the fresh legs of Northern Ireland B took the
bronze medal. In the final, England B met the defending champions of Northern
Ireland A. In a good competitive match, Northern Ireland A performed strongly
to take the two ends and a well deserved gold medal.
England Ladies 520kg team (represented by Bedford)
The ladies 520 kilos competition saw Bedford Ladies represent England A,
and Sheen Ladies represent England B, who were up against the other ladies
teams from Wales and Scotland. The competition was held in a round robin points
competition with the top four teams progressing to the semi finals. As with the
mens 600 kilos competition, both England teams progressed to the semi finals
along with Scotland A and Scotland B. In the semi finals, England A defeated
Scotland B, whilst Scotland A defeated England B, meaning that both countries
would have a team fighting for a gold or a bronze medal.
In the bronze medal pull, England B set to the task well and performed
strongly to take the bronze medal by 2 ends to 0. The final was a good advert
for ladies teams, with the pull going all the way to three ends. England A took
the first end, but Scotland A took the second end. On the deciding end, England
A managed to get a fast drop and took Scotland A over the line to secure a hard
earned gold medal.
The next session of competition saw the mens 680 kilos competition and
the ladies 520 kilos competition take place.
The 680 kilos competition saw England A being represented by Two Dales,
with England B being represented by Lincoln. This competition certainly turned
out to be fiercely competitive and very unpredictable with no team going
through the group stages without dropping points. England A topped the group,
closely followed by Scotland A, Northern Ireland A and England B, with 3 points
separating first and fourth.
Photo: England A 680kg team (represented by Two Dales)
In the semi finals, England A met England B, whilst Scotland A met
Northern Ireland A. Both semi finals were very competitive. Northern Ireland
beat Scotland in a good match by 2 ends to 0, whilst the two England teams went
to three ends. England A took the first end, however England B then made a
substitution to bring on a fresh pair of legs, which had a good impact as they
took the second end. In the deciding end, England B maintained their ascendency
and they took the third end to reach the final.
Photo: England B 680kg team (represented by Lincoln)
In the bronze medal pull, England A looked to try and win the bronze
medal, however Scotland A performed the strongest and they took the bronze
medal by 2 ends to 0. The final between England B and Northern Ireland A was
another fiercely competitive match, the first end going to over 4 minutes of
hard graft before England B were disqualified for receiving three cautions. On
the second end, England B had Northern Ireland moving from the drop, but
stopped short from the line and Northern Ireland managed to take the rope back
and win the gold medal at 680kg for the first time.
In the ladies 560kg competition, England A were represented by Holland
Ladies, whilst England B were represented by a composite team. Both teams again
performed well in the group stage, with England B topping the group. England B
also finished in the top four along with Wales A and Scotland A. In the semi
finals, England B defeated England A, whilst Wales A defeated Scotland A.
In the bronze medal pull, England A met Scotland A, and despite the
England A team’s best efforts, Scotland A took the bronze medal. In the final,
England B put in a dominant performance against a very spirited Wales A team to
take the gold medal by 2 ends to 0.
The final senior weight of the day was the mixed 600kg competition. This
competition was, like the 680kg competition very competitive and hugely
unpredictable. England A were represented by Bedford, and England B were
represented by Holland. In the group stage, England A topped the group,
followed by Scotland A, England B and Wales A. In the semi finals, England B
defeated England A, and Scotland A defeated Wales A.
In the bronze medal pull, England A defeated Wales A by 2 ends to 0, and
England B then went on to win the gold medal in the final against Scotland A by
2 ends to 0.
The closed junior weight classes were contested on the Saturday
alongside the senior open competitions. Scotland, England and Northern Ireland
entered teams into the junior weight classes, and this year, for the first
time, we had a junior ladies competition.
Photo: England A Junior 560kg Team (represented by Somerset ACF)
In the junior mens competition, England A were represented by Somerset
ACF, and England B were represented by Gloucester ACF. England’s A and B teams
emerged as the top two teams in the group stages, and both progressed through to
the final. The final turned out to be a great pull and another good advert for
youth tug of war, with the final going all the way to three ends. England A won
the first end, with England B winning the second end. On the decider, England A
got a good fast drop and managed to generate enough momentum to bring England B
over the line and take the gold medal.
Photo: England B Junior 560kg Team (represented by Gloucester ACF)
In the junior ladies competition, England were represented by Gloucester
ACF. The junior ladies weight was contested at 480 kilos and in the group
stage, England and Scotland emerged as the top two teams. In the final, England
were the superior team and they took the gold medal by 2 ends to 0.
England A junior ladies 480kg team (represented by Gloucester ACF)
Well done to all of our junior representatives.
The open competition took place on the Saturday, and by stark contrast
to the dry weather from the previous day, most of the competitions took place
in torrential downpours! Bosley, Felton, Lincoln, Holland, Gloucester ACF,
Somerset ACF, Bedford Ladies, Holland Ladies, and Sheen Ladies took part in the
various mens, ladies, junior and mixed weights. Bedford Ladies dominated the
ladies weights by winning both the ladies weights ahead of Cornhill from
Scotland in the 520kg and Ballinastoe from Ireland in the 560kg. Bedford also
took gold in the mixed 600kg ahead of Boyneside from Ireland. Somerset ACF
finished as runners up in the junior 520kg competition to Rathkeale from
Ireland, and Gloucester ACF won the junior ladies weight ahead of Glasgow and
Lanarkshire ACF. In the mens weights, Bosley and Felton took part in the 580kg
competition, finishing in 3rd and 4th respectively in the
group stage, with both teams losing their respective semi finals to miss out on
the final. Lincoln made the semi finals of the 640kg competition, but again
missed out on a spot on the final.
Photo: Bancran TOWC from Northern Ireland competing in the open competition the very heavy rain!
Well done to all of the England teams who took part at the 2014 UK
championships and thank you to the Northern Ireland Association for their
hospitality.
Results Summary
CLOSED
Men 600 –
Gold – Northern Ireland A – Silver –
England B (Felton) – Bronze –
Northern Ireland B – 4th England A
(Bosley)
Men 680 –
Gold – Northern Ireland A – Silver –
England B (Lincoln) – Bronze –
Scotland A – 4th – England A (Two
Dales)
600 4+4 –
Gold – England B (Holland) – Silver
– Scotland A – Bronze – England A
(Bedford) – 4th - Wales A
Ladies 560
– Gold – England B (Composite Team) – Silver – Wales A – Bronze
– Scotland A – 4th – England A
(Holland Ladies)
Ladies 520
– Gold – England A (Bedford Ladies) – Silver – Scotland A – Bronze
– England B (Sheen Ladies) – 4th –
Scotland B
Junior Men
560kg – Gold – England A (Somerset ACF) – Silver – England B (Gloucester ACF) – Bronze – Scotland A
Junior
Ladies 480kg – Gold – England A (Gloucester ACF) – Silver – Scotland A –
Bronze – Northern Ireland A
13/07/2014 – BOSLEY TOWC AND EAST CHESHIRE HOSPICE
CHARITY TUG OF WAR RESULTS
Teams competing – Bosley, Norton, Two Dales, Lincoln, Holland, Bedford Ladies, Holland
Ladies, Gloucester ACF Boys, Gloucester ACF Girls, Upton YFC
The East Cheshire Hospice Charity Tug of War Event was run by Bosley Tug
of War Club, taking place at Chelford Village Hall in Cheshire. The event was
supported mainly by the northern area teams, with 5 mens weights and 4
ladies/youth weights being held. The weather was dry, but the overnight rain
softened the ground up, meaning that it cut up well to give the teams competing
some tough ends against each other. Photo: Two Dales TOWC
In the mens weights, competitions from 620 kilos all the way up to
catchweight were held. Norton were the dominant force on the day, winning all 5
weight classes on offer, but were pushed hard on some ends by the other teams
taking part, so finishing in first place was never a full gone conclusion.
Lincoln finished as the runners up in the 720 kilos and catchweight
competition, with Holland finishing as runners up in the 680 kilos competition,
and the host club Bosley finishing as runners up in the 640 kilos and 620 kilos
competitions. Photo: Upton YFC Junior Team
The ladies and youth league competitions were held at 520 kilos and 560
kilos, with additional weights at 500 kilos and 540 kilos also being contested.
There were some closely fought ends in these weight classes, and it was
pleasing to see Upton YFC from Worcestershire travelling up to the event for
their first taste of TOWA competition. Upton will be competing in the youth
competition at the National Young Farmers Finals in August, and they came very
close to getting a runners up medal in the 520 kilos competition earlier in the
day. Gloucester ACF and Bedford Ladies both finished with two winners medals
each, Gloucester winning the 520 and 560, and Bedford winning the 500 and 540. Photo: Norton TOWC
This event also included a charity 6 a side
competition aimed at teams from the local area. The final of this competition
was contested by Macclesfield Young Farmers and the “Academy Ninjas”. In a
closely fought match, Macclesfield won the final by 2 ends to 1. Photo: Bosley TOWC
This event raised a total of £200 for the East Cheshire Hospice, and
thank you to everyone who came along to support the event. The officials on the
day were Peter Craft, Mick Grimston and Betty Craft.
Results Summary
Men 620 – Winners – Norton – Runners Up –
Bosley
Men Catchweight – Winners – Norton – Runners
Up – Lincoln
Men 600 – Winners – Widecombe – Runners Up –
Anstey
Men 680 - Winners – Felton Eccles – Runners Up
– Widecombe
Men 640 - Winners – Felton Eccles – Runners Up –
Widecombe
660 Non-Finalist – Winners – Army B – Runners
Up – Army A
06/07/2014 - AREA 7 TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS
Teams Competing - Essex YFC, 4th Regiment RA, Oxney Vines Cross, Felton Eccles, Holland, Norton, Bosley, Two Dales, Lincoln, Cupids Hill, Bedford Ladies, Holland Ladies, Sheen Ladies
This weekend, the Area 7 championships were held at Sandhurst, with the
teams being greeted by warm and sunny weather conditions. This was one of the
first competitions since the national championships, with many teams now
looking ahead to competing in national league, inter-county, UK and World
Championships. There were four weight classes for mens teams and 2 weight
classes for ladies and youth teams.
The first weight was the catchweight competition, which was run as a
straight points competition of 6 teams. There was some close ends in this
weight, especially between Lincoln and Two Dales at the start, with Two Dales
coming very close to taking the first end, only for Lincoln to take the rope
all the way back, and take the second end also. At the end of the group stage,
Norton finished top of the group with Lincoln in second place. Both teams met
again in the final, which Norton won by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Oxney Vines Cross
The second weight of the day was the 600 kilos competition, which was
again pulled as a straight group with the top two teams going through to the
final. There were quite a few 1-1 pulls in this competition, but it was Oxney
Vines Cross and Two Dales who progressed to the final, with Oxney winning the
final by 2 ends to 0.
The 680kg and 640kg competitions followed, and both weights were pulled
as straight groups with the top four teams going through to the semi finals. In
the 680kg competition, there was some close pulling, but it was Norton who
topped the group without losing an end. They were joined in the semi-finals by
Oxney, Holland and Bosley. In the semi finals, Norton defeated Bosley, and
Oxney defeated Bosley. Norton and Oxney then met in the final, with Norton
putting in a strong performance to win by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Felton Eccles
The 640kg competition was the last weight of the day. Norton and Oxney
again emerged as the top two teams in the group stages, and these two teams
both ended up in the final. This final proved to be the closest fought out on
the day, going to three ends. Oxney took a closely contested first end after
Norton took Oxney to within a metre of the line, before conceding ground and
picking up cautions. Oxney were then awarded the end after Norton received
three cautions. Norton then had to work hard in the next two ends, but managed
to win the next two ends to win the 640kg competition. Photo: 4th Regiment RA
The ladies weights at 520kg and 560kg were contested between Bedford
Ladies, Sheen Ladies and Holland Ladies. Bedford Ladies continued their fine
form from winning the two ladies weights at the national championships by
winning both weights without dropping an end. Sheen Ladies and Holland Ladies
enjoyed some close competition for second place, with Holland Ladies finishing
as runners up in both weight classes.
Well done to all of the teams who took part. The officials on the day
were Mick Selwood, Mike Callaghan, Ray Fray-Smith, Peter Craft, Vic Ludkin,
Betty Craft and Yvonne Ludkin.
Results Summary
Men Catchweight - Winners - Norton - Runners Up - Lincoln
Men 600 - Winners - Oxney Vines Cross - Runners Up - Two Dales
Men 680 - Winners - Norton - Runners Up - Oxney Vines Cross
Men 640 - Winners - Norton - Runners Up - Oxney Vines Cross Ladies 520 - Winners - Bedford Ladies - Runners Up - Holland Ladies
Ladies 560 - Winners - Bedford Ladies - Runners Up - Holland Ladies
05/07/2014 - ARMY CADET FORCE NATIONAL TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS - YORK - RESULTS
The Army Cadet National Championships took place in York on Saturday 5th July with 10 ACF Boys teams and 10 ACF Girls teams from across the UK taking part, with ACF Regional teams from Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland and England all represented. The results were as follows:
560kg Males
Winners - South West A (Somerset & Gloucester ACF) Runners Up- South West B (Gloucester & Somerset ACF) 530kg Females
Winners - South West (Gloucester & Somerset ACF) Runners Up - Eastern Region (LNR ACF)
The officials on the day were Mick Grimston, Bob Pochin, Leslie and Barry Angus.
More to follow.
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS IN THE MEDIA
Click here for an article in the Lincolnshire Echo
Click here for an article by the Young Journalists Academy
Click here for a video by the Young Journalists Academy
21/06/2014 - NATIONAL OUTDOOR TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS
Saturday 21 June saw the Tug of War Association
National Outdoor Tug of War Championships take place at Sobroan Barracks in the
historic city of Lincoln. The following clubs took part in the 2014
championships: York, Bosley, Norton, Two Dales, Lincoln, Holland, Felton
Eccles, Widecombe, Team Army, Sandhurst, Oxney Vines Cross, Sheen Ladies,
Bedford Ladies, Team Army Ladies, Holland Ladies, Gloucester ACF Boys,
Gloucester ACF Girls, Somerset ACF Boys, Derby ACF Boys, Derby ACF Girls, LNR
ACF Boys, LNR ACF Girls. Photo: Team Army Men 640kg team
There were some changes to the format of this
year’s championships and the event kicked off at 9am with the mens 640kg
competition, the junior men 530kg competition and the junior ladies 480kg
competition.
Men 640kg Competition
The mens 640kg competition was pulled as a straight
points competition, with the top four teams going through to the semi finals.
There was some close competition in this group, with 2013 winners Norton
finishing top of the group, followed by Two Dales, then Lincoln and then 2013
silver medallists Felton Eccles. In the semi-finals, there was a repeat of the
2013 final between Norton and Felton Eccles, with Norton winning the pull by 2
ends to 0. There was a finer margin between Two Dales and Lincoln in the second
semi-final, and after two very close ends, Two Dales progressed to the final by
2 ends to 0. Photo: Somerset ACF Junior Men 530kg Team
In the bronze medal match, Lincoln and Felton faced
each other. This was the first time that Felton had not reached a 640kg final at
a national championship after a run of over 18 years. Lincoln had won the
earlier match between these two teams in the group stages, however the tough
semi-final against Two Dales had some impact and Felton took the bronze medal
by 2 ends to 0. The final saw Two Dales challenge Norton for the gold medal.
Norton continued their strong form from the group stages and defeated Two Dales
by 2 ends to 0 to retain the 640kg title. Photo: Gloucester ACF Junior Ladies 480kg Team
To watch the first end of the bronze medal match, click
here To watch the second end of the bronze medal match, click
here To watch the first end of the final, click
here To watch the second end of the final, click
here
Junior Ladies 480kg Competition
The Junior Ladies 480kg competition took place with
the mens 640kg competition, with Gloucester ACF and Derby ACF both reaching the
final. The Gloucester ACF Girls have a couple of years experience over their
rivals from Derby, who were competing at their first ever Tug of War
Association National Championship. The Gloucester ACF girls pulled strongly on
both ends of the final to win the gold medal by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Derby ACF Junior Ladies 480kg Team
Junior Men 530kg Competition
The Junior Men 530kg competition was keenly
contested, with Gloucester ACF, Somerset ACF and Derby ACF competing for the
gold medal. Both Gloucester ACF and Somerset ACF progressed to the final, with
Somerset ACF finishing on maximum points in the group stage. In the final,
Gloucester and Somerset put on a good display, with Somerset showing strong
form to take the gold medal by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Lincoln 640kg team
To watch the first end of the final, click
here To watch the second end of the final, click
here
The next weights to be contested under the new
format was the mens catchweight, mens 580kg and ladies 540kg competitions. All
three weight classes were pulled as points competitions with the top four teams
going through the semi finals to compete for medals. Photo: Gloucester ACF Junior Men 530kg Team
Men Catchweight Competition
In the mens catchweight competition, Holland topped
the group stages without losing an end, followed by Two Dales, Bosley and Team
Army. In the bronze medal match, Bosley faced Team Army, and pulled strongly
over both ends to win the bronze by 2 ends to 0. The final was a very close
pull between Two Dales and Holland. On the first end, Holland took Two Dales to
within a couple of feet of the line, only to stop, which allowed Two Dales to get
back into the pull and take Holland back to take the first end. On the second
end, Holland were lively again, but Two Dales put in another strong performance
to win their first ever gold medal at an outdoor national championships. Photo: Two Dales 640kg Team
To watch the first end of the bronze medal match, click
here To watch the second end of the bronze medal match, click
here To watch the first end of the final, click
here To watch the second end of the final, click
here
Ladies 540kg Competition
In the ladies 540kg competition, there was some
close pulling between all of the teams that took part. In the group stages,
Bedford Ladies topped the group, followed by Sheen Ladies, Holland Ladies and
Team Army. Holland Ladies and Team Army took part in a very competitive bronze
medal match which went to three ends. Holland took a close first end, with Team
Army winning the second end. With the toss of a coin, the Team Army coach won
the choice of the winning end and both teams went to battle, a very determined
Holland team winning the third end and the bronze medal. The final was between
Sheen Ladies and Bedford Ladies. Both teams put in good performances, but
Bedford had the upper hand this year and took the gold medal by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Widecombe 640kg Team
To watch the first end of the bronze medal match, click
here
To watch the second end of the bronze medal match, click
here To watch the third end of the bronze medal match, click
here To watch the first end of the final, click
here To watch the second end of the final, click here
Men 580kg Competition
The Mens 580kg competition was contested as a
straight group with the top four teams going through to the semi finals.
Sandhurst and Oxney met first on, and after a very hard fought and competitive
match, Oxney won the pull by 2 ends to 0. There were many other hard fought
battles in the group, particularly between York, Widecombe and Felton, and the
eventual semi finalists were Norton, Oxney, Widecombe and Sandhurst. In the
semi finals, Norton defeated Widecombe by 2 ends to 0, and Oxney defeated
Sandhurst by the same score to reach the final, and break the streak of having
a Norton-Sandhurst final in the mens lightweight competition at a national
championship for the first time in a good number of years. Photo: Sandhurst 640kg Team
The bronze medal match was on first with Sandhurst
up against Widecombe from Devon. On the first end, both teams were composed,
and Sandhurst looked to be holding on well, only for Widecombe to get the rope
moving against which Sandhurst struggled to respond, Widecombe taking the first
end. The second end was again keenly contested, but Widecombe made no mistakes,
and took the bronze medal, their first medal at a Tug of War Association national
championships – well done to them. Photo: Derby ACF Junior Men 530kg Team
The final was between Norton and Oxney Vines Cross.
The first end saw Oxney put in a determined performance against the defending
champions, and certainly did not wish to make it easy for Norton to take gold,
making sure they lifted back everything that Norton tried to throw at them.
Norton managed to keep their shape throughout the pull and took the first end.
The second end went much the same way, and Norton took the second end that they
needed to retain the 580kg title. Photo: Felton Eccles 640kg Team
To watch the first end of the bronze medal match, click
here To watch the second end of the bronze medal match, click
here To watch the first end of the final, click
here To watch the second end of the final, click here
The 700kg competition followed, along with the
ladies 500kg competition, the Junior Men 580kg competition and the Junior
Ladies 520kg competition.
Men 700kg Competition
In the mens 700kg competition, defending champions
Holland faced strong challenges from the other teams, in particular Lincoln,
who went into the event having won the European Club Championships in 2013, and
also Norton, who this year decided to enter the fray. In the group stages,
Norton finished top after only dropping one end, followed by Lincoln and then
Holland. Norton and Lincoln both progressed to the final, in what was a keenly
contested pull. Norton took the first end, and almost looked like they were
going to take the second end, getting to within a couple of feet of the line
before they stopped, with Lincoln getting back into the pull and taking Norton
all the way back to level the score. The third end was equally as close with
Norton taking Lincoln right to the line. Both teams were on two cautions, and
Lincoln managed to take some rope back. After some hard pulling by both teams,
Norton took the end and the gold medal, which meant that they were on track for
winning an unprecedented 5 gold medals. Photo: Holland Catchweight Team
To watch the first end of the final, click
here To watch the second end of the final, click
here To watch the third end of the final, click
here
Ladies 500kg Competition
In the Ladies 500kg competition, Sheen, Bedford,
Team Army and Holland all battled it out again for the medals. Bedford again
topped the group, followed by Sheen Ladies, Holland Ladies and Team Army.
Holland and Team Army progressed to the bronze medal pull. Unlike the 540kg
competition, this match only went to two ends, which were still keenly
contested, however this time, Team Army upped their game from the first ladies
weight and they took a hard earned bronze medal by 2 ends to 0. The final was
another contest between Bedford Ladies and Sheen Ladies, with Bedford Ladies in
high spirits having taken gold in the 540kg competition. This final saw Sheen
Ladies drop in and attack on both ends, only for Bedford to defend their
position well on both ends to take the gold medal by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Bedford Ladies 540kg Team
To watch the first end of the bronze medal match, click
here To watch the second end of the bronze medal match, click
here To watch the first end of the final, click
here To watch the second end of the final, click
here
Junior Ladies 520kg Competition
The Junior Ladies 520kg competition was well
contested. As with the Junior Ladies 480kg competition, Gloucester ACF had with
them the benefit of experience, and they won the group stages without losing an
end, followed by Derby ACF and LNR ACF. Gloucester ACF and Derby ACF met again
in the final, with Gloucester ACF completing their double by taking the gold
medal by 2 ends to 0. Well done to all of the junior ladies teams who have
competed this year. Photo: Holland Ladies 540kg Team
To watch the first end of the final, click
here To watch the second end of the final, click
here
Junior Men 560kg Competition
In the Junior Men 560 kilos competition, this was
another well fought out competition. Somerset ACF emerged as the top team in
the group stage, followed by Gloucester ACF, Derby ACF and LNR ACF. In the
bronze medal match, Derby ACF faced LNR ACF. Derby ACF put in an excellent
performance to take the two ends required to secure the bronze medal, their
first ever medal in the Junior Mens competition. The final was between
Gloucester ACF and Somerset ACF for the second time. Both of these teams pulled
as a combined team (Gloucester and Somerset) at the previous three national
championships, however this year, have separated and registered as two separate
clubs. The competition between these two teams throughout the year has been
very close and very exciting to watch. In this weight class, as with the 530kg
competition, the two ends went to Somerset ACF who took their second gold medal
of the championships. Photo: Oxney Vines Cross 580kg Team
To watch the second end of the bronze medal match, click
here To watch the first end of the final, click
here To watch the second end of the final, click
here
Men 600kg Competition
The Mens 600kg competition followed, which was
split into two groups, with the top two teams from each group progressing to
the semi finals. Both groups were keenly contested, with little to separate
most of the teams. Norton topped group 1, with close competition for second place
between the remaining teams. Bosley claimed second place after only losing to
Norton in the Group, with Widecombe, York and Sandhurst following. In the
second group, the competition for the top two places was very close,
particularly between Felton, Oxney and Two Dales. Oxney eventually progressed
as group winners, with Felton finishing as runners up ahead of Two Dales, Team
Army and Holland. In the semi-finals, Norton faced Felton and Bosley faced
Oxney. Both semi finals were pulled at the same time. Norton defeated Felton by
2 ends to 0, and had finished both of their pulls whilst Oxney and Bosley were
still on their first end, Bosley taking a hard fought first end. Oxney then
took the second end to set up a deciding pull. This was again a very hard fought
match, with both teams eventually ending up on two cautions before the judge awarded
the pull to Bosley after Oxney received three cautions. This was a very close
match that could have gone either way. Photo: LNR ACF Junior Men 560kg Team
In the bronze medal match, Oxney and Felton met for
the second time. Oxney had to recover from a difficult 3 ender in the
semi-final, however Felton still performed strongly to take the bronze medal by
2 ends to 0. In the final, Bosley met Norton for the second time in the
competition. Bosley too had a tough semi-final to recover from, but Norton’s
experience in the light weight competitions again showed, and despite Bosley’s
best efforts, Norton took their fourth gold medal of the day by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Team Army Ladies 500kg Team
To watch the first end of the final, click
here To watch the second end of the final, click
here
Men 680kg Competition
The final men’s weight of the day was the 680kg
competition. This was again split into two groups. Norton and Two Dales emerged
from group 1, with Felton and Lincoln emerging from group 2. In the semi
finals, Two Dales performed strongly to defeat Lincoln by 2 ends to 0 to reach
their third final of the day in their semi final, and Norton defeated Felton
Eccles in their semi final by the same score. The bronze medal match saw
Lincoln and Felton compete against each other again. Felton managed to hold
onto Lincoln on both ends to win the bronze medal match by 2 ends to 0 to win
their third bronze medal of the day. In the final, Two Dales met 2013 winners
Norton. Norton were determined to win their fifth gold medal of the day, and
despite a strong showing from Two Dales, Norton took the two ends needed to win
the gold medal and set a new record of winning 5 gold medals at the same
national outdoor championship. Photo: Sheen Ladies 500kg Team
To watch the first end of the bronze medal match, click
here To watch the second end of the bronze medal match, click
here To watch the first end of the final, click
here
To watch the second end of the final, click
here
Mixed 600kg 4+4 Competition
The final weight of the day was the 600kg 4+4
competition. The defending champions in this weight from 2013 were Holland. As
ever, the strongest challengers were York and Bedford. This year, Bedford
topped the group, followed by Holland and York. Bedford and Holland progressed
to the final, which was a good match between these two teams. This year,
Bedford had they took a well deserved gold medal by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Bosley 600kg Team
To watch the first end of the final, click
here To watch the second end of the final, click
here
The Tug of War Association would like to
congratulate all of the teams who took part this year. As an amateur sport, it
is always difficult for teams to find the funding to
travel around to competitions and commit the time, so win or lose, all of the
teams have played a valuable part in making the championships a success. Thank
you also to the judges, recorders and marshals. We only had a small number of
officials available on the day, all of who played their part in making sure the
day ran smoothly. Thank you also to the supporters who came along, and to all
of those teams and individuals who helped to supply volunteers, ropes, and
equipment. If we did not have everyone working together to support the
championships and our sport, it would be very difficult to do anything, so
thank you to everyone for your support and input. We now wish all of the teams
the very best for the remainder of the season, wherever you are competing, and
we look forward to next years national championships! Photo: Norton 600kg Team
Results Summary
Men 640kg - Gold - Norton (Staffordshire) - Silver - Two Dales (Derbyshire) - Bronze - Felton Eccles (Somerset)
The Tug of War Association would like to congratulate all of the teams who took part - well done!
14/06/2014 - QUEEN'S BIRTHDAY HONOUR FOR "TUG" LAWSON
Congratulations to Lieutenant Colonel (Retd) Cecil John Lawson, known to
most of us as "Tug", who has been awarded with the British Empire Medal
in the Queen's Birthday Honours List today for voluntary service to the
Army Cadet Force. Tug has been part of the Leicestershire,
Northamptonshire and Rutland ACF for many years, and was instrumental in
promoting tug of war within the ACF. Tug of war is now a fully
recognised sport within the ACF, with county, regional and national tug
of war competitions taking place every year. Many ACF clubs are now
taking part in TOWA youth competitions, with many also taking part in
GENSB competitions, with some ACF clubs also going on to represent
England at youth level. Well done Tug for everything that you have done
and continue to do!
08/06/2014 - YORK TOWC OPEN COMPETITION RESULTS
This Sunday’s competition at York was supported by the host club York,
Stamfordham, Brandesburton, Pontefract, 4th Regiment, Bosley,
Lincoln (A and B) and Two Dales in the men’s weight classes, and Sheen Ladies
and Bedford Ladies in the ladies weight classes. There were 5 mens weights on
offer, as well as two ladies weights and a 4+4 weight. All weights were run as
points competitions, with the top teams pulling again in a final, or if the
competition was pulled in two groups, the top team from each group progressed
to the final.
The catchweight competition started the event, pulled as a straight
group. Despite the dry weather, the ground was greasy on top due to the rain
from the previous day, but all of the teams coped with the conditions well, and
there was some competitive ends. Bosley and Lincoln emerged as the top two
teams, with Lincoln finishing the group on maximum points. In the final, the match
up was a little closer than in the group stage, but Lincoln took the required
two ends to finish as winners. Photo: Pontefract
The 580 kilos competition followed, and this
competition was split into two groups, with some teams weighing in with 7
pullers. This was another keenly contested competition, especially with the
Young Farmers teams in the mix, giving the more experienced teams a good run
for their money. Two Dales topped their group, but there was some very close
competition in the second group. Bosley and Lincoln went 1-1, and in the final
pull of the group, Bosley had a tough match with Brandesburton, dropping a
gruelling first end, but winning the second end, which meant that Lincoln
progressed to the final. In the final, Two Dales earned a well-deserved 2 ends to
0 win over Lincoln. Photo: Brandesburton
The 640 kilos competition was again split into two groups, with more
closely contested battles. The first group saw Lincoln A (pulling with 7 men)
and Two Dales had a gruelling two ends match that eventually went to Lincoln
and they topped their group to reach the final. In the second group, there was
again some more close pulling, with Bosley and York going 1-1 and some close
pulling with the other teams in that group. Bosley and York topped the group on
level points, but it was York who progressed having picked up fewer cautions.
In the final, Lincoln A pulled well to finish in first place by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Stamfordham
The 600 kilos competition was pulled as a straight group with the top
two teams pulling again in the final. Two Dales finished top of the group on
maximum points, followed by York. Both teams pulled again in the final, and Two
Dales continued their good form in this weight to finish first by 2 ends to 0. Photo: 4th Regiment
The final mens weight of the competition was the 680 kilos competition,
again split into two groups. In the first group, the competition was close to
get through to the final between York and Pontefract, with both these teams
going 1-1 with each other, York eventually progressing on the TWIF rules
criteria. In the second group, Lincoln finished ahead of Two Dales and Bosley
to progress to the final. In the final, Lincoln overcame York by 2 ends to 0 to
win their third final of the day. Photo: Host club York TOWC
In the ladies weight classes, Bedford Ladies and Sheen Ladies competed
at 520 kilos and 560 kilos. These two teams had a few matches against each
other in both weight classes, and the two teams were fairly evenly matched,
which gave both teams some good competition practice before the nationals.
Bedford won the most ends in both competitions to finish as overall winners,
with Sheen Ladies finishing as runners up. Photo: Two Dales TOWC
In the 4+4 competition, York and Stamfordham contested this weight
class. York finished as the eventual winners by 2 ends to 0.
03/06/2014 - MACMILLAN HOUSE OF LORDS V HOUSE OF COMMONS CHARITY TUG OF WAR EVENT
The
best of Parliamentarian brawn rolled up their sleeves for the 27th
Macmillan Cancer Support Tug of War on Tuesday 3 June, pulling together to
raise £141,000 for people affected by cancer.
The
lofty sum was raised by guests, spectators and sponsor Taylor Wimpey, all of
whom were keen to witness the annual battle between Lords and MPs over a tug of
war rope. And
they weren’t disappointed. The Commons men, lead by Angus McNeil MP, were determined not to break
their winning streak and went on to defeat the Lords in two straight pulls. Photo: Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service competing in the event
Female
MPs had less luck against the Macmillan ladies (trained by Diane Macdonald of
Bedford Ladies) and were also defeated in two straight pulls; putting this down
to the charity team’s strict regime of diet and exercise, which was in stark
contrast to their own preparation, team captain Penny Mordaunt MP said. Photo: announcer Jeremy Vine (TV and Radio Presenter) cheering the teams on
A
spokesperson from Macmillan said: “Macmillan’s Parliamentary Tug of War gets
together politicians of all persuasions to pull together and put their weight
behind a great cause. The money raised will help Macmillan to make sure no one
faces cancer alone. Photo: the tug of war arena in the college gardens of Westminster
Taking place in London’s Westminster
College Gardens, guests enjoyed champagne and canapés, as they took
in the matches adjudicated by the Tug of War Association. Matches also took place
between the armed forces, headline sponsors Taylor Wimpey and BAE Systems. Photo: one of the ladies teams in action
The event, now an established part of the
Parliamentary calendar, has been sponsored by Macmillan
partner Taylor Wimpey since its conception; with over £3 million raised to
date.
Members of the Tug of War Association who assisted with the running of the event including forming teams, and officiated included Ray Fray-Smith, Peter Craft, Ernie Jones (judges); Diane Macdonald and Tara Adams of Bedford Ladies who assisted some of the teams with their training, and the cadet forces teams of City of London and North East ACF and Gloucester ACF.
Male MPs
Angus MacNeil MP – Captain
Sir Robert Smith MP
Neil Parish MP
John Hemming MP
Graham Evans MP Kris Hopkins MP
Tobias Ellwood MP
Alec Shelbrooke MP
Iain Stewart MP
Female MPs Penny Mordaunt MP - Captain
Alison McGovern MP
Thérèse Coffey MP
Gemma Doyle MP
Anne Milton MP
Mary MacLeod MP
Andrea Leadsom MP
Helen Grant MP
Emily Knight (researcher)
Lords Lord Dobbs
Lord Addington
Lord Bilimoria
Lord Faulks
Lord Kennedy of Southwark Lord Mitchell
Lord St John of Bletso
Lord Collins of Highbury
Matches: Alliance Bernstein vs. Norton Rose
AXA Ladies vs Taylor Wimpey Ladies
House of Lords vs. House of Commons
Macmillan Ladies vs. Parliamentary Ladies
Macmillan Men vs. M&S
Merseyside Fire & Rescue vs. 4th Regiment
Royal Artillery
12 Regiment Royal Artillery Thorney Island vs. 19
Regiment Royal Artillery Netheravon
Taylor Wimpey vs. BAE Systems ACF Match – Gloucester ACF vs City of London and North
East ACF
Npower vs National Grid
AXA Men vs Taylor Wimpey
RAF vs. 22 Signal Regiment
Thanks to the press team at Macmillan for supplying the above press release and photographs
01/06/2014 - SANDHURST TOWC OPEN COMPETITION RESULTS
Men Catchweight – Winners – Felton Eccles – Runners Up – Oxney Vines Cross
Men 680 – Winners – Oxney Vines Cross – Runners
Up – Felton Eccles
Men 640 - Winners – Oxney Vines Cross – Runners Up – Widecombe
Men 600 - Winners – Oxney Vines Cross – Runners Up - Widecombe
Men 580 - Winners – Oxney Vines Cross – Runners Up - Widecombe
01/06/2014 - TUG OF WAR AT BRAND HALL HORSE TRIALS - RESULTS
This weekend, the Tug of War Association hosted two tug of
war competitions, one in Sandhurst, Berkshire and one at Brand Hall Horse
Trials near Market Drayton near Shropshire.
The event at Brand Hall was the first time that tug of war
had been taken to this venue, and we would like to take this opportunity to
thank Vicky Plant, an ex-puller from Kilroe Ladies for accommodating us at this
event. The competition at Brand Hall was supported by Norton, Lincoln, York and
Bosley. Other teams had booked tickets to attend this event, however with some
of these teams containing farmers, the combination of good weather and some of
the county rallies reduced the attendance, but it was a good event nonetheless.
All
of the weights were run as a straight group, with semi finals and finals in
each weight class. The 640 kilos was first on, with some close competition
between all of the teams. The closest pull in this weight was between York and Bosley
with both teams putting up a good fight, Bosley eventually winning by 2 ends to
0. The semi finals saw Norton take on York, and Bosley take on Lincoln. Norton
won their semi-final, and Lincoln won their semi final. In the final, Lincoln
managed to take rope from Norton, but Norton stood firm to prevent Lincoln from
finishing the job, winning the final by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Norton TOWC competing at Brand Hall in Shropshire
The 680 kilos competition followed, and followed a similar
pattern to the 640 kilos competition. Again, Lincoln and Norton progressed to
the final, with Norton winning the gold medal by 2 ends to 0. The 600 kilos
competition followed, and this was another very close competition, especially
in the semi final between York and Lincoln, which was a hard fought three end
pull between these two teams, the pull eventually going to Lincoln. Norton
overcame Bosley to win their semi-final, before going on to defeat Lincoln in
the final. Photo: Lincoln TOWC competing at Brand Hall in Shropshire.
The final weight of the day was the catchweight competition,
Norton and Lincoln again reaching the final. Norton made it a clean sweep for
the day without losing an end. Well done to all of the teams who made a good
competition of it, and well done to Roger Beardsmore who ran the event as judge
singlehandedly after the other official that was due to attend had to drop out
with an illness.
This weekend the AAA Tug of War Championships took place in
the town of Bakewell in the Peak District of Derbyshire. The event took place
at Bakewell Showground, a nice venue for tug of war. Unfortunately, the weather
in the morning was very wet, which was most unfortunate as it spoiled what was
otherwise a good day of tug of war at a great venue.
Teams competing – Two Dales, York, Pontefract YFC, Lincoln,
Norton, Bosley, Holland, Felton Eccles, Sheen Ladies, Bedford Ladies.
The AAA Championship weights are contested at catchweight
and 640 kilos, and these are championship events that has been contested since
the early 1900s. The first weight was the catchweight competition.
Unfortunately, the catchweight competition only attracted a small entry of
teams this year, but the competition was very close between the teams to reach
then final. This year, Lincoln and 2013 winners Norton reached the final. In
the wet conditions, both teams performed well, but this year it was Lincoln who
pulled very strongly to continue the momentum they have been building since
winning the European Open Club 720 kilos title last year, and they took the
gold medal by 2 ends to 0 to win their first ever AAA title at catchweight. Photo: Tim Lee, Lincoln Coach (left) receiving the AAA catchweight Championship Rose Bowl from judge Peter Craft (right)
The second championship weight was the 640 kilos
competition. This competition was pulled as a straight group with the top 4
teams going through to a place in the semi finals. There were a few 1-1 pulls
in the group stages of this competition and in the end, it was Norton, Two
Dales, Bosley and Felton Eccles that progressed through to the semi finals. In
the semi finals, Norton were up against Felton Eccles and Two Dales were up
against Bosley. In the first semi final Norton defeated Felton Eccles by 2 ends
to 0, and in the second semi-final Two Dales defeated Bosley by 2 ends to 0 to
make their first ever AAA Championship final. In the final, Two Dales gave
Norton a good run for their money, but the defending champions Norton took the
two ends required to take the gold medal, with Two Dales taking a well deserved
silver medal. Photo: John Webb, Norton Coach (left), receiving the 640kg AAA Championship trophy from judge Peter Craft (right)
The ladies weight classes were contested between Sheen
Ladies and Bedford Ladies, with only a small turn out of ladies teams this
weekend. The competition between the two teams was very even this week, but it
was Bedford that took the winners positions of both the 520 kilos and 560 kilos
this week, with Sheen Ladies finishing as runners up. Photo: Lincoln TOWC AAA catchweight champions 2014
The weather began to clear later in day, with open weights
contested at 580 kilos, 620 kilos and 680 kilos, each competition being pulled
as straight groups with semi final cross-overs in each weight which gave all of
the teams plenty of competition. There were a few 1-1 pulls across all weights.
The 580 kilos competition was won by Norton, with Felton Eccles finishing as
runners up. The 620 kilos competition and 680 kilos competitions were also won
by Norton, with Two Dales finishing as runners up in those two weight classes.
Well done to all of the teams that took part in both the championships and the
open competition. Thanks also to the Two Dales club for staging this years
event. It was a good venue at Bakewell Showground, and hopefully the weather
will be better the next time we come back! Photo: Showing just how wet it was this week!
The officials on the day were Ray Fray-Smith, Peter Craft,
Roger Beardsmore, Mick Grimston, Dave Hamer, Betty Craft and Wendy Dyer.
18/05/2014 - FELTON ECCLES TOWC OPEN COMPETITION RESULTS
Photo: Holland TOWC competing in the mens 600 kilos competition
Photo: Somerset ACF competing in the ladies and youth 560 kilos competition
Photo: Sandhurst TOWC competing in the mens 600 kilos competition
680 kg - Winners - Norton - Runners up - Felton Eccles
580 kg - Winners - Oxney - Runners up - Widecombe
640 kg - Winners - Norton - Runners up - Oxney
Ladies/Youth - 520kg - Winners - Gloucester ACF Boys - Runners up - Somerset ACF
Ladies/Youth - 560kg - Winners - Somerset ACF - Runners Up - Gloucester ACF Boys
17/05/2014 - OTLEY SHOW RESULTS
The tug of war at Otley Show took place on Saturday 17 May
in very hot conditions. Teams were competing in weight classes for mens teams,
ladies teams and mixed teams, with teams from York, Longridge, Pontefract,
Silsden, Sheen Ladies, Stanfordham and Bramton taking part and putting on a
gooddisplay of tug of war for the large crowds that attended the show on the
day and made use of the good weather.
York took the 600 and 640 kilos competitions without losing
an end, and York also took the 600 4+4 after finishing ahead of Longridge in
the final. Stanfordham beat Pontefract to win the catchweight competition. In
the ladies competition, Sheen Ladies finished as the winners, with Silsden
taking the runners up trophy. Well done to all of the teams who took part.
the event organisers are always looking for more teams to take part at this show, so teams wishing to take part next year are more than welcome. Thanks to Neil Hudson from York TOWC for providing the results. Photo: York TOWC competing at Otley Show
11/05/2014 - MIDLAND AREA CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS
Teams
competing – Men – York, Bosley, Norton, Holland, Two Dales, Lincoln,
Raunds, Felton Eccles – Ladies and Youth
– Derby ACF Boys, Derby ACF Girls, LNR ACF A, LNR ACF B, Gloucester ACF Boys,
Gloucester ACF Girls, Somerset ACF Boys, Holland Ladies, Sheen Ladies, Bedford
Ladies.
This weekend, the Midland Area Championships
took place at Holland Sports Club in Barton-under-Needwood, Staffordshire, with
four weight classes for men on offer and two weight classes for the ladies and
youth teams. The weather had been wet all weekend, and with rain showers on and
off throughout the day of the competition, the ground was very muddy and slippery,
which is always a good leveller. There were many 1-1 pulls throughout the day,
and some of the finals also went to three ends.
Each competition was pulled as group points
competitions, with cross-overs and finals for each weight class.
The
catchweight competition saw Lincoln and Norton finish as the top two teams in
the group, with Lincoln finishing on maximum points. However, the final was
much more close than the group pull between these two teams, going to three
ends. Norton took the first end, and Lincoln took the second end. On the
deciding end, Norton took the win to finish in first place.
The ladies and youth 560 kilos competition was a
very close competition, again with many 1-1 pulls and some three end pulls in
the cross-overs. In the end, Gloucester ACF Boys returned to winning ways in
this weight, with Holland Ladies battling hard to finish as overall runners up.
The 640 kilos competition followed, with a straight
points competition followed by a final. As with the catchweight competition,
Lincoln and Norton finished as the top two teams, with Norton finishing the
group on maximum points. Norton wrapped up the final with a good 2 ends to 0
win over Lincoln.
The Ladies and Youth 520 kilos competition saw the
same number of teams entered as the 560 kilos competition, and again,
Gloucester ACF Boys finished as the top team, with the Gloucester ACF Girls
finishing as runners up.
The mens 600 kilos competition was the most
competitive weight class of the day, with a number of teams weighing in with 7
pullers, and some also weighing in with 8 pullers, which made for a very interesting
competition on the slippery ground. Early on in the competition, Norton and
Holland looked to be the teams to beat, but later on, both teams had a very
tough match up against each other, going to 1 end each. Norton were then
defeated by 2 ends to 0 by Felton, and Holland were defeated by Two Dales. By
the end of the group stage however, both Norton and Holland had done enough in
their other pulls to progress to the final. In the final, Norton went on to win
by 2 ends to 0.
The final weight of the day was the 680 kilos
competition, which was split into two groups. The top two teams from each group
progressed to the semi finals. From group 1, Holland and Bosley progressed, and
from group 2, Norton and Two Dales progressed. In the semi finals, Norton
defeated Bosley by 2 ends to 0, and Two Dales defeated Holland by 2 ends to 0.
The final was very close and competitive between Norton and Two Dales, with
Norton taking the first end, and Two Dales taking the next two to win the gold
medal. Well done to all of the teams who took part.
The officials on the day were Roger Beardsmore,
Gavin Corden, Mick Grimston, Wendy Dyer and Jill Thomas.
05/05/2014 - NORTH SOMERSET SHOW RESULTS
Teams competing - Widecombe TOWC From Devon, Somerset ACF From Yeovil, Wedmore YFC From Somerset, Bridgewater Men YFC From Somerset, Bridgewater Ladies YFC From Somerset, Cupids Hill TOWC From Monmouthshire Wales, Anstey YFC From Exmoor - Somerset, Felton Eccles TOWC From North Somerset
The results for the competition were as follows:-
680kg - Winners - Felton Eccles - Runners up - Cupids Hill 600kg - Winners - Widecombe - Runners up - Felton Eccles
640kg - Winners - Felton Eccles - Runners up -Widecombe
04/05/2014 - GREAT ORMOND STREET CHARITY EVENT - DAVENTRY
Teams Competing – Men
– York, Norton, Bosley, Lincoln, Two Dales, Holland, Felton Eccles (A and B),
Sandhurst, Oxney Vines Cross, Brandon and Wolston YFC, Raunds - Ladies
and Youth – Brandon and Wolston YFC, Sheen Ladies, Bedford Ladies, Holland
Ladies, Gloucester ACF Boys, Gloucester ACF Girls, Somerset ACF, Derby ACF
Boys, Derby ACF Girls, LNR ACF A, LNR ACF B.
Daventry saw another busy day of tug of war take place, with
another good turn out of teams, particularly in the ladies and youth
competitions. There were 5 mens weights and two ladies/youth weights up for
grabs, as well as the mixed 4+4 competition taking place at the end of the day.
It was probably the most competitive competition of the year so far, with no
team going through any competition as winners without dropping ends.
The day started with the mens catchweight competition, which
was pulled as a straight group. The competition was close between the 7 teams
that entered, the top two teams going through to pull in a final. Lincoln,
Felton Eccles and Norton emerged as the top three teams, but it was Norton and
Felton who progressed to the final. In the final, Norton emerged as winners by
2 ends to 0. Photo: Norton TOWC
The
ladies and youth 560 kilos competition was first on in this weight class, with
a straight group of 11 teams. It is pleasing to see an increase in
participation of male and female junior pullers, as well as an increase in participation
from senior ladies pullers. The pulling was competitive at all levels, with
Gloucester ACF Boys and Somerset ACF Boys emerging as the top two teams. In the
deciding pull between these two teams, Somerset ACF took the three points by 2
ends to 0. It was good to see Brandon and Wolston YCF team taking part in this
weight class, taking a few good ends on the way as they look to prepare for
their area YFC finals later this month. Photo: Gloucester ACF Boys
The mens 600 kilos competition followed, which was again run
as a straight group. There were many 1-1 pulls in this competition, the
strongest team in this weight being Oxney. Oxney progressed to the semi finals
on maximum points, and were joined by Norton, Lincoln and Two Dales. In the
Semi finals, Norton defeated Two Dales and Oxney defeated Lincoln. In the
final, Oxney had that bit more on Norton and ran out as 2 ends to 0 winners. Photo: LNR ACF
The Ladies and youth 520 kilos competition was another
keenly contested weight class. This time Gloucester ACF Boys emerged as the
overall winners with Derby ACF Boys finishing as the worthy runners up. At the
end of the Ladies and Youth competitions, the points were all added up for both
weights and separate awards were presented for the top two junior boys, junior
girls and ladies teams in each weight class. Somerset ACF finished as winners
of the Junior Men 560 kilos competition with Gloucester ACF finishing as
runners up. Goucester ACF finished in first place in the junior men 520 kilos
competition with Derby ACF finishing as runners up. Gloucester ACF won both of
the junior girls weight classes, with Derby ACF girls finishing as runners up.
Bedford Ladies finished as overall winners in both of the ladies weight
classes, with Holland Ladies finishing as runners up in both weights. Well done
to all of the ladies and youth teams for another good day of sport. Photo: Sheen Ladies
The
Men 680 kilos competition continued the proceedings and was split into two
groups. Group 1 contained Oxney, Bosley, Two Dales, Felton A and Lincoln, and
Group 2 contained Felton B, Sandhurst, Holland, Raunds and Norton. Both groups were very
competitive, again with ends being dropped across the field. Raunds started off
with an excellent 2 ends to 0 win over Norton in their first pull of the group,
and there were plenty of other close and competitive matches throughout. The
eventual semi finalists after points and cautions were taken into account were
Raunds, Oxney, Norton and Two Dales. In the semi finals, Norton recovered from
their earlier setback against Raunds with a 2 ends to 0 win over Two Dales,
with Oxney and Raunds having a good three ender in their semi final, Oxney
going through to the final by 2 ends to 1. In the final Norton took the gold
medal by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Brandon and Wolston YFC Ladies
The 580 kilos competition was run as a straight group. As
with all of the other weights, more teams dropped points in this competition,
with Oxney performing the strongest out of all teams to finish top of the pile.
The competition was close for second place, particularly between Norton, York
and Sandhurst, with all three of those teams taking ends off each other. York
eventually finished as the group runners up. Photo: Somerset ACF
The final mens weight of the day was the 640 kilos
competition, which again was split into two groups, with just the top team from
each group progressing through to the final. Norton were the winners of group 1
ahead of Oxney, Felton A and Felton B. Sandhurst progressed from group 2 ahead
of Bosley, York and Holland. In the final, Norton overcame Sandhurst by 2 ends
to 0 to cap off the day by winning their third weight, despite not showing the
same dominant form that we have seen from Norton in previous seasons, which
goes to show how competitive this week’s competition was in all weights.
The last weight of the day was the 600 4+4 competition, which
was pulled as a straight group. The top two teams ended up being Holland and
Bedford, with Holland finishing in first place and Bedford runners up. Well
done to all of the teams for giving a good day of tug of war. If the season
continues in an unpredictable fashion, then we will be in for a great nationals,
with many teams in with a shout of a medal in different weight classes.
The officials on the day were Peter Craft, Mike Callaghan,
Mick Grimston, Vic Ludkin, Roger Beardsmore, Julie Petit, Betty Craft, Wendy
Dyer, Yvonne Ludkin.
27/04/2014 - LINCOLN TOWC OPEN COMPETITION RESULTS
Teams Competing - Men - Lincoln, York,
Two Dales, Pontefract YFC, Bosley, Raunds, Holland, Oxney, Felton Eccles Ladies/Youth – York Ladies, Holland
Ladies, Bedford Ladies, Somerset ACF Boys, Gloucester ACF Boys, Gloucester ACF
Girls, Derby ACF Boys, Derby ACF Girls, LNR ACF Boys, LNR ACF Girls.
This weekend Lincoln Tug of War Club hosted their annual tug of war
competition in Harby, Melton Mowbray. The event was well supported, especially
from a strong number of ladies and youth teams. Each weight was pulled as a
points competition, with the top two teams pulling again in the final. The
first weight was the catchweight competition, which was keenly contested on
fresh ground. Lincoln were the strongest team in the group stage, finishing the
group stage of the competition without losing an end. Bosley, Holland and
Raunds finished level on points in second place. When TWIF criteria was
applied, Holland progressed to the final. In the final, Lincoln repeated their
pulling from the group stage and won the final by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Raunds TOWC
The Ladies and Youth 560 Kilos competition was an excellent competition
to watch, with 10 teams competing in a single group points competition with the
top two teams pulling in the final. There was some good competitive pulling at
all levels through the group, which was very pleasing to see. In the end, it
was the teams from Gloucester ACF Boys and Somerset ACF Boys who emerged as the
teams to beat, and they did not pull each other until the last pull of the
group. In an evenly matched contest, the two teams took one end each to finish
level on points at the end of the group stage. Both clubs met again in the
final, and after another competitive pull, Somerset ACF won the final by 2 ends
to 0. Photo: Gloucester ACF Junior Girls
The Men 640 kilos competition was pulled as a straight points
competition again with the top two teams meeting in the final. There was a
bigger entry in this competition than the catchweight competition, and again,
there was some very close pulling, with many pulls going to one end each. Lincoln
and Oxney emerged as the top two teams, with Oxney finishing top of the group
without dropping an end. The two teams met again in the final, and Oxney pulled
strongly again to win the 640 kilos final by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Derby ACF Junior Girls
The ladies and youth 520 kilos competition was again another keenly
contested weight class between all of the teams taking part. This time,
Gloucester ACF Boys topped the group without losing an end, and the Gloucester
ACF Girls team emerged as group runners up. In the final, it was the Gloucester
ACF Boys that took the gold medal, with the Gloucester ACF girls finishing as
worthy runners up. Photo: Two Dales TOWC
The 720 kilos competition was contested in a group of 6 teams, again
with a lot of tough ends. Lincoln topped the group, eventually followed by
Oxney who finished second. The two teams met again in the final, and despite a
good effort by Oxney, Lincoln edged the final by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Oxney Vines Cross TOWC
The 680 kilos competition was split into two groups. After some tough
pulling in the previous three weights, grit and determination came into it,
just as much as fitness. Lincoln continued their form from the previous weights
by progressing from their group, as did Oxney who won their group. In the final
however, it was Oxney who took the win by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Derby ACF Junior Boys
The final weight of the day was the 600 kilos competition. No team
emerged through this competition without dropping ends, and the battle for the
final two places was very close, especially between Oxney, Felton and York. The
place in the final eventually went to Oxney and Felton. Oxney then competed
well in the final to win by 2 ends to 0 and win their third weight class of the
day. Well done to all of the teams who took part today. It was a very
competitive day of tug of war. The officials on the day were Mick Grimston,
Peter Craft, Mick Selwood and Vic Ludkin with Betty Craft and Yvonne Ludkin
undertaking the recording duties.
13/04/2014 – EAST OF ENGLAND CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS
Men Catchweight – Winners – Lincoln - Runners
Up - Norton
Men 600 – Winners – Norton - Runners Up
- Holland
Men 680 – Winners – Norton - Runners Up -
Raunds
Men 640 – Winners – Norton - Runners Up –
Lincoln
Ladies/Youth 560 – Winners – Gloucester ACF Boys - Runners Up - Somerset ACF Boys
Ladies/Youth 520 – Winners – Gloucester ACF Boys - Runners Up – Holland Ladies
06/04/2014 - BOSLEY TOWC OPEN COMPETITION RESULTS
Teams competing –
Men
– Bosley, Norton, Waterhouses YFC, York, Pontefract YFC, South West Yorkshire
YFC, Lincoln, Two Dales, Holland, Widecombe – Ladies/Youth – Gloucester ACF Junior Boys, Gloucester ACF Junior
Girls, South West Yorkshire ACF Youth, Sheen Ladies, Bedford Ladies, Holland
Ladies.
There was a strong turn out of teams for the first main competition
hosted by Bosley TOWC with 11 senior men’s clubs and 6 ladies and youth teams.
It was particularly pleasing to see a good number of teams from the northern
area taking part, and it was pleasing to see a good number of Young Farmers
Clubs taking part in competition in their build up to their own county and
regional rallies. Widecombe also took the long journey up from Devon to compete
at the event. There were 5 mens weights, two ladies and youth weights and a 4+4
weight class up for grabs on the day. Photo: York TOWC
The first weight of the day was the catchweight competition, which was
run in a single group as a points competition. Lincoln (who won the European
Club Championships at 720 kilos in 2013) performed strongly in this competition
to finish in first place without losing an end. Two Dales performed well to
finish as the eventual runners up ahead of Bosley, York, Holland and
Pontefract.
The 640 kilos competition was pulled in two groups. Group 1 contained
five teams, with Bosley finishing as group winners on maximum points ahead of
Lincoln who finished as group runners up. Norton won group 2 with Widecombe
finishing as group runners up. In the semi finals Norton defeated Lincoln, with
the second semi final between Bosley and Widecome taking a little longer to complete,
as both teams had a good battle for the second spot in the final. Bosley
eventually progressed by 2 ends to 0. In the final, Bosley gave a good account
of themselves against Norton, but it was Norton who took first place by 2 ends
to 0. Photo: Bedford Ladies TOWC
The ladies and youth 560 kilos competition had 6 teams taking part, with
Gloucester ACF and South West Yorkshire YFC emerging as the stronger teams in
this competition. The deciding pull between these two teams was very good with
both teams working very hard in the deep holes that had emerged on the soft
ground. South West Yorkshire YFC emerged as the eventual winners by 2 ends to
0.
The 720 kilos competition was pulled as a points competition, and again
there was some good competitive pulling between the teams. Norton entered the
fray in the heavier weights this time having not entered the catchweight
competition. The competition was contested between 6 teams with Lincoln and
Norton emerging as the top two teams. Both teams went into the final round
unbeaten before they met eachother. Lincoln took a hard fought first end,
however Norton took the second end in this TWIF rules competition. As such,
when the TWIF criteria applied, Norton had picked up two cautions more than
Lincoln, and Lincoln finished as the winners, with Norton finishing as runners
up. Photo: Bosley TOWC
The ladies and youth 520 kilos competition was contested between 5
teams, with all teams battling hard in the deep holes. Gloucester ACF emerged
as the eventual winners on maximum points, followed by an excellent silver
medal from the Gloucester ACF Junior Girls team.
The mens 600 kilos competition was another keenly contested weight class
with 6 teams taking part. South West Yorkshire YFC, Widecome and Waterhouses
YFC gave good account of themselves in this weight class, however it was York
and Norton who emerged as the top two teams. Norton overcame York by 2 ends to
0 to finish in first place and York finished as worthy runners up.
The 680 kilos competition was run on a knock-out basis, and there was
some good competition throughout. Bosley defeated Widecombe by 2 ends to 1,
Lincoln defeated Pontefract, Norton defeated Waterhouses and Holland defeated South
West Yorkshire. In the semi finals, Lincoln defeated Bosley and Norton defeated
Holland. Lincoln and Norton met in the deciding pull for the third time during
the competition, and after a keenly contested match, Norton finished as 680
winners by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Holland TOWC
The final weight of the day was the 600 4+4, with a small entry of 5
teams. There was again some good pulling in this weight, with Bedford finishing
as eventual winners without losing an end. There was a closely fought battle
for second place in this competition, particularly between South West Yorkshire
and York, with York hanging to the line to eventually bring South West
Yorkshire back over the line to take second place. Well done to those teams. Photo: Lincoln TOWC
The event finished at just after 6pm, and our thanks go to the officials
on the day for running this event. With only three officials available and a
large number of teams, we did well to get through a total of 8 weight classes
on the day, so our thanks go to Ray Fray-Smith, Peter Craft, Mick Grimston and
Betty Craft for performing the judging and recording duties. The Tug of War
Association is always looking for new judges and recorders to help officiate at
various events around the country, so if you are interested in taking a judges
course or becoming a recorder, then please speak to any member of the General
Committee or your area representative. Photo: Pontefract YFC
Results Summary Catchweight –
Winners – Lincoln – Runners Up – Two
Dales
720 – Winners – Lincoln – Runners Up – Norton
680 – Winners – Norton – Runners Up – Lincoln
640 – Winners – Norton – Runners Up – Bosley 600 – Winners – Norton – Runners Up – York
600 4+4 – Winners – Bedford – Runners Up – York
Ladies/Youth 560 – Winners – South West Yorkshire – Runners Up – Gloucester ACF (Boys)
Ladies/Youth 520 – Winners – Gloucester ACF (Boys) – Runners Up – Gloucester ACF (Girls)
30/03/2014 - YORK TOWC EARLY PULL EVENT - RESULTS
York TOWC this weekend hosted an early event at the Yorkshire Heart
Brewery and Vineyard. The weather held and five teams battled it out for first
place in a full set of weight classes. The teams were, South West (Yorkshire
District YFC), Pontefract, Longridge, Silsden with Skipton, and the hosts York. Photo: Host club York TOWC with their new team kit.
The results were
as follows:
Men - 600kg – Winners - Longridge – Runners Up - York
Men 640kg – Winners – York – Runners Up – Longridge
Men 680kg – Winners – York – Runners Up – Pontefract
Men 720 – Winners – York – Runners Up – South West
Men Catchweight – Winners – York – Runers Up - Pontefract
Mixed 660kg 4+4 – Winners – York – Runners Up – Silsden
Ladies Catchweight – Winners – York – Runners Up – Silsden
Thank you to all
of the teams who attended, with the winners and runners up going away with
prizes provided by the Yorkshire Heart Brewery. The event was officiated by
Stuart Bell and David Hamer, with Coleen Scruton undertaking the recorders
duties. York’s next event is being held on Sunday 8th June and all
teams are welcome to attend.
Thanks to Neil Hudson of York TOWC for supplying the results.
08/03/2014 – TUG OF
WAR DEMONSTRATION AT RICHMOND RUGBY CLUB
On Saturday 8th March, a tug of war demonstration was held at
Richmond Rugby Club, Richmond on Thames, London. This event took place at the
Richmond vs Blackheath rugby match. The pull was organised as part of the 150th
anniversary celebration of this fixture between two of the world’s oldest surviving
rugby clubs. The very first fixture between these two clubs took place in 1864,
and that very first match also featured a tug of war match after that match,
although there is no actual record of who won. Photo: Blackheath Rugby Club (represented by Totham Bull/Bosley)
Richmond Rugby Club approached the TOWA to replicate this tug of war
match and requested having two experienced tug of war teams to represent the
two rugby clubs in a tug of war match after the game. Pullers from Oxney,
Totham Bull and Bosley went along to represent the two rugby clubs at the event
with Oxney representing the Richmond team and the pullers from Totham Bull and
Bosley representing the Blackheath team. Photo: Richmond Rugby Club (represented by Oxney)
The rugby game ended in a 31-31 draw watched by over 1500 spectators,
with many of those spectators stopping on after the game to support their teams
in the tug of war match. The tug of war match was pulled as a best of 5 ends
match, with Richmond defeating Blackheath by 3 ends to 2. Thank you to all the
pullers/coaches from Oxney, Totham Bull and Bosley for going along to promote
our sport and thank you to Peter Tuckwell for officiating at the event. Also a
big thank you to Richmond Rugby Club for their hospitality and looking after
the pullers on the day. Photo: The teams after the competition
If anyone else is looking for assistance in organising a local tug of
war event, then please do not hesitate to contact any member of the TOWA
General Committee for advice and assistance.
Photos supplied by Richmond Rugby Club
WORLD INDOOR TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS VIDEO
Please click here for a news video by Irish TV from the recent World Indoor Tug of War Championships which were held in Castlebar, Ireland
PROMOTING TUG OF WAR
As
the new outdoor tug of war season is beginning, teams are reminded about the
following:
Promotional banners – we
have promotional banners for teams to use at events. These banners are
available to all event organisers to help your events stand out and attract
passers by into your competitions to watch. Sets are currently held by Pete
Dyer, Alan Knott and Terry Spoore. If you wish to use these banners, please
contact any of the above who will make them available to you.
Posters – please
click here to download ready made
posters which you can use to advertise your events locally.
Car Stickers – car stickers
are available for pullers to put in their own cars to help promote tug of war.
These are available free of charge. If you would like a car sticker, then
please contact Alan Knott.
Dress Code – There
are events where photographers, media and potential sponsors are in attendance.
Teams are reminded to make sure that they turn out smartly to events every week
– i.e. each team member pulling in the same shirts, shorts and socks.
2014 WORLD INDOOR TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS
The World Indoor Tug of War Championships has come to a close in Ireland with all teams traveling home after an exciting weekend of indoor tug of war. Videos of most of the finals are now available to view and can be seen by clicking the links in the reports from the championships below.
23/02/2014 - WORLD INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS DAY 4
The final day of the World Indoor Championships saw the mens
600 and 680 kilo competitions take place, as well as the ladies 500 kilos
competition and the mixed 600 kilos competition.
The day started with the mens 600 kilos competition started
proceedings with England being represented by Kilroe. The competition was run
in a group of 10 teams and England started first against Northern Ireland and
took a 2 ends to 0 win before defeating Italy, Japan, Netherlands, and China.
However, the rest of the competition was not so straight forward, with defeats
to Spain, Chinese Taipei, Scotland and Ireland which knocked England out of the
competition. In the semi finals, Chinese Taipei, who topped the group, met
Spain, and Scotland met Ireland. Scotland defeated Ireland by 2 ends to 0, and
Chinese Taipei defeated Spain. In the bronze medal pull, Ireland pulled
strongly to defeat Spain by 2 ends to 0 to take bronze. The final was a
fantastic match up between Chinese Taipei and Scotland who were the defending
World Champions. Chinese Taipei took the first end, however the next end was
blown to the middle after both teams received three cautions. On the re-start
both teams battled hard again and both teams again were on two cautions. The
third end was then blown to Scotland, which was a close call. The fourth end
was again another tough battle, which was blown back to the middle again after
both teams picked up three cautions. On the final end, Scotland managed to get
the momentum and eventually took the end and the World title. Photo: England 600 kilos team - represented by Kilroe
The ladies 500 kilos competition took place in the morning
alongside the 600 kilos competition. England did not have a team entered in
this weight but it was another great competition. Spain took the bronze ahead
of Switzerland, but the final was another excellent contest between China and
Chinese Taipei. China took the gold medal in the ladies weight class on the
previous day, but this final was not straight forward. China took a hard fought
first end, but Chinese Taipei battled very hard to stay with it on the second
end, and they got their reward for their hard work by taking the second end.
The third end was another close battle, which eventually went to Chinese Taipei
who finished with the gold medal. Photo - the Chinese Taipei Ladies Team
To watch the first end of the finalclick here To watch the second end of thefinalclick here To watch the third end of thefinalclick here
In the afternoon, the 680 kilos competition took place, with
England being represented by Uppertown. England got off to a great start,
defeating the Netherlands by 2 ends to 0, and also went 1-1 with defending
World 680 kilos champions Ireland. England then went on to defeat China and
Spain, but dropped an end to Italy. England met Scotland in their last pull,
but neither team needed to win the match as both had earned enough points to
progress to the semi finals. In the semi finals, England met Scotland again,
and had a great battle, with England taking the first end. However, Scotland
rallied and took the next two ends to make the final. England then had to go
into the bronze medal pull where they met the Netherlands who they defeated
first on. England pulled strongly in the bronze medal match to win the bronze
by 2 ends to 0. In the final, defending champions Ireland faced Scotland.
Ireland defeated Scotland earlier in the group and would have been quietly
confident of taking the gold medal. Ireland took the first end, but again,
Scotland dug deep to beat Ireland on the drop in the next two ends to take the
gold medal, their third of the weekend. Photo - England 680 kilos bronze medal winning team - represented by Uppertown
To watch the first end of the bronze medal pullclick here To watch the second end of the bronze medal pullclick here
To watch the first end of the finalclick here To watch the second end of thefinalclick here To watch the third end of thefinalclick here
The final competition was the mixed 600 kilos 4+4. England
in this weight were represented by Sheen Ladies/Sheen. England started off by
defeating the Netherlands, and they also defeated Singapore (who were competing
in their first World Indoor Championships), Spain, and Ireland, only losing to
China and Chinese Taipei. In the semi finals, England were defeated by Chinese
Taipei, and went into the bronze medal match against Spain. England handled the
pull really well and took the bronze medal by 2 ends to 0. The final was
another excellent match up between China and Chinese Taipei, who in the womens
weights, gave us to really good, exciting finals. Again, this pull went to
three ends, with China taking the first end, but the defending champions
Chinese Taipei took the next two ends to take the gold medal, their third gold
medal of the championships. Photo - England mixed 600 kilos 4+4 team - represented by Sheen/Sheen Ladies
To watch the first end of the bronze medal pullclick here To watch the second end of the bronze medal pullclick here
To watch the first end of the finalclick here To watch the second end of thefinalclick here To watch the third end of thefinalclick here
Well done to all of the teams that took part. It was
certainly one of the most exciting world championships to watch in recent years
and all of the teams that competed enjoyed themselves. We now look forward to
the World Indoor Championships in 2016, which take place in the Netherlands.
22/02/2014 - WORLD INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS DAY 3 - AFTERNOON SESSION
This afternoon, the mens 640 kilos competition took place. England were represented in this weight by Raunds, who stepped into the breach in January after national champions Sheen withdrew from representing England at the World Championships having represented England at the last two world championships and winning the gold at 640 kilos on those occasions. Raunds, representing England in this weight gave it their best effort, but unfortunately missed out on the cross over, finishing 5th overall. Photo: Scotland
Final Result:
Gold - Scotland - Silver - Ireland - Bronze - Spain - 4th - Netherlands - 5th - England (represented by Raunds) - 6th - Italy - 7th - China
Photo: England 640 kilos team - represented by Raunds
To watch the first end of the finalclick here To watch the second end of thefinalclick here
22/02/2014 - WORLD INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS DAY 3 - MORNING SESSION
This morning, the mens 560 kilos and ladies 540 kilos competition took place. England were represented by Norton in the mens 560 kilos competition, and in the 540 kilos competition, England were represented by Sheen Ladies.
In the 560 kilos competition, England took silver
after being defeated by a strong, disciplined and well drilled team from
Chinese Taipei. England performed well in the group stages, defeating
defending champions Northern Ireland in their first match, before
defeating all of the remaining teams. The only team that England were
defeated by were Chinese Taipei. In the semi finals, England defeated
the host country, Ireland by 2 ends to 0 before going to meet Chinese
Taipei in the final. Photo: England 560 kilos team - represented by Norton
To watch the first end of the finalclick here To watch the second end of thefinalclick here
Final Result
Gold - Chinese Taipei - Silver - England (represented by Norton) - Bronze - Ireland - 4th - Northern Ireland - 5th - Spain - 6th - Scotland - 7th - China
In
the ladies 540 kilos, Sheen Ladies represented England, and had a
number of pullers in their team representing England at indoor tug of
war for the first time. The team competed well throughout the
competition, finishing 5th overall. The gold medal in this weight was won by China, who won a thrilling final against Chinese Taipei by 2 ends to 0. South Africa took the bronze medal after defeating Switzerland by 2 ends to 0.
To watch the first end of the finalclick here To watch the second end of thefinalclick here
Final result
Gold - China - Silver - Chinese Taipei - Bronze - South Africa - 4th - Switzerland - 5th - England (represented by Sheen Ladies) - 6th - Spain
21/02/2014 - WORLD INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS - DAY 2
The morning competition started with the mens 600
kilos competition. Kilroe were the only club from England taking part in
this event, having won the open 600 kilos title at the 2012 World
Indoor Championships. Kilroe had a much changed team in from that event,
and it was a struggle for the team competing in a competition of two
groups of 10. Kilroe did not make the cross over, but competed well
nonetheless. The teams that progressed to the semi finals were Abadino
(Spain), Clonmany B (Ireland), Country Club (Northern Ireland) and
Cockhill (Ireland). Photo: Kilroe TOWC competing in the open 600 kilos competition.
In the other competitions, Jing Mei from Chinese Taipei took gold in the ladies 500 kilos open competition, with An Steel from China winning the mixed 4+4 event, defeating the mixed team from Chinese Taipei in the final. Mountain View from Ireland won the 680 kilos club championship, defeating Heidenskip from the Netherlands in the final.
To watch the first end of the Men 680 Kilos finalclick here To watch the second end of theMen 680 Kilos finalclick hereclick here To watch the second end of thefinalclick here
20/02/2014 - WORLD INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS - DAY 1 - AFTERNOON SESSION
The mens 640 kilos world open club competition took place this afternoon. The competition was split into two groups, however there were no English clubs competing in this weight class. Ayrshire (Scotland), Clonmany B (Ireland), Monnickendam (Netherlands) and Lubrensis (Italy) progressed to the semi finals. In the semi finals, Ayrshire defeated Monnickendam and Clonmany B defeated Monnickendam. In the pull off form bronze, Monnickendam pulled strongly to take the bronze medal by 2 ends to 0. In the final, many were anticipating a keenly contested final between Clonmany B and Ayshire, but Ayshire controlled the final very well from start to finish and took a very well deserved gold medal by 2 ends to 0.
To watch the first end of the finalclick here To watch the second end of thefinalclick here
An under 23 competition took place at 600 kilos,
but unfortunately only 3 teams took part, which is a shame for a
prestigious world event. The gold medal went to the well drilled outfit
of Nan Tou from Chinese Taipei, with Clonmany B of Ireland taking
silver, and Streamstown from Ireland taking the bronze. Two members from England were asked to pull with Clonmany B in the 600 kilos under 23 competition (Dan Kenny and Emmett Power-Thomas of Raunds) and earned a silver medal, so well done to them. Photo: Clonmany B 600 Kilos U23 Team - Open silver medallists
To watch the first end of the finalclick here To watch the second end of thefinalclick here
20/02/2014 - WORLD INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS - DAY 1 - MORNING SESSION
The morning session of the World Indoor Tug of War
Championships has just taken place in Castlebar, Ireland. The morning session
started with the mens 560 kilos open club competition and the ladies 540 kilos
open competition.
In the mens 560 kilos competition, there were no clubs from
England taking part, so it was a chance to watch the other light weight teams
from around the world compete for the medals. As the group stages unfolded, it
was clear that the teams of Nan Tou from Chinese Taipei, Abadino from Spain and
Country Club from Northern Ireland were the strongest teams in the event, and
these three clubs progressed to the semi-finals along with Cockhill from the
Republic of Ireland. In the semi finals, Country Club defeated Nan Tou, and
Abadino defeated Cockhill. The bronze medal pull saw Nan Tou take on Cockhill,
and despite a good early start on each end by Cockhill, the technique of Nan
Tou won the day and they took a well deserved bronze medal. The final saw the
two very good teams of Abadino and Country club take to the mats. On both ends,
Country Club looked to get momentum on their opononents and keep them going up
the mat, whereas Abadino were happy to keep the rope tight and wear their opponents
down. Country Club’s strength helped them to keep their momentum on both ends,
and the secured a well deserved gold medal.
To watch the first end of the finalclick here To watch the second end of thefinalclick here
Men 560kg World Club Championships Result – gold – Country Club
(NIR) – silver – Abadino (ESP) – bronze – Nan Tou (TPE) – 4th – Cockhill (EIRE)
The ladies 540 competition was another excellent
competition, with the team of Jing Mei from Chinese Taipei entering as
favourites having took the gold medal at the 2013 World Games in Columbia. They
started off against the An Steel team from China, and succumbed to a 2 ends to
0 defeat in a very good opening pull of the competition. English interest in
this event cam in the form of Sheen Ladies, who gave a number of new pullers
some international experience. The team started off with a 2 ends to 0 win over
the Irish Ladies, but unfortunately were unable to compete against the very
strong teams from China and Chinese Taipei. The team picked up wins against a
couple of the Basque ladies teams, but missed out on a spot in the semi finals
after defeats to Disa Ladies from South Africa and Monnickendam from the
Netherlands. Sheen Ladies finished in 6th position overall. Photo - An Steel from China in the ladies 540 kilos competition.
In the semi finals, An Steel defeated Gaztedi and Jing Mei
defeated Gaztedi. The bronze medal match was a very close and hard fought match
between Gaztedi and Disa, and after some tough pulling, the style of both teams
went out of the window, and it came down to grit and determination. Gaztedi
went on to take the bronze medal by 2 ends to 1. In the final, the teams of An
Steel and Jing Mei gave a very good display of tug of war, both holding good
ropes for a couple of minutes before the pressure both teams were exerting on
each other began to tell and cracks began to show. An Steel had that bit more
power than Jing Mei and even if the rope went to ground, An Steel kept the rope
moving backwards to take the end. The second end followed in a similar way to
the first end, this time An Steel having a little more control of the pull, and
they took a well deserved gold medal by 2 ends to 0.
To watch the first end of the finalclick here To watch the second end of thefinalclick here
Ladies 540kg World Club Championships Result – gold – An Steel
(CHN) – silver – Jing Mei (TPE) – bronze – Gaztedi – 4th – Disa Laides
RSA
AUSTRALIAN TUG OF WAR ASSOCIATION
The president of the Australian Tug of War Association (Ben Hoffman) has contacted the TOWA recently with the following message:
Australia currently has a small Tug of War Association with about 60 active pullers spread across 5 teams, however they have hopes of growing and once again competing on the international stage. The president's club, the Maitland Tug of War Club, has been lucky enough to have as coach a man who has competed in England. He has had an enormous impact on the success of their squad and was recently elected National Coach (Dave Chatfield).
Given the nature of modern employment and the growing influx of young English men and women coming to Australia for work, the ATOWA have contacted us to let our members know that should they move "down under" there is always a club in Australia that will be happy to have them.
We wish the ATOWA the best of luck in growing their association, and we look forward to seeing them at a future World Championships.
29/01/2014 - NEWS UPDATES
FOLLOWING THE TOWA AGM
Committee Changes
This year sees some changes to the make up of the TOWA General
Committee.
Firstly, and most notably, Peter Craft, who has served as TOWA Honorary
General Secretary for 30 years has stood down. Prior to this, Peter was also a
committee member/area representative and served the TOWA in other positions
prior to becoming Honorary General Secretary. Peter has done a huge amount of work
for the Association over very many years and a few years ago was presented with
the TOWA Award of Merit for services to tug of war. Peter will continue to
serve the TOWA as an area representative on the General Committee for TOWA Area
Number 7, and will continue to attend competitions as a Grade 1 judge. The TOWA
would like to take this opportunity to thank Peter for all of his hard work
over the years, and we look forward to seeing him out on the circuit as a judge
and tug of war supporter. Photo: Outgoing TOWA Honorary General Secretary Peter Craft (right) being presented with an engraved Rose Bowl by TOWA Chariman Pete Dyer (left)
At the TOWA AGM, Peter was presented with an engraved crystal rose bowl as
special recognition of his long service to the TOWA. Peter’s wife, Betty, who
is also a TOWA timekeeper/recorder was also presented with a floral arrangement. Photo: Betty Craft (right) receiving a gift from TOWA Chairman Pete Dyer (left)
Replacing Peter as TOWA Honorary General Secretary will be Mick Copper
who over the past few years has served as an area representative for TOWA Area Number
2 and also as TOWA Assistant Secretary. We wish Mick every success in his new
role and we trust that the TOWA will give Mick their full support.
A full list of TOWA officers and area representatives are available via
the contacts page of this web site.
23/01/2013 - ARMY
INDOOR TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS
On Wed 23rd Jan 14
The Army Indoor TOW Championships were held in Aldershot and history was made by
inviting The Army Cadet Force to participate, a first for The Army Cadet Force.
Gloucestershire ACF Tug of War male and female teams arrived in anticipation to
a warm welcome from Army Regular Service teams from all over the Country at the
home of the Army Physical Training Corps at Foxes Lines, the School of Physical
Training.
There were a few surprised
looks as the Cadets started their warm up exercises and a few comments were
passed that a youth team would have no chance against the Regular Services due
to their physical size, training and being a Cadet team. However these
concerned comments were turned into rapturous applauding and shouts of
admiration as the skill and discipline of the highly trained ACF team shone at
the rope under the guidance of Team manager and coach, Gloucestershire CEO,
Major Alec Masson. Photo: Gloucester ACF Indoor Squad
The first events involving the
Cadet Males were the 560Kg & 600Kg Classes. The male Cadet team came up
against some extremely strong and tall pullers, especially the Grenadier Guards
who towered over a foot above the Cadet Team. The regular Army team’s where
soon to find out that the Cadets were not there just to make up the numbers,
but to participate and by the end, the Cadets from the Male Gloucestershire ACF
Team went through both weight classes without losing a single end gaining 1st
place in both categories. Photo: Gloucester ACF Junior Ladies Team
From the start, the ladies from
19 RA weighing in more than 100kg heavier than the Cadet team and having a number
of the current Army Team in their team soon showed their experience and weight
advantage and were too strong for the young and up incoming Cadet team and won
both 520kg and 560kg weight classes 2-0. Photo: Gloucester ACF Junior Team
Congratulations to the ladies
of 19 Regt RA.
The final event of the
afternoon was the 600kg mixed 4X4 event, this event turned out to be the
hardest pulling of the day, which resulted in 19 Regt RA defeating the ACF Team
ACF 2-0.
Final Results involving ACF
Teams from Gloucester ACF;
Male Weight Class:
560kg - Winners (Never Lost an end)
600kg - Winners (Never Lost an end)
600kg 4x4 – Runners Up
Female
Weight Class:
520kg – Runners Up
560kg – Runners Up
This was an excellent display
of, team work, determination, and hours of hard training, this was something
that the Cadets of Gloucestershire Army Cadet Force had in abundance. Well
done to all the cadets who participated in over 5 hours of very hard pulling.
Report and photos supplied by Alec Masson
TUG OF WAR – A MODERN
SPORT FOR THE OLYMPICS
Click here to read an interesting
article by “blogger” Alun Rhys Griffiths (who is not involved in tug of war in any capacity), but
considers the reasons why tug of war should be included within the Olympic
Games.
Everyone is encouraged to share this article by e-mail and social
media (such as Facebook and Twitter, etc) to help promote our sport.
18/01/2014 – UK INDOOR TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS
This
year, the Tug of War Association hosted the UK Indoor Tug of War Championships
at Huddersfield Sports Centre. The TOWA again hosted the event after last
hosting it at this venue in January 2012. The event was not as well supported
as we would have liked, but nevertheless the competition was excellent.
The event started with the
closed competitions, and the 600 kilos competition got the event under way.
With this competition featuring teams representing their respective countries
after winning gold, silver and bronze medals at either 560 kilos, 600 kilos,
and 640 kilos in the open and closed competitions at the last World Indoor
Championships in 2012, the outcome was never going to be predictable or one
sided.
The competition started off
with an exciting pull between England B (Kilroe) and Northern Ireland A, the
first end being very competitive and lasting almost 5 minutes before Kilroe
eventually took the end. Northern Ireland A then bounced back to take the
second end. England A (represented by Norton) started off with a win against
Scotland B before going through the remainder of the group stages without
losing an end. England B joined England A in the semi finals along with
Scotland A and Northern Ireland A. In the semi finals, England A defeated
Northern Ireland A and Scotland A defeated England B. Photo: England A 600 kilos team represented by Norton
In the bronze medal match,
England B faced Northern Ireland A again. This was yet another very competitive
pull, with both teams fighting very hard for the bronze medal. After a couple
of long competitive ends, Northern Ireland eventually took the bronze medal by
2 ends to 0. In the final, England A faced Scotland A. Both teams had performed
well during the group stages of the competition. England A looked strong and
determined and took two ends without reply to win the UK 600 kilos title. Photo: England B 600 kilos team represented by Kilroe
Click here to watch the first end
of the bronze medal pull
Click here to watch the second end
of the bronze medal pull
Click here to watch the first end
of the final
Click here to watch the second end
of the final
The 680 kilos closed
competition followed with the A and B teams from the respective home nations in
attendance competing. In the group stage, Scotland A came out on top, followed
by England A (Uppertown), England B (Raunds) and Northern Ireland A. In the
semi finals, Scotland A defeated Northern Ireland A, and England A and England
B had a good battle, with England A progressing by 2 ends to 0 to reach the
final. Photo: Scotland B 600 kilos team
In the bronze medal match, England B performed strongly against
the Northern Ireland A team to take the bronze medal by 2 ends to 0. England A
and Scotland A faced off in the final, with Scotland A taking the first end. In
between ends, England A opted to make a substitution in order to get back into
the match. Unfortunately it was not to be and Scotland A took the second end
and the gold medal.
Click here to watch the first end
of the bronze medal pull
Click here to watch the second end
of the bronze medal pull
Click here to watch the first end
of the final
Click here to watch the second end
of the final
The open competition
followed the closed events, with weights contested at 600 kilos, 640 kilos and
680 kilos. The clubs competing were as follows – England – Raunds, Kilroe,
Uppertown, Norton – Scotland – Ayrshire, Tinto Farmers – Northern Ireland – Country
Club.
The 600 kilos was first on, and again the competition was very
competitive as it was in the closed event. After some good pulling in the group
stages, Kilroe, Ayrshire, Norton and Country Club made it to the semi-finals.
In the semi-finals, Ayrshire defeated Country Club and Norton defeated Kilroe.
Norton got their open club campaign off to a winning start by defeating
Ayrshire by 2 ends to 0. Photo: England A 680 Kilos team represented by Uppertown
Click here to watch the first end
of the final
Click here to watch the second end
of the final
Bigger entries into the 640 competition followed, which turned out
to be another competitive weight. Norton were again dominant in the group
stages topping the group without losing an end, Tinto from Scotland being the
closest challengers. In the semi finals they were joined by Uppertown and
Ayrshire. Norton and Tinto progressed to the final, where again, Norton took
the gold medal by 2 ends to 0. Photo: England B 680 kilos team represented by Raunds
Click here to watch the first end
of the final
Click here to watch the second end of the final
The final weight was the
680 kilos competition. After a tough day of pulling, there were some tired
bodies around, but further strong performances from Norton and Tinto saw the
two teams meet again in the final. Norton concluded the day in fine form to
take their 4th gold medal of the day. All of the UK teams now look
forward to competing at the World Championships in Ireland in February. Photo: the successful Norton squad who took four gold medals in the open and closed competition
Click here to watch the first end
of the final
Click here to watch the second end
of the final
In the evening, the
presentation dinner was held at the Cedar Court Hotel in Huddersfield, where
the medal winning teams were presented with their awards. Our thanks go to the
Cedar Court Hotel for their hospitality over the weekend.
Click
here
to see an article, photos and videos published by the Huddersfield Examiner
Click
here
to see photos taken by Jonathan Pow of the Press Association
Click
here
to watch a preview of the event shown on ITV Calendar news featuring Kilroe
TOWC in training
Results Summary
UK Closed Championships
Men 600 kilos – Gold – England A (represented by Norton) – Silver – Scotland A – Bronze – Northern Ireland A – 4th – England B (represented by Kilroe)
Men 680 kilos – Gold – Scotland A – Silver – England A (represented by Uppertown) – Bronze – England B (represented by Raunds) – 4th – Northern Ireland A
Open Club Competition
Men 600 Kilos – Winners – Norton (England) – Runners Up – Ayrshire (Scotland)
Men 640 Kilos – Winners – Norton (England) – Runners Up – Tinto (Scotland)
Men 680 Kilos – Winners - Norton (England) – Runners Up – Tinto (Scotland)
TUG OF WAR ON TV
Click here to watch a preview piece shown on ITV Calendar News about the UK Indoor Tug of War Championships, which are taking place in Huddersfield this Saturday.
07/12/2013 - NATIONAL INDOOR TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS
The 2013 National Indoor Tug of War Championships were once again held
at the Harry Mitchell Leisure Centre in Smethwick, West Midlands. It was
pleasing to see a good number turn out to support the teams that were taking
part on the day in the senior mens and mixed weight classes. The teams that
were competing were Sandhurst, Raunds, Sheen, Norton, Uppertown and Kilroe. A total of 7 weight classes were contested on the day in what turned
out to be the most competitive and unpredictable indoor national championships
for many years.
The event started off with the catchweight competition. Sheen were the
defending champions in this weight, as they were in all weight classes being
contested on the day. Sheen started off by defeating Raunds by 2 ends to 0 and
Kilroe then went on to defeat Raunds by the same scoreline. Both Sheen and
Kilroe ended up meeting in the final. In a reasonably close pull, Sheen went on
to take the gold medal by 2 ends to 0 to get their day off to a winning start.
The second weight class on the day was the 640 kilos competition. This
was a really competitive event with a number of teams in with a shout of
winning a medal or making the final. The group stages were hard fought and
Sheen topped the group without dropping an end. Norton finished in second place
in the group, followed by Uppertown and then Raunds, with all four of these
teams going forward to compete for a medal. Both Norton and Sheen progressed to
the final with Raunds and Uppertown going forward to compete for the bronze medal.
Uppertown put in a strong performance to take the bronze medal ahead of Raunds
by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Kilroe TOWC
Click here to watch the
first end of the 640kg bronze medal pull Click here to watch the
second end of the 640kg bronze medal pull
Then came the final which turned out to be a superb and keenly
contested match up. Both Sheen and Norton gave everything asked of them, with
the first end lasting a few second short of five minutes. Sheen dropped in well
to take an advantage early on in the pull. Everytime Sheen went to move their
opponents, Norton looked to counter, doing so successfully before both teams
went to ground. Both teams came up well before Sheen eventually drew Norton
over the line. On the second end Sheen dropped in with purpose to take an early
advantage. The second end was not as long as the first end, and after a slip by
Norton, Sheen took full advantage to take the second end and their 10th
consecutive 640 kilos indoor title. Photo: Norton TOWC
Click here to watch the
first end of the 640kg final Click here to watch the
second end of the 640kg final
The 560 kilos weight class followed with only a small entry this year.
The final pull was contested by Sheen and Norton. Unlike the 640 kilos final,
Norton were able to exert their authority and took a well deserved gold medal
by 2 ends to 0, and put to an end Sheen’s hopes of retaining the 6 titles they
won on 2012.
Click here to watch the
first end of the 560kg final
Click here to watch the
second end of the 560kg final
The 720 kilos event followed, and like the 560 kilos competition there
was only a small entry of teams. The final was contested by Sheen and Kilroe in
what was a much tighter affair than the catchweight final. Kilroe put up a good
resistance to Sheen, but Sheen managed to keep control of the pull to take the
gold medal by 2 ends to 0 to take their third gold medal of the day. Photo: Uppertown TOWC
Click here to watch the
first end of the 720kg final
Click here to watch the
second end of the 720kg final
The 600 kilos competition followed and this again was a keenly
contested weight class. Norton and Sheen topped the group stages, with the
competition between Kilroe, Raunds, Sandhurst and Uppertown very close to make
the semi finals. In the semi finals Sheen and Norton were joined by Raunds and
Kilroe. In the semi finals, Norton defeated Kilroe and Sheen defeated Raunds.
In the bronze medal pull, Kilroe and Raunds had a great match up. Raunds won
the group stage pull by 2 ends to 0, however in the bronze medal match Kilroe
managed to turn the tables to win the bronze medal by 2 ends to 0. In the
final, Sheen and Norton met again to contest their third final of the day.
Sheen had won the 600 kilos title for the past 5 years, and were hoping to make
it 6 in a row. A tough day of competition was beginning to catch up with Sheen
and Norton took a second gold medal by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Sheen TOWC
Click here to watch the
first end of the 600kg bronze medal pull
Click here to watch the
second end of the 600kg bronze medal pull
Click here to watch the
first end of the 600kg final
Click here to watch the second
end of the 600kg final
The final mens weight of the day was the 680 kilos competition. After a
hard day of competition there were a few tired bodies on the mats, which made
the competition open and unpredicatable. No team went through the competition
without dropping an end. Unfortunately Sandhurst had to withdraw from the
competition half way through after one of the pullers picked up a serious ankle
injury. We wish him a speedy recovery. At the end of the group stage Sheen and
Uppertown finished on level points followed by Norton and the Raunds. The semi
finals saw Uppertown take on Raunds and Sheen take on Norton. Uppertown
defeated Raunds by 2 ends to 0 in their semi final, however Sheen and Norton
having another great pull with the first end being very close before the judge
awarded both teams three cautions and the pull was blown to the middle. On the
restart, both teams battled hard again and Norton went on to take the end. The
second end saw Norton eventually take the win to progress to the final. Photo: Sandhurst TOWC
The bronze medal pull saw Sheen take on Raunds, and despite missing out
on a place in the final, Sheen managed to take the bronze medal ahead of Raunds
by 2 ends to 0. The final saw Uppertown and Norton compete for the gold medal.
Uppertown had already defeated Norton in the group stage of the competition and
they made no mistake in the final to take the gold medal by 2 ends to 0 and
their first national title since 1996. Photo: Raunds TOWC
Click here to watch the
first end of the 680kg bronze medal pull
Click here to watch the
second end of the 680kg bronze medal pull
Click here to watch the
first end of the 680kg final
Click here to watch the
second end of the 680kg final
The final weight class of the day was the mixed competition.
Unfortunately again there was only a small entry in this competition with Sheen
Ladies and Sheen Farmers entering teams in this weight class. Sheen Ladies went
on to retain their title by 2 ends to 0 in the final.
The Tug of War Association would like to take this opportunity to
congratulate all of the teams who took part on the indoor circuit this year as
well as congratulating all of the teams who took part in the championships. It
was one of the most competitive championships for a number of years and it gave
everyone some wonderful memories to take with them. We wish all of the teams
who are continuing for the forthcoming UK and World Indoor Tug of War
Championships the very best of luck with their preparations.
This weekend was the final weekend of competition before the
national indoor tug of war championships which take place on Saturday
7th December. The teams that were competing were Norton (A and B),
Raunds, Kilroe, Sheen Ladies and Uppertown. The results were as follows:
Men Catchweight - Winners - Kilroe - Runners Up - Raunds
Men 580 - Winners - Norton B - Runners Up - Norton A Men 680 - Winners - Raunds - Runners Up - Norton A
Men 600 - Winners - Norton A - Runners Up - Kilroe Men 720 - Winners - Raunds - Runners Up - Kilroe
Men 640 - Winners - Norton A - Runners Up - Raunds
24/11/2013 - INDOOR LEAGUE WEEK 6 RESULTS
This Sunday only saw four clubs take part in the latest indoor tug of war competition due to other teams having to withdraw due to injury and illness. Raunds, Sheen, Kilroe (A and B) and Uppertown took part in five weight classes on the day. There was some good competition in all of the weights, but Sheen finished as winners in each weight class on the day. The final results were as follows:
Catchweight – Winners – Sheen – Runners Up – Raunds
680 – Winners – Sheen – Runners Up – Kilroe
640 – Winners – Sheen – Runners Up – Raunds
600 – Winners – Sheen – Runners Up – Raunds
580 – Winners – Sheen – Runners Up - Raunds
17/11/2013 - AAA INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS AND INDOOR LEAGUE WEEK 5 RESULTS
This weekend, the AAA indoor tug of war championships took place at the
Harry Mitchell Centre, with the traditional catchweight and 640 kilos
AAA competitions taking place, followed by open competitions. The teams
that competed at the event were Raunds, Sandhurst, Uppertown, Sheen,
Norton, Kilroe, Sheen Ladies and Bedford Ladies.
Photo: Norton TOWC - AAA Gold Medallists at 640 kilos and Catchweight
The first championship weight was the 640 kilos competition, pulled as a
straight group with the top two teams pulling again in the final. The
competition started off with some good pulls early on with Raunds
starting against Uppertown
and Sheen starting against Norton. Uppertown defeated Raunds by 2 ends
to 0 in the first round, and Norton took the two ends from Sheen,
although it did look as though Sheen were leaving something in the tank
for later on in the competition. As the group progressed,
Upperton, Raunds and Sandhurst were all defeated by Sheen and Norton
leaving Sheen and Norton to compete again in the final. In the final,
Sheen gave more than they did in the group stages, but Norton had more
about them today compared to the previous week
and Norton took the gold medal by 2 ends to 0.Photo: Kilroe TOWC
The second weight of the championship was the catchweight competition.
This was again pulled as a straight group with the top 2 teams going
through to the final. There was again some close pulling in this
competition. Raunds and Kilroe
had a very close pull first on with Kilroe eventually defeating Raunds
by 2 ends to 0, whilst Sheen defeated Sandurst by the same score. Norton
also entered the fray and won all of their group pulls by 2 ends to 0.
At the completion of the group stage of the
competition, Norton and Sheen progressed to the final. As with the 640
kilos competition, Norton took the gold medal by 2 ends to 0 to take
their second AAA gold of the day. Compared with the previous week of
competition taking two gold medals was somewhat
a surprise result, but it just goes to show how unpredictable this
indoor season is turning out to be. Photo: Raunds TOWC
The open weights followed, with competitions taking place for mens teams
and ladies teams. In the ladies weights, both Sheen and Bedford Ladies
won one weight class a piece. The men’s weight classes were held at 600
kilos, 620 kilos and
680 kilos with the ladies teams mixing up with some of the men’s teams
to compete in the 600 kilos competition.
The 600 kilos competition was split into two groups. Both Sheen and
Norton progressed to the final, with Norton taking their third win of
the day by 2 ends to 0. The 620 kilos competition was pulled as a
straight group, with Norton again
finishing as winners, with Sheen finishing as runners up. The 680 kilos
competition was the final weight class of the day, and was one of the
most competitive, with each team having to give everything to take the
ends. Uppertown competed strongly in this competition,
dropping just one end to Sheen. At the end of the competition Sheen and
Uppertown finished top of the group to progress to the final. The final
was a close and competitive affair with Uppertown winning the pull by 2
ends to 0 to take a hard earned win ahead
of Sheen to end another good day of tug of war. Photo: Sandhurst TOWC
With the results being turned on their head again this week, and with 3
weeks to go until the national indoor tug of war championships, it is
shaping up to be an interesting season, and should result in a fiercely
competitive national championships
– we hope to see lots of people there to support the teams!
AAA 640 Kilos - Gold - Norton - Silver - Sheen
AAA Catchweight - Gold - Norton - Silver - Sheen
Open
Men - 600 kilos - Winners - Norton - Runners Up - Sheen
Men 620 kilos - Winners - Norton - Runners Up - Sheen
Men 680 kilos - Winners - Uppertown - Runners Up - Sheen
This weekend the fourth week of the indoor season got under way with
teams from Kilroe, Norton, Sheen, Raunds, Uppertown and Sandhurst taking part
along with Sheen Ladies and Bedford Ladies. There was some good competition in
all weight classes, in particular in the 600 kilos and 680 kilos competitions.
The first weight was the catchweight competition, that was pulled as a
straight group with all teams competing against each other. Sheen won the
competition without losing an end, with Norton finishing as runners up ahead of
Kilroe and Raunds. Photo: Sandhurst TOWC competing in the 620 kilos competition
The 600 kilos competition was pulled in two groups, with both ladies
teams also competing in this competition and being allowed to include men in
their teams to help them get up to weight. There was some good tight pulling in
this weight with Sheen Men and Norton both winning their respective groups to
make the final. This time it was Norton who took first place ahead of Sheen by
2 ends to 0.
In the ladies competitions, Sheen Ladies and Bedford Ladies were the
only teams present, and both teams had a number of competitions against each
other throughout the day. Sheen Ladies finished as winners of the ladies
competitions on the day.
The 680 kilos competition was another keenly contested weight class, and
was pulled as a straight group. Every end in the competition was hard fought.
Norton and Raunds had a tough pull early on in the competition, with that pull
going to 1-1. Raunds then took a good win against Uppertown and went through
the rest of the competition only losing to Sheen. Sheen and Norton met in the
final pull of the competition, which turned out to be a very good match up on
the first end, which eventually went to Sheen. Both teams made a substitution
for the second end, which went to Sheen to take their second winners spot of
the day.
The final weights of the day were the 620 kilos and 640 kilos
competitions. Both weights were again pulled as round robin competitions with
Norton winning the 620 kilos competition.
The next competition is the AAA indoor tug of war championships. Going
off the last couple of weekends of competition, it promises to be a very
competitive day. Good luck to all of the teams taking part.
INDOOR LEAGUE WEEK 3 RESULTS
This weekend, the third indoor tug of war
competition of the season took place at the Harry Mitchell Sports Centre in
Smethwick. The teams that attended were Sheen, Raunds (A and B), Norton,
Kilroe, Sandhurst, Uppertown, Sheen Ladies and Bedford Ladies. 5 weight classes
were held for the mens teams and one weight class for the ladies teams, who in
addition to their own weight, also formed teams in the men’s lightweight
competitions. Photo: Norton TOWC
The first weight of the day was the 600 kilos competition, which was
pulled as a straight group of 7 teams. The competition saw Norton come out on
top as the eventual winners, with Sheen finishing as runners up.
The ladies competition followed, with Sheen Ladies and Bedford Ladies
competing against each other. Sheen ladies finished as winners of the ladies
competition.
Some pulling for the Under 23 pullers also took place
half way through the days competition, with Under 23 pullers from each
team that were available on the day pulling against some of the senior
teams as part of their preparations for the UK Indoor Championships.
Thanks to all of the clubs for their co-operation. Photo: The Under 23s getting some competition practice
The remaining weights were contested at 620 kilos, 640 kilos, 680 kilos,
and 720 kilos. Norton won the 620 kilos competition without losing an end ahead
of Sheen, and the 640 competition provided some more competitive pulling,
particularly in the final of the two-group competition with Norton overcoming
Sheen by 2 ends to 1 to win their third weight of the day. The 680 kilos
competition saw Uppertown put in a strong showing, but had to settle for second
place behind Sheen. The 720 kilos competition was the final weight of the
competition and was held after the 640 kilos competition. The first pull of the
competition took place between Kilroe and Raunds whilst Norton and Sheen were
completing the 640 kilos final. Kilroe won the pull by 2 ends to 0, but due to
time constraints with the hall, we were unable to complete the competition. Photo: Sheen Farmers TOWC
Results summary
Ladies – Winners – Sheen Ladies – Runners Up – Bedford Ladies Men 600 – Winners – Norton – Runners Up – Sheen Men 620 – Winners – Norton – Runners Up – Sheen Men 640 – Winners – Norton – Runners Up – Sheen Men 680 – Winners – Sheen – Runners Up – Uppertown Men 720 – Winners – Kilroe – Runners Up – Raunds
TUG OF WAR ON TV
On Friday 1st November, Sheen Ladies TOWC were featured on the ITV programme "Off the Beaten Track" presented by Christine Bleakley.
This was a great advert for tug of war and our thanks go to Sheen Ladies for the professionalism shown on the programme. If you missed the show, you can watch it again by clicking here. The show will be available to view online for the next couple of weeks.
20/10/2013 - INDOOR LEAGUE WEEK 1 RESULTS
This weekend saw the start of the indoor tug of war season,
with the first event being well supported by teams from Norton, Sheen, Raunds
(A and B), Uppertown, Kilroe, and Sheen Ladies. The event was held with 4
weight categories taking place to cater for the weights that teams could make.
The results were as follows:
720kg – Winners –
Norton – Runners Up – Sheen
680kg – Winners –
Norton – Runners Up – Raunds
660kg – Winners –
Norton – Runners Up – Sheen
640kg – Winners –
Uppertown – Runners Up – Norton
Well done to all of the teams and officials who made the
first indoor event of the season a success.
20/10/2013 - YORKSHIRE CHAMPIONSHIPS - COUNTRYSIDE LIVE SHOW, HARROGATE
Despite the start of the indoor tug of war season this weekend, there were still some outdoor tug of war competitions taking place, including the Yorkshire Championships in Harrogate.For once the weather held
and apart from two small showers, the pullers from around the county of
Yorkshire stayed dry as the weights were contested for the Yorkshire
Championship 2013. The teams on the day were, York TOWC, Pennine YFC, Silsden
with Skipton, Upper Wharfedale YFC, Eskdale Cross YFC, Diesel Power,
Stanfordham YFC, Longridge YFC and Felliscliff YFC.
The juniors started the proceedings
with Felliscliff YFC beating Silsden and Wharfedale in two straight ends. The
ladies 580kg followed and York ladies powered to first place without losing an
end, Pennine YFC took second place.
The men's weights started with the 600kg
competition which produced some really hard pulling for all the teams. In
the deciding pull Longridge YFC and York battled for what seemed like an age in
the first end. York eventually took the end and then the second, to win the
weight, with Longridge YFC finishing in second place. Photo: Longridge YFC Squad
The 640kg again drew a fine battle from
York and Longridge and this time, Longridge were able to lift York out and won
the weight without losing an end, with York closely following behind them.
The next discipline was the 4+4 660kg. The
outcome seemed somewhat inevitable, with York being the team
that represented England and won silver in August at the UKs in
Perth. York showed the crowd of onlookers that they had not lost the magic
touch as they won the weight without losing any ground. Eskdale Cross YFC took
the silver medal.
The next weight was the 680kg. It's
often called the young farmers weight at this competition, as this is the
weight that they pull in the regional and national young farmers competitions
earlier in the year and its always a hotly contested weight. Upper Wharfedale
YFC entered the fray for the first time after staying on the sidelines for
the earlier weights. Again York took the lead, beating all that the young
farmers could throw at them, York finishing as overall winners and Upper
Wharfedale finishing in second place. Photo: York TOWC competing at Countryside Live in Harrogate
The final weight of the day was the
catchweight competition. One powerful end after another was produced, but the
end result saw York take gold to complete a very successful day after
beating the strong teams from Stanfordham YFC, Eskdale Cross YFC, Upper
Wharfedale YFC and longridge YFC. Upper Wharfedale YFC finished in the runners
up position.
Well done to all of the teams for taking part
and making this event a success.
05 & 06 OCTOBER - TUG OF WAR ASSOCIATION AND TUG OF WAR FEDERATION JOINT EVENT - RESULTS
We were lucky with the weather this weekend with six teams attending the Kessingland Tug of War Association and Tug of War Federation joint event. One of the events staunch supporters, Hadleigh Tug of War Club, were interviewed on Saturday by BBC radio Suffolk. The results for each day were as follows:
Saturday
600kg - winners - Holland B - runners up - Holland A
640kg - winners - Holland A - runners up - Raunds
600 4+4 - winners - Holland A - runners up - Raunds
680kg - winners - Holland A - runners up - Raunds
Sunday
620kg - winners - Holland A - runners up - Holland B
660kg - winners - Holland A - runners up - Anglian Vikings
660kg 4+4 - winners - Holland - runners up - Anglian Vikings
720kg - winners - Holland A - runners up - Raunds
Next year will be the 35th Anniversary of the Kessingland Autumn Tug of War Weekend and we are looking to encourage teams from abroad to attend. All teams are welcome to attend these events in the future.
22/09/2013 - EUROPEAN OUTDOOR TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS AND WORLD JUNIOR AND UNDER 23 CHAMPIONSHIPS
The European Championships and World Junior and Under 23 Championships have just concluded in Assen, Netherlands. It has been a mixed weekend for the England teams. The open competition saw England gain some good results with Lincoln winning the club 720kg competition and Bedford Ladies winning bronze in the Ladies 560kg competition.
The closed competition saw some difficult pulling for the England teams. Unfortunately England missed out on picking up any medals, but came desperately close with some fourth place finishes. A report from each day of competition can be found further down this page, but a summary of the England results are as follows:
Men 560kg - 7th - Represented by Norton Men 640kg - 7th - Represented by Felton Eccles Men 680kg - 7th - Represented by Holland TOWC Men 720kg - 5th - Represented by Lincoln
Ladies 520kg - 4th - Represented by Holland Ladies Ladies 560kg - 4th - Represented by Bedford Ladies
Junior 560kg - 7th - Represented by Glos/Som ACF Under 23 600kg - 4th - Represented by the U23 Development Team
22/9/2013 - EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS DAY 4 - INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
News from the afternoon session
England's final hopes for a medal in the closed international events rested with the men's 640 kilos competition and ladies 520 kilos competition.
In the ladies 520 kilos competition, England were
represented by Holland Ladies. The England Ladies gave a really good
account of themselves, with Holland Ladies representing England for only
the second time. They pulled well in the group, picking up the points,
including a good 2 ends to 0 win over the 2012 World bronze medallists
Germany to progress to the semi finals along with Switzerland,
Netherlands and Sweden. In the semi finals, England met Sweden, and
succumbed to a 2 ends to 0 defeat, and went into the bronze medal match
against Switzerland, who were defeated in the semi finals by the
Netherlands. Unfortunately again for England, England were defeated by 2
ends to 0 by the Swiss to finish in 4th place. A creditable result for
the Holland Ladies representing England for only the second time. Final
result:
Ladies 520kg - Gold - Sweden - Silver - Netherlands - Bronze - Switzerland - 4th - England (represented by Holland Ladies)
In the mens 640 kilos competition, England were
represented by Felton Eccles. The 640 kilos is always the final event of
the championship, and is always a competitive weight class. England
started off with two tough pulls against Sweden and Spain, going 1-1
with both teams. Unfortunately for England, it didn't get much better.
After beating Belgium, defeats to the Netherlands, Switzerland and
Germany and other dropped ends meant that England finished in 7th place
in the group and out of the medals. Switzerland went on to win another
640 kilos gold medal at this weight defeating the Netherlands in the
final. Final Result:
Men 640 kilos - Gold - Switzerland - Silver - Netherlands - Bronze - Sweden - 4th - Germany
News from the morning session
This morning saw the men 720kg and the Under 23 (World) 600kg competition take place.
In the 720 kilos competition, England were represented
by Lincoln, who went into the event with high hopes after winning the
open club competition. England started off against the home nation,
being defeated by 2 ends to 0, and then defeated Ireland and Lithuania.
England went 1-1 with Latvia, and were defeated by Switzerland and
Sweden. Towards the end of the group stages, England were level on
points with Latvia, but Latvia managed to take an end out of the
Netherlands to finish ahead of England, which meant that Latvia
progressed to the last 4 at the expense of England, leaving England 5th
overall. Well done Lincoln - another great effort in this competition.
The final result was as follows:
Men 720kg - Gold - Netherlands - Silver - Sweden - Bronze - Switzerland - 4th - Latvia.
Also taking place at the same time was the Under 23
600 kilos competition, which is run as an annual World Championship, as
is the Under 18 junior competition. The England under 23 development
team started off with a good 2 ends to 0 win against South Africa, and
also defeated Chinese Taipei and Belgium. The competition to get into
the top 4 was very close. Germany and Switzerland had a better run into
the top 4, but with England beating South Africa, Sweden beating England
and South Africa beating Sweden, this meant competition to fill the
remaining 2 places in the semi finals was going to be between 3 teams.
Both South Africa and Sweden picked up more cautions than England, so
England progressed in third place, followed by Sweden. In the semi
finals, England were defeated by Germany, and Switzerland defeated
Sweden. England met Sweden again for the bronze, but Sweden finished up
winning the bronze medal by 2 ends to 0. Well done to our under 23 team -
despite missing out on a medal, finishing in the top 4 in the World is
still a great achievement. The final result was as follows: Under 23 World 600kg - Gold - Switzerland - Silver - Germany - Bronze - Sweden - 4th - England
21/09/2013 - EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS DAY 3 - INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
News from the afternoon session.
The afternoon session commenced with the 600kg 4+4, the Junior 560kg and the Men 560kg.
The 600kg competition saw England being represented by
the men and ladies of Holland TOWC. The team competed well in the group
stages to progress to the semi finals along with Spain, Sweden and the
Netherlands. England were drawn against defending champions Sweden and
succumbed to a 2 ends to 0 defeat, whilst in the second semi final, the
Netherlands defeated Spain. England met Spain in the bronze medal pull,
with the first end going for over 6 minutes. Eventually Spain took the
first end. England put in another solid performance on the second end,
but Spain took the end and the bronze medal. The final result was as
follows: 600kg 4+4 - Gold - Sweden - Silver - Netherlands - Bronze - Spain - 4th - England (represented by Holland TOWC)
The
Junior 560kg competition (which is run as an annual World Championship
for junior teams) saw England being represented by Gloucester and
Somerset ACF. The team had some tough opposition in the group stages and
unfortunately did not make the cross over and the chance to compete for
a medal. Our junior team went on to finish 7th overall, and it was a
good learning experience for them. Hopefully they will come back
stronger next year. The final result was as follows:
Junior 560kg - Gold - Switzerland - Silver - South Africa - Bronze - Germany - 4th - Sweden
The
mens 560 kilos competition saw England being represented by Norton.
England and our representative team Norton were defending champions in
this weight and going into this competition would have been one of the
favourites to win a medal. They couldn't have asked for a tougher start
in their title defence against World Champions Switzerland and Northern
Ireland. England lost both of these pulls by 2 ends 0, but got back on
track by picking up points against Sweden, Scotland and Belgium.
Unfortunately that was as good as it got, and England finished up in 7th
place. In many peoples eyes, this was a shock result, but it was an
uncharacteristic bad day at the office for England's representatives
Norton, but these things do happen from time to time. We are sure they
will be back to fight another day. The final result was as follows:
Well
done to all of the clubs who have represented England on the first day
of competition. Hopefully tomorrow will bring some medals for England.
News from the morning session
The ladies 560 kilos competition saw the England
ladies team being represented by Bedford Ladies. The team competed well
in the group stages, to finish in joint second place with Switzerland
and the Netherlands. Sweden topped the group, which meant that England
progressed to the semi finals. In the Semi finals, England were drawn
against Switzerland. Having gone 1 end each in the group stages with
Switzerland there was every chance that England could progress to the
final. Unfortunately Switzerland got the better of England and went to
the final winning in two straight ends. In the bronze medal match,
England met the Netherlands, and after a good battle, England
unfortunately had to settle for 4th place. Sweden finished up as
eventual gold medalists. The final result was as follows:
Ladies 560kg - Gold - Sweden - Silver - Switzerland - Bronze - Netherlands - 4th - England (represented by Bedford Ladies)
In the mens 680 kilos competition, England were
represented by Holland, who had many pullers in their team representing
England in a senior mens weight for the first time. The team started off
well, but succumbed to defeats to Ireland, Netherlands, Switzerland and
Sweden who all progressed to the final. England finished 7th overall,
but it was a good learning experience for the Holland team representing
England. The final result was as follows: Men 680 kilos - Gold - Netherlands - Silver - Switzerland - Bronze - Sweden - 4th - Ireland
20/09/2013 - EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS DAY 2 - OPEN CLUB COMPETITION
News from the afternoon session
The mens 640kg competition and ladies 520kg
competition took place this afternoon. English interest in the 640kg
competition came from Team Army and Felton Eccles. Both teams competed
well in the competition that was split into 4 large groups. Out of the
two teams, Felton Eccles performed best, finishing 4th in their group
and missing out on a place in the knock out stages. Photo: Felton Eccles competing in the open 640 kilos competition. The final result was
as follows:
Team Army Ladies competed in the Ladies 520 kilos
competition, but unfortunately did not make it out of the group stages
and the chance to compete for a medal. The final result was as follows:
Ladies 520 kg - Gold - Disa (South Africa) - Silver - Jing Mei (Chinese Taipei) - Bronze - TTV Koapman (Netherlands) - 4th - Gaztedi (Basque)
News from the morning session
This morning saw the Mens 720 kilos competition take place as well as the Under 23 600 kilos competition.
In the 720 kilos competition, English interested cam in the form of Lincoln TOWC and Team Army. Unfortunately Team Army did not progress through the group stages, but Lincoln TOWC put in an excellent performance to finish top of the group without losing an end. They progressed to the semi finals where they met the strong, and sometimes unpredictable team from Velkonis of Latvia. Lincoln took the first end in over 4 minutes, and then finished the job nicely in the second end to reach the final. In the final they met TTV Gelderswoude from the Netherlands who overcame TTV Koapman in their semi final. Lincoln again pulled well to win by 2 ends to 0 and take the gold medal, taking gold without dropping an end in the whole competition. Congratulations Lincoln - a fantastic achievement! Photo: Lincoln TOWC - Men 720 kilos European Club Champions - Final result:
In the Under 23 600 kilos, our Under 23 Development Squad competed, made up of pullers from Bosley, Two Dales, Holland, York, Raunds and Sandhurst. The team competed well in the group stages against clubs from Switzerland, Netherlands, South Africa, Chinese Taipei, Germany and Belgium. The team finished 4th in the group to progress to the knock-out stages. In the semi finals, the English team met Siegelau from Germany, losing out by 2 ends to 0, but went forward to the bronze medal match against Wynland from South Africa. The match up was very competitive, but this time, the English team had to settle for 4th place, Wynland taking the bronze. Final Result:
Men Under 23 600kg - Gold - TTV Streefkerk (Netherlands) - Silver - Siegelau (Germany) - Bronze - Wynland (South Africa) - 4th - ETOWA (England)
A morning of good results for the English teams, so hopefully more good results will follow!
19/09/2013 - EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS DAY 1 - OPEN CLUB COMPETITION
News from the afternoon session
The afternoon session saw the mixed 600 4+4, the junior mens 560 kilos, and senior mens 560 kilos competition.
In the mixed 600 4+4 English interest came in the form
of Team Army and Holland TOWC. The competition was split into two
groups, with both Holland and Team Army being drawn into the same group.
Unfortunately both teams did not progress to the knock out stages and
missed out on the chance to compete for a medal. Photo: Team Army 600 kilos 4+4 team. The final results were
as follows:
In
the Junior 560 kilos competition, Gloucester and Somerset competed.
They were up against some good teams in their group from Chinese Taipei,
Switzerland, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, South Africa, and Sweden.
Gloucester and Somerset finished 9th in the competition overall.
Stans-Oberdorf from Switzerland followed up their gold medal success at
GENSB by winning the open club gold. The final results were as follows: Junior Men 560kg - Gold - Stans Oberdorf (Switzerland) - Silver - Dietenbach (Germany) - Bronze - Oakdale A (South Africa) - 4th - TTV Streefkerk (Netherlands)
There was no English involvement in the mens 560 kilos competition, but the final results of this event were:
We are pleased to report that Bedford Ladies took the bronze medal in the ladies 560 kilos open club competition, defeating Gonten from Switzerland in the final. Well done! Team Army Ladies also competed in this event, but failed to progress from the group stages for the chance to compete for a medal.Photo: Bedford Ladies - European Club Bronze Medallists in the Ladies 560 kilos event
The mens 680 kilos competition also took place this morning. Lincoln, Holland and Team Army of England were competing in this event, however unfortunately, none of these teams finished up in a medal position. Both Lincoln and Holland came close to qualifying from their groups, with Lincoln finishing 4th in their group, and Holland finishing 3rd in their group to miss out on a place in the quarter finals.
The final results were:
Men Open 680 kilos - Gold - Ebersecken (Switzerland) - Silver - Heure (Netherlands) - Bronze - Lakehill (Republic of Ireland) - 4th - TTV Vorden (Netherlands)
COMING UP THIS WEEKEND - EUROPEAN OUTDOOR TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS - ASSEN - NETHERLANDS - 19-22 SEPTEMBER
This week, the European Outdoor Tug of War Championships and World Junior and Under 23 Championships taken place in Assen, the Netherlands. The programme of events is as follows:
Thursday 19th September - Open Club Competition - Men 560 and 680, Ladies 560, Junior Men 560 and Mixed 600 kilos
Friday 20th September - Open Club Competition - Men 640 and 720 - Ladies 520, and under 23 600 kilos
Saturday 21st September - Closed International Competition - Men 560 and 680, Ladies 560, Junior Men 560 and Mixed 600 kilos
Sunday 22nd September - Closed International Competition - Men 640 and 720 - Ladies 520, and under 23 600 kilos
Good luck to all of the teams who will be taking part. Good luck to Lincoln, Holland, Felton Eccles, Team Army, Bedford Ladies, Gloucester and Somerset ACF and the England under 23s who will be competing in the open club competition.
In the closed competition, England will be competing in all of the official weight classes. In the senio mens weights, England will be represented by Norton, Felton Eccles, Holland and Lincoln. In the ladies weights, England will be represented by Holland Ladies and Bedford Ladies. Gloucester and Somerset ACF will be representing England in the junior men 560 kilos competition, and the England Under 23 team will be represented by a composite team.
The Tug of War Association would like to take this opportunity to wish all of the England teams competing the very best of luck.
08/09/2013 - EAST CHESHIRE HOSPICE CHARITY TUG OF WAR EVENT (ORGANISED BY BOSLEY TOWC)
This weekend Bosley Tug of War Club held their annual
charity tug of war competition in aid of the East Cheshire Hospice. With the
European Championships just around the corner, a number of the representative
teams chose not to compete at the event in order to concentrate on their
preparations, but the competition was still supported by teams from Bosley,
Diesel Power (men and ladies, Longride YFC and the England under 23 team. As no
other ladies teams attended the competition, Diesel Power mixed their ladies
team in with their mens team in the various weight classes on offer on the day. Photo: Diesel Power TOWC
A total of 6 weight classes were contested on the day, with
all teams enjoying the competition. Bosley took the winners positions in the
640 kilos, 680 kilos, 720 kilos and catchweight competitions. The England Under
23 team took the runners up position in these weights, and also went on to win
the 580 kilos and 600 kilos competitions ahead of Bosley. Both Longridge and Diesel
Power put in some good performances on the day, and are looking forward to
competing in more tug of war competitions next year. Thank you to them for
supporting this event. Photo: Bosley TOWC
The officials on the day were Peter Craft and Tony Gray,
with Betty Craft doing the recording duties. Despite the lower than anticipated
turn out of teams, the event raised £300 to charity, so well done to all of the
teams for their efforts. Photo: Longridge YFC
01/09/2013 - NATIONAL LEAGUE FINALS
Teams competing - Norton, Oxney Vines Cross, Felton Eccles, Sandhurst, Bosley, Lincoln, 19th Regiment (Highland Gunners), York, Holland, Bedford Ladies, Holland Ladies, Glos/Som ACF (A, B, and C), LNR ACF (A and B). Photo: Felton Eccles TOWC
Three weights at 600 kilos, 640 kilos and 680 kilos were held for mens teams, and two weights at 520 kilos and 560 kilos were held for ladies teams. All weights were pulled as a straight group with the top four teams having a semi final and final for extra training. Photo: 19 Regiment RA Highland Gunners
The 600 kilos competition was the first weight on pulled as
a straight group of 8. Norton, Sandhurst and Oxney emerged as the strongest
teams in the group which also contained Glos/Som ACF who entered this
competition to gain some match practice ahead of the World Junior Championships
which are being held alongside the European Championships in Assen. Norton finished
first in the group stage ahead of Oxney who finished as runners up. Sandhurst
finished the group in third place with Glos/Som ACF pulling well to finish 4th
ahead of York and then Felton. In the semi finals, Norton defeated Glos/Som ACF
and Oxney defeated Sandhurst. Norton and Oxney met again in the final, with
Norton going on to win the competition on the day by 2 ends to 0. When the
points across the whole season were added up, Oxney finished as gold medallists
in the 600 kilos weight class, with Norton finishing as silver medallists and
Sandhurst finishing as bronze medallists. Photo: Norton TOWC
The 640 kilos competition was again pulled as a straight
group of 8 with a different line up of clubs from those that entered the 600
kilos competition. There was some very competitive pulling in this group, but
again Norton were the dominant force, topping the group without dropping an
end. Oxney finished as group runners up, followed by Holland and Sandhurst. In
the semi finals Norton defeated Sandhurst and Oxney defeated Holland. Norton
then went on to win the final by 2 ends to 0. After the points over the course
of the national league season were added up, Norton finished as the gold
medallists ahead of Oxney who took silver and Holland who took bronze. Photo: Oxney Vines Cross TOWC
The final mens weight of the day was the 680 kilos
competition. This competition picked up where the 640 kilos competition left
off, with some great pulling. Sandhurst came very close to getting an end off
Norton before being blown out for receiving 3 cautions, and Holland and Lincoln
endured a very tough pull against each other, with their match going to one end
each. Norton finished the competition as group winners, and were joined in the
semi finals on the day by Oxney, Lincoln and Sandhurst. Norton met Sandhurst
again in the semi finals, with Norton going on to progress to the finals by 2
ends to 0. In the other semi final, Oxney defeated Lincoln to reach their third
final of the day. As with the other finals, Norton went on to win the final by
2 ends to 0. After all the points from the national league season were added up
for the 680 kilos competition, Norton finished up as the gold medallists, with
Oxney taking silver and Holland the bronze. Photo: The Leicester and Northants ACF Junior Mens and Ladies Squad
The national league finals also culminated in the final of
the ladies and youth league. Gloucester and Somerset retained their dominant
form throughout the season in to the final event, with Glos/Som A winning the
competition without losing an end. The final results in the ladies and youth
league saw Glos/Som ACF take the gold medals in the junior men 520 and 560
kilos competitions. Glos/Som ACF B finished as silver medallists, with
Leicester and Northants ACF A finishing as bronze medallists in both weights.
In the junior ladies competition, Gloucester and Somerset ACF finished as gold
medallists in both the junior ladies 520 kilos and 560 kilos events, with
Leicester and Northants ACF junior girls finishing as silver medallists. Photo: The Gloucester and Somerset ACF Junior Men and Ladies squad
The ladies national league saw Holland Ladies finish as the
eventual gold medallists in both the ladies 560 kilos and ladies 520 kilos
competition, with Bedford Ladies finishing as silver medallists and Sheen
Ladies finishing as bronze medallists.
Well done to all of the teams who took part in the national
league events this year, and we look forward to a competitive national league
next year.
Competition Results:
Men 600 - Winners - Norton - Runners Up - Oxney Vines Cross
Men 640 - Winners - Norton - Runners Up - Oxney Vines Cross
Men 680 - Winners - Norton - Runners Up - Oxney Vines Cross
The final results of the national league were as follows:
25/08/2013 - SHROPSHIRE OPEN COMPETITION AND TOWA NATIONAL LEAGUE RESULTS
Alcester in Warwickshire played host to a further round of the Tug of War Association National League on the towns Jubilee Pavilion Fields over the Bank Holiday Weekend.
The Town were very pleased to welcome the National Champions, Norton, fresh from their Silver Medal victory for Great Britain at the World Games in Columbia.
District Councillor Eric Payne, and Chairman of the Jubilee Pavilion Committee, said:
"Tug
of War is a sport growing in popularity worldwide. We were very lucky
to share our new facilities with the national squad. We wish them every
success at the European Championships to be held in the Netherlands in
September"
"It was no surprise that the national champions, from Norton, won the competition at the weekend".
Thanks to Councillor Mike Gittus of Stratford-upon Avon District Council for providing the above report/press release.
Results:
Men Catchweight - Winners - Norton - Runners Up - Lincoln
Men 600 - Winners - Norton - Runners Up - Oxney Vines Cross
Men 680 - Winners - Norton - Runners Up - Oxney Vines Cross
Men 640 - Winners - Norton - Runners Up - Oxney Vines Cross Ladies 560 - Winners - Bedford Ladies - Runners Up - Holland Ladies
Ladies 520 - Winners - Bedford Ladies - Runners Up - Holland Ladies
GENSB YOUTH INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT – SATURDAY 24TH AUGUST
2013. MOHNESEE, GERMANY
This year GENSB was hosted by Germany in Mohnesee beside
Lake Mohne. This year is also the 100th anniversary of the
inauguration of the Mohne Lake and Dam and the 70th anniversary of
the "Dambuster" raid. Photo: Glos/Som ACF "C"
In this now tranquil lakeside setting 36 teams (317
competitors) from eight countries competed for the GENSB trophy. Teams were
divided into four groups, with the top four in each group entering the knock
out stages. Photo: Glos/Som ACF "A"
Glos/Som ACF entered three teams from a pool of 33 pullers
(17 boys and 16 girls)
- Team A (a team of 10 coached by Steve Smith)
- Team B (a team of 8 coached by Tim Tatler)
- Team C (a team of 10 coached by Alec Masson)
This left five pullers going into the international pot to
form another team (Euro Mix 2) which was led out by Barry Angus.
Final Results
Position
Team
Country
Gold Silver Bronze 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th
Stans-Oberdorf
Sins
TTV Streefkerk Eire Og
TZC Eschbachtal
Ebersecken
Ramygala
Luthern
Glos/Som “C” narrowly missed the knockout stage and finished
the competition in 18th place. Glos/Som “B” finished 29th,
Glos/Som “A” 35th and Europa Mix “2” 36th. All our young
pullers maintained their motivation in the face of stern opposition throughout
the day. The full results book can be downloaded from the GENSB web site at www.gensb.eu. Photo: Europa Mix Team
At the end of the competition trophies were awarded and the
GENSB flag was passed to England who will host the competition in 2014. Tug of
War Association Chairman Pete Dyer accepted the flag on behalf of England. Photo: Glos/Som ACF "B" team
After the competition there were some group photographs back
at the hostel, a swim, dinner and a busy day finished with a disco for our young
competitors.
On Sunday morning there was a trip to the Mohne Dam
immortalised by the bouncing bomb and 617 Squadron (The Dambusters). ACF
officers formed small groups of cadets and took them to the top of the dam
where they gave a talk about the history and significance of the Mohne
Dam. Photo: Pete Dyer (left) accepting the GENSB flag for the GENSB 2014 event which is being hosted by England.
Young people today face a lot of criticism, which is often
based on the behaviour of a minority. From my own personal experience spending
three days with 33 young army cadets was a rewarding experience. I found them
to be polite, responsive, respectful, helpful and punctual. Oh yes, they were
at times noisy and some spoke a different coded language, but that is just part
of being young. Well done to all officers and cadets.
Report by Martin Mulcahy – TOWA Child Protection
Officer
ENGLAND UNDER 23S
Please click here for a report from the England Under 23 team manager for a report from the UK championships and information regarding preparations for the forthcoming World Under 23 Championships in Assen, the Netherlands in September
10/08/2013 - UK OUTDOOR TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS
The 2013 UK outdoor tug of war championships were this year
hosted by the Scottish Tug of War Association in Perth, Scotland. The event was
held adjacent to the Bell’s Sports Centre, the venue for the 2012 World Indoor
Tug of War Championships. Saturday saw the event held in conjunction with the
Perth Kilt Run, before the Perth Highland Games took place on Sunday.
The closed international competition started on Saturday
with a short opening ceremony, before the competitions commenced with the mens
600 kilos competition. The competition was pulled as a straight 8 with the top
4 teams progressing to the final. England A were represented by Oxney Vines
Cross, with a composite team representing England B. The composite team was
formed as a result of eligible teams either selecting another weight in which
to represent England at, or as a result of other teams not meeting the criteria
for selection. England also had a C team entered in this event, with the team
being formed entirely from under 23 pullers. England were the only country to
field an under 23 team in this weight. Photo: Northern Ireland A 600 kilos team
Both England A and England B met each other in the first
round of competition, with England B taking the first end, and England A taking
the second end. Both teams performed solidly throughout the competition,
progressing to the semi finals along with Northern Ireland. The battle for the
fourth qualifying place was very intense, particularly between the main
Scottish and Welsh teams, with Scotland taking the win needed against their
Welsh rivals to progress. Photo: England B 600 kilos team
The England C team made up of our under 23 pullers acquitted
themselves very well in this weigh, and were certainly no push overs. They came
away winning ends against the Scottish B team as well as earning valuable
experience. Well done to them.
In the semi finals, England A and England B were drawn
against each other for the second time in the competition. The first end
resulted in a stalemate for around 7 minutes, before England A capitalised to
take the first end. The second end was another tight end, with England A going
on to take the win to make the final. The other semi final saw Northern Ireland
A defeat Scotland A, and they had their semi final finished whilst the two
England teams were pulling their first end. Photo: England A 600 kilos team
The bronze medal pull saw England B face Scotland A.
Scotland A were certainly strong and lively opponents, doing all they could to
unsettle England B. England B managed todefend most of the lifts thrown at them
by the Scottish team, and they went on to take the first end. The second end
went much the same way, and England B went on to take the bronze medal.
To watch the
first end of the bronze medal pull click
here To watch the
second end of the bronze medal pull click
here
The final between England A and Northern Ireland A was an
evenly matched contest. The first end was a stalemate for a good few minutes
before an unfortunate slip from England which led to Northern Ireland taking
the advantage and going on to take the first end. The second end was a much
more stern contest, with England A dropping in well to unsettle Northern
Ireland. Northern Ireland managed to eventually wrestle the rope back to take
the end and the gold medal for the first time in 9 years. Photo: England A Junior 560 kilos team
To watch the
first end of the final click here To watch the
second end of the final click here
The ladies competitions were not as well supported this year
as they have been in the past, with only three teams taking part in each of the
ladies weight classes. Scotland fielded two teams in both the 520 and 560
competitions, with England entering the 520 kilos competition, and Wales
entering the 560 kilos competition.
In the 520 kilos competition, England (represented by
Holland Ladies) had a gruelling first pull with Scotland B, losing out by 2
ends to 0. This gave England an uphill task to reach the final, and defeat to
the Scotland A team meant that they missed out on a place in the final, with
only the top two teams going through. The gold medal eventually went to
Scotland A, with Scotland B winning silver. Scotland A and B also took the gold
and silver medals respectively in the 560 kilos competition, with Wales A
finishing as bronze medallists. Photo: England B Junior 560 kilos team
This year saw a Junior 560 kilos competition take place at
the UK outdoor championships for the first time. England entered an A and B
team in this weight, and were up against A and B teams from Scotland. England A
were represented by Glos/Som ACF and England B were represented by a composite
team. Both teams performed excellently, with both teams beating the Scottish A
and B teams to finish first and second in the group stage. In the semi finals,
England A defeated Scotland B, and England B defeated Scotland A. Scotland A
then went on to defeat Scotland B for the bronze medal. In the final, England A
and England B met for the second time, with England A having already defeated
England B in the group stages. The final went to the form book set in the group
stages with England A winning the gold medal, and England B taking silver. Photo: Scotland A Junior 560 kilos team
To watch the
first end of the final click here To watch the
second end of the final click here
Well done to all of the youth pullers who took part in this weight
class. It was great to see a junior competition take place at this years UK
championships. Hopefully it will continue, and hopefully Northern Ireland and
Wales will be able to enter teams in the event next year. Photo: Scotland B Junior 560 kilos team
The mens 680 kilos competition followed. With England A
being represented by Holland, and England B being represented by Felton Eccles.
This weight was certainly an eventful and unpredictable competition. England A
started off against Scotland A, who are not the easiest team to pull early on
in a competition. The pull went 1 end each. England A, however seemed to
struggle through the competition, dropping a number of ends, but so too were
other teams. England B also dropped the odd end, but carried on well picking up
the points. The competition saw some tough pulling all round, with Northern
Ireland and Wales A also putting themselves in contention. At the end of the
group stages, the top four places saw Scotland A, England B, Wales A, and
Northern Ireland A progress, leaving England A in 5th place and
missing out on a place in the semi finals. Photo: The England Junior squad
In the semi finals, England B met Northern Ireland A, with
the first end turning out to be the longest of the championship going over 11
minutes and being won by Northern Ireland A. The second and third ends were
much livelier, with England B taking both of them after a great effort. A real
crowd pleasing semi final. The other semi final saw Scotland A overcome Wales
A. Photo: England B 680 kilos team
In the bronze medal pull Wales A won the bronze medal by 2
ends to 0 against Northern Ireland A. The final was a very lively pull, with
Scotland A looking like they could end England’s 33 year stranglehold on the UK
680 kilos title. Despite a valiant effort from England B, Scotland had too much
in the tank on this occasion, taking the gold medal and their first ever gold
medal in a mens outdoor weight class at a UK championship. Photo: England B 600 kilos 4+4 team
To watch the
first end of the final click here To watch the
second end of the final click here
The final weight of the international championship was the
4+4 600 kilos. England and Scotland both fielded A and B teams, with Wales A
being the 5th team in this weight class. The competition was tough,
with England B (represented by York) progressing in first place in the group,
followed by England A (represented by Holland). Wales A and Scotland A were the
other teams to progress. The two England teams won their respective semi finals
to set up an all England final, leaving Scotland A and Wales A to fight it out
for the bronze. Photo: Scotland A 600 kilos 4+4 team
The bronze medal pull, was a tough and crowd pleasing match
up, with Wales A putting in a gutsy performance to take the bronze medal ahead
of Scotland A. The final was certainly a very exciting contest between England
A and England B, with both teams giving everything to win the gold medal. The
first end was a stalemate for around 5 minutes, with England A taking the first
pull. The second end then went to England B to level the final. The third end
then began to take its toll on both teams, with the judge eventually declaring
a no pull after both teams had received three cautions for infringements. Both
teams then went for it again for the fourth end. Fatigue had well and truly
crept in to the pulling of both teams, with England A eventually bringing the
rope over the line to take the gold medal. Photo: Wales A 600 kilos 4+4 team
To watch the
first end of the final click here To watch the
second end of the final click here To watch the
third end of the final click here
To watch the
fourth end of the final click here
Well done to both of the England teams in this weight who
came away from the final knowing that they had left everything on the field.
You certainly cannot ask for any more than that. A special well done to York
for winning the silver medal for England in this weight, representing England
for the very first time. Photo: England A 600 kilos 4+4 team
Men 600 Kilos - Gold - Northern Ireland A - Silver - England A (Represented by Oxney Vines Cross) - Bronze - England B (represented by a composite team) - 4th - Scotland A
Men 680 Kilos - Gold - Scotland A - Silver - England B (represented by Felton Eccles) - Bronze - Wales A - 4th - Northern Ireland A - England A (represented by Holland TOWC) finished 5th
Ladies 520 kilos - Gold - Scotland A - Silver - Scotland B - Bronze - England A (represented by Holland Ladies)
Ladies 560 Kilos - Gold - Scotland A - Silver - Scotland B - Bronze - Wales A Junior 560 Kilos - Gold - England A (represented by Glos/Som ACF) - Silver - England B (represented by a composite team) - Bronze - Scotland A - 4th - Scotland B 600 4+4 - Gold - England A (represented by Holland) - Silver - England B (represented by York) - Bronze - Wales A - 4th - Scotland A
03/08/2013 - NATIONAL FEDERATION OF YOUNG FARMERS CLUBS TUG OF WAR FINALS
The
crowds turned out in their hundreds this weekend for the hotly contested
National finals of the National Federation of Young Farmers Clubs (NFYFC) Tug
of War competition. The event is organised annually, with eliminator competitions
starting around May time. These start with each Young Farmers team in each
county competing at their county rally with the first and second placed teams
from each county going through to the regional eliminator. The top one or two
teams from each regional eliminator then progress through to the national
finals. 10 teams competed in each competition, held for mens teams, ladies
teams and junior teams (under GENSB rules). Photo: Bedfordshire YFC Youth Team. Third place in the junior competition
The Tug
of War Association provided the NFYFC with judges for the finals, with most of
the regional and county competitions also being officiated by TOWA judges. Photo: Devon men's team - third place in the mens competition
Over 300
Young Farmers took part in the finals which were held at the Tenbury
Countryside Show in Worcestershire – the perfect location for the eventual
winners of the Ladies Tug of War competition, local girls Tenbury Wells YFC.
The ladies team, defeated last year’s champions Derbyshire FYFC to the 2013
title. Photo: Essex YFC mens team - 4th place in the mens competition.
In the
men’s competition it was Staffordshire FYFC, runners up in last year’s
competition, who clinched the title in a thrilling final against Lancashire
FYFC, winning by 2 ends to 1. Photo: Staffordshire YFC Mens team - National Young Farmers Champions for 2013
This year
was also the first time NFYFC have run a Tug of War competition for its younger
members, with a mixed competition for members aged 12-17 in a GENSB rules style
competition. This time Lancashire FYFC proved their strength, beating
Leicestershire FYFC in the grand final. Photo: Somerset YFC junor team - 4th place in the junior competition.
The
ladies, mens and mixed under 17 finals all took place in the show’s Grand Ring,
drawing hundreds of spectators and supporters. Thank you to the National
Federation of Young Farmers Clubs for inviting us to officiate at this event
once again. It is always an enjoyable day of sport. Photo: Yorkshire YFC Ladies Team - 3rd place in the ladies competition
You can
download the results by clicking here.
Photos courtesy of the National Federation of Young Farmers.
2013 WORLD GAMES - CALI, COLUMBIA - 27 AND 28 JULY
Great Britain tug of war teams were competing at the World Games in Cali, Columbia over the weekend. The World Games takes place every four years, with many sports forming the programme over 10 days of competition.
The World Games, being staged from July 25 to August 4 this year, is the highest level of competition for a diverse array of non-Olympic sports. The World Games is held under the patronage of the International Olympic Committee, and contains most of the candidate sports who are awaiting inclusion in the Olympics, including tug of war.
The tug of war event saw the top 6 ranked nations in the world in each respective weight category taking part.
Felton Eccles Tug of War Club from Somerset represented Great Britain in the men's 700 kilos competition on Saturday, and were up against 5 of the other top 6 countries in the world at this weight class, which included Sweden, Switzerland, Netherlands, Latvia, and Ireland. In hot and humid weather conditions, Great Britain had a tough start against Ireland, with both nations winning one end each. Great Britain were defeated against the Netherlands and Switzerland, but again had to settle for a draw against both Sweden and then Latvia. As such, Great Britain missed out on a place in the semi finals and the chance to compete for a medal. The gold medal was won by the Netherlands, with Switzerland taking silver and Sweden taking the bronze. Photo: Great Britain take on the Netherlands in the 700 kilos competition
Men 700 kilos team - Fred World, Martin Collins, John Taylor, Robbie Gayle, James Murphy, Paul Roach (sub: Eddy Holland), Dave Viner, John Warman, Coach - John Webb
The second day of tug of war competition at the World Games saw the mens 640 kilos competition take place. Norton Tug of War Club from Staffordshire represented Great Britain in this weight and got off to a flying start by defeating Germany, Ireland and Sweden by 2 ends to 0. They were then defeated by Switzerland by 2 ends to 0, before defeating Belgium in their final match to finish second in the group. The top four teams then progressed to the semi finals to compete for the gold, silver and bronze medals. Photo: John Taylor, Martin Collins and Fred World competing for Great Britain in the men's 700 kilos competition
In the semi-finals, Great Britain were drawn against Germany and took another 2 ends to 0 win to reach the final. Switzerland defeated Ireland in the other semi-final to set up a Great Britain vs Switzerland final. After a very competitive and hard fought final, Switzerland took the gold medal, with Great Britain taking a well deserved silver medal. Germany finished as bronze medallists after defeating Ireland. Photo: Great Britain take on Switzerland in the men's 640 kilos competition
Congratulations to both Norton and Felton Eccles Tug of War Clubs for representing Great Britain in two very tough competitions. You have done yourselves, the Association and Great Britain proud! Photo: The silver medal won by the Great Britain 640 kilos team, represented by Norton Tug of War Club
Men 640 kilos team - Tom Hammersley, Ed Holland (sub: Dave Gill), Dave Field, Ian Daniels, Adrian Webb, Steve Prime, Dave Calcutt, Coach - John Webb
Photo: The Great Britain 640 kilos squad with TWIF senior vice president Mr. Tony Martin, Tug of War Association and TWIF Judge Mr. Ray Fray-Smith, and staff of the British Embassy to Columbia
Final Results - Saturday 27th July - Men 700 kilos Competition
The South West area open competition also took place this weekend. Teams from Felton Eccles (who were made up of members who did not travel to Cali), Kennford, Widecombe, Ansty, Oxney Vines Cross, Llanboidy, Cupids Hill, Sandhurst, Lincoln, Holland and Bosley took part in the event. The results were as follows:
This weekend, the south west open competition took place and was hosted by Felton Eccles Tug of War Club. Whilst many of their team members were away competing at the World Games in Cali, Columbia, their remaining members helped to stage the event, as well as fielding teams in all four weight classes on the day. The catchweight competition was first on, with some good competitive pulling. Lincoln and Llanboidy were in contention for the winners medal, with Lincoln edging out Llanboidy to take first place. Anstey from the Far Western Area competed really well to finish in third place. Photo: Kennford TOWC competing in the 600 kilos event
The 600 kilos competition was pulled as a straight group of 8, with the top two teams competing again in the final. Many teams were dropping ends to each other in this competition, but it was Oxney and Widecombe who progressed to the final, with Kennford just missing out on a spot in the final. The final was very competitive, and it looked as though Widecombe could perhaps take the winners medal, but Oxney managed to hang on to take the win by 2 ends to 0.
The 680 kilos competition was again pulled in a straight group of 8 with the top two teams going through to the final. Holland topped the group without losing an end, with Oxney edging out Llanboidy to make the final. In the final, Holland defeated Oxney by 2 ends to 0.
The final weight of the day was the 640 kilos competition which was pulled in two groups of 5. The competition in both groups was very close with Oxney and Anstey progressing from group 1 and Holland and Widecombe progressing from group 2. In the semi finals, Oxney defeated Widecombe and Holland defeated Anstey. The final was a repeat of the 680 kilos final, with Holland winning the gold medal by 2 ends to 0 ahead of Oxney.
Men Catchweight - Winners - Lincoln - Runners Up - Llanboidy
Men 680 Kilos - Winners - Holland - Runners Up - Oxney Vines Cross
Men 640 Kilos - Winners - Holland - Runners Up - Oxney Vines Cross
Men 600 Kilos - Winners - Oxney Vines Cross - Runners Up - Widecombe
21/07/2013 - TUG OF WAR ASSOCIATION AND TUG OF WAR FEDERATION JOINT EVENT - ASHBOURNE HIGHLAND GATHERING - RESULTS
Teams competing - Holland (A and B), Bosley, Lincoln, Two Dales, Longridge YFC, Diesel Power, Sheen Ladies, York, LCS, Raunds, 4 Regiment RA
Ashbourne Highland Games took place this weekend, run as a joint event between the Tug of War Federation and the Tug of War Association. There was some good competitive pulling in both the mens weights and the mixed weights, which kept the many spectators interested in the sport as it progressed throughout the day.
In the mixed weight classes, Holland were the dominant team on the day, entering A and B teams in the two 4+4 weight classes at 600 kilos and 660 kilos. Holland A won the 660 kilos competition, with York finishing as the eventual runners up. In the 600 kilos 4+4 weight Holland A finished as winners with Holland B finishing as runners up. There was some good pulling from a number of teams in this weight, in particular from Diesel Power and Raunds, who with a number of inexperienced pullers in their teams, held their own very well.
In the men’s weight classes, there were 5 weight classes at 600 kilos, 640 kilos, 680 kilos, 720 kilos and catchweight. Holland A took the winners places in the 600, 680 and 720 competitions, with Longridge YFC from Lancashire taking a well deserved runners up position in the 600 kilos competition. In the 680 kilos competition Lincoln finished as runners up, with Bosley finishing as runners up in the 720 kilos competition.
The catchweight competition saw Lincoln take the winners medal, with Holland this time finishing as runners up ahead of LCS. The final weight of the day was the 640 kilos competition. Lincoln took the winners position in this weight ahead of Bosley who finished as runners up.
Well done to all of the teams who took part. We now look forward to the next joint event, which takes place in Kessingland, Suffolk, in October. Or further details about this fixture, please visit the fixtures page. It is a two day event, and all teams are welcome to compete on one or both days of competition.
Results:
Men Catchweight - Winners - Lincoln - Runners Up - Holland A
Men 720 Kilos - Winners - Holland A - Runners Up - Bosley
Men 680 Kilos - Winners - Holland A - Runners Up - Lincoln
Men 640 Kilos - Winners - Lincoln - Runners Up - Bosley
Men 600 Kilos - Winners - Holland B - Runners Up - Longridge YFC
Mixed 660 Kilos 4+4 - Winners - Holland A - Runners Up - York
Mixed 600 Kilos 4+4 - Winners - Holland A - Runners Up - Holland B
21/07/2013 - ANNOUNCEMENTS
It is with sadness that we report the passing of two former members of the Tug of War Association:
Maurice Goody
Maurice used to pull for the Sweffling Swifts in Suffolk. He was a giant of a man both on the rope and off it. Maurice along with his dear wife Yvonne were TOWA General Committee members for many years. They both ran tug of war events in Area 5.
Until recently, when Yvonne passed away they ran the annual Kessingland Beach tug of war weekend and were in attendance every year.
Maurice was also a Grade 1 judge. Maurice was a Gentleman and will be sadly missed to the sport. Our thoughts are with his family at this sad time.
Jack Bridge
Former TOWA member Jack Bridge has also passed away recently. Jack had been ill for some time and died of Cancer.
Jack pulled for the Becton Gas, Gateway and The Earl of Essex tug of war teams.
The funeral is on Monday afternoon 29th July 2013, at 3.40pm. We await details of the venue for the service.
Our thoughts are with his family at this sad time.
2013 ARMY CADET FORCE (ACF) NATIONAL TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIP
Congratulations to the boys and girls from Glos/Som ACF who represented the SW Region Cadet Forces won both the boy and girls weights at the National Army Cadet Force Championships which was held at York on Saturday 6th July 2013. There were a total of 20 teams participating with over 200 youth pullers taking part. The girls team under the watchful eye of Steve Smith only lost one end during the whole event, and the boys under Alec Masson and Tim Tatler went on to complete the double and in doing so never lost an end for the second year running. The Cadets from the SW Region have won both weight classes for the second year running. Photo: Glos/Som ACF boys team
There were some good pulling by some up and coming new Cadet teams, in the midlands, Derbyshire ACF, and in the NE, Humberside & Yorkshire, and the Scottish contingent of Glasgow and Lanarkshire ACF.Next years Championships will again be at York, on Sat 5th July 2014. Photo: Glos/Som ACF girls team
Girls:
1st: SW Region A 2nd: Eastern Region A 3rd: Scotland Region A 4th: NE Region A
Boys:
1st: SW Region A 2nd: Eastern Region A 3rd: Eastern Region B 4th: SW Region B
07/07/2013 - INTER COUNTY AND NATIONAL 4+4 TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS
This years inter county tug of war championship took place in Sandhurst, Berkshire, and saw us return to the area following the national championships in June. The event also saw the national 4+4 championships take place as well as national league weights. The Inter County championships saw the following counties being represented – Berkshire, Sussex, Somerset, Devonshire, Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, Staffordshire (A and B). The 4+4 competition was entered by York, Team Army, Bedford, and Holland. The open weights saw the following teams competing – Bosley, Norton, Lincoln, York, Sandhurst, Holland, Team Army, Widecombe, 4 Regiment RA, Oxney Vines Cross, Totham Bull. In the ladies weights, Sheen Ladies, Holland Ladies, Bedford Ladies and Team Army Ladies took part. It was a busy day in very warm conditions. Photo: Staffordshire A 640 kilos team (represented by Norton)
The 640 kilos competition saw Berkshire (represented by Sandhurst) enter this years event as defending champions. A few teams looked to be contenders, however this year, the Berkshire team came up short and missed out on the chance to compete for a place in the final. The competition was close between the remaining counties, however the Staffordshire A team (represented by Norton) emerged as the strongest team, followed by Sussex (represented by Oxney). Both teams progressed to the final, and it was Staffordshire A who were on top of their game to take the inter county shield by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Sussex 640 kilos team (represented by Oxney Vines Cross)
To watch the first end of the final click here To watch the second end of the final click here
The 680 kilos competition was again pulled as a straight group with the top two teams meeting in the final to compete for the gold medals. Both Staffordshire A (represented by Norton) and Staffordshire B (represented by Holland) looked to be the strongest teams in the early rounds, and that form continued throughout the competition. Despite challenges from the other counties, both the Staffordshire teams progressed to the final. Staffordshire B looked to have a strong line up in this weight and dropped in strongly on both ends against the Staffordshire A team. The Staffordshire A team held on to the Staffordshire B team well though to win the Inter County double. Photo: Holland 600 kilos 4+4 team
To watch the first end of the final click here To watch the second end of the final click here
The 4+4 weight was next and was keenly contested. Holland looked to be the strongest team early on, with York looking as though they had the potential to challenge. Bedford are always challengers every year, which made for an interesting competition. At the end of the group stage, Holland finished on maximum points, followed by York who took a good win against Bedford who finished third ahead of the Army. This set up a Holland v York final. Holland continued their good form to take the gold medal. Well done to York TOWC who won their first ever national championship medal, taking silver. Bedford finished as bronze medallists ahead of the Army. Photo: York TOWC 600 Kilos 4+4 team
To watch the first end of the final click here To watch the second end of the final click here
The open national league weights followed, which allowed teams to compete for points towards their national league totals. In the men’s weights, Oxney finished as the eventual winners ahead of Bosley who finished as runners up. The 640 kilos competition was split into two groups. Norton and Lincoln both progressed to the final, with Norton winning the final by 2 ends to 0. The 680 kilos competition saw Holland pull strongly again to finish in first place ahead of Bosley who finished as runners up. The catchweight competition was won by Norton who finished ahead of Holland. Photo: Bedford 600 kilos 4+4 Team
The ladies league had four ladies teams competing, with Team Army Ladies putting in some good battles against the other ladies teams in both the 520 kilos and 560 kilos competitions. The eventual winners of both weights were Sheen Ladies, with Holland Ladies finishing as runners up.
640 kilos – Winners – Staffordshire A (Represented by Norton) – Runners Up – Sussex (Represented by Oxney Vines Cross)
680 Kilos – Winners – Staffordshire A (Represented by Norton) – Runners Up – Staffordshire B (Represented by Holland)
NATIONAL 4+4 TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS
600 Kilos Mixed – Gold – Holland – Silver – York – Bronze – Bedford – 4th – Team Army
AREA 7 OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS & TOWA NATIONAL LEAGUE RESULTS
Catchweight – Winners – Norton – Runners Up – Holland
680 Kilos – Winners – Holland – Runners Up – Bosley
640 Kilos – Winners – Norton – Runners Up – Lincoln
Ladies/Youth 560 Kilos – Winners – Sheen Ladies – Runners Up – Holland Ladies
Ladies/Youth 520 Kilos – Winners – Sheen Ladies – Runners Up – Holland Ladies
15/06/2013 - NATIONAL OUTDOOR TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS
The 2013 Tug of War Association National Outdoor Tug of War Championships this year were hosted by Sandhurst Tug of War Club at Sandhurst Memorial Park. Despite some mixed weather on the day, the ground was dry and firm, and the pulling was very competitive. The teams competing were as follows: Photo: Holland Ladies TOWC
Senior Men – York, Lincoln, Raunds, Two Dales, Hanging Bridge, Norton, Bosley, Holland, Felton Eccles, Widecombe, Kennford, Sandhurst, Thames Valley, Oxney Vines Cross, Team Army
Senior Ladies – Sheen Ladies, Bedford Ladies, Holland Ladies, Team Army Ladies
Junior Men – Leicester, Northants and Rutlands ACF and Gloucester and Somerset ACF
Junior Ladies - Leicester, Northants and Rutlands ACF and Gloucester and Somerset ACF
The day kicked off with an opening address from the Sandhurst Town Crier and the local MP for Bracknell Dr Phillip Lee before the pulling started with both the mens catchweight competition and the ladies 560 kilos competition. The mens catchweight competition had Two Dales, Thames Valley and Holland competing for the gold medal this year, and with Sheen not taking part at this years nationals, it meant that there would be a new name on the winners trophy. It was just a question of who. After a round robin competition, Holland and Two Dales went through to the final. The gold medal was decided in two ends, and this year the gold medal went to Holland who won their first national title in the senior mens weight division having won their first Tug of War Association national title in the 4+4 600 event in 2012. Photo: Thames Valley TOWC
To watch the first end of the final click here To watch the second end of the final click here
The ladies 560 kilos competition was a very exciting and close fought competition this year, with the ladies championship being the most competitive that it has been for a number of years. In this competition the top two teams at the end of the group stage would progress to pull for the gold medal in a final and the team who finished third in the group stage would win the bronze medal. Holland and Sheen had a great battle first on with Sheen taking the win by 2 ends to 0. The final standings in the group saw Sheen and Bedford go through to the final. Holland finished ahead of Team Army to finish with the bronze medal. The final went to a crowd pleasing three ends with both teams giving everything. Sheen took the first end, and then Bedford levelled the final to take it to a third and deciding end. The third end went to Sheen Ladies who took their first gold medal of the day. Photo: Two Dales TOWC
To watch the first end of the final click here To watch the second end of the final click here To watch the third end of the final click here
The Men’s 640 kilos competition followed with the competition being split into two groups. Norton and Felton were the top seeds from the 2012 championships and they were placed into separate groups. Norton competed strongly in their group to finish ahead of Lincoln who finished as runners up. Other teams who competed in this group were Raunds, Widecombe and Team Army. Group 2 saw Felton finish as overall group winners ahead of Bosley, Two Dales, Holland, and Hanging Bridge. The semi finals saw Norton face Bosley and Lincoln face Felton Eccles. Both Norton and Felton won their respective semi finals by 2 ends to 0 to reach the final to set up a repeat of the 2012 final. The Bronze medal match was between Lincoln and Bosley. Bosley took the first end in around 4 minutes, and then went on to take the second end and the bronze medal. The final between Norton and Sandhurst saw Norton keep a good rope throughout both ends to take a well deserved gold medal by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Norton TOWC
To watch the first end of the bronze medal match click here To watch the second end of the bronze medal match click here
To watch the first end of the final click here To watch the second end of the final click here
The junior ladies national championship final this year was contested by Leicester and Northants ACF and Gloucester and Somerset ACF. The junior ladies weights were pulled at both 520 kilos and 560 kilos. This year, the Gloucester and Somerset ACF junior team held a good line and looked to have the best technique in both weight classes to take the gold medal in both finals by 2 ends to 0. Well done to both teams for taking part in this years Junior Ladies National Championship. We look forward to seeing more junior ladies championships taking place in the future with increased participation. Photo: Leicester and Northants ACF Junior Ladies
The mens 560 kilos competition follwed which was pulled as a straight group of 8 teams with the top four teams going through to the semi final stages. As ever, the 560 kilos competition is a very competitive and unforgiving competition, and this year was no exception. It was pleasing to see a number of newer teams coming through in this weight to give the established top teams a good run for their money. The top three teams in the group stages were the usual suspects with Norton, Sandhurst and Oxney progressing. The competition was close between the remaining teams for the final semi final spot, and this year it went to York who overcame some good teams including Felton and Kennford to make the cut. Photo: Gloucester and Somerset ACF Junior Ladies
In the semi finals, Norton overcame York by 2 ends to 0, and Sandhurst put in a good performance to overcome Oxney by 2 ends to 0 to also make the final. In the bronze medal pull off, York put in a great performance to keep Oxney at bay on the first end for a good amount of time before Oxney managed to haul York over the line. Oxney then took the second end to take the bronze medal leaving York to finish in a creditable fourth place. In the final, Norton and Sandhurst squared up to each other in the 560 kilos final for the 14th year in succession. The first end was a lengthy pull which eventually went to Norton. Norton then went on to take the second end and their second gold medal to win the light weight title for the sixth consecutive year. Photo: Kennford TOWC
To watch the first end of the bronze medal match click here To watch the second end of the bronze medal match click here
To watch the first end of the final click here To watch the second end of the final click here
The mens 720 kilos competition was contested between Thames Valley, Felton Eccles, Holland, and Lincoln. Lincoln started off by defeating Thames Valley and Holland were strong early on to defeat Felton Eccles by 2 ends to 0. Lincoln then defeated Holland by 2 ends to 0 to secure a place in the final. In the last round Holland defeated Thames Valley by 2 ends to 0 which meant that Felton did not progress to the final. The final was between Lincoln and Holland. Both teams have been competitive in the heavier weights this season and put on a good final. Holland gradually edged their way to the first end, but the second end was very close. Lincoln looked to have done the hard work in getting Holland close to the line but stopped and lost their shape with Holland taking advantage to take the second end and their second gold medal of the day. Photo: Team Army Men
To watch the first end of the final click here To watch the second end of the final click here
The second ladies weight of the day was the 520 kilos competition. Like the 560 kilos competition, this was another very competitive weight class between the four ladies teams taking part. The groups stages this time saw Holland Ladies and Sheen Ladies progress to the final leaving Bedford in third place and with the bronze medal ahead of Team Army Ladies. The final was another three end match. Sheen Ladies took the first end and Holland Ladies took the second end. The final end was another great pull, which this time again went to Sheen Ladies who took their second gold medal of the day. Photo: Sandhurst TOWC
To watch the first end of the final click here To watch the second end of the final click here To watch the third end of the final click here
The Junior Mens weights were this year contested by Leicester and Northants ACF and Gloucester and Somerset ACF. Gloucester and Somerset ACF have been in good form this year winning most of the youth weights at weekly competitions. This year’s national championships for youth were held at 530 kilos and 560 kilos. The results in each final for each weight went to the form book with Gloucester and Somerset ACF winning the gold medal in both weight classes with Leicester and Northants ACF taking the silver medal in both weight classes. Photo: York TOWC
To watch the first end of the junior 560 kilos final click here To watch the second end of the junior 560 kilos final click here
The mens 600 kilos competition was split into two groups, and again was one of the most competitive weight classes on the day. The seedings placed Norton and Bosley into group 1 and Sandhurst and Oxney into group 2. Felton, Kennford, Holland and Team Army also joined the teams in group 1, with Widecombe, Hanging Bridge, York and Raunds joining the teams in group 2. Norton finished top of group 1 with maximum points, however the pulling was close for second place. Bosley and Felton finished the group on level points. With the TWIF criteria applied, both teams took 1 ends each off each other and finished level on cautions. As such, the next criteria was weight, and Felton went through to the semi finals having weighed in 8 kilos lighter. Photo: Oxney Vines Cross TOWC
If the competition was close in group 1, it was certainly even closer in group 2. Oxney finished as the eventual winners of this group, but the surprise package in this group was Widecombe from Devon. They accumulated enough points to finish as group runners up against some good teams to reach the semi finals. In the semi finals Oxney met Felton and Norton met Widecombe. Oxney put in a good performance to defeat Felton by 2 ends to 0 and make the final. Norton also defeated Widecombe by 2 ends to 0 to reach the final. Photo: Lincoln TOWC
The bronze medal match was a tough three end match between Widecombe and Felton Eccles which went to three ends. Widecombe took the first end, but Felton dug deep to take the second end. The third end was equally tough for both teams with Felton eventually winning out. The final was between Oxney and Norton. Norton again performed extremely well against a promising Oxney team to take the gold medal by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Team Army Ladies
To watch the first end of the bronze medal match click here To watch the second end of the bronze medal match click here To watch the third end of the bronze medal match click here
To watch the first end of the final click here To watch the second end of the final click here
The final weight of the 2013 National Outdoor Championships was the mens 680 kilos competition. This weight was split into two groups and was the last chance for teams to pick up a medal. Norton and Holland met first on in their group with both teams winning one end each. Both of these teams won all of their remaining pulls to top the group and progress to the semi finals. The second group was equally competitive with Two Dales topping the group and progressing to the semi finals with Felton Eccles following behind. In the semi finals, Holland defeated Two Dales and Norton defeated Felton Eccles. Photo: Bedford Ladies
The bronze medal match was yet another medal pull on the day that went to three ends. Two Dales took the first end from Felton to take the advantage, but two more closely fought ends followed, both of which went to Felton who took a hard earned bronze medal. The final was between Holland and Norton. Holland were looking for their third gold medal of the day and Norton were looking for their fourth gold medal of the day. Holland tried to unsettle Norton on both ends to try and take an early advantage, but Norton managed to keep their composure to take both ends and the gold medal. This meant that Norton won four weights for the second year in succession. Photo: Leicester and Northants ACF Junior Mens Team
To watch the first end of the bronze medal match click here To watch the second end of the bronze medal match click here To watch the third end of the bronze medal match click here
To watch the first end of the final click here To watch the second end of the final click here
The Tug of War Association would like to take this opportunity to thank Geoff Hollyhead and all at Sandhurst Tug of War Club and all of their helpers/supporters for staging this years national outdoor tug of war championships. They did an excellent job creating a nice venue that was worthy of holding an International championship. It was a good day of sport and we hope that you all enjoyed the day. Well done to all of the teams who took part - it was nice to see some new teams reach the cross overs for the chance to pull for a medal - it just goes to show that the rewards will come if you never give up, and stick with it through thick and thin, even when things can be a struggle at times. Thank you also to all of the judges, recorders, marshalls and officials. Without the teams and officials we would have no sport. Photo: Gloucester and Somerset ACF Junior Mens Team
Good luck to all of the teams, wherever you compete for the remainder of the season, and good luck to those teams who will be invited to represent England at the forthcoming UK and European Championships - and of course to Norton and Felton who will be representing Great Britain at the World Games in July. We look forward to seeing teams on the circuit again soon, and we look forward to returning to Sandhurst in July for the combined National 4+4 Championships and Inter County Championships. Photo: Holland TOWC
11/06/2013 - HOUSE OF LORDS V HOUSE OF COMMONS TUG OF WAR IN AID OF MACMILLAN
On Tuesday 11 June 2013, the TOWA officiated at the 26th annual House of Lords v House of Commons Charity Tug of War event in aid of Macmillan, as we do every year.
The Event is held in the College Gardens in the palace of Westminster and is pulled on an indoor tug of war mat. Over the years, the event has helped to raise over £3million for Macmillan Cancer. The event (which is largely corporate) also includes matches between sponsors and forces regiments, etc as well as matches between high profile political journalists. Photo: the competition arena before the start of competition
This year there were 10 matches as follows:
Army Cadets – LNR ACF vs Glos/Som ACF
Sponsors match – Taylor Wimpey vs BAE Systems
Ladies Construction – Taylor Wimpey vs EPR Architects Limited
The Media Match – Total Politics vs Westminster Media
Regional Corporate Match – AXA vs Mazars
Corporate Supporters Match – Alliance Bernstein vs Norton Rose Fulbright
Ladies Match – Houses of Parliament Ladies vs Macmillan Ladies
Services (1) – Merseyside Fire and Rescue vs 17 Port & Maritime Regiment RLC
Services (2) – 19 Regiment RA vs 22 Signal Regiment
Final Match – House of Lords vs Houses of Parliament
Commentary at the event was carried out by BBC Deputy Political Editor James Landale. All of the matches were well supported by the guests that attended who all fully got behind the teams in support. Photo: Medals that were awarded to the teams taking part
The winners of each match were as follows:
Army Cadets – Glos/Som ACF
Sponsors match – Taylor Wimpey
Ladies Construction – EPR Architects Limited
The Media Match – Total Politics
Regional Corporate Match – AXA
Corporate Supporters Match – Alliance Bernstein
Ladies Match –Macmillan Ladies
Services (1) – 17 Port & Maritime Regiment RLC
Services (2) –22 Signal Regiment
Final Match – Houses of Parliament
The event highlight was of course between 8 members from the House of Lords, and 8 MPs from the House of Commons. This year the contest was extremely close, with the match going to three ends. This year the House of Commons team won by 2 ends to 1. For the first time also this year, the event included an Army Cadets pull, and our thanks go to Glocester and Somerset ACF and Leicester and Northants ACF who competed at the event. Photo: LNR ACF take on Glos/Som ACF
They were invited to each form a 4 + 4 team of junior pullers for the event and each end was warmly supported by those present. These two clubs will be competing in the junior competitions at the national championships this Saturday. Our thanks go to these clubs for representing our sport in a professional manner at this event. Photo: Glos/Som ACF taking part
The event was featured on the BBC and you can watch a short report from the event by clicking here. Thank you to Macmillan for supplying the photos for this report which were taken by McCauley Photos. Photo: Macmillan Ladies taking part in the ladies match
In total, the tug of war event helped to raise £128,000 for Macmillan, which is a fantastic total and will go a long way towards supporting those around the country who a suffering from cancer. Photo: The winning MPs team from the House of Commons
OUTDOOR TUG OF WAR BOOTS FOR SALE
Denbigh Army Surplus will be attending the outdoor national tug of war championships in Sandhurst on Saturday 15th June and will have a trade stand with a range of tug of war boots for sale. In addition, they will be selling laser cut steel heel plates in different sizes/profiles to fit different boots and will be selling them at £15.00/pair.
Further information on the sizes/prices for the different types of tug of war boots on offer can be found on the Denbigh Army Surplus web site by clicking here. Discounts will be available for larger orders. These boots are ideal for new teams, young farmers teams and established clubs.
This Sunday, the Wessex Open took place in warm sunshine over the bank holiday weekend, with a good turn out of teams despite the fact that many were on holiday and there were a number of YFC tug of war events taking place around the country. All of the weights were pulled under TWIF rules.
The catchweight competition was pulled as a straight group. As has been a familiar situation this season, Norton, Lincoln, and Felton emerged as the leading contenders in this weight. Both Norton and Lincoln overcame Felton by 2 ends to 0, which meant that the winners of this weight would be determined in the Lincoln v Norton match. Norton ran out as deserved winners by 2 ends to 0.
The 600 kilos competition was again pulled as a straight group, this time with the top 2 teams pulling again in a final. This weight included a good mix of teams, some weighing in with 8 pullers, and some taking the opportunity to get extra training and weighing in with 7 pullers to make the weight. Norton again emerged as winners of the group stage without dropping a point. The race for second place eventually came down to who would win between Sandhurst and Oxney. Sandhurst won this match by 2 ends to 0 to reach the final. In the final, Norton then pulled strongly again to win by 2 ends to 0.
The 680 kilos competition was split into two groups. Oxney and Bosley emerged from the first group ahead of Sandhurst and Felton, and Lincoln and Norton emerged from the second group ahead of Raunds and 4 Regiment RA. In the semi finals, Norton defeated Bosley, and Lincoln defeated Oxney in a very good semi final. Norton and Lincoln met for the second time of the day in the final. Lincoln put up a good fight against Norton, but in the end, Norton ran out as winners by 2 ends to 0.
The final weight of the day was the 640 kilos. Again, this weight was keenly contested. Raunds and Oxney progressed from group 1 and Norton and Lincoln progressed from group 2. In the semi finals, Norton defeated Raunds, and Oxney defeated Lincoln. Norton and Oxney met in the final decide the gold and silver medal, with Norton winning their fourth weight of the day by 2 ends to 0.
Results
Catchweight - Winners - Norton - Runners Up - Lincoln
680 Kilos - Winners - Norton - Runners Up - Lincoln
We have recently produced sail banners to promote the Tug of War Association at competitions, shows and other events. We have three sets of four sail banners available and it is hoped that they will be used at all competitions and any other public event/demonstration event where we can promote tug of war. Sets are currently held by Terry Spoore (Area 7 – South East), Pete Dyer (Area 3 – South West), and Alan Knott (Area 10 – North West/Midlands). Should you require use of these for your event, then please contact the relevant person who should be able to make these available for you. The sail banners come with ground spikes or fillable bases so they can be used on any type of surface.
In addition, we have had promotional car stickers produced to help advertise the sport and the TOWA. These are being given away to all clubs free of charge and everyone is encouraged to put these stickers in their cars to help promote the sport. A number of stickers have been given out to some clubs already and will be given to those who have yet to receive them in due course. If you already have a car sticker, make sure you put it in your car if you haven’t done so already!
19/05/2013 - AAA CHAMPIONSHIPS AND NATIONAL LEAGUE 4 - HOSTED BY FELTON ECCLES TOWC
Teams competing: Men - Felton Eccles, Norton, Holland, Sandhurst, Oxney Vines Cross (A and B), Bosley, Kennford, Widecombe, Hanging Bridge, Lincoln, Raunds. Ladies and Youth: Sheen Ladies, Holland Ladies, Glos/Som ACF (A and B), Glos/Som ACF Junior Ladies.
This weekend, the AAA championships got underway with the mens catchweight competition which was split into two groups. Felton Eccles finished as the winners of group 1 with Lincoln finishing as runners up ahead of Raunds and Sandhurst. Norton progressed from group 2, however it was a close call for second place with Bosley and Holland finishing on equal points. Holland then progressed from the group ahead of Bosley and Widecombe. In the semi finals, Norton defeated Lincoln by 2 ends to 0, and Felton defeated Holland by 2 ends to 0. The final was a lively and hard fought pull between Norton and Felton, with Felton making Norton work very hard for every bit of rope they took. At points it looked as though Felton may turn over Norton, but Norton had enough on both ends to take the gold medal by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Norton TOWC
The 640 kilos competition was again split into two groups. Norton progressed from group 1, although the competition was close again for second place in the group with Oxney and Sandhurst finishing level on points. Sandhurst progressed in second place having received fewer cautions, knocking Oxney into third place in the group ahead of Widecombe and Bosley. The second group saw Lincoln and Holland finishing on equal points at the top of the group followed by Felton Eccles and Hanging Bridge. In the semi finals, Norton defeated Lincoln and Sandhurst defeated Holland. The final was a little more straight forward for Norton in this weight than the catchweight event and they went on to defeat Sandhurst by 2 ends to 0 to take the AAA double. Photo: Felton Eccles TOWC
The open weights followed the AAA closed competition with more competitions for the mens teams, as well as competitions for the ladies and youth teams.
The ladies and youth 520 kilos saw five teams competing. The competition was very close in this weight with a number of 1-1 pulls. The top teams pulled again in the final, and this saw Glos/Som A compete against Sheen Ladies. Sheen Ladies won the first end, however Glos/Som A battled hard to take the second end. The third and final end saw another good tussle unfold with Sheen Ladies taking the end for the win.
The ladies and youth 560 kilos competition saw five teams competing again. In another close competition, this time it was Holland and Sheen Ladies who progressed to the final. Holland Ladies took the gold medal by 2 ends to 0.
OWCThe mens 600 kilos competition was split into two groups with some good close competition. The top team from each group would progress straight to the final with Norton again putting in a strong performance to finish top of their group. The competition was close to get through the second group, particularly between Sandhurst and Oxney A. The teams took 1 end each off each other in the group, however Oxney collected fewer cautions so progressed to the final. Oxney gave a good account of themselves in the final, but Norton finished up as winners by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Raunds TOWC
The 680 kilos competition was another good competition that was split into two groups with the top team in each group progressing to the final. Norton finished top of their group yet again to set up a final against Lincoln, who themselves have got through to a number of finals at different competitions this year. Lincoln made a good fight of it on the day, but Norton again came away as 2 ends to 0 winners. Photo: Lincoln TOWC
The 580 kilos was split into two groups again. This competition was very close throughout. Norton and Oxney had a very close pull in their group which resulted in a 1-1 draw. Both clubs finished on level points in their group, however Norton picked up fewer cautions and progressed to the final where they met Sandhurst. Norton then went on to win the final by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Holland TOWC
The final mens weight of the day was the 640 kilos competition. Oxney A won the first group ahead of Holland, Oxney B, Raunds and Kennford, whilst Norton won the second group ahead of Felton, Bosley, Sandhurst and Widecombe. In the final, Norton again secured the win by 2 ends to 0 to complete an excellent clean sweep on the day. Photo: Widecombe TOWC
10-12 MAY 2013 – FJ RETIE 20TH ANNIVERSARY INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION – RETIE, BELGIUM
Norton TOWC as well as Holland Men and Ladies travelled to Belgium on the weekend of 10-12 May to compete at on open tug of war tournament hosted by Familie Janssens Tug of War Club in Belgium.
Weight classes were held for mens teams, ladies teams and mixed teams, as well as a GENSB Competition. Both clubs gave a good account of themselves in the various weight classes. The competition was attended by 37 clubs from England, Belgium, the Netherlands, Hungary, the Basque Country, Latvia, Sweden and Switzerland.
Norton won silver medals in both the 600 kilos and 640 kilos competitions, losing out in the final of the 600 kilos competition to TTV Eibergen from the Netherlands, and then went on to be defeated by 2 ends 1 in the final of the 640 kilos competition to TTV Veenseboys, also from the Netherlands.
Holland unfortunately missed out on the medals in the mens weights finishing 17th in the 600 kilos competition, 12th in the 640 kilos competition and 15th in the 680 kilos competition. Holland entered 2 teams in each of the mixed weights finishing 8th and 10th in the mixed 560 kilos competition and 7th and 14th in the mixed 600 kilos competition. Holland’s best results came in the ladies competition, with the team gaining two 4th place finishes, missing out on the bronze in the 520 kilos by 2 ends to 0 to the host club FJ Retie, and then went on to miss out on the bronze in the 560 kilos competition by 2 ends to 1 to Swiss Ladies team Sins.
The full results book from the event can be downloaded by clicking here.
We have been sent some photos, which will be available soon.
12/05/2013 – MIDLAND CHAMPIONSHIPS
This years Midland Outdoor Tug of War Championships took place in the town of Alcester. The event was well publicised, and was supported by mens teams from Two Dales, Hanging Bridge, Bosley, Lincoln, Raunds, Felton Eccles, York, and Dolfor. The ladies/youth competition was supported by LNR ACF, LNR ACF junior ladies, Glos/Som ACF (A and B), Glos/Som ACF junior ladies, Bedford Ladies, Sheen Ladies and Inkberrow YFC Ladies.
Each weight was pulled as a TWIF points competitions with semi finals and finals.
Photo: Hanging Bridge TOWC - Midland Champions at 640 kilos
The first weight of the day was the mens catchweight competition, which was pulled as a straight group of 6. Felton Eccles and Lincoln emerged as the strongest teams in this weight, and went on to meet again the in the final. Lincoln then went on to win a hard fought final by 2 ends to 0.
The ladies and youth 560 kilos competition generated some excellent pulling between all of the teams competing, with many teams dropping ends except for the Glos/Som ACF “A”team. There was some close competition between the remaining teams, particularly from Inkberrow YFC ladies who gave a good account of themselves. It was Sheen Ladies who progressed to the final against Glos/Som “A”, with Glos/Som winning a hard fought final.
By the time the 640 kilos competition commenced, the rain set in, resulting in difficult conditions for the teams on the hard ground. The competition was pulled in two groups with Lincoln and Dolfor progressing from group 1, and Two Dales and Hanging Bridge progressing from group 2. In the semi-finals Hanging Bridge defeated Dolfor and Lincoln defeated Two Dales. In the final, Hanging Bridge and Lincoln went to three ends to decide the winner, with Hanging Bridge winning a hard fought gold medal.
The ladies and youth 520 kilos competition again had 8 teams competing with some more hard fought pulling on the now slippery but solid ground. Glos/Som A still proved to be the strongest team and went on to win the gold medal. Bedford Ladies finished in a creditable second place and have been improving every week with a number of new young faces in their team.
The 600 kilos competition was pulled as a straight group with the top tow teams going through to the final. With many hard fought ends, no team went through the competition without dropping and end. The eventual winners of the gold medal were Two Dales, with York finishing as the runners up.
The 680 kilos competition was pulled as a straight group with the top four teams going through to a cross over. Dolfor, Bosley, Felton and Lincoln all progressed through to the semi final with Felton competing against Dolfor and Lincoln competing against Bosley. Lincoln and Felton won their respective semi-finals by 2 ends to 0 to meet in a final for the second time. This time Felton competed strongly to take the gold medal by 2 ends to 0.
The final weight of the day was the mens 620 kilos competition. This was a good competition to finish the day off with Bosley and York putting in good performances to reach the final. This final saw York take the gold medal by 2 ends to 0.
05/05/2013 – DAVENTRY OPEN COMPETITION
This Sunday’s competition held at Daventry Rugby Club in Northamptonshire saw competitions take place for mens teams, ladies teams, mixed and junior teams. The competition was supported by teams from Felton Eccles, Sandhurst, Norton, Holland (A and B), Bosley, Lincoln, Hanging Bridge, Two Dales, Raunds, Kennford, Bedford Ladies, Sheen Ladies, Holland Ladies, LNR ACF, LNR ACF Junior Girls, Glos/Som ACF A and B and Glos/Som ACF Junior Girls. Photo: LNR ACF
The day started with the mens catchweight competition, which was pulled as a straight points competition. There was some good competition throughout, with Felton, Norton, Lincoln and Sandhurst looking like the main challengers early on. Lincoln and Norton overcame the threat from the other teams to emerge as contenders for the top two places, with Lincoln emerging as the overall winners after a strong performance on the day. Photo: Bedford Ladies TOWC
The ladies and youth competition at 560 kilos competition kicked off with 8 teams entered, and was a combined competition between all of the ladies teams, junior mens teams and junior ladies teams. There was some good pulling all around with all teams taking ends. Prizes were awarded to the first and second place teams for ladies, junior men and junior ladies. Holland Ladies won the ladies class with Sheen Ladies finishing as runners up. Glos/Som A won the junior men with Glos/Som B finishing as the runners up. Glos/Som Junior Ladies won the Junior Ladies gold medal and Leicester and Northants Junior Ladies finished in the runners up spot. Photo: Glos/Som ACF
The second mens weight of the day was the 600 kilos competition, which was split into two groups with the top team in each group going through to the final. Sandhurst emerged as the eventual winners of group 1 ahead of Bosley, Kennford and Two Dales, and Norton went through to the final as winners of group 2 ahead of Hanging Bridge, Holland and Felton Eccles. In the final, Norton ensured that the ends dropped in the catchweight competition were only a blip by defeating Sandhurst by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Bosley TOWC
The 680 kilos competition was again split into two groups with the top two teams of each group going through to a semi final. In group 1 Norton emerged as winners with Bosley finishing in second place. In group 2, Sandhurst emerged as group winners ahead of Holland. In the semi finals, Norton defeated Holland by 2 ends to 0, but things were not quite as straight forward in the second semi final between Bosley and Sandhurst. Sandhurst took a closely fought first end, before Bosley took the second end. The second end was again keenly contested with Sandhurst making it through to the final. In the final, Norton took their second win of the day by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Felton Eccles TOWC
The ladies and youth competition at 520 kilos again had 8 teams entered, and was run in the same format as the 560 kilos competition. There was some good pulling all around with all teams taking ends. Prizes were awarded to the first and second place teams for ladies, junior men and junior ladies. Holland Ladies won the ladies class with Sheen Ladies finishing as runners up. Glos/Som A won the junior men with Glos/Som B finishing as the runners up. Glos/Som Junior Ladies won the Junior Ladies gold medal and Leicester and Northants Junior Ladies finished in the runners up spot. Photo: Sandhurst TOWC
The 580 kilos competition was pulled as a straight points competition with some further close pulls taking place. Kennford again showed their potential following their win in this weight class at Thames Valley by out-muscling all teams in front of them to finish as eventual runners up behind Norton.
d TOWCThe final men's weight of the day was the 640 kilos competition which was split into two groups with the top two teams progressing through to the final. Holland were the winners of group 1 with Raunds progressing through in second place. Norton were the winners of group 2 ahead of Bosley. In the semi finals, Norton were drawn against Raunds and Bosley were drawn against Holland. Norton overcame Raunds by 2 ends to 0 whilst Holland and Bosley were involved in a tough semi final which Holland eventually won by 2 ends to 0. In the final Norton took their fourth gold medal of the day by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Kennford TOWC
The 4+4 competition was held at the end of the day so that it did not clash with any mens or ladies weights taking place at the same time. Teams from Holland (A and B), Bedford and Raunds entered the competition. Holland A defeated Holland B first on, whilst Bedford defeated Raunds. The eventual winners were Bedford with Holland A finishing as runners up.
EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS 2017
We are pleased to announce that The Tug of War Association is to host the 2017 European Outdoor Tug of War Championships in England. Further details will be announced in due course.
28/04/2013 – LINCOLN TOWC OPEN COMPETITION
This weekend’s competition was hosted by Lincoln TOWC at Harby Village Hall near Melton Mowbray. The weather was dry and the ground was surprisingly hard, which made for some very lively ends and good competition between all of the teams in both the men’s weights and the ladies and youth weights. The teams competing were Lincoln, Bosley, Norton, Hanging Bridge, Two Dales, Holland, and York with Coleshill YFC also appearing for the first time at a Tug of War Association event in order to gain additional experience in tug of war as they prepare for their YFC competitions. In the ladies and youth weights, Sheen Ladies, Holland Ladies, Bedford Ladies, and Leicester and Northants ACF (A and B) took part. Photo: Norton TOWC
The first weight of the day was the catchweight competition, which was pulled as a TWIF points competition, with the top two teams competing again in a final. 6 clubs took part in this weight class, with Norton finishing top of the group. The competition was close for second place in the group, in particular between host club Lincoln and Holland. Both teams shared the spoils in the group stage taking 1 end each off each other, however Lincoln progressed to the final after Holland had received more cautions through the competition. In the final Lincoln gave a good account of themselves against Norton, however Norton won through as 2 ends to 0 winners. Photo: Host Club Lincoln TOWC
The first ladies/youth weight of the day was the 560 kilos competition. Holland Ladies and Sheen Ladies emerged as the strongest teams, followed by Bedford Ladies and the two ACF teams. The final was a good battling display from both Sheen and Holland, with Holland just edging it by 2 ends to 0 in a very competitive final.
The 600 kilos competition was pulled as one group again. Two Dales and Norton both had a great match first on in the competition with Norton eventually winning through by 2 ends to 0. Norton then progressed through the remainder of the competition to reach the final. There was again some very competitive pulling in this weight with York pulling very well to only be defeated by Norton so they went into the final to meet Norton again. York gave a good account of themselves in the final with the experience of Norton eventually winning through to take a 2 ends to 0 win. Photo: Sheen Ladies TOWC
The 680 kilos competition was again pulled as a straight points competition, however this time, the top four teams would progress to a semi final. Norton, Two Dales, Lincoln and Holland progressed to the semi finals. Norton won the first semi final by defeating Two Dales by 2 ends to 0, and Lincoln and Holland fought it out in the other semi final for a place in the final. This time Holland overcame Lincoln by 2 ends to 0 to reach the final. Norton then went on to win their third final of the day by 2 ends to 0 against Holland. Photo: York TOWC
The second ladies/youth weight of the day was the 520 kilos competition. As with the 560 kilos competition, this was another competitive weight. Bedford Ladies came closer to their rivals in this weight, however it was still Sheen Ladies and Holland Ladies that progressed to the final. Both teams again were part of another good battle with Sheen Ladies this time coming away with a hard earned win by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Holland TOWC
The final weight of the day was the 640 kilos competition. This was again a hard fought competition. Norton won the group without losing an end, but the competition was close between the remaining teams. Lincoln eventually finished as runners up to Norton who won their fourth weight of the day.
21/04/2013 - THAMES VALLEY TOWC OPEN COMPETITION RESULTS
At this weekend's competition hosted by Thames Valley TOWC, Oxney Vines Cross were the winners of the 600 kilos, 640 kilos, and 680 kilos comeptitions. Felton Eccles won the catchweight competition and Kennford earned a good win in the 580 kilos competition.
Catchweight - Winners - Felton Eccles - Runners Up - Oxney A
580 kilos - Winners - Kennford - Runners Up - Oxney A
600 Kilos - Winners - Oxney A - Runners Up - Kennford
640 Kilos - Winners - Oxney A - Runners Up - Oxney B
680 Kilos - Winners - Oxney A - Runners Up - Felton Eccles
Ladies & Youth 520 - Winners - Glos/Som A - Runners Up - Bedford
Ladies and Youth 560 - Winners - Glos/Som A - Runners Up - Bedford
16/04/2013 - 2012 WORLD OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIP VIDEOS
Click here to watch videos from the 2012 World Outdoor championships. These videos are recordings from the live streaming that was broadcast from the event in September 2012.
14/04/2013 - NATIONAL LEAGUE WEEK 1 - EAST OF ENGLAND CHAMPIONSHIPS - KEMPSTON, BEDFORD - RESULTS
This weekend was the first week of the TOWA National League, which was hosted by Bedford Ladies at Kempston, Bedford, with weights taking place for men’s teams, ladies teams and junior teams. The national league weights for men were 600 kilos, 640 kilos and 680 kilos, and the ladies and youth league weights are held at 520 kilos and 560 kilos. An open catchweight competition also took place on the day. The teams that were competing in the senior mens weights were Thames Valley, Two Dales, Sandhurst, Oxney (A and B), Holland, Lincoln, Raunds, Norton, Bosley, York, and Glos/Som ACF. In the ladies and youth league weights, host club Bedford Ladies competed along with Sheen Ladies, Holland Ladies, Glos/Som ACF Youth (A and B), LNR ACF Youth (A and B), Glos/Som ACF Junior Ladies and LNR ACF Junior Ladies. Photo LNR ACF TOWC
The 680 kilos was held first, pulled in two groups. Holland and Two Dales progressed from group 1, with Norton progressing through from group 2. The runner up position in group 2 was fought out between Bosley, Oxney and Lincoln, with all teams taking points from each other, with Oxney pipping Lincoln for the place in the semi finals. In the semi finals, Norton defeated Two Dales, while Holland defeated Oxney. In the final, Holland followed on from the previous week of competition with a determined performance, however Norton maintained their form well to win the final by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Glos/Som ACF Junior Ladies
The Ladies/Youth 560 kilos competition took place at the same time as the senior 680 kilos competition, and this weight was a well supported competition with 9 teams competing in a straight group. The Glos/Som ACF Youth “A” team won the points competition without losing an end, with some close pulling to determine the runners up position. Holland Ladies finished as the eventual runners up. Photo: Holland Ladies
PhotoThe 600 kilos competition followed, which was another competition split into two groups. In this competition, the top team in each group progressed to the final. York started off with a good 2 ends to 0 win over Sandhurst, but they missed out on a place in the final after defeat to Oxney. Oxney progressed to the final where they met Norton who weighed in with a strong 7 man team. Oxney put in a great performance in the final however to win by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Bedford Ladies
The 640 kilos competition was another competitive event, again split into two groups, with many of the teams evenly matched. Holland progressed from their group, and went on to meet Norton in the final who had some tough pulls in their group, particularly against Oxney, with both teams winning one end each. In the final, Norton again had too much for Holland, and they went on to win the final by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Oxney Vines Cross TOWC
The Ladies/Youth 520 kilos competition was another competitive weight and a good advert for ladies and youth tug of war. Glos/Som ACF A again finished as the worthy winners without losing an end. Holland Ladies rounded off a good day for them with another runners up spot, with some good close pulling from the teams that followed behind them. Photo: Raunds TOWC
The final weight of the day was the men’s catchweight competition. Again, this competition was split into two groups, with the top team in each weight class progressing through to the final. Norton won the first group ahead of Oxney, Sandhurst and Holland, with Lincoln progressing from the second group ahead of Bosley and Raunds. Norton then went on to take their third weight of the day by winning the final by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Glos/Som ACF Youth TOWC
07/04/2013 - WOOD TREATMENT BOSLEY TOWC OPEN COMPETITION
This weekend’s tug of war competition was hosted by Wood Treatment Bosley Tug of War Club in Chelford, Cheshire, and was supported by teams from Bosley, Norton, Lincoln, Hanging Bridge, Holland (A and B), York, Felton Eccles, Holland Ladies, and Sheen Ladies. The weather was dry and the ground cut up nicely to allow for some good competition. The competition was organised as a points competition run under TWIF rules, with the top two teams meeting again in a final. Photo: Norton TOWC
The first weight of the day was the men’s catchweight competition with 5 teams entered. Norton went through the whole group stage without losing an end, with a close battle for the second place in the final between Bosley, Holland, and Lincoln. Holland defeated Lincoln earlier in the competition, and then drew 1-1 with Bosley, however Bosley dropped points against Lincoln, which meant that Holland progressed to the final. Norton then went on to defeat Holland by 2 ends to 0 to win the first weight of the day and the Norman Hyde Memorial Shield. Photo: Holland TOWC
The ladies 560 kilos competition saw some good ends take place between the two ladies teams that entered on the day – Holland Ladies and Sheen Ladies. Sheen Ladies won the first ladies weight after some good ends between the two teams. Hopefully we will see a few more ladies teams competing as the season progresses.
The 640 kilos competition again saw Norton build on their strong start to the day by progressing through the group rounds without dropping an end. Lincoln, Hanging Bridge and Holland emerged as contenders to join Norton in the final, with Lincoln progressing through. Norton won the final by 2 ends to 0 to win the John Hollinshead Memorial Shield. Photo: Lincoln TOWC
The 720 kilos competition was another highly competitive weight class. Felton and Bosley had two tough and lengthy ends against each other early on, but again, Norton were strong to lead the points competition. Holland, Felton, Lincoln, and Bosley all strived to get through to the final, and after some close pulling, it was Lincoln who progressed to the final. Norton won their third weight of the day by defeating Lincoln by 2 ends to 0 in the final. Photo: Host Club Bosley
The ladies 520 kilos competition again saw some good ends take place between the two ladies teams that entered on the day. This time, Holland Ladies won the weight after some more good ends between the two teams.
The 600 kilos competition was another lively weight, with some teams competing with 7 pullers to make the weight, which is allowed in open competitions. Norton again won the weight without losing an end, and Felton finished as worth runners up. There was a good battle for third place, with York overcoming Holland to take third place. Photo: York TOWC
The final weight of the day was the 680 kilos competition. The competition was a little more even in this weight with a lot of the teams taking part having competed in all of the weight categories on the day. Norton were looking to take their 5th weight of the day, and made it through to the final without losing an end. They were joined by Holland, who put in a determined performance in the final to gain some ground, but Norton took the final by 2 ends to 0 to round off a strong start to the season for them. Photo: Hanging Bridge TOWC
01/04/2013 - GUILDFORD OPEN COMPETITION RESULTS
The Easter Monday competition at Guildford in Surrey had four clubs in attendance - Oxney (A and B), Sandhurst, Holland Sports (A, B and Ladies) and Thames Valley all braved the very cold wind to take part.
Five teams weighed in for the 600 kilos competition (Holland, Holland Ladies, Sandhurst, Oxney A and B), with Sandhurst finishing as the overall winners, with Oxney A finishing as runners up.
Five teams again weighed in for the 640 kilos competition (Holland A and B, Sandhurst, Thames Valley, Oxney A), with Sandhurst finishing as the overall winners, with Holland A this time finishing as the runners up.
Six teams weighed in for the 680 kilos competition (Holland A and B, Sandhurst, Thames Valley, Oxney A and B), and Sandhurst made it a clean sweep for the day by finishing as overall winners with Oxney A finishing as runners up.
Unfortunately, no ladies and youth competition took place as Holland Ladies were the only team in attendance, however they competed in the 600 kilos competition and some of their pullers were also involved in other weight classes with Holland Men. Well done to them for their efforts.
17/03/2013 - MIDLAND EARLY PULL 1 RESULTS
Teams Competing - Holland (A and B), LCS, Market Bosworth, Hanging Bridge, Sheen Ladies, Holland Ladies, LNR ACF (A and B).
Results
600 4+4 - Winners - Holland A - Runners Up - Holland B
Ladies/Youth 520 - Winners - Sheen Ladies - Runners Up - Holland Ladies
Ladies/Youth 560 - Winners - Holland Ladies - Runners Up - LNR ACF A
Men 620 - Winners - Holland - Runners Up - Hanging Bridge
Men 660 - Winners - Holland - Runners Up - Hanging Bridge
Men 680 - Winners - Holland - Runners Up - LCS
Men Catchweight - Winners - Holland - Runners Up - LCS
Round 2 of the Midland Early pulls will take place on Sunday 24th March 2013 at Somesal Herbert, Sudbury, Derbyshire, DE6 5HX. All are welcome to come along and compete.
For more information ring Roger Beardsmore on 01952 510735 or email tugger@talktalk.net. Further information about activities in the Midland Area can be found at www.midlandtugofwar.co.uk.
ENGLAND RUGBY HAVE A GO AT TUG OF WAR!
Click here to see an article/photos of the England Rugby Union Squad taking part in tug of war matches as part of their training for the 6 nations rugby championship.
GLOUCESTER AND SOMERSET ACF CADET OPEN EVENT
Glos/Som ACF recently held a Cadet Open Event which took place at Upton St Leonards, Gloucester, on Sunday 3rd Mar 2013. With over 40 Cadets participating it was a long and hard days pulling for them plus they were honoured with the visit of Mr Tony Martin (former TOWA president and current senior vice president of TWIF), who is a frequent visitor to cadet training nights, and who often talks and gives sound advice to the Cadets. The Cadets are now in full training ready for the outdoor season to start.
Thanks to Alec Masson for the above report.
WESSEX TRAINING LEAGUE - WEEK 1 RESULTS
Sunday 24th Feb 2013, saw the Outdoor Season 2013 get underway, by way of the Wessex Training League at 'The New Inn', Broadclyst, Devon. Six Teams weighed in on a very cold February morning, some where brave enough to strip down to shorts for the weigh in.The teams that weighed in where, Anstey, Glos/som, Kennford, Probus, Whimple and Widecombe.
A huge thank you to our judges - George Ferrett, Nick Major, Matthew Cowlard, Jonny Neal, Graham Taylor and to our recorders Jane Major and Sharon Hutchins.
Thank you to all the teams that took part and look forward to seeing you all again this Sunday at Stubbs Farmhouse, Monkton Wyld, Charmouth, DT6 6DE.
Raunds TOWC competed at the TTV Lagerweij 25th Anniversary International competition in the Netherlands over the weekend of 22-24 February 2013. The pulling started at 7-30 Friday Night with 3 weights contested for 4 aside teams - Men’s 300 & 340 Kilos and Ladies 280 Kilos. Raunds Woodbine entered one side in the 300 kilos and one in the 340 kilos.
The 300 kilos was a difficult weight for them with a 9 team round robin and some very strong opposition. With the two younger members of the team competing in this weight, who had not experienced this type of pulling before, points were hard to come by. They ended the round robin with two points and a lot more experience.
Winners – Country Club
N. Ireland
Runners Up – Abadino
Basque
Bronze – TTV Lagerweij A
Netherlands
4th – TTV Lagerweij B
Netherlands
The 340 kilos team had more success competing in a group of seven teams. Winning five of their pulls Raunds advanced into the Semi -Finals where they met the Winners of the other group, TTV Horsman. Although Raunds kept their form they could not resist the powerful pushes of the Dutchman and lost 2-0. In the Bronze medal pull off Raunds Woodbine met Taf Lubrensis of Italy, who had taken to the 4 aside format very well, and again succumbed to a 2-0 defeat. Photo: Raunds in action
Saturday was the main competition for Mens, Ladies, 4x4 and Youth Teams.
Raunds Woodbine had entered teams in the 640 & 680 kilos, but with only 9 competitors attending and having a lot of hard pulling the night before, that finished not much before midnight, the day was going to be a long one. The weights were run in tandem as there were so many being held on one day. First up was the 560 kilos and the 4x4 at 600 kilos. A lot of hard ends in these and the results were as follows: Photo: Host club TTV Lagerweij
Men 560 Kilos
Mixed 600 Kilos
Winners - Abadino
Basque
Winners - Groene Oase
Netherlands
Runners Up - Lagerweij A
Netherlands
Runnes Up - Monnickendam
Netherlands
3rd - Country Club
N. Ireland
3rd - Eibergen
Netherlands
4th - Lagerweij B
Netherlands
4th - Stans Oberdorf
Switzerland
Next up came the Men’s 640 Kilos with the Ladies 560 Kilos and the Youth weights being run alongside. There were two groups in the Men’s 640 Kilos with Raunds Woodbine being drawn in a group of six. First on the rope Raunds met a strong and determined Lagerweij A team. Raunds slowed Lagerweij down but could not prevent them winning in 2 straight ends. Recovering from this first pull Raunds went through the rest of the teams in their group without losing an end. Photo: winning Basque team Abadino
In the Semi Final they met Abadino who were in top form. Abadino powered Raunds out and Raunds could not slow them down at all in a 2-0 loss. In the Bronze Medal pull Raunds faced Deinum Britsum, (Netherlands 640Kg team at Perth 2012 World Indoor Championships), and had a good pull with them. In the end the Dutch side were that bit better on the day and managed to beat Raunds 2-0 after a competitive pull. Photo: winning youth team TTV De Berketrekkers from Belgium
Men 640 Kilos
Ladies 560 Kilos
Junior Men
Winners - Abadino
Basque
Winners - Stans Oberdorf
Switzerland
Winners - TTV De Berketrekkers
Belgium
Runners Up - Lagerweij A
Netherlands
Runners Up - Groene Oase
Netherlands
Runners Up - TTV IT Heidenskip
Netherlands
3rd - Deinum/Britsum
Netherlands
3rd - Hungarian Hawks
Hungary
3rd - Deinum/Britsum
Netherlands
4th - Raunds
England
4th - TTV Heure
Netherlands
The last two weights of the day were the Men’s 600 & 680 Kilos. By now there were quite a few tired bodies coming out onto the rope. Raunds Woodbine had one change from the 640 Kilos but were the lightest in the group of 8 in the 680 Kilos. There were not many easy pulls in this weight and Raunds were starting to show how much the two days pulling had taken out of them. Sore hands and toes were not helping in this heavy weight. Raunds came through the group winning two pulls and competing well in some of the other matches.
Men 680 Kilos
Men 600 Kilos
Winners – TTV IT Heidenskip
Netherlands
Winners - Abadino
Basque
Runners Up – DeinumBritsum
Netherlands
Runners Up - Country Club
N. Ireland
3rd - Deinum/Britsum
Netherlands
3rd - Lagerweij A
Netherlands
4th - Abadino
Basque
4th - TTV West Friesland
Netherlands
This competition was an example to anyone wishing to host an International competition. With 4 Mats and plenty of Officials it was run efficiently in a good atmosphere with excellent pulling. Abadino were very strong and won three weights in good style. The hosts Lagerweij again showed they are very competitive. Country Club from Northern Ireland performed well over the two days also.
Congratulations to TTV Lagerweij who hosted this celebration Competition. It was a very enjoyable weekend with everybody contributing to make this a big success.
Thanks to Mick Copper for the report. Photos courtesy of Eddie Van Raamsdonk of the Netherlands Tug of War Association.
21/02/2013 - RICHARD GOODE
It is with sadness that the TOWA have to report the passing of one of our previous members. Richard Goode (known to most as Smurf), of Coveney TOWC & Raunds Wooodbine TOWC died on Friday 15th February. Smurf represented England at outdoor tug of war with Coveney and indoor tug of war with Raunds Woodbine, where he won both U.K. & World Championship Gold Medals. Smurf had been fighting Cancer for the last few years and died of complications bought on by pneumonia.
The 2013 UK Indoor Tug of War Championships were hosted by the Northern Ireland Tug of War Association in the city of Belfast. The event took place at the Ozone Indoor Tennis Arena, and England this year were represented in the different weight classes by Sheen, Kilroe, and Raunds. Unfortunately there were not enough entries from the other home countries to run a ladies championship and mixed championship, so it was down to the men’s teams to fight it out for the medals.
The event got under way with a short opening ceremony, followed closely by the start of the mens 600 kilos competition. England A were represented by Sheen, and England B were represented by Kilroe. England A progressed through the group stages of the competition with relative ease, however it was a different story for England B, who were up against it this year. England B went into their last pull needing three points from Northern Ireland B to secure a place in the semi finals, and took a hard fought first end after Northern Ireland B took three cautions. The second end was equally as close, with both teams picking up the cautions. Both teams were on two cautions, however England B picked up their third caution despite looking as though they were gaining the momentum and the point went to Northern Ireland B, meaning that England B missed out on a semi final place. Photo: Scotland A 600 kilos team
The semi finals saw England A take on Northern Ireland B, with England winning with ease by 2 ends to 0. In the second semi final, Northern Ireland A defeated a determined Scotland A team by 2 ends to 0 to make the final. The bronze medal was won by Scotland A before England A and Northern Ireland A took to the mats for the final. England A dropped in strong and got some early momentum before settling in to the pull. England A carried on pilling on the pressure and edged their way to the first end. The second end played in much the same way, and England A took the gold medal in convincing fashion. Photo: Northern Ireland B 600 kilos team.
To watch the first end of the final click here To watch the second end of the final click here
The 680 kilos competition followed and in this weight, England A were represented by Raunds. Following the withdrawal of Uppertown from representing at the championships, an England B team was formed with available pullers from both Sheen and Kilroe. Both teams we up against the A and B teams from Northern Ireland and Scotland, and both competed well to reach the semi finals. Both the England A and B teams met in the semi finals, with England B defeating England A to progress. In the second semi final, Northern Ireland A came away with a hard fought win over Scotland A to make the final. Photo: England A 600 kilos team
In the bronze medal pull, England A faced Scotland A, with Scotland A having defeated England A earlier in the competition. In a very close and hard fought pull, England A took the first end. England A then battled hard again on the second end to take a well deserved bronze medal. The final saw England B meet Northern Ireland A, the second final of the day to be contested by teams from England and Northern Ireland. England B dominated the final from start to finish, winning their second gold medal of the day by 2 ends to 0. Photo: England A 680 kilos team
To watch the first end of the bronze medal pull click here To watch the second end of the bronze medal pull click here
To watch the first end of the final click here To watch the second end of the final click here
Following the completion of the international competition, the open club competition took place with clubs from the home nations being joined by teams from the Republic of Ireland. The 560 kilos competition took place first, which was pulled as a straight points competition with no cross-overs. England were represented in this event by Kilroe who were defeated first on by both Ballyhagen and Country Club from Northern Ireland before winning their remaining pulls to take the bronze medal. Ballyhagen took the gold, followed very closely by Country Club. Photo: England B 680 kilos team
The 640 kilos competition followed. Raunds, Sheen, and Kilroe all entered teams into this weight which was pulled as a straight group of 9 teams, with the top two teams at the end of the competition contesting a final for the gold medal, and the third and fourth placed teams contesting a match for the bronze medal. There was some excellent competition in this weight with all teams fighting hard for the points. In the end, Raunds and Kilroe missed out on competing for the medals, however Sheen topped the group to go through to the final with Mountain View from Ireland. Clonmany B from Ireland and Tinto from Scotland competed for the bronze medal, with Clonmany B taking the bronze medal by 2 ends to 0. In the final Sheen met the strong Mountain View team from Ireland, but handled the occasion very well to win the gold medal by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Dame Mary Peters presenting the 600 kilos UK Championship trophy to England A 600 kilos coach Robin Smith
To watch the first end of the final click here To watch the second end of the final click here
The highlight of this years UK indoor championships has to be the number of pullers from all of the home nations that were representing their country at senior level for the very first time. All of these youngsters proved their worth on the day, with most of those taking part coming away with a medal of some colour. This bodes well for the future of our sport and demonstrates that youth within our sport are good enough if given the chance.
After the completion of the championship the presentation dinner took place, with the teams having the pleasure to be joined by Olympian Dame Mary Peters (Olympic Gold Medallist in 1972, and ambassador to the London 2012 Olympic Games). Dame Mary Peters presented the teams with their gold, silver and bronze medals and shared stories from her early days as an athlete and first seeing tug of war at an athletics meeting back in the 1960’s. She spoke very fondly about watching tug of war and is very much looking forward to the European Championships in 2015 when they take place in Belfast. She also highlighted her appreciation for the many volunteers who help to run our sport. Dame Mary was very accommodating with the pullers on the night and gave up a lot of time to talk to many of the competitors and have photos with the teams and competitors. Our thanks go to Northern Ireland for their hospitality at this years UK Indoor Championships. Photo: Dame Mary Peters presenting the 680 kilos winners trophy to England B 680 kilos coach Billy Reilly
Results Summary
Closed 600 Kilos Competition - Gold - England A (Represented by Sheen) - Silver - Northern Ireland A - Bronze - Scotland A - 4th - Northern Ireland B - 5th - England B (represented by Kilroe)
Closed 680 Kilos Competition - Gold - England B (Represented by a composite team) - Silver - Northern Ireland A - Bronze - England A (represented by Raunds) - 4th - Scotland A - 5th - Northern Ireland B
Open 560 Kilos Competition - Gold - Ballyhagen (Northern Ireland) - Silver - Country Club (Northern Ireland) - Bronze - Kilroe (England)
01/12/2012 - NATIONAL INDOOR TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS
This years national indoor tug of war championships took place with a reduced number of teams competing from previous years, however this did not detract from what was otherwise a very competitive and enjoyable day of competition.
The mens catchweight competition and ladies 560 kilos competitions opened proceedings with Sheen winning the catchweight gold medal ahead of Kilroe who took the silver medal. It was the first time for a couple of years that we were able to stage a ladies championship, which was a big plus point on the day, with both Sheen Ladies and Bedford Ladies fighting it out for the gold medals. Sheen Ladies’ superior recent experience at indoor tug of war, having won medals at the World Games and World Indoor Championships, proved decisive as they went on to take the first ladies title of the day at 560 kilos, with Bedford taking the silver medal. Photo - Sheen
The 640 kilos saw Sheen competing as both national and world indoor champions at this weight class. Last years 640 kilos runners up Kilroe did not compete in the 640 kilos competition, so there was a chance for another team to get a spot in the final to challenge Sheen for the title. This was left to Uppertown and Raunds to fight it out for the final spot, with Uppertown edging out Raunds to make the final. In the final, Uppertown put up a decent showing, but it was Sheen who were the strongest on the day to take the gold medal by 2 ends to 0. Raunds finished in third place. Photo - Kilroe
The next weight class was the 560 kilos competition. Defending champions Norton were not competing on the indoor circuit this year as they chose to take a break from indoor tug of war over the winter in order to concentrate on their preparations for the World Games next year. This meant that there would be a new winner of this weight in 2012. The 560 kilos is always a lively competition, and again, this year was no exception. The group stages saw Sheen finish in first place, followed by Kilroe and Uppertown. Sheen and Kilroe progressed to the final, which turned out to be a good contest. Kilroe managed to keep Sheen out there long enough on the first end to cause some problems, and Kilroe took the first end after Sheen picked up three cautions. On the second end, Sheen worked from the drop, and had to work very hard to keep up the momentum, eventually taking the second end. The third end went much the same way, and Sheen went on to take the gold medal at 560 kilos for the first time since 1978. Photo - Sheen Ladies
The 720 kilos competition followed, and this competition went much the same way as the catchweight event with Sheen taking the gold medal, and Kilroe the silver. The ladies 540 kilos competition followed, and this was another match between Bedford Ladies and Sheen Ladies for the gold medal. Bedford put up another good fight against Sheen, but Sheen Ladies again proved to be superior opponents and took their second gold medal of the day. Photo: Bedford Ladies
The mens 600 kilos competition followed, which turned out to be a very close and lively competition, particularly the fight to get to the final. Sheen won the group stages without dropping an end, however the competition to determine the pulling order in the semi finals was very close between Uppertown, Kilroe and Raunds. Raunds ended up finishing as runners up in the group, followed by Kilroe and then Uppertown. The semi finals saw Sheen defeat Uppertown, however the pull between Kilroe and Raunds was very close, with Kilroe having to hold on for a long time to eventually overcome Raunds by 2 ends to 0. In the bronze medal match, Uppertown battled hard to take the bronze medal ahead of Raunds by 2 ends to 0. The final saw Sheen take the gold medal by 2 ends to 0 to secure their fifth gold medal of the day, and their 100th national indoor tug of war title. Photo - Uppertown
The final mens weight class of the day was the 680 kilos competition, and defending champions Sheen were looking to win their final gold medal of the day to take a clean sweep and repeat the feat that they previously achieved in 1978. Sheen finished top in the group stages, followed by Uppertown, Kilroe, and Raunds. Sheen defeated Raunds in their semi final, and Uppertown defeated Kilroe in their semi final. The bronze medal match was again hard fought, with Kilroe taking their 5th medal of the day by defeating Raunds by 2 ends to 0. The final was certainly very close between a young and improving Uppertown squad and a dominant Sheen team. Uppertown worked hard on both ends, taking Sheen over half way on both ends before Sheen worked them back to take their 6th gold medal of the day. Photo - Raunds
The championships ended with the mixed 600 kilos competition with four teams competing – Sheen Ladies, Sheen, Bedford, and Kilroe. The mixed team from Sheen Ladies were in strong form in the group stages, with the rest of the teams fighting it out for the semi final placings. Sheen finished as group runners up ahead of Kilroe and then Bedford. In the semi finals, Sheen Ladies defeated Bedford, and Sheen defeated Kilroe. The Sheen Ladies mixed team secured the gold medal in the final in convincing fashion, however the pull of the mixed competition was for the bronze medal. Bedford had earlier picked up an injury to one of their female pullers, and with no substitutes, carried on with 4 men and three ladies. Kilroe sportingly dropped one of their ladies to make an even contest. Kilroe took the first end, however Bedford levelled the pull. Kilroe then went on to take a hard fought third end to take the bronze medal.
Congratulations to all of the teams that took part in what has been a difficult indoor season this year. All of the teams deserve special credit for their efforts this year, and all teams should be commended for the way that they have all helped each other out over the course of the season. We now look forward to the UK championships on 1st February in Northern Ireland, and we wish everyone going to that event all the best.
25/11/2012 - INDOOR LEAGUE WEEK 7 RESULTS
Men 560 - Winners - Uppertown - Runners Up - Raunds
Men 600 - Winners - Sheen - Runners Up - Uppertown
Men 640 - Winners - Sheen - Runners Up - Uppertown
Men 680 - Winners - Sheen - Runners Up - Uppertown
Men 720 - Winners - Sheen - Runners Up - Kilroe
Men Catchweight - Winners - Sheen - Runners Up - Raunds
18/11/2012 – INDOOR LEAGUE WEEK 6 RESULTS
Men 580 – Winners – Sheen – Runners Up – Kilroe
Men 600 – Winners – Sheen – Runners Up – Raunds
Men 640 – Winners – Sheen – Runners Up – Kilroe
Men 680 – Winners – Sheen – Runners Up – Kilroe
Men Catchweight – Winners – Sheen – Runners Up – Raunds
Men 580 - Winners - Uppertown - Runners Up - Raunds
Men 600 - Winners - Sheen - Runners Up - Raunds
Men 640 - Winners - Sheen - Runners Up - Uppertown
Men 680 - Winners - Sheen - Runners Up - Raunds
Men 720 - Winners - Sheen - Runners Up - Raunds
06 & 07 OCTOBER 2012 - TUG OF WAR ASSOCIATION AND TUG OF WAR FEDEARTION JOINT EVENT - KESSINGLAND
Kessingland 2012 saw 7 Teams take part, two of these were from Northern Ireland. This made for some excellent competition with some really hard fought ends. The Kessingland weekend was organised as a joint event between the Tug of War Association and the Tug of War Federation and is a friendly end of outdoor season tug of war event. The 7 teams competing were Leo’s Boys (Northern Ireland), Garvagh (Northern Ireland), Holland, Raunds, York, Hadleigh and Thames 66 (a combination of pullers from both Thames Valley and 1066). Photo: Leo's Boys
Saturday saw four weight categories take place; 600, 640, 680 and mixed 600. The 600 had four teams entered, The winners were Garvagh with Holland finishing as runners up. Next up was the 640, pulled as a straight 7. There was some tough ends in this competition and it certainly made it a worth while competition to enter for all of the teams. The winners were Holland and Runners up were Garvagh. Photo: Garvagh
The final men’s weight was the 680, this was again 7 teams but split into two groups, a 4 and a 3. The winners were Leo’s Boys and Runners up Holland. The final competition of the day was the mixed 600 which had 3 teams. Winners were Holland and runners up Leo’s Boys. Photo: Holland
Sunday saw four weight categories, 620, 660, 720 and mixed 660. The first weight of the day was the 620 with four teams. The eventual winners were Garvargh with Holland finishing as runners up.
Next up was the 660, again a straight 7 with some good pulling and the eventual winners were Garvagh with runners up once again Holland. The final Men’s weight was the 720 with two groups, the rewards being all Northern Ireland with Leo’s Boys coming out winners and Garvagh runners up. The 660 mixed competition had three teams taking part with Holland taking the winners position and Thames 66 finished as runners up. Photo: Hadleigh
The Kessingland event will be running again in October 2013. Any teams or individual pullers wishing to take part next year should make sure they look out for the 2013 fixture list for further information, once it is published in January. Photo: Raunds
09/09/2012 - WORLD OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS DAY 4
England were in action on the final day of the World Outdoor Championships in Switzerland and were entered into the mixed 600 kilos event and the mens 640 kilos event. The morning competitions started with the mixed 600 kilos competition and England were represented by Holland TOWC. England competed well throughout the competition after starting with a tough 1-1 draw with South Africa. Later on a costly draw with Chinese Taipei meant that England could not finish level on points with South Africa with a chance to progress to the semi finals. The eventual gold medal went to Sweden, with Netherlands taking silver and Switzerland the bronze.
The under 23 competition took place during the mixed competition. Unfortunately England did not enter a team this year, and the gold medal went to Switzerland again for the 4th consecutive world championships. South Africa took silver and Germany defeated Sweden by 2 ends to 1 to take the bronze.
The 640 kilos competition took place in the afternoon and England were represented in this weight by Felton Eccles. England were drawn in a group with reigning European Champions Switzerland, as well as tough opponents from Germany. England pulled strongly through the group, only losing two ends to the home nation Switzerland. England progressed to the semi finals along with Switzerland, Ireland and Sweden, which meant that England were guaranteed a top four finish and a place representing Great Britain at the World Games in 2013. In the semi finals England met Ireland in what was a very close contest. England controlled the first end well to take the advantage however Ireland beat England to the drop on the second end to level the match. The third end was very close and England were within a couple of feet of taking the end. Ireland were on 2 cautions and England were on 1 caution. England then collected 2 more cautions which looked harsh to those watching the live streaming, and the place in the final was given to Ireland. Photo - England 640 kilos team on the podium
Despite a tough defeat, England had to get on with the rest of the competition, and still had a medal to play for against Sweden. England had to endure another tough 3 end match against Sweden, losing the first end, but deservedly taking the next two to take a well earned bronze medal. The final was between Switzerland and Ireland. The home nation performed strongly throughout this weight class, and they deservedly took the gold medal by 2 ends to 0.
The ladies 500 kilos competition took place during the 640 kilos competition. Chinese Taipei put in a classy performance to take the gold medal by 2 ends to 0 ahead of Sweden to win their second consecutive 500 kilos title. Germany took the bronze and 4th place went to Switzerland.
England finished the championships with a silver and a bronze medal, which was good result given the various difficulties that many teams faced this year - particularly due to finance and also the very poor weather, which resulted in the cancellation of many competitions, therefore affecting preparations for this event. All of the England teams competing finished in the top 6 in the world in each weight class, and England will go forward to represent Great Britain in the 640 kilos and 700 kilos competitions at the 2013 World Games in Cali, Columbia. Great results for England under the circumstances.
The Tug of War Association pass on their congratulations to all of the England teams who took part at the 2012 World Outdoor Championships, and we also wish to congratulate Switzerland on the wonderful championships they organised in a fantastic arena, and they did an awful lot to involve and engage citizens of Appenzell to get them into the ground to support the event. Other countries hosting future championships have a lot to live up to now.
Under 23 600kg - Gold - Switzerland - Silver - South Africa - Bronze - Germany - 4th - Sweden - 5th - USA - 6th - Belgium - 7th - Chinese Taipei
Mixed 600kg - Gold - Sweden - Silver - Netherlands - Bronze - Switzerland - 4th - South Africa - 5th - ENGLAND (represented by Holland TOWC) - 6th - Chinese Taipei - 7th - USA - 8th - China
Ladies 500kg - Gold - Chinese Taipei - Silver - Sweden - Bronze - Germany - 4th - Switzerland - 5th - South Africa - 6th - Belgium - 7th - Netherlands - 8th - China
Men 640kg - Gold - Switzerland - Silver - Ireland - Bronze - ENGLAND (represented by Felton Eccles) - 4th - Sweden - 5th - Germany - 6th - Belgium - 7th - Netherlands - 8th - USA - 9th - South Africa - 10th - Latvia - 11th - Scotland - 12th - Italy - 13th - China - 14th - Chinese Taipei - 15th - Israel
08/09/2012 - WORLD OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS DAY3
England were in action on the thrid day of the championships and the first day of the closed competition. England competed in the 700 kilos competition, 580 kilos competition and ladies 540 kilos competition.
In the 700 kilos competition, England were represented by Lincoln who competed well in a tough group to finish third in the group, but missed out on a place in the semi finals. England then went into a 5th/6th place pull off with Latvia, defeating Latvia by 2 ends to 0 to finish 5th overall. A great result which means that England have qualified to represent Great Briatin in this weight class at the 2013 World Games in Cali, Columbia. Photo - England 700 kilos team
In the Ladies 540 kilos competition, England were represented by Holland Ladies, who were representing England for the very first time at a world championships. England acquitted themselves well in the competition to finish in 6th place overall. Sweden took the eventual gold medal with Chinese Taipei winning silver and the Netherlands taking bronze. Photo - England Ladies team in the 540 kilos competition
Englands best result of the day came in the 580 kilos competition, with England being represented by Norton who are no strangers to world class tug of war. England went all the way to the final of the competition to face the home nation, Switzerland. England went into the event as 560 kilos European Champions and were confident of getting a good result after a strong season. However, yet again for the Norton lads, the gold medal eluded them and the title was won by Switzerland by 2 ends to 0. Photo - England 580 Kilos team on the podium
Unfortunately England did not field a youth team in the junior 560 kilos comeptition, which was very disappointing, hovewer the main barrier to our youth competing this year was the cost of travel and accommodation. This appeared to be reflected in other countries as only 5 nations took part in the Junior competition. The gold medal was deservedly won by South Africa with Germany winning silver and Belgium the bronze. The Netherlands finished in 4th place, but it was a big surprise to see the Switzerland youth team finish 5th as they have a very strong record in youth tug of war.
What is clear from the youth competition this year is the need to ensure that taking part at these events is affordable for all youth competitors, notwithstaning the excellent championships that Switzerland hosted. Hopefully TWIF and the GENSB committee can iron out the remaining issues and resolve to hold world junior championships at the GENSB competition which is affordable and accessible to all youth teams from more countries - 10 nations were represented at this years GENSB competition which speaks volumes.
Final Results - Day 3
Men 700 - Gold - Ireland - Silver - Sweden - Bronze - Netherlands - 4th - Switzerland - 5th - ENGLAND (represented by Lincoln) - 6th - Latvia - 7th - South Africa - 8th - Scotland - 9th - Italy - 10th - Lithuania - 11th - Germany - 12th - USA - 13th - China - 14th - Canada
Men 580 - Gold - Switzerland - Silver - ENGLAND (represented by Norton) - Bronze - Netherlands - 4th - USA - 5th - Sweden - 6th - Ireland - 7th - Belgium - 8th - Chinese Taipei - 9th - China
Ladies 540 Kilos - Gold - Sweden - Silver - Chinese Taipei - Bronze - Netherlands - 4th - South Africa - 5th - Switzerland - 6th - ENGLAND (represented by Holland Ladies) - 7th - USA - 8th - Belgium
07/09/2012 - WORLD OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS OPENING CEREMONY
The World Outdoor Championships opening ceremony took place in the evening of day 2 following the completion of the open club competition. The opening ceremony involved a parade of the teams with flags and a band through the streets of Appenzell. Residents of the town turned out in force to support the teams. A great experience for all involved and a great way of engaging people with the sport of tug of war.
Felton Eccles competed in the 640 kilos competition, however they missed out on a spot in the knock out stages of the competition after finishing third in their group.
Men U23 600kg- Gold - Sins (Switzerland) - Silver - Helderberg (South Africa) - Bronze - Streefkerk (Netherlands) - 4th - Ebersecken (Switzerland)
Holland TOWC entered an A and B team into the 600 kilos 4+4 competition, and both teams were drawn into seperate groups. Both teams finished 4th in their respective groups and missed out on a place in the kncok-out stages of the competition.
Junior 560 - Gold - Oakdale B (South Africa) - Silver - Oakdale A (South Africa) - Bronze - Neuried (Germany) - 4th - TTV Powerrangers (Belgium)
English interest in the morning session came in the form of Lincoln TOWC and Holland TOWC who both competed in the 700 kilos event. The competition was split into four groups of 9 and both Lincoln and Holland were drawn in group 3. Lincoln performed the best of the two teams, finishing in third place in the group, and so just missed out on a place in the knock-out stage of the competition. Lincoln finished behind Koapman (Netherlands) and Goldschuere (Germany). Holland TOWC finished 6th in their group (joint 5th with Ozoli from Latvia, however Holland dropped to 6th place having picked up more cautions).
Unfortunately there were no English teams competing in the junior competition this year, with South African team Oakdale winning the gold and sliver medal with Neuried from Germany winning the bronze.
26/08/2012 - NATIONAL LEAGUE FINALS RESULTS
The 2012 National League Finals took place at Daventry with a small number of teams in attendance. The event commenced with the 600 kilos competition, and Oxney went into the competition as clear leaders in the league standings and favourites for the gold medal. Oxney went through the entire competition without losing an end and secured the national league gold medal. Sandhurst finished as eventual silver medallists and Norton finished up with the bronze medal.
The points situation in the 640 kilos competition were close with Sandhurst, Norton and Oxney all in contention to take the gold medal. Sandhurst had a lead in the league of 4 points over Norton and 12 points over Oxney. Norton went through the weight unbeaten on the day to collect maximum points meaning that Sandhurst had to make sure that they defeated all of the other teams by two straight ends to be certain of winning the gold medal. Dropped ends against other teams through the competition meant that Norton finished as the gold medallists, with Sandhurst taking silver and Oxney the bronze.
The 680 kilos competition was the final weight of the day. Norton went into the competition with a lead of 14 points, and for their nearest rivals Felton to overhaul them, it looked as though they would have to lose every pull in order to lose the gold medal. The 680 kilos competition was actually one of the more competitive weights of the day, and all teams that competed in this weight took points off each other. There was only 2 points separating second and fourth in the league, so the main fight was between Sandhurst, Oxney, and Felton Eccles for the silver medal. In the end, Felton Eccles took the most points out of the three to take the silver medal. Both Oxney and Sandhurst were level on points going into the competition, and Sandhurst took the extra points needed to take the bronze medal. Norton finished the 680 kilos national league competition as eventual gold medallists.
After 8 national league competitions over the course of the season, the final results were as follows:
The young pullers of Europe plus South Africa met this year in Retie, Belgium to compete for the GENSB trophy. With 5 minutes to go before the opening ceremony the heavens opened. However, this did not dampen spirits and battle commenced with 35 teams competing in four groups. Photo: Glos/Som ACF C.
The top four teams in each group went forward to the knockout stage.
Unfortunately Glos/Som ACF “A” missed the cut coming fifth in group 3, behind TTV Powerrangers (Final Place 3rd);Ebersecken (Final Place 2nd);TTV Streefkerk (Final Place 10th); and, TTV Mertensmannen (Final Place13th). Photo: Glos/Som ACF B
By the time we reached the semi final stage the strength of Switzerland was obvious with three teams in the semi finals.
The figures above show that a substantial number of pullers will be competing in GENSB for a few more years to come.
Asking the cadets why GENSB was special, they seem to agree that it is a real test for them against the strength in depth within Europe. One young cadet summed up the challenge “We might be National Champions but we have a lot of hard work ahead before we compete again in GENSB in Germany 2013” Photo: Glos/Som ACF A
Following the excitement of competition there was a mood change the following day when the Glos/Som ACF teams visited Ypres. The visits were respectful and included the memorial to the Gloucestershire Regiment, Tyne Cot Cemetery and The Menin Gate. Photo: Sins (Switzerland) GENSB 2012 Winners
It was once again a pleasure to travel with the officers and cadets of Glos/Som ACF. Finally, well done to all our young pullers who competed in the true spirit of our sport.
Teams competing - Norton, Lincoln, Oxney Vines Cross, Felton Eccles, Sandhurst, Brockhill, Totham Bull, Holland Ladies, Bedford Ladies
Men Catchweight – Winners - Norton - Runners Up – Lincoln
Men 600 - Winners - Oxney - Runners Up – Totham Bull
Men 680 - Winners - Norton – Runners Up - Felton Eccles
Men 640 - Winners - Norton – Runners Up - Oxney
Ladies 560 - Winners - Bedford - Runners Up – Holland
Ladies 540 - Winners - Bedford – Runners Up - Holland
UNDER 23 UK CHAMPIONSHIPS REPORT
Please click here for a report from the England Under 23 Team Manager following the UK Outdoor tug of war Championships held in Wales.
11/08/2012 - UK OUTDOOR TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS
The 2012 UK outdoor tug of war championships were held in the mid Wales town of Llandrindod Wells. The event was well supported which made for a very competitive UK championships. Weight classes were held at 600 kilos and 680 kilos for mens teams, 520 kilos and 560 kilos for ladies teams, and 600 kilos for the mixed teams.
The event started with the opening parade of teams, and then the 600 kilos competition. Each of the four home nations fielded A and B teams, and England also fielded an Under 23 team. The competition was pulled as a straight group of 9 teams with the top four teams at the end of the group stage progressing to the semi finals. England A, represented by Norton finished top of the group without dropping any points, however the competition was close between the remaining teams for the other 3 semi final places. Scotland A, England B (represented by Sandhurst), and the two teams from Northern Ireland looked the most capable of progressing, but it was the two teams from Northern Ireland and England B who progressed.
Special mention should be made here of the England Under 23 development squad. At UK championships, each country is allowed to field an under 23 team in the UK 600 kilos championship. England this year were the only country to do so, and gave most teams a good run for their money, coming close to defeating both of the Welsh senior teams and taking ends from the Scotland B team. Well done to them for their effort and commitment.
The semi finals saw the A and B teams from Northern Ireland and England fight it out for a place in the final. The draw resulted in an all England and all Northern Ireland semi final, so each country was guaranteed at least a silver medal. England A and B met in the semi final, with England A winning by 2 ends to 0. In the other semi final, the two Northern Ireland teams had a real go at each other, with both teams confident of earning a place in the final. The Northern Ireland A team won through by 2 ends to 0 to face England A.
The bronze medal pull was between England B and Northern Ireland B. Northern Ireland B got off to a strong start, and managed to take England B a good way down the track, but in doing so, they began to pick up cautions for sitting. In the end, they picked up a third caution and the end was awarded to England B. The second end saw Northern Ireland B try hard again, but this time England B won through to take the bronze.
To watch the first end of the bronze medal pull click here To watch the second end of the bronze medal pull click here
The final was between two good teams from England A and Northern Ireland A. The first end lasted almost three minutes, with Northern Ireland looking to get in at England. Northern Ireland did manage to get a couple of strong lifts in against England A, however England A remained composed and brought Northern Ireland A over the line to take the first end. The second end went much the same way, and England A took the gold medal.
To watch the first end of the final click here To watch the second end of the final click here
The ladies 520 kilos competition was pulled at the same time as the mens 600 kilos competition, and again, was very competitive. England A and B, Scotland A, and Wales A looked to be the strongest teams in the group stage, and it was those teams who progressed to the semi finals. England B (represented by Sheen Ladies) progressed to the semi finals without losing an end, followed by England A (represented by Bedford Ladies), Scotland A, and Wales A. In the semi finals, England B defeated Wales A, and England A defeated Scotland A. This set up an all England final.
Prior to the final taking place, the bronze medal match was fought out between Scotland A and Wales A. Scotland A were the stronger team on the day and took the bronze medal by 2 ends to 0. The final was another good encounter between England A (represented by Bedford) and England B (represented by Sheen Ladies). England B steadily took the first end to take the advantage in the final. They then elected to make a substitution to bring on a fresh pair of legs to try and make sure of the gold. England A however put up a very strong fight and after a couple of minutes both teams ended up on two cautions. England B, however, had the momentum and managed to take England A over the line to take the gold medal.
To watch the first end of the final click here To watch the second end of the final click here
The afternoon started with the mens 680 kilos competition with England, Wales and Scotland all fielding A and B teams, and Northern Ireland just fielding an A team. In this weight, England A were represented by Felton Eccles, and England B were represented by Brockhill, who were representing England for the very first time. In the group stages England A performed strongly to top the group without losing an end. England B had more of a fight on their hands, but progressed to the semi finals in third place level on points with Northern Ireland A. Wales A also progressed to the semi finals.
In the semi finals, England A comfortably dispatched Northern Ireland A to progress to the final. England B and Wales A had a great battle in the second semi final with England B coming very close to bringing Wales A over in the first end, however the strong team from Wales hung on to take the end. Wales A then went on to take the second end to reach the final.
The bronze medal match was between England B and Northern Ireland A. The first end was a good fight between the two, but it was Northern Ireland A who prevailed to take the first end. The second end went much the same way, and England B missed out on a medal to Northern Ireland A
The final was between England A, represented by Felton Eccles, and the strong Wales A team represented by Llanboidy. These two teams have endured some great battles in recent UK competitions, and everyone looked forward to a competitive match with Wales having the home support behind them. Wales A looked to assert their authority on the first end, however England A hung on to take the first end and the advantage in the final. The second end went much the same way, and England A took the gold medal.
To watch the first end of the final click here To watch the second end of the final click here
The ladies 560 kilos competition took place during the 680 kilos competition, and again it was a competitive event. England had just one team in this event, and England A were represented by Holland Ladies. This was the first time that Holland had represented England in a ladies weight class. England A competed strongly in the group stage of the competition to finish top of the group without losing an end. In the semi finals, England A defeated Wales B, and they went through to the final to meet Scotland A, who defeated Wales A.
The bronze medal match was between the A and B teams from Wales, and it was the Welsh A team that took the bronze medal by 2 ends to 0. The final turned out to be a real battle between England A and Scotland A. England A took the first end fairly comfortably, however Scotland A were not prepared to give up the gold medal that easily. On the second end, England A worked Scotland back around half way, only to be stopped by Scotland. Both teams were then battling hard, and both teams started to pick up cautions. After more competitive pulling, Scotland A took the second end to level the final. Scotland then won the toss for the choice of the end, whilst England chose to make a substitution, and both teams then went to battle again. The third end went much the same way, and Scotland went on to take a hard earned bronze medal. Well done to the Holland Ladies who were representing England for the very first time – a great silver medal on their first international appearance.
To watch the first end of the final click here To watch the second end of the final click hereTo watch the third end of the final click here
The final weight of the closed competition was the mixed 600 kilos event. England, Scotland and Wales all fielded A and B teams in this weight. England A were represented by Holland, and England B were represented by Bedford. Both teams got off to winning starts, however it was England B who went through the group stages of the competition unbeaten, followed by England A who were only defeated by their B team. They both progressed to the semi finals along with The A teams from both Scotland and Wales. Both of the England teams won their semi finals to set up an all England final.
Prior to the final taking place, the match for bronze took place between Scotland A and Wales A in which Scotland A went on to take the bronze medal. The final between England A and England B was set to be an interesting affair with both of the representative teams having faced each other at the national 4+4 championships earlier in the year. This time however it was England B represented by Bedford that took the gold medal ahead of England A represented by Holland, which meant that England came away from the championships with 4 gold medals, 3 silver medals and 1 bronze medal. Well done to all the teams who represented England at the 2012 UK championships!
Men 600 Kilos – Gold – England A (represented by Norton – Silver – Northern Ireland A – Bronze – England B (represented by Sandhurst) – 4th – Northern Ireland B
Men 680 Kilos – Gold – England A (represented by Felton Eccles) – Silver – Wales A – Bronze – Northern Ireland A – 4th – England B (represented by Brockhill)
Ladies 520 Kilos – Gold – England B (represented by Sheen Ladies) – Silver – England A (represented by Bedford Ladies) – Bronze – Scotland A – 4th – Wales A
Ladies 560 Kilos – Gold – Scotland A – Silver – England A (represented by Holland) – Bronze – Wales A – 4th – Wales B
Mixed 600 Kilos – Gold – England B (represented by Bedford) – Silver – England A (represented by Holland)
Mixed 600 Kilos - Gold - Bedford - Silver - Ayrshire - Bronze - Holland - 4th - Ithon Valley
05/08/2012 - CRANLEIGH SHOW RESULTS
Four clubs competed in the Tug of War competition at the Cranleigh Show in Surrey; they were Felton Eccles, 40th Regiment, Oxney Vines Cross and Sandhurst (A and B). The ground was very wet due to the persistent heavy rain that fell throughout most of the competition. In fact it was so boggy that the events that involved bringing heavy vehicles onto the showground were cancelled.
As the competition progressed the pulling tracks churned up and pullers struggled in the thick mud and surface water. Nevertheless there was some very good pulling in spite of the conditions. All weights were pulled under TWIF rules with the top two in each group going into a final.
Results
600 - Winners - Sandhurst A - Runners Up - Felton Eccles
Please click here to read a report from the England Under 23 Manager following the Inter county championships at the weekend.
29/07/2012 - INTER COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIPS AND NATIONAL 4+4 CHAMPIONSHIPS
As Olympic fever gripped the nation over the weekend, tug of war teams were taking part at the Tug of War Association Inter County Tug of War Championships and National 4+4 Championships held in Bristol on Sunday 29th July. The weather was wet to start with, but the sun later shone for the rest of the day. Photo: Holland 4+4 Team
A number of teams were competing in the different events as follows:
National 4+4 – York, Holland, Oxney, Bedford
Inter County Championships – Staffordshire A (Norton), Staffordshire B (Holland), Berkshire (Sandhurst), Somerset (Felton Eccles), Sussex (Oxney), Devon A (Widdecombe), Devon B 640 (Whimple), Devon B 680 (Anstey).
South West Open Competition – Lincoln, Brockhill, Llanboidy, Felton, Sandhurst, Oxney, Holland, Anstey, Kennford, Widdecombe, Whimple, Bedford Ladies, Holland Ladies.
The competition kicked off with the national 4+4 championships. Bedford went into the event as defending champions from 2011, and started off with a 2 ends to 0 win against York, whilst Holland took the points against Oxney. Bedford dropped an end to Oxney later on in the competition and then went on to defeat Holland by 2 ends to 0. York and Oxney also took one end each off each other. The semi finals saw Holland defeat Oxney, and York take the challenge to Bedford, taking them to within a foot off the line, only for Bedford to wrestle the rope back and take the end. Bedford then went on to take the second end. Photo - Bedford 4+4 team
After receiving an injury to their anchor, York were forced into making a substitution before their bronze medal match against Oxney. On this occasion, York couldn’t get the ends out of Oxney that they looked capable of in the group stages, and Oxney took the bronze medal by 2 ends to 0. Photo: York 4+4 team
To watch the first end of the 600 4+4 bronze medal pull, click here To watch the second end of the 600 4+4 final bronze medal pull, click here
The final turned out to be an excellent contest between Holland and Bedford. Bedford had won the group match, but when it comes to a final, group matches do not matter. In a very tough first end, Holland battled very hard to get Bedford moving. Despite looking as though they were going to run out of steam, Holland brought the pull over the line to take the first end. The second end saw Holland try and assert themselves from the drop, and they did enough to bring Bedford over the line and take their first ever Tug of War Association National Championship gold medal. Photo: Norton representing Staffordshire A
To watch the first end of the 600 4+4 final, click here To watch the second end of the 600 4+4 final, click here
The Inter County Championships saw Staffordshire, represented by Norton, go into the event as defending champions in both the 640 kilos and 680 kilos championship weights. The 640 kilos competition was an interesting competition, with all teams competing well at the start. The semi finals saw the teams from Staffordshire, Berkshire, Somerset, and Sussex progress. Staffordshire met Sussex whilst Berkshire were up against Somerset. Berkshire defeated Somerset in two straight ends, but Staffordshire and Sussex had a great first end pull, with Staffordshire hanging on to Sussex to take it. The second end saw Staffordshire get a very fast drop ahead of Sussex and they took the end to reach the final. Photo: Oxney representing Sussex
The final was a great contest between Berkshire (represented by Sandhurst) and Staffordshire, the defending champions (represented by Norton). Both teams dropped in well, but the Berkshire team looked very resilient on this occasion and managed to get Staffordshire moving to take the first end. The second end was another good contest, and this time Staffordshire took the end to level the final. The third end was another good contest, and Berkshire did remarkably well to claim the third end and the Inter County 640 shield. Anstey representing Devon
To watch the first end of the 640 final, click hereTo watch the second end of the 640 final, click here To watch the third end of the 640 final, click here
Berkshire, represented by Sandhurst - winners of the 640 kilos Inter County Shield
The 680 kilos competition followed, and Staffordshire A (represented by Norton) were again defending champions in this weight class. The competition was again pulled as a straight group, with the top four teams progressing to the semi finals. Staffordshire made no slip ups in the group stages and went through to the semi finals just losing one end to a very determined Devon A team represented by Widecombe. The competition between the other teams was very close. Devon A, Sussex, Berkshire, Staffordshire B, and Somerset all took points off each other, with Sussex, Staffordshire B and Somerset all progressing to the semi finals along with Staffordshire A. Photo: Devon A - represented by Widecombe
In the semi finals Staffordshire A defeated Sussex and Somerset defeated Staffordshire B. The final was between Staffordshire A and Somerset, and unlike the 640 kilos Inter County Competition Staffordshire A made no mistake in winning the final by 2 ends to 0 against Somerset who were represented by Felton Eccles. Photo: Somerset - represented by Felton Eccles
To watch the first end of the 680 final, click here To watch the second end of the 680 final, click here
Open results to follow.
23/07/2012 - TUG OF WAR AT THE OLYMPIC GAMES
As the start of London 2012 Olympic Games approaches, we look back at a time when tug of war was once a part of this global sporting showcase. Many people do not know that tug of war was once a part of the Olympic Games. It took place at five Olympic Games between 1900 and 1920.
The modern revival of the ancient Greek Olympic Games became a reality in 1896 under the influence of Frenchman Baron Pierre de Coubertin. Tug of war first featured in the Olympic Games at the Paris Games of 1900. In its first two appearances at the Games, teams consisted of just 5 or 6 pulling members.
In early Olympics, many teams consisted of athletes who were taking part in other events. The 1900 Olympics saw the United States withdraw their team because three of their team were involved in the hammer throwing event. The first tug of war Olympic gold medal went to a combined team from Sweden and Denmark, after they defeated France in the final. The team of 6 from France included Constantin Henriquez de Zubiera who became the first black medallist in the history of the Olympic Games. He went on to win gold at a later Olympic Games with the French Rugby Union team.
The 1904 Olympic Games, held in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, were dominated by teams from the United States, who entered 4 teams into the competition. The USA teams finished in the top four places at the event, followed by Greece and South Africa. The format of the competition at the 1904 Olympics saw the losing semi finalists pull each other for the right to pull the losing finalist team for the silver medal. The winner of the final of course won the gold medal, whilst the losing finalist had to pull the winner of the repechage in the silver medal match. The gold medal winning USA team were represented by members of the Milwaukee Athletics Club. Photo: the 1904 gold medal winning team from the USA - Represented by the Milwaukee Athletics Club
The 1908 Olympics held in London saw tug of war teams comprise 8 pulling members for the first time. As with the USA teams in 1904; 1908 saw the Great Britain teams dominate the proceedings, entering three teams, and winning the gold, silver and bronze medals. The team represented by the Liverpool Police won the bronze medal against Sweden, with the London Police Forces of the City of London Police and the Metropolitan Police both getting their teams to the final. The gold medal was won by the Great Britain team represented by the City of London Police, with the Metropolitan Police winning the silver medal for Great Britain. Photo: The City of London Police Tug of War Team of 1908 - Gold medallists for Great Britain at the 1908 London Olympic Games
At the 1908 Olympic Games, there was controversy over the footwear worn by Liverpool Police team who "... were wearing enormous shoes, so heavy in fact that it was only with great effort that they could lift their feet from the ground". Photo: Liverpool Police Team of 1908 - Bronze medallists for Great Britain at the 1908 London Games
The team from Liverpool insisted this was their regulation police footwear and, despite the rules banning ''prepared boots or shoes with any protruding nails'', an American protest in the first round was over-ruled and the Liverpool Police team won the pull easily. At the close of the competition, the Liverpool Police team offered to pull their American opponents in bare feet, however that offer was declined! Photo: The USA Tug of War team competing at the 1908 London Olympic Games
The 1912 Olympics were held in Stockholm, Sweden. A number of countries withdrew from the tug of war event at this Olympics and left Great Britain and Sweden to fight it out for the gold medal. Great Britain were again represented by the City of London Police, but on this occasion, they were unsuccessful in defending their Olympic crown, and the gold medal went to Sweden. Photo: Great Britain and Sweden fighting it our for the gold medal at the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm, Sweden
You can watch some footage from the tug of war final in 1912 by clicking here
The outbreak of the first World War resulted in the non-staging of the Olympic Games in 1916. The Olympics were then held again in 1920 in Antwerp, Belgium. The City of London Police again represented Great Britain in the tug of war event, and after the disappointment of 1912, they bounced back to take the gold medal ahead of the Netherlands who won silver, and Belgium who won bronze. Photo: The Great Britain tug of war team of 1920 - winners of the last Olympic Gold Medal in Antwerp, 1920 - represented by the City of London Police.
The City of London Police provided medal winning team members for the tug of war at three Olympic Games in 1908, 1912, and 1920. Three City of London Police Officers competed in those three games, winning 2 Olympic gold medals and 1 Olympic silver medal each. Those men were John Shepherd, Fred Humphreys and Edwin Mills. Fred Humphreys became the oldest man to win gold in the Olympic Tug of War event at the age of 42 at the 1920 Antwerp Games. Edwin Mills was also 42 at the 1920 Games but had a later birth date!
Below is a summary of the medal winning teams:
Year
Gold
Silver
Bronze
1900
Sweden/Denmark
France
1904
USA
USA
USA
1908
Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain
1912
Sweden
Great Britain
1920
Great Britain
Netherlands
Belgium
After the 1920 Games, Tug of War was removed from the Olympic Programme along with 33 other sports. During this time, the IOC decided their were too many sports and too many participants competing, so took the decision to remove a number of sports, and unfortunately, one of those was tug of war.
Where did tug of war go after the Olympics?
Since the 1920 Olympic Games, various countries set up their own tug of war associations. Tug of war in the UK was organised by the Amateur Athletic Association (AAAs) until 1958, when the Tug of War Association (England) was founded, followed by the foundation of tug of war associations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The Tug of War International Federation (TWIF) was established in 1960 following a meeting between representatives of the Tug of War Association and the Swedish Tug of War Association in London. Since 1960, international championships have taken place annually at world and continental level, and TWIF now has in excess of 50 member countries worldwide.
Tug of war is a recognised sport by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and TWIF are currently focusing a lot of time and effort in getting the sport re-instated into the Olympic Programme. Tug of war is currently held at the World Games every four years, which is run under the patronage of the IOC for sports that are not yet part of the Olympic Games. Tug of War in the early Olympic Games were only held at Catchweight (no weight limit) for men’s teams. Modern day tug of war is now held in weight classes for both mens teams and ladies teams, as well as for junior and under 23 teams, and in recent years, mixed gender weight classes have been introduced, with teams consisting of an equal number of men and women. In addition, tug of war is also held indoor on mats, as well as outdoor on grass.
The TOWA consider that tug of war certainly warrants re-introduction into the Olympic Games. The rules are easy to understand and the sport is spectator friendly. In addition, the results do not depend on subjective scoring by a panel of judges. Tug of war is accessible to everyone at all levels as the sport does not require large amounts of costly equipment, space, or bespoke sports stadia. “Faster – higher - stronger” is the Olympic Motto, and tug of war certainly fits the bill. The Tug of War Association remains hopeful that one day tug of war will take centre stage on the world’s largest sporting platform.
ALCESTER OLYMPIC FUNDAY
The Alcester Olympic Funday was held recently on 15th July 2012 in Warwickshire. Richard Lane of the Tug of War Association Midland Area assisted with the event. The Funday marked the conclusion to a week of activities in Alcester involving an Alcester Olympic Opening Ceremony, a week of inter sport activities in the schools and many clubs and sporting organisations opening their doors to newcomers and showcasing themselves on the day.
The organisers confirmed that tug of war continues to gain support throughout the town as an Olympic Sport "re-invented". Teams were fielded from the local community including the Alcester Youth Club (best newcomers) and the Alcester Pub Watch Members, including The Holly Bush, The Moat House, The Turks Head, The White Lion and The Royal Oak. After a heart stopping four rounds the Holly Bush Team took the Trophy. Photo: Alcester Youth Club in action
Pictured here are the people instrumental in organising the tug of war event - Richard Lane (left), Colin Harris (centre), and Jonny Mac (right). Richard Lane is a member of the Tug of War Association Midland Area, and Colin Harris was previously an anchor man with Alcester TOWC and Warwickshire Farmers when they fielded regular teams on the circuit. Jonny Mac also pulled with Warwickshire Farmers at number 1. Both Colin and Jonny have been training and guiding Alcester Youth Club, and it was Colin who suggested to the Alcester Olympic Committee to get tug of war included on the programme. Well done and thank you to these men for showcasing our sport at this event.
20/06/2012 - HEALTH AND SAFETY CLARIFICATION
Please click here for a press release from the Health and Safety Executive, published in response to an article in the Daily Telegraph following the cancellation of a tug of war event. The article confirms that Health and Safety legislation does not apply to those who wish to organise tug of war events. The article confirms that:
"Health and safety law exists to protect workers from serious injury and ill health at work, not to prevent enjoyable activities taking place at summer fairs and fetes.
Health and safety is often wrongly blamed for preventing organisations and volunteers from running events. Taking a sensible, proportionate approach is the key to making sure things go smoothly and safely"
If you are running a tug of war event, then a health and safety checklist/risk assessment form is available from the Hon. Gen Secretary of the Tug of War Association for the avoidance of doubt.
16/06/2012 - NATIONAL OUTDOOR TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS
Teams Competing – Senior Men – Sheen, Norton, Bosley, Two Dales, Holland, Lincoln, Brockhill, Fulstow, Felton Eccles, Sandhurst, Oxney Vines Cross, Team Army.
Senior Ladies – Bedford Ladies, Sheen Ladies, Holland Ladies, Team Army Ladies.
Junior Men – Gloucester & Somerset ACF, Lincoln ACF, Leicester and Northants ACF
The 2012 National Outdoor Tug of War Championships were this year held at Buxton Rugby Club in Derbyshire. The weather conditions on the day were damp, but fortunately the ground was well drained which ensured that the pulling conditions for all of the teams taking were reasonable. The event was reasonably well supported by spectators despite the weather, and the teams put on a good display for all present. Photo: Holland TOWC
The day started with the mens catchweight, ladies 540 kilos, Junior Men 530 kilos, and also the Junior Ladies 530 kilos and 480 kilos demonstration event. A small number of teams entered the mens catchweight competition. Holland gave Sheen a good run for their money in the first round, but ran out of steam later in the pull, and Sheen ended up winning the match by 2 ends to 0 and progressed through to the final. Bosley also managed to progress to the final to set up a repeat of the 2011 catchweight final. Sheen took the first end fairly comfortably, but on the second end, Bosley attacked to take some rope. Sheen managed to stand firm however and took the first gold medal of the day. Photo: Leciester, Northants and Rutland ACF Junior Ladies
To watch the first end of the final, please click here To watch the second end of the final, please click here
The ladies 540 kilos competition saw teams looking to challenge last years ladies national champions Sheen Ladies. Holland Ladies and Bedford Ladies were the closest challengers followed by Team Army Ladies who all made the cross over. In the semi finals, Sheen Ladies defeated Team Army Ladies, and Bedford Ladies overcame Holland Ladies. Holland Ladies and Team Army Ladies fought it out for the bronze medal, and it was Holland Ladies who took bronze by 2 ends to 0. The final saw Sheen Ladies pull impressively well to defeat Bedford ladies by 2 ends to 0 to take the gold medal. Photo: Gloucester and Somerset ACF Junior Ladies
To watch the first end of the bronze medal pull, please click here To watch the second end of the bronze medal pull, please click here
To watch the first end of the final, please click here To watch the second end of the final, please click here
The junior 530 kilos was contested between clubs from Lincolnshire ACF, Leicester, Northants, and Rutland ACF, and Gloucester and Somerset ACF. Gloucester and Somerset and Leicester and Northants both won their pulls against Lincoln, and then in the group stage, Gloucester and Somerset defeated Leicester and Northants. Both Gloucester and Somerset and Leicester and Northants met each other again in the final, with Gloucester and Somerset winning the gold medal by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Holland Ladies
To watch the first end of the final, please click here To watch the second end of the final, please click here
For the second year running, the TOWA organised a junior ladies demonstration event, as we look to establish a regular championship for junior ladies in addition to junior men. This year, Gloucester and Somerset ACF and Leicester, Northants and Rutland ACF took part in the junior ladies demonstration event at both 480 kilos and 530 kilos. On this occasion, Gloucester and Somerset ACF won both weight classes after losing out to Leicester and Northants ACF in 2011. Photo: Sheen Ladies
Next up was the 640 kilos which was run in two groups. Felton Eccles were the defending champions in this weight, and were looking to reach their 17th consecutive final at 640 kilos. This year, they faced stiff opposition from a number of teams, including Norton who have not usually entered this weight class. A lot was at stake in this weight class as not only would the winning team be invited to represent England at the World Championships in September, but there was also a possibility that the winning team might be invited to represent Great Britain at 640 kilos at the 2013 World Games in Columbia, subject to England finishing in the top 6 at the World Championships in September as well as finishing ahead of the other UK countries in this weight class. Group 1 contained Felton, as well as other strong teams from Fulstow, Lincoln, Oxney, Sandhurst and Norton. Both Norton and Felton beat all of the other teams, which set up an intriguing group encounter. Norton took a tight first end after Felton received three cautions, and Felton then battled really hard to take the second end after Norton themselves received a third caution. This was seen as a potential for a good final if both teams overcame further group matches and their semi final pulls. Photo: Gloucester and Somerset ACF Junior Men
In group 2, Sheen and Two Dales managed to progress after some surprise defeats for Brockhill who looked like serious contenders at this weight in the build up to the event. In the semi finals, Norton defeated Two Dales by 2 ends to 0, however things were not quite as straight forward in the other semi final between Felton and Sheen. Felton won the pull by 2 ends to 0, but Sheen made Felton work very hard for their win. The bronze medal match saw Sheen and Two Dales meet to fight it out for the medal. Sheen won the pull between these two teams in the group stages, however history means nothing when pulling for a medal, and Two Dales turned the tables to take the bronze medal by 2 ends to 0. The final was between Norton and Felton Eccles, a final which everyone looked forward to after the previous group match between these two sides. On this occasion, Norton dropped in with more composure and once they got Felton moving they did not stop and went on to take the first end. The second end went much the same way, and it was Norton who took the gold medal – their first outdoor national title at 640 kilos. Photo: Wood Treatment Bosley
To watch the first end of the bronze medal pull, please click here To watch the second end of the bronze medal pull, please click here
To watch the first end of the final, please click here To watch the second end of the final, please click here
The mens 580 kilos competition followed, which was pulled in a straight group as a points competition with the top four teams going through to the semi finals. Norton, Sandhurst, Oxney and Felton Eccles all progressed to the semi finals. In the first semi final, Norton defeated Felton Eccles by 2 ends to 0. In the second semi final, Sandhurst and Oxney met after both teams had taken an end each off each other in the group stages. This time, Sandhurst gave a more solid performance, winning a place in the final by 2 ends to 0. In the bronze medal pull, Felton pulled off a remarkable turnaround to beat Oxney to the bronze medal by 2 ends to 0 after Oxney had previously beaten Felton in the group stages. The final was yet another showcase between Norton and Sandhurst. These two teams have given us some memorable lightweight finals over the years, but there was no stopping Norton today, who despite Sandhurst’s best efforts, went on to secure a 2 ends to 0 win to take their second gold medal of the day. Photo: Lincolnshire ACF Junior Men
To watch the first end of the bronze medal pull, please click here To watch the second end of the bronze medal pull, please click here
To watch the first end of the final, please click here To watch the second end of the final, please click here
The middle of the days competition saw the mens 700 kilos competition take place, as well as the ladies 500 kilos competition and the junior men 560 kilos competition. In the mens 700 kilos competition, the weight was pulled as a straight group. There was some very close pulling in this weight, with all teams dropping ends. It was between Felton, Brockhill, Holland, Lincoln and Sheen to decide who would make it to the semi finals. Felton, Brockhill, Lincoln, and Brockhill all progressed. In the semi finals, Sheen defeated Brockhill, and Felton defeated Lincoln, both pulls being won by 2 ends to 0. In the bronze medal pull, Brockhill and Lincoln faced each other having won one end each against each other in the group. This time, Brockhill took the pull by 2 ends to 0 to take the bronze medal. In the final, Felton Eccles took on Sheen, with both teams having taken an end off each other in the group stages. On this occasion, despite a great effort from Felton, Sheen took the gold medal by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Leicester, Northants and Rutland ACF Junior Men
The junior 560 kilos competition was again contested between Gloucester and Somerset ACF, Lincoln ACF, and Leicester and Northants ACF. The competition went much the same way as the 530 kilos competition held earlier, with both Gloucester and Somerset and Leicester and Northants winning their matches against Lincoln. Glouchester and Somerset then beat Leicester and Northants in the group stage, before going on to defeat them again in the final by 2 ends to 0 to win their second gold medal of the day. Photo: Team Army Ladies
To watch the first end of the final, please click here To watch the second end of the final, please click here
The ladies 500 kilos competition was another good ladies weight class that was very competitive. Bedford progressed through to the semi finals without losing an end, followed by Sheen Ladies, Holland Ladies and Team Army Ladies. In the semi finals, Bedford defeated Team Army Ladies, and Sheen Ladies defeated Holland Ladies. Holland Ladies again faced Team Army Ladies in the bronze medal match, with both teams fighting hard for the bronze medal. In the end, it was Holland Ladies who took their second bronze medal of the day by 2 ends to 0. The final was another showdown between Bedford Ladies and Sheen Ladies. Bedford went into the final with high hopes as they tend to always favour the lighter of the ladies weight classes, and they went on to secure a hard earned 2 ends to 0 win over Sheen Ladies to take the gold medal. Photo: Bedford Ladies
To watch the second end of the final, please click here
The mens 600 kilos competition was up next, and was pulled as one group with semi final cross overs. Oxney and Two Dales opened the competition with a tough battle, the pull going 1 end each. Norton, Bosley and Sandhurst all started with wins, and all three of these teams progressed through to the semi finals in addition to Oxney who just pipped Two Dales into the last four. In the semi finals, Sandhurst defeated Bosley and Norton defeated Oxney. In the bronze medal match, Bosley faced Oxney, with Bosley having already defeated Oxney by 2 ends to 0 on the group stage. Things were not that straight forward this time however, and Oxney went on to take a hard fought bronze medal by 2 ends to 0. The final was a repeat of the earlier 580 kilos final between Norton and Sandhurst. Again, Norton were very strong in this weight and they went on to take the gold medal by 2 ends to 0 to take their third gold medal of the day. Photo: Felton Eccles
The final weight of the 2012 National Outdoor Tug of War Championships was the 680 kilos competition, which was pulled in two groups. Both Felton and Norton progressed from their group ahead of Bosley, Sandhurst, Lincoln and Team Army, however things were very close in the second group containing Holland, Sheen, Oxney, Fulstow, Brockhill and Two Dales. Holland, Sheen, and Brockhill all took one end each off each other, whilst Oxney picked up a good number of ends throughout the competition to finish top of the group, including a 2 ends to 0 win over Sheen. This result sent the defending champions out of the competition, and Brockhill progressed at their expense having picked up one more point than Holland. In the semi finals, Norton defeated Brockhill and Felton defeated Oxney. The bronze medal pull was hard fought, with both teams looking to secure a second bronze medal for the day. On this occasion Brockhill took the bronze medal to cap off a decent day for them after a shaky start in the 640 kilos earlier in the day. The final was between Norton and Oxney. This was Norton’s third appearance in a 680 kilos national final in as many years, and they made it third time lucky by taking the gold medal away from Felton Eccles by 2 ends to 0. This was Norton’s fourth gold medal of the day, and they became only the second team in the history of the TOWA to win four gold medals at an outdoor national championship. Photo: Fulstow TOWC
To watch the first end of the bronze medal pull, please click here To watch the second end of the bronze medal pull, please click here
To watch the second end of the final, please click here
The TOWA would like to congratulate all of the teams who took part on the day despite the poor weather conditions. The TOWA would also like to thank all of the officials, timekeepers and helpers for their work throughout the day. In addition, a big vote of thanks must be extended to Buxton Rugby Club and Sheen Tug of War Club for all of their efforts in helping to stage the event. Without the hard work of all officials, teams, volunteers and those at the venue we would have had no championship. A big thanks to all. Photo: Norton TOWC - Winners of four national championship gold medals.
Results:
Men Catchweight – Gold – Sheen – Silver – Bosley – Bronze – Holland
Men 700 – Gold – Sheen – Silver – Felton Eccles – Bronze – Brockhill – 4th – Lincoln
Ladies 540 – Gold – Sheen Ladies – Silver – Bedford Ladies – Bronze – Holland Ladies – 4th – Team Army Ladies
Ladies 500 – Gold – Bedford Ladies – Silver – Sheen Ladies – Bronze – Holland Ladies – 4th – Team Army Ladies
Junior 560 – Gold – Gloucester and Somerset ACF – Silver – Leicester and Northants ACF – Bronze – Lincoln ACF
Junior 530 – Gold – Gloucester and Somerset ACF – Silver – Leicester and Northants ACF – Bronze – Lincoln ACF
Junior Ladies 530 (demonstration) - Gold – Gloucester and Somerset ACF – Silver – Leicester and Northants ACF
Junior Ladies 480 (demonstration) - Gold – Gloucester and Somerset ACF – Silver – Leicester and Northants ACF
Photo: Two Dales TOWC
Photo: Sheen TOWC
Photo: Team Army TOWC
14/06/2012 - TEAM GB OLYMPIC ROWER ENDORSES TUG OF WAR FOR A RETURN TO THE OLYMPICS
Please click here for an article on the Sky Sports web site where Team GB Olympic Rower Tony Garbett endorses tug of war as a future Olympic Sport. The article also features a photo of the Great Britain Mens 640 kilos team from the 2009 World Games (represented by Felton Eccles).
10/06/2012 - DAVENTRY OPEN COMPETITION RESULTS
Teams competing – Senior Men – Holland, Bosley, Sheen, Brockhill, Inkberrow Bulls, Two Dales, Hanging Bridge, Totham Bull.
Ladies and Youth – Glos/Som (A, B and C), Worcestershire YFC Ladies, Holland Ladies, Sheen Ladies, LNR ACF.
The previously cancelled Daventry event from May was re-scheduled to take place in June. The event was moved from Daventry Rugby Club to Daventry Sports Park which provided a nice venue for this event, and attracted a good turnout of teams despite it being one week to go until the national championships and many other teams opting to wind down their training in preparation for the championships. Sheen and Brockhill were the dominant teams in the mens weight classes, and Sheen Ladies and Glos/Som A emerged as the strongest teams in the ladies and youth weight classes.
Results:
Men 600 – Winners – Sheen – Runners Up – Two Dales Men 640 – Winners – Brockhill – Runners Up – Sheen Men 680 – Winners – Brockhill – Runners Up – Sheen
Ladies/Youth 560 – Winners – Glos/Som A – Runners Up – Sheen Ladies Ladies/Youth 520 – Winners – Glos/Som A – Runners Up – Sheen Ladies
ASSOCIATE MEMBERSHIP – CLARIFICATION
Associate membership is available to tug of war clubs who wish to become members of the TOWA, but do not want full membership. The current fee for TOWA associate membership is £10 per club.
To confirm, individual pullers are still required to be registered to the TOWA if associate clubs compete regularly or wish to compete at championship competitions. Further details regarding associate membership can be found in the TOWA Constitution, which is available on the rules page.
27/05/2012 -AAA CHAMPIONSHIPS AND WESSEX OPEN RESULTS
Teams Competing - Norton, Felton Eccles, Sandhurst (A and B), Bosley, Oxney Vines Cross, Holland, 40th Regiment RA, Kennford, Widecombe, Lincoln, Brockhill
The AAA Championships were this year held at Christian Malford in Wiltshire, with closed weights being contested at catchweight and 640 kilos, and open weights being contested at 600 kilos, 640 kilos and 680 kilos.
The competition started with the catchweight event, however due to the absence of 2011 winners Sheen, there was an opportunity for a new name to be engraved on the trophy. All of the teams that competed gave a good account of themselves, with Brockhill going close to taking Norton on the first end in the first pull, however Norton dug deep to turn the pull around. The semi finalists were Norton, Holland, Felton Eccles and Lincoln. Norton defeated Lincoln by 2 ends to 0 in their semi final, but Holland and Felton had an epic battle in the second semi final. Holland pulled well to take the first end, and had Felton to within a couple of feet of the line on the second end only for Felton to hang on and work Holland all the way back to level the match. The third end went much the same way, and Felton again had to dig deep to take the win. The semi final had obviously taken its toll on Felton, and Norton went on to secure a 2 ends to 0 win to take the AAA catchweight gold medal.
The 640 kilos competition was again keenly contested with many teams dropping ends throughout the competition with the exception of Norton. Bosley, Oxney, Sandhurst and Norton all made it through to the semi finals. In the semi finals, Norton defeated Oxney by 2 ends to 0, but things were not so straight forward again in the second semi final which went to three ends. Bosley took the first end off Sandhurst, however Sandhurst regrouped on the next 2 ends to make it to the final. The 640 kilos final was another test between Norton and Sandhurst, however it was Norton that came through with the 2 ends to 0 win to take the gold medal and complete the AAA double. Photo: Norton Coach John Webb (left) recieving the AAA catchweight trophy from new TOWA president Mr. Steve Bowler.
The open weights were contested following the completion of the AAA competition. The 600 kilos competition was pulled as a straight group of 8, with Bosley, Norton, Oxney and Kennford all reaching the semi finals. Oxney defeated Kennford in the first semi final, and Norton defeated Bosley in the second semi final. Norton then went on to win the final by 2 ends to 0 against Oxney who are performing well with a large number of new faces in their team.
The 680 kilos competition was again keenly contested with both Brockhill and Norton reaching the final, Norton taking their fourth win of the day with a 2 ends to 0 win in the final. The final weight of the day was the 640 kilos competition. Norton did not enter this weight class, so there was a chance for another team to take the winners medal. The competition was split into two groups which saw Sandhurst A, Bosley, Oxney and Holland progress to the semi finals. Sandhurst A and Oxney both progressed to the final, which was won by Sandhurst A by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Kennford
Ladies and Youth – Bedford Ladies, Glos/Som ACF (A, B and C)
Felton Eccles annual open competition was well supported and saw a big improvement in the weather conditions. Five weight classes were held at the event, in addition to two weight classes for the ladies and youth teams.
The first weight was the catchweight competition, pulled as a straight group, followed by semi finals and a final. Felton Eccles, Lincoln, Widecombe and Sandhurst all progressed to the semi finals. Felton Eccles defeated Widecombe in their semi final, with Lincoln and Sandhurst going to three ends in their semi final, with lincoln winning by 2 ends to 1. In the final, Felton Eccles defeated Lincoln by 2 ends to 0 to win the competition. Photo: Oxney Vines Cross
The second weight was the 640 kilos, which was split into two groups. There was some very close competition in this weight, with many teams dropping ends to each other. Norton, Sandhurst, Oxney and Lincoln all progressed to the semi finals. In the semi finals, Norton defeated Oxney and Sandhurst defeated Lincoln. Norton then went on to win the gold medal by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Felton Eccles
The 700 kilos competition was pulled as a straight group with the top four teams going through to a semi final. Felton Eccles and Norton both progressed through the final having both taken an end off each other in the group stages. In the final, Norton overcame Felton by 2 ends to 0 to take the gold medal. Photo: 40 Regiment RA
The final weights of the day were the 600 kilos and 680 kilos. Norton took both weights, with Oxney finishing as runners up in the 600 kilos competition, and Felton Eccles reached their third final of the day in the 680 kilos competition to take silver. Photo: Llanboidy
The ladies and youth league competitions saw Glos/Som ACF field three teams, and they were joined in the 560 kilos and 520 kilos competitions by Bedford Ladies. Glos/Som ACF A took both weight classes without losing an end, with Bedford Ladies finishing as runners up in both weight categories.
Catchweight - Winners - Felton Eccles - Runners Up - Lincoln
Ladies/Youth 560 - Winners - Glos/Som A - Runners Up - Bedford
Ladies/Youth 520 - Winners - Glos/Som A - Runners Up - Bedford
13/05/2012 - MIDLAND CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS
Teams Competing – Men -Holland (A and B), Sandhurst (A and B), Sheen, Bosley, Norton, Felton Eccles, Lincoln, Brockhill, Hanging Bridge, Two Dales, 40 Regiment – Ladies and Youth - Glos/Som ACF (A, B and C), LNR ACF (A, B and C), Sheen Ladies, Holland Ladies.
This weekend teams were competing at the Midland Championships held in Barton-under-Needwood. This was the first opportunity for some teams to get some competition for 2 weeks after the two previous competitions in some areas were cancelled due to waterlogged fields as a result of the persistent wet weather. This weekend, dry weather returned and the conditions were good for tug of war. Photo: Lincoln
The day started with the catchweight competition, which was a very close competition throughout, with no teams going through this weight class without losing an end. The competition was split into two groups with Bosley, Sheen, Felton Eccles and Norton all making the semi-final stages of the competition. Sheen were drawn against Felton Eccles in their semi final, and Norton and Bosley met in the second semi final. Sheen succumbed to a 2 ends to 0 defeat to Felton Eccles and Norton overcame Bosley to reach the final. Norton then had to overcome a tough pull against Felton Eccles and won the weight by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Sheen
The win in the catchweight competition then set Norton up for the rest of the day, where they went on to win all weight classes. In the 680 kilos, they defeated Brockhill from Leicestershire in the final, in the 640 kilos, they defeated Sandhurst in the final, in the 620 kilos they defeated Felton Eccles in the final, and in the 600 kilos, they defeated Lincoln in the final. Photo: Sandhurst
The ladies and youth competitions were also hotly contested, with 8 and 9 teams taking part, with a good mix of ladies, junior men, and junior ladies taking part. Glos/Som ACF’s “A” team won both weight classes on the day at 560 kilos and 520 kilos without losing any ends. They were closely following in the 560 kilos competition by Sheen Ladies who gave them a good run for their money. Photo: Norton
Well done to all of the teams who took part. The Tug of War Association Midland No. 2 Area would like to thank all of the teams who came along on the day to take part as well as the officials and recorders – Roger Beardsmore, Mick Grimston, Ernie Jones, Stuart Bell, Ray Fray-Smith, Dave Kitchener, Jill Thomas, and Wendy Dyer. Photo: Brockhill
29/04/2012 - LINCOLN TOWC OPEN COMPETITION RESULTS
Teams competing: Men - Lincoln, York, Fulstow, Holland, Hanging Bridge, Holland (A and B), Bosley, Norton, Sheen, Felton Eccles – Ladies – Sheen Ladies, Bedford Ladies, Holland Ladies.
The teams competing this weekend were confronted with atrocious weather conditions, with the competition field being battered with heavy rain and icy wind, however there was still a good turn out of teams despite the weather.
The first weight was the catchweight competition, which was split into two groups. Norton and Felton Eccles had a good tussle first on, with both teams winning one end each. Lincoln took a good win against Holland, and Bosley and Hanging Bridge also going one end each against each other. Bosley, Sheen, Norton, and Felton Eccles progressed to the semi finals. Norton defeated Bosley by 2 ends to 0, and Sheen and Felton Eccles went to three ends to decide who would reach the final, with Felton taking a hard fought win. In the final, Norton made sure of a 2 ends to 0 win against Felton Eccles to get their day off to a winning start.
The ladies competitions took place early in the day at 520 kilos and 560 kilos. Sheen Ladies took the 560 kilos ahead of Bedford Ladies with Holland finishing third. Bedford Ladies then took the 520 kilos with Holland finishing as runners up.
The 640 kilos competition then followed with the weather continuing to get worse. Teams battled it out hard in the muddy conditions with York and Fulstow joining the other teams that took part in the catchweight competition. The eventual semi finalists were Holland, Norton, Lincoln, and Felton Eccles. Norton defeated Felton Eccles in their semi final, however Lincoln and Holland had a great battle in the other semi final. This semi final went to four ends. Holland took the first end with both teams being blown out in the second end for receiving 3 cautions each. Lincoln won the next end, but Holland managed to take Lincoln over on the fourth end to reach the final. Norton then went on to win the final by 2 ends to 0.
Following the 640 kilos competition, the event was abandoned due to the deteriorating weather and ground conditions by agreement between the teams and officials on the day. Many thanks to all of the teams and officials who made the effort to attend this week. Hopefully the weather will improve for the next week of competitions!
22/04/2012 - THAMES VALLEY RESULTS
Men 580 kilos - Winners - Oxney - Runners Up - Sandhurst A
Men 600 kilos - Winners - Oxney - Runners Up - Caradoc
Men 640 kilos - Winners - Sandhurst A - Runners Up - Felton Eccles
Men 680 kilos - Winners - Sandhurst A - Runners Up - Felton Eccles
Men Catchweight - Winners - Felton Eccles - Runners Up - Sandhurst A
15/04/2012 - EAST OF ENGLAND CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS
Teams Competing - Men - Felton Eccles, Norton, Sheen, Lincoln, Brockhill, Oxney Vines Cross, Sandhurst (A and B), Holland (A and B), 1066 - Ladies and Youth - Holland, 1066, Sheen Ladies, Bedford Ladies, Glos/Som ACF (A and B), Leicester and Northants ACF (A and B). Photo: Felton Eccles and Norton competing in the catchweight competition.
A good number of teams turned out to support the East of England Championships, which were hosted by Bedford Ladies at Kempston near Bedford. Norton were again the dominant force on the day winning all four weight classes in the senior mens weights. The pulling was close for the other positions with 4 other teams taking runners up medals in the four mens weight categories. Photo: Glos/Som Junior Girls team
ieThe ladies and youth weights were also well supported, with both the Glos/Som ACF and LNR ACF clubs fielding junior boys and girls teams against the ladies teams of Holland, 1066, Sheen Ladies and Bedford Ladies. Glos/Som and Sheen Ladies won one weight each, with 1066 and Bedford Ladies taking runners up positions. Photo: 1066 competing in the ladies and youth competition.
Photo: Oxney Vines Cross TOWC competing in the 640 kilos competition.
Ladies and Youth 560 - Winners - Sheen Ladies - Runners Up - 1066
Ladies and Youth 520 - Winners - Glos/Som A - Runners Up - Bedford Ladies
09/04/2012 - GUILDFORD OPEN COMPETITION RESULTS
The teams competing were Sandhurst (A and B), Oxney Vines Cross and Forge Lane. It rained throughout the competition. The rain was welcome in the South East, but it did put a bit of a dampener on the Tug of War. All four teams competed in every weight. The results were:
600 - Winners - Sandhurst A - Runners Up - Sandhurst B
640 - Winners - Sandhurst A - Runners Up - Forge Lane
680 - Winners - Sandhurst A - Runners Up - Oxney Vines Cross
08/04/2012 - WOOD TREATMENT BOSLEY OPEN COMPETITION RESULTS
Teams competing – Bosley, Felton Eccles, Norton, Brockhill, Lincoln, Hanging Bridge, Two Dales, Holland, Sheen Ladies, Bedford.
This Sundays event was hosted by Wood Treatment Bosley Tug of War Club, who at short notice had to re-arrange their venue. The competition was held at Heaton House Farm, Ruston Spencer, with 8 mens clubs and two ladies clubs taking part. After a damp start, the weather remained overcast for most of the day, with some close competition in most weight classes.
The event started with the catchweight competition. The ground was slightly endy, with all teams competing dropping ends throughout the competition . Felton Eccles and Lincoln accumulated the most points throughout the competition, with Felton Eccles finishing as the eventual winners with Lincoln finishing as runners up. At the end of the catchweight competition, a memorial shield was presented in memory of Norman Hyde who passed away last year. The presentation was made by Andrew Hyde (Norman’s son) who was present at the event with other members of Norman’s family. Photo: Andrew Hyde (left) presenting the Norman Hyde catchweight memorial shield to the coach of Felton Eccles.
The ladies and youth competitions then followed, with only Sheen Ladies and Bedford Ladies taking part. Bedford Ladies had a full turnout of ladies pullers and defeated Sheen Ladies to win the first ladies competitions of the season. Photo: Sheen Ladies
In the remaining mens weight classes, Norton had another excellent weekend winning the 600, 640, 680, and 720 without losing an end. The competition for the runners up places was very competitive in those weight classes however. Lincoln finished as runners up in the 720 kilos weight class, and Bosley and Holland both finished on level points in the 680 kilos weight class, with Holland being declared runners up using the TWIF rules format. Bosley finished as runners up in the 640 kilos competition, and Hanging Bridge edged out Two Dales to finish as runners up in the 600 kilos competition. Photo: Bosley
Results
Men Catchweight – Winners – Felton Eccles – Runners Up – Lincoln
Men 720 – Winners – Norton – Runners Up – Lincoln
Men 680 – Winners – Norton – Runners Up – Holland
Men 640 – Winners – Norton – Runners Up – Bosley
Men 600 – Winners – Norton – Runners Up – Hanging Bridge
OLYMPIC ARCHIVES
Please click here to see photos from historical Olympic Games by The Times newspaper. See the picture galleries for 1900 and 1920 which include images of tug of war taken at those Olympic Games.
01/04/2012 – WILTSHIRE COUNTY OPEN RESULTS
The 2012 Outdoor Tug of War season started in full at the weekend, with the first competition of April being the Wiltshire County Open, held at Christian Malford in Wiltshire. The event was well supported by the following teams: Norton. Sandhurst A&B. Lincoln, Anstey, Probus, Felton Eccles, Widecombe, Kennford, Oxney Vines Cross.
Norton dominated the final results, winning all four weight classes on the day, with Widecombe, Sandhurst A and Lincoln sharing the runners up positions in the different weight classes.
Final Results
Catchweight – Winners - Norton - Runners Up - Widecombe 600kg - Winners - Norton - Runners Up – Sandhurst A 680kg - Winners - Norton - Runners Up – Sandhurst A 640kg - Winners – Norton - Runners Up – Lincoln
25/03/2012 – WESSEX TRAINING LEAGUE – WEEK 4 RESULTS
Over All League Winners - Widecombe, Runners Up - Kennford, 3 - Whimple, 4 - Anstey, 5 - Blandford, 6 - Clum Valley, 7 - Probus, 8 - (Joint) Chagford & 17 Port, 10 - Widecombe 'b', 11 – Glosom A , 12 - Glosom 'b'
Many thanks to all teams who supported the Wessex Training and all the best to those teams in the coming season. And a big thank you to our Officials - judges Matt Cowlard, Nick Major, George Ferret, Jonny Neal, Mick Selwood, Mark Davies and our recorders Jane Major and Sharon Hutchins.
18 AND 25 MARCH 2012 - MIDLAND AREA EARLY PULLS
Over the weekends of 22 and 28 March 2012, the Tug of War Association Midland Area held two early pulls at Holland Sports Club in Barton-under-Needwood, Staffordshire, and Lea Hall Centre in Rugeley, Staffordshire. The two events were supported by Holland (A and B), Melbourne, Lutterworth and Diesel Power.
Holland A were the winners of all weight classes at 620 kilos, 660 kilos, 680 kilos, catchweight, 600 4+4 and 660 4+4. Melbourne finished as runners up in the 620 kilos and the 660 4+4. Holland B finished as runners up in the 660, 680, catchweight and 600 4+4.
At the end of the two early pulls, the winning teams were presented with a team trophy for each weight class, with Melbourne winning an award for the most improved team over the two competitions. Well done to them. Photo: The Melbourne Team at the presentation.
The Midland area committee would like to thank all teams for their support, and we would like to invite all teams to come along to the Midland Championships, which take place on Sunday 13th May at Holland Sports Club in Barton-under-Needwood, Staffordshire, where there will be weight classes for mens teams, ladies teams and youth teams.
11/03/2012 – TUG OF WAR DEMONSTRATION IN ALCESTER
Richard Lane and the Inkberrow Bulls Tug of War Club from the Tug of War Association Midland Area recently organised a tug of war demonstration event in Alcester, Warwickshire. Richard was assisted by Area 2 officials Roger Beardsmore, Tony Henshaw and Len Hall. The event was being organised as a taster session as part of the Olympic celebrations, where Alcester will be organising their own Olympics later this year.
The demonstration event involved Inkberrow Bulls, Glossom ACF, and Shires TOWC, and local school representatives and youth clubs were invited along to watch the demonstration pulling, and were then given the opportunity to have a go at tug of war.
Alcester Youth Club got a tug of war team together and had a go at competing against the Glossom ACF Youth Tug of War Club. Well done to them for getting a team together and taking part. Hopefully some of these youngsters will get the bug for tug of war and we will see them again in the future.
11/03/2012 - ROSEDALE LEAGUE RESULTS
Teams competing - Sandhurst (A and B), Thames Valley, 1066
680 - Winners - Sandhurst A - Runners Up - Sandhurst B - Third - 1066
640 - Winners - Sandhurst A - Runners Up - Sandhurst B - Third - Thames Valley
11/03/2012 - WESSEX TRAINING LEAGUE - EVENT 3 RESULTS
27/02/2012 - WESSEX TRAINING LEAGUE - EVENT 1 RESULTS
The first training league event of the new season got under way on Sunday 26 February with 12 clubs weighing in over the 4 weight categories at the Wessex Training League event held at Whimple, Devon.
The sun shone all day on a very pleasant day for tug of war. We had the youth teams from Glos/Som in attendance and they pulled very very well with the pulling against senior teams giving them some good experience for the future
The results were as follows:
600k 8 teams entered split into 2 groups of 4
1- Widecombe A 9pts 2- Probus 8pts 3- Kennford 7pts 4- Widecombe B 6pts 5- Whimple 3pts 6- Gloss A 2pts 7- 17 port Maritime 1pt 8- Gloss B 0pts
This Sunday sees round 2 of the Wessex Training league take place at Marshwood at 620 kilos, 660 kilos and catchweight
27/02/2012 - WORLD INDOOR TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS
The 2012 World Indoor Tug of War Championships were held on 23-26 February 2012 and were hosted by the Scottish Tug of War Association at Bell’s Sports Centre in Perth. Teams weighed in on the Wednesday prior to the championships, which allows all competitors to recover from having to make their weight.
The first two days of competition saw the open club competition take place. English interest in the open club competition was limited to involvement from Kilroe, Sheen Ladies and our Under 23 development team.
The first day of competition saw the mens 560 kilos and 640 kilos competitions take place, along with the ladies 540 kilos club competition and under 23 600 kilos competition. There was no involvement from English clubs in the mens 560 kilos, 640 kilos competitions or the ladies 540 kilos competition, however there was some closely fought competition in these weights, particularly the 560 kilos competition. The 560 kilos competition was won with a fine performance from the Country Club team from Northern Ireland who defeated Abadino A from the Basque region of Spain in the final by 2 ends to 0. Amaiur, also from the Basque region took the bronze ahead of Chinese Taipei.
To watch the first end of the 560 kilos final, please click here To watch the second end of the 560 kilos final, please click here
The 640 kilos competition was won by Ayrshire from Scotland, with Clonmany B from Ireland taking silver, and Clonmany A taking bronze. TTV Dienum/Britsum from the Netherlands finished in 4th place. Dave Calcutt of Norton was a member of the Clonmany B team who took silver.
The ladies 540 kilos competition was won by the well drilled team of Chinese Taipei, with Badiotz from the Basque region taking silver. The bronze medal match was a good battle between Stans Oberdorf from Switzerland and Sakana Sokatira from the Basque Region, which went to three ends. It was Sakana who managed to hold on the longest and take the deciding end and the gold medal.
The under 23 competition was held at a world indoor championship for the first time. ETOWA entered an under 23 team and competed well in the group stage to progress to the semi finals, along with strong the A and B teams from Chinese Taipei, and a composite team from Ireland pulling as Cockhill. In the semi finals, ETOWA were defeated by Chinese Taipei B, and then went through into the bronze medal pull against Cockhill, who they had already defeated in the group stages. This pull was much different. Cockhill had made steady improvements as the competition wore on, and made a substitution mid-way through the competition which improved the balance of their team. ETOWA took over 3 of the 4 required metres off Cockhill on the first end, however the Irish team responded to take the first end. ETOWA pushed hard again on the second end, however the Irish team had the momentum and took ETOWA over the line to take the bronze medal. The final was won by Chinese Taipei A, who defeated Chinese Taipei B by 2 ends to 1 in the final in an excellent pull. Both teams had exceptional quality with Chinese Taipei A having to work very hard for their win.
To watch the first end of the under 23 bronze medal pull, please click here To watch the second end of the under 23 bronze medal pull, please click here
To watch the first end of the under 23 final, please click here To watch the second end of the under 23 final, please click here To watch the third end of the under 23 final, please click here
The second day of competition saw teams competing at 600 kilos and 680 kilos for men, 500 kilos for ladies, and 600 kilos for mixed teams. Kilroe were involved in the 600 kilos competition, and Sheen Ladies were involved in the 500 kilos competition.
In the 600 kilos competition, Kilroe were in fine form in their group, finishing in first position without losing an end and progressed to the semi finals along with St Pats from Ireland who finished as group runners up. Kilroe were joined in the semi finals by Mountain View from Ireland who also won their group in convincing fashion and Abadino A from the Basque region who progressed as runners up in that group. In the semi finals, Kilroe defeated Abadino A by 2 ends to 0, and Mountain View defeated St Pats by the same score. In the bronze medal pull, Abadino A secured a hard earned bronze medal by 2 ends to 0. The final between Kilroe and Mountain View was eagerly anticipated as both teams performed so strongly in the group phases. This was also to be a repeat of the 2011 UK Open Indoor Final where Mountain View took gold by 2 ends to 1. On this occasion, Kilroe performed strongly and had the upper hand on both ends to win the World Open Club title by 2 ends to 0.
To watch the first end of the 600 kilos final, please click here To watch the second end of the 600 kilos final, please click here
The ladies 500 kilos competition saw Sheen Ladies competing, and pulled well through the group stages to qualify for the semi finals along with Chinese Taipei, Badaiotz, and Ayrshire from Scotland. In the semi finals, Sheen Ladies were defeated by Basque team Badaiotz, so had to be content with going through to the bronze medal pull against Ayrshire who were defeated by Chinese Taipei. Sheen and Ayrshire were involved in a very hard fought contest with Sheen Ladies taking the first end. The second end was very close, with both teams eventually receiving three cautions. As such, the second end was declared a no pull, and both teams had to battle it out again. This time Sheen Ladies managed to battle Ayrshire all the way over the line to take the bronze medal. The final was a good contest between Badaiotz and Chinese Taipei. Chinese Taipei took the first end, but the Basque Ladies showed enough on the first end to suggest that they were not out of it. On the second end, Badaiotz managed to hang on to the Chinese Taipei Ladies, where weaknesses began to show, and Chinese Taipei were blown out for receiving three cautions for locking. The third end went the same way and the gold medal went to Badaiotz.
To watch the first end of the ladies 500 kilos bronze medal pull, please click here To watch the second end of the ladies 500 kilos bronze medal pull, please click here
The 680 kilos competition saw no involvement from English clubs, however the event was dominated by the Irish and Dutch teams. Clonmany A and St Pats from Ireland and Heidenskip and Lagerweij from Holland progressed to the semi finals, however it was both Irish clubs who progressed to the final. The bronze medal match saw Heidenskip (who had won the previous 2 world club championships) take on Lagerweij, and it was Lagerweij who sprung a surprise by defeating their fellow countrymen to take the bronze medal. Richard Keightly of Raunds was a member of the Lagerweij team who took bronze. The final was between St Pats and Clonmany A, and it was Clonmany A on this occasion who took the gold medal.
As with the 680 kilos competition, there was no English involvement in the mixed 600 kilos 4+4 event, which was dominated by the Basque teams. Abadino A, Ibarra, Sakana, and Chinese Taipei all progressed to the semi finals. The eventual winners were Ibarra, with Abadino A winning silver and Sakana taking bronze ahead of Chinese Taipei.
The world championships commenced on Saturday, with the championships opening ceremony taking place, with a Highland band, dancers, and opening speeches from Bill Meston (Scottish TOWA), Cathal McKeever (TWIF), and Shona Robertson (MSP and Sports/Commonwealth Games Minister for Scotland).
Competitions then got underway with the mens 560 kilos competition and the ladies 540 kilos competition. In the 560 kilos competition, England were represented by Norton, and got off to a good start with wins over Japan and Scotland. Chinese Taipei were the dominant team in the early rounds, defeating Scotland and Japan, and then defeated England and Ireland.
Controversy then struck. Chinese Taipei took the first end against Northern Ireland, but were then discovered cleaning their shoes with solvent in between ends. The chief judge then took the decision to disqualify Chinese Taipei. In the past, a number teams have been seen to use solvents to clean the soles of their shoes to enable optimum grip, however at the start of this years championship, the Chief Judge informed all teams/countries that no solvents were to be used. On this basis, the Chief Judge decided to disqualify Chinese Taipei from the 560 kilos competition. The Taipei team remained in the arena for the remainder of the competition whilst their own officials appealed the decision, however it was to no avail, and the team were disqualified. The team left the arena in tears after the completion of the group matches, bowing to the crowd in a gesture which later turned out to be their way of apologising to the supporters and officials for breaking the rules on the day.
In the semi finals, England were drawn against Scotland, and Northern Ireland were drawn against Ireland. In the semi finals Northern Ireland defeated Ireland by 2 ends to 0 to go through to the final to try and defend their 560 title from 2010. Things were not quite so straight forward in the other semi final between England and Scotland, with the pull going to three ends. Scotland took the first end, however England rallied to take the second end. On the third end, England took Scotland a good way before the Scots hit back to take England all the way back and get into the final. England had to be content to fight it out for the bronze medal against Ireland, and made no mistake of winning the bronze by 2 ends to 0. In the final, Northern Ireland were dominant, convincingly beating Scotland in the final by 2 ends to 0 to win their third world 560 kilos title in a row.
To watch the first end of the 560 kilos bronze medal pull, please click here To watch the second end of the 560 kilos bronze medal pull, please click here
To watch the first end of the 560 kilos final, please click here To watch the second end of the 560 kilos final, please click here
The ladies 540 kilos competition saw no involvement from the England Ladies, who elected to compete at 500 kilos as it was considered to be their strongest weight class. The competition for gold in the early stages looked to be between Chinese Taipei and China, however China were the second team to be disqualified on the day after using solvents to clean their footwear. The eventual teams to progress to the semi finals were Switzerland, South Africa, Netherlands, and Chinese Taipei. In the semi finals, the Netherlands defeated South Africa, and Chinese Taipei defeated Switzerland. The bronze medal match was hard fought, and it was South Africa’s ladies who took the bronze medal to win their first ever medal at a world indoor championships. The final was another demonstration of power and poise by the Chinese Taipei Ladies as they outlasted the Netherlands Ladies to win gold by 2 ends to 0.
To watch the first end of the ladies 540 kilos final, please click here To watch the second end of ladies 540 kilos final, please click here
The afternoon competition saw the 640 kilos weight class take place, with England being represented by Sheen. England were current defending champions from 2010 in this weight class, and went into the event with high hopes of defending their crown. England started the competition well, and continued their good form to progress to the semi finals without losing an end. In the semi finals, England defeated the ever improving team from China, and then went through to the final to meet host nation Scotland who defeated Ireland in their semi final. England took a tight first end in just under 2 minutes, but on the second end, England dropped in with conviction to win the second end in just over 30 seconds to take the gold medal at 640 kilos and retain the title. Ireland finished as bronze medallists after defeating China.
To watch the first end of the 640 kilos final, please click here To watch the second end of the 640 kilos final, please click here
The second day of competition was certainly very lively, with yet more hard fought competition. The day kicked off with the 600 kilos competition, and England’s representatives in this weight class were Kilroe. The competition started with Japan taking a surprise first end off Scotland, however Scotland regrouped to take the second. England started off by defeating the Netherlands and Ireland, and Chinese Taipei and Northern Ireland started off with a 1-1 draw. England made steady progress early on, however had to endure a tough match against Japan with their alternative pulling technique. England took a tough first end, but on the second end, the lifting and slack rope of the Japanese resulted in both teams picking up warnings. Both teams picked up two cautions, before England got up and started taking Japan back only for the judge to declare the pull a no pull. England then took the second end, but it took a lot out of the team. England then started to drop ends, but had done enough early on to secure progress to the semi finals.
In the semi finals, England regrouped and defeated Ireland by 2 ends to 0, and Scotland defeated Northern Ireland by 2 ends to 0, to set up another Scotland-England final. Before that, Northern Ireland and Ireland had a very closely fought match that went to three ends, with Ireland winning the bronze medal by 2 ends to 1. In the final, defending champions Scotland, were up against England in a repeat of the UK championship final that was played out earlier in the year in January. On this occasion, Scotland managed to reverse their UK championship defeat at 600 kilos to take the world title by 2 ends to, and leave silver for England. Silver of course was not the result that England wanted, however it was a good result having struggled in the second half of the group stage of the competition.
To watch both ends of the 600 kilos final, please click here
During the mens 600 kilos competition, the ladies 500 kilos competition took place, with England being represented by Sheen Ladies. England in this weight competed strongly, only losing ends to Chinese Taipei. England progressed to the semi finals along with Chinese Taipei, Scotland and South Africa. In the semi finals, England comfortably defeated South Africa by 2 ends to 0 to go forward and compete against Chinese Taipei in the final. Before the final, the bronze medal pull took place, with Scotland defeating South Africa by 2 ends to 0. In the final, the England Ladies acquitted themselves well, attacking Chinese Taipei from the drop and taking them over half way towards the line. However, the well drilled ladies from Taipei held firm and worked England back to take the first end. The second end went much the same way, and gold went to Chinese Taipei, but it was another good silver medal for the England ladies on the day.
To watch both ends of the ladies 500 kilos final, please click here
The mens 680 kilos competition saw England being represented by Uppertown, who were back representing England on the world stage for the first time in a number of years. England competed well to pick up enough points to qualify for the semi finals along with Scotland, Ireland and the Netherlands. In the semi finals, England were up against a strong team from Ireland and succumbed to a 2 ends to 0 defeat, whilst the Netherlands defeated defending champions Scotland in the other semi final. This meant that England would face Scotland for the bronze. England competed well to take the first end, however Scotland rallied and managed to stop England from working them out on the second end and Scotland levelled the pull. The third end went much the same way, and Scotland took the bronze, with England finishing in fourth place. This was a great performance from Uppertown as England representatives. The team contained many young faces who have not been taking part on the indoor circuit for very long, so 4th place in the world is still a very good achievement. The final was not quite as close as the bronze medal pull, and it was Ireland who secured a comfortable 2 ends to 0 win over the Netherlands to win their first world indoor title since 1997.
To watch the first end of the 680 kilos bronze medal pull, please click here To watch the second end of the 680 kilos bronze medal pull, please click here To watch the third end of the 680 kilos bronze medal pull, please click here
To watch the first end of the 680 kilos final, please click here To watch the second end of the 680 kilos final, please click here
The final event of the championships was the mixed 4+4 event, and England were represented in this weight by Sheen Ladies and Sheen Men. England competed strongly in the group to progress to the semi finals along with Chinese Taipei, Scotland, and China. In the semi finals, England defeated China and Chinese Taipei defeated Scotland. The bronze medal match was very close indeed with Scotland taking the bronze medal by 2 ends to 1. England went into the final against Chinese Taipei with high hopes, and England got off to a good start on the first end by taking Chinese Taipei over half way. Chinese Taipei managed to hang on and worked England back to take the first end. The second end went exactly the same way, and it was Taipei who took the gold medal.
Ladies 500 Kilos - Gold - Chinese Taipei - Silver - England (represented by Sheen Ladies) - Bronze - Scotland - 4th - South Africa
Ladies 540 Kilos - Gold - Chinese Taipei - Silver - Netherlands - Bronze - South Africa - 4th - Switzerland
Men 560 Kilos - Gold - Northern Ireland - Silver - Scotland - Bronze - England (represented by Norton) - 4th - Ireland
Men 600 Kilos - Gold - Scotland - Silver - England (represented by Kilroe) - Bronze - Ireland - 4th - Northern Ireland
Men 640 Kilos - Gold - England (represented by Sheen) - Silver - Scotland - Bronze - Ireland - 4th - China
Men 680 Kilos - Gold - Ireland - Silver - Netherlands - Bronze - Scotland - 4th - England (represented by Uppertown)
Mixed 600 Kilos 4+4 - Gold - Chinese Taipei - Silver - England (represented by Sheen/Sheen Ladies) - Bronze - Scotland - 4th - China
UK INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS - UNDER 23 REPORT
The England under 23 development team once again took part in the UK indoor Championships. We had new faces in our squad from last year in Perth and every member of our small squad gave a 110% both representing England and our Association. We gave every senior team we pulled against good tight ropes and fought them all the way and once again got high praise for our efforts by the teams we pulled against from the UK Commission and our Association committee members. A big thank you for all the encouragement you gave to our squad - it is greatly appreciated.
We had three of our pullers pulling with the senior England teams at both 600 kilos and 680kilos and also in one in the mixed 4x4 which resulted in gold silver and bronze medals for our pullers - an outstanding achievement from our young lads.
We would like to thank the following clubs for the use of their pullers Kilroe, Sheen, Uppertown, 1RHA and Raunds. And for the assistance of Mick Copper the stand-in England team manager for indoor tug of war.
We can now look forward to the world championships in Perth and will be competing in the U23s open championships as ETOWA and will be pulling Taipei in a demonstration event as England. Unfortunately three of our pullers will not be attending due to work commitments but we still have nine members of our squad able to compete.
Our squad for the world championships will be Tom Knott, Joe Bailey, Paul Sharp, Joe Birch, Jack Neville, John Brassington, George Goodwin, Craig Ellis, and Richard Torr.
Well done to all involved with our squad - lets have a great World Championships.
Dave Knott
England U23s Team Manager
UK INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS - SAT 21 JANUARY 2012 - RESULTS
2012 was England’s turn to host the UK indoor tug of war championships, which took place at Huddersfield Sports Centre in Yorkshire. This was the first time that an indoor tug of war event was held at this venue since the 2004 national indoor tug of war championships. Scotland went in to the event as defending champions in the men 600 and 680 kilos event, and England went into the event as defending champions in the mixed event.
The first weight was the 600 kilos competition. Scotland A started off by defeated England B, and England A defeated Scotland B. England’s under 23 team competed in the event as England C, and acquitted themselves well against Northern Ireland A first on, but succumbed to a 2 ends to 0 defeat. As the group progressed, England A won all of their pulls by 2 ends to 0, including a 2 ends to 0 win over defending champions Scotland A. England A finished off the competition by defeating Northern Ireland A by 2 ends to 0, who also defeated Scotland A in the group stage. The A teams from England, Scotland and Northern Ireland all progressed to the semi finals, with England B and Scotland B left to fight it out for the last place in the semi finals. The final place in the semi-finals went to Scotland B.
In the semi finals, England A defeated Scotland B to reach the final, but a very entertaining contest took place in the second semi-final, with Scotland A and Northern Ireland A taking part in a great battle. Scotland A maintained steady composure to take the first end, however on the second end, Northern Ireland’s persistence and constant work rate broke Scotland down, and they brought the rope over the line to level the match. The third end was again very close, but Northern Ireland A picked up a third caution to lose the end and hand the place in the final to Scotland.
In the bronze medal match, Northern Ireland A had to endure another three ends of tug of war against Scotland B, but this time prevailed by 2 ends to 1 to take a well deserved bronze medal. In the final, England A faced up to Scotland A who had won this event for the past 5 years. A big surprise was how England A steadily pushed Scotland A over the line in under 2 minutes on both ends to take the gold medal.
To watch a video of the first end, please click here To watch a video of the second end, pleaseclick here
The England A representatives in this weight class were Kilroe, with a composite team made up of available pullers from Raunds, Uppertown and Sandhurst representing England B. well done to both teams, and of course, well done to the England under 23 team who competed well throughout the event.
Following the 600 kilos event, the ladies 540 kilos competition took place, with Scotland and England both entering teams. On this occasion, it was the England Ladies who took the gold medal after defeating the Scotland Ladies in the final by 2 ends to 0.
In the 680 kilos event, Scotland A again went into the competition as defending champions. England A started off with a win against Northern Ireland A, and England B started off with a defeat to Scotland A. England B then got their momentum going in the competition by defeating Scotland B and Northern Ireland A, but lost out to England A who progressed to the semi finals without dropping an end after defeating Scotland A.
In the semi finals, England A defeated Northern Ireland A, and England B gave a good account of themselves against Scotland A, but missed out on a spot in the final after a 2 ends to 0 defeat. In the bronze medal pull, England B performed strongly to take the bronze medal by 2 ends to 0 against Northern Ireland A.
To watch a video of the first end, please click here To watch a video of the second end, pleaseclick here
In the final, England A and Scotland A faced each other for the second time. England took a tight first end, and looked to be in good form to take the second end, but both teams then started to make mistakes. A costly slip by England saw Scotland take full advantage and level the score in the final. The third end saw both teams retain their composure before England edged their way over the line to take the gold medal by 2 ends to 1.
To watch a video of the first end, please click here To watch a video of the second end, pleaseclick here To watch a video of the third end, pleaseclick here
The England A representatives in this weight class were Sheen, with Uppertown representing England B. well done to both teams.
In the mixed 600 kilos 4+4 event, England A and B were represented by the combined teams from Sheen and Sheen Ladies. Both teams performed strongly, with England A progressing through the group stage with relative ease. England B also gave a good account of themselves to progress as group runners up after a tough 2 ends to 0 win over Scotland A. In the semi finals, England A and B were joined by Scotland A and B. England A defeated Scotland A, and England B defeated Scotland B. In the bronze medal pull, Scotland A took the medal from their B counterparts. In the final, England A maintained their superior form and took the gold medal by 2 ends to 0.
To watch a video of the first end, please click here To watch a video of the second end, pleaseclick here
Following the completion of the closed weight classes, the open 640 kilos competition took place. The semi finalists were Kilroe, Ayrshire, Ballyhagen and the ETOWA Under 23s. In the semi finals, Kilroe defeated the Under 23s, and Ayrshire defeated Ballyhagen. Ballyhagen took the bronze medal by 2 ends to 0 ahead of a highly spirited and committed display by our under 23s. Well done to them.
To watch a video of the first end, please click here To watch a video of the second end, pleaseclick here
The final was a good pull between Ayshire from Scotland, and Kilroe from England. The first end was a good battle which endured for over three and a half minutes before Ayrshire took Kilroe over the line. On the second end, Ayrshire again competed strongly to take the pull and the gold medal.
To watch a video of the first end, please click here To watch a video of the second end, pleaseclick here
On Saturday evening, the presentation dinner took place, and our thanks go to the Cedar Court Hotel in Huddersfield for staging the event. Sunday’s competition saw weight classes take place at 600, 640, and 680, with a ladies 500 and 540, and a mixed 600 kilos event. Kilroe took the gold medal in the 600 kilos event, with Sheen winning the 640 kilos and 680 kilos competitions. Sheen Ladies were successful in the 500 kilos and 540 kilos events, taking both gold medals ahead of Ayrshire, with Sheen Ladies taking gold in the mixed 600 kilos event, with Sheen taking the runners up position to round off a good weekend for the England teams.
Thank you to the Huddersfield Sports Centre for providing the venue for the 2012 UK indoor championships, and thanks to all officials, teams and supporters for supporting the event. We now look forward to the World Indoor Championships in Perth, Scotland in February.
Final Results
Men 600 - Gold - England A (represented by Kilroe) - Silver - Scotland A - Bronze - Northern Ireland A – 4th – Scotland A
Men 680 - Gold - England A (represented by Sheen) - Silver - Scotland A - Bronze - England B (represented by Uppertown) – 4th – Northern Ireland A
600 4+4 - Gold - England A (represented by Sheen Ladies) - Silver - England A (represented by Sheen) - Bronze – Scotland A – 4th – Scotland B
Ladies 540 – Gold – England A (represented by Sheen Ladies) – Silver – Scotland A
Open 640 – Gold – Ayrshire – Silver – Kilroe – Bronze – Ballyhagen – 4th – ETOWA Under 23s
06/12/2011 - TUG OF WAR ASSOCIATION YOUTUBE CHANNEL
We now have our own YouTube channel featuring videos from major championships. We currently have videos from the 2011 European Championships (open and closed) as well as videos from the 2011 National Indoor Championships. We intend to publish videos from all future outdoor and indoor championships on this channel, so please feel free to keep visiting. You can visit the TOWA YouTube channel by clicking here
03/12/2011 - NATIONAL INDOOR TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS
This years national indoor tug of war championships were again held at the Harry Mitchell Centre in Smethwick, West Midlands, with a small number of teams entering this years event. The teams competing were Sheen, Norton, Raunds, Kilroe, Sandhurst and Uppertown. Unfortunately, only Sheen Ladies registered to take part in the ladies weight categories, so we were not able to run a ladies indoor championships this year. This years championships also included a 600 kilos 4+4 event. Photo: Raunds
The catchweight competition opened the proceedings, and it was Sheen who dominated the competition without losing any ground to the opposing teams. Raunds finished the competition as silver medallists, with Sandhurst finishing in the bronze medal position.
The 640 kilos competition followed, and was keenly contested. Sheen finished at the top of the group in the round robin stage without losing any points. Kilroe edged out Raunds to finish in second position, with Uppertown joining Sheen, Kilroe and Raunds in the semi finals. In the semi finals, Sheen defeated Uppertown by 2 ends to 0, and Kilroe and Raunds had another tight pull, which Kilroe won by 2 ends to 0 to reach the final. The bronze medal match was a good exciting pull between Raunds and Uppertown, with Raunds going into the match having beaten Uppertown in the group stage. Uppertown this time turned it around to win the match by 2 ends to 0 to take a good bronze medal. To watch the first end, please click here. To watch the second end, please click here The final was between Kilroe and Sheen, with Sheen dominating the match to take the gold medal by 2 ends to 0. To watch the first end, please click here. To watch the second end, please click here. Photo: Kilroe
The 560 kilos weight class followed, and as always, was an eagerly anticipated weight class. Norton and Kilroe both started out with wins against Sheen, before both teams met again in the final. Norton took a tight first end (click here to watch the video), and gained some good momentum on the second end to keep Kilroe moving and take the second end (click here to watch the video) and the 560 kilos gold medal to add to their 560 kilos national outdoor title and European outdoor 560 kilos title which they won earlier in the year. Photo: Norton
The 720 kilos event followed and as with the catchweight competition, Sheen dominated proceedings, winning the competition without losing an end. Raunds finished as runners up again, with Sandhurst finishing in the bronze medal position.
PhotoThe 600 kilos event was the next weight class, and was the most fiercely contested competition of the day. There was some very close competition in this weight class, particularly between Sheen, Norton, and Kilroe. Sheen and Norton were first to pull, and in an evenly contested first end (click here to watch the video), Sheen took the win. On the second end, both teams got stuck into eachother again, and both teams started to pick up cautions. Both teams were then on two cautions, with a third caution being awarded to each team for stepping off the mat (click here to watch the video). On the deciding end, Norton tried to get some early momentum before Sheen settled down to take the winning end (click here to watch the video). Photo: Sandhurst
The next pull saw Norton meet Kilroe, and again, they had to endure three ends of tough pulling. This time Norton took the first end (click here to watch the video), and were very close to taking the second end before Kilroe got themselves back into the pull to start taking Norton back. Kilroe then made some mistakes, and Norton looked as though they were going to take the rope back before Kilroe got themselves back into it to level the match (click here to watch the video). Both teams then endured a third end with Kilroe eventually taking the end for a 2-1 win (click here to watch the video). The final pull between Sheen and Kilroe saw Sheen retain their winning form, taking the first end (click here to watch the video) and second end (click here to watch the video) to take a 2 ends to 0 win to take the gold medal. Photo: Sheen
The final weight of the day was the 680 kilos competition. The group stages were again dominated by Sheen who progressed to the semi finals without losing an end. They were joined by Kilroe, Raunds and Uppertown who made up the other semi finalists. In the semi finals, Kilroe defeated Uppertown and Sheen defeated Raunds. Uppertown and Raunds were involved in another exciting pull for the bronze medal, with Uppertown again edging out Raunds to take their second bronze medal of the day. To watch the first end, please click here. To watch the second end, please click here. In the final, Sheen again proved to be too strong, and won their 5th gold medal of the championships, and their 95th indoor national gold medal. To watch the first end of the final, please click here. To watch the second end of the final, please click here. Photo: Uppertown
The final weight class of the day was the 600 kilos 4+4 competition, which was held for the first time at an indoor national championships. Sheen Ladies and Sheen fielded teams, with the 600 kilos mixed competition being won by Sheen Ladies.
Well done to all of the teams who took part on the indoor circuit this year, and thanks to the officials Vic Ludkin, Ray-Fray Smith, Mick Selwood, Mike Callaghan, Ernie Jones, Peter Craft, George Ferrett, Julie Petit, Betty Craft and Jill Thomas for officiating on the day.
We are looking for more teams to take part on the indoor circuit next season, so if you are looking to start an indoor tug of war team (male, female, mixed or youth) for winter 2012, or wish to join an existing team, then please contact us for help and advice on getting started.
Indoor teams now have the UK and World Indoor Tug of War Championships to look forward to. The UK indoor championships are being hosted in England on the weekend of 20-22 January 2012. Further details will be announced in due course. The World Indoor Championships take place from 23-26 February 2012 in Perth, Scotland. Further information about the world championships can be found by visiting www.wic2012.co.uk.
Teams competing - Uppertown, Raunds, Sheen (A and B), Norton, Kilroe (A and B), Sandhurst, Sheen Ladies
This weekend saw the prestigious AAA tug of war championships take place for the indoor teams at the Harry Mitchell Centre, with teams competing for titles at 640 kilos and catchweight.
Sheen's winning AAA Squad
The first weight of the day was the catchweight event. There was a smaller entry of teams in the catchweight this year as most teams kept themselves fresh for the 640 kilos competition. Sheen proved to be the strongest team in this weight class and won the competition without losing an end. Kilroe secured the silver medal after defeating Raunds by 2 ends to 0.
The 640 kilos competition was keenly contested, with no-one considered to be a favourite before the start of the competition. In the group stages Sheen started off with a good 2 ends to 0 win over Kilroe, and went through the remainder of the group stage of the competition without losing an end. Kilroe got over their first round defeat to get through to the semi finals, and they were joined by Raunds and Norton. In the semi finals, Sheen met Raunds and Norton met Kilroe. Sheen defeated Raunds by 2 ends to 0, but it was a good second semi-final between Kilroe and Norton, with Kilroe edging out Norton by 2 ends to 0. Kilroe and Sheen met for the second time in the final, and again Sheen pulled strongly to take a well deserved gold medal by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Norton
The open weights contested were at 580 kilos, 600 kilos, 620 kilos and 680 kilos. Kilroe won the 580 kilos competition ahead of Uppertown who finished as runners up. The 680 kilos competition followed with Sheen A taking the winners position with Kilroe A finishing as runners up. Photo: Kilroe
The 600 kilos was keenly contested with all of the teams getting some good competition. Kilroe and Norton were the two teams who came out ahead of the rest of the teams competing, with Norton winning the competition after they defeated Kilroe by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Raunds
The final weight of the day was the 620 kilos competition. Again, a keenly contested weight class, Kilroe A and Norton came out ahead of the other teams that were competing, and both teams again had a keenly contested pull. Norton took a very close first end, with Kilroe A then taking the second end in the TWIF rules competition with the pull finishing 1 end each.
Open 580 Kilos Competition - Winners - Kilroe A - Runners Up - Uppertown
Open 600 Kilos Competition - Winners - Norton - Runners Up - Kilroe A
Open 620 Kilos Competition - Winners - Kilroe A - Runners Up - Norton
Open 680 Kilos Competition- Winners - Sheen A - Runners Up - Kilroe A
06/11/2011 - INDOOR LEAGUE WEEK 4 RESULTS
This weekend, Uppertown, Leek, Kilroe, Sheen, Norton, Sandhurst, Raunds, and Sheen Ladies took part in week four of the indoor season in five weight classes.
Sheen men again won the catchweight competition without losing an end, again ahead of Kilroe and Raunds.
Kilroe again had another good week of competition, winning the 600 kilos and 640 kilos events ahead of Norton and Raunds respectively.
The 620 kilos and 680 kilos competitions were very closely fought out. With all weights being pulled under TWIF rules, both Kilroe and Norton finished on level points in the 620 kilos competition, after the two teams beat all of the other teams, and then drew one end each when they both met. With Norton picking up less cautions than Kilroe, Norton finished up as winners.
The 680 kilos competition was again keenly contested, with Sheen, Kilroe and Raunds in final contention for the winners place ahead of the other teams. Sheen defeated Kilroe earlier in the competition, however Raunds later went on to defeat Sheen. Kilroe then defeated Raunds in the final match to bring all three teams onto level points. With the TWIF criteria being applied, Kilroe were declared the winners having recieved less cautions and being the lightest team, with Raunds finishing second and Sheen third.
Some training pulls were also held for the under 23 pullers that were available on the day against Sheen Ladies and Sheen Men to assist in their preparations for the UK championships and World Championships in January/February. Thank you to Sheen men and ladies for their assistance.
Results
600 - Winners - Kilroe - Runners Up - Norton 620 - Winners - Norton - Runners Up - Kilroe 640 - Winners - Kilroe - Runners Up - Raunds 680 - Winners - Kilroe - Runners Up - Raunds Catchweight - Winners - Sheen - Runners Up - Kilroe
ENGLAND UNDER 23 INDOOR SQUAD
We are pleased to announce that after consultation with team coaches at this weekends competition at the Harry Mitchell Centre we have enough young athlete's to form a squad for the forthcoming UK Championships held by England and World the Championships in Perth Scotland.
We will have experienced pullers from last year and will be welcoming new faces to our squad which is very encouraging.
Up until our national championships we hope to be able to train our squad in a weight class that will not interfere with club line-ups [the same format as has been used successfully on the outdoor] and thereafter arrange suitable training at a representing teams training facility as this proved very successful last year. As most indoor teams are from the midlands and the north this will mean some of our squad will have to travel to train. Hopefully some of the senior members of their club will be able to assist with transportation for them if it is required.
It was a pleasure to watch our young men at the weekend and we know we have a great selection of lads to be members of our squad. We would like to thank Sheen, Kilroe, Uppertown and Sandhurst for allowing the use of their U23 pullers to form our squad.
All under 23 pullers should now make sure that they attend all competitions up to the national indoor championships in December.
If there are any other young pullers out there who would like to be involved in the under 23 indoor teams, then please contact us and make sure you attend Sunday competitions. You will also need to ensure that you are in regular training with an indoor tug of war team.
Teams in attendance - Sheen (A and B), Sheen Ladies, Uppertown, Norton, Kilroe (A and B), Raunds, Sandhurst.
This weekends indoor competition was much better supported, and the increased competition in all weights resulted in some much more competitive pulling all around, with all competitions except the 640 kilos competition being pulled as a points competition. The 640 kilos competition at the end of the day was run as a knock-out competition. The results were:
Men 600 - Joint Winners - Kilroe A and Sheen A
Men 620 - Winners - Norton - Runners Up - Kilroe A
Men 640 - Winners - Kilroe A - Runners Up - Kilroe B
Men 680 - Winners - Kilroe A - Runners Up - Sheen A
Men Catchweight - Winners - Sheen A - Runners Up - Kilroe A
23/10/2011 - INDOOR LEAGUE WEEK 2 RESULTS
Teams in attendance - Sheen Men, Raunds Woodbine, Sheen Ladies, Kilroe (A and B), Sandhurst
Results
600 - Winners - Kilroe A - Runners Up - Sheen
640 - Winners - Kilroe A - Runners Up - Sheen
680 - Winners - Sheen - Runners Up - Kilroe A
Catchweight - Winners - Sheen - Runners Up - Kilroe A
8th & 9th October 2011 - KESSINGLAND TUG OF WAR WEEKEND - ASSOCIATION AND FEDERATION JOINT EVENT
The annual Kessingland event is now in its 33rd year (started in 1979), and this year, it is the second year it has been held as a joint event organised by Tug of War Association Area 5 on behalf of the Tug of War Association and Tug of War Federation.
Judges: D Kitchener Julie Petit Mick Grimston Maurice Simons and David Ling, Recorders Wendy Dyer and Pam Prosser.
Ten teams took part in the event: Thames Valley, Hadliegh, Raunds, Totham Bull, Holland, York, Melbourne, 1066, Woodton and Leo's Boys from Northern Ireland
Saturday Results
600 4+4 - Winners - Holland - Runners Up - Woodton
Men 600 - Winners - Leos Boys - Runners Up - Holland
Men 640 - Winers Leos boys - Runners Up - Totham Bull
Men 680 - Winners Holland - Runners Up - Totham Bull
Sunday Results
660 4+4 - Winners - 1066 - Runners Up - Woodton
Men 620 - Winners - Leos Boys - Runners Up - Holland
Men 660 - Winners - Holland - Runners Up - Leos Boys
Men 720 - Winners - Totham Bull - Runners Up - Leos Boys
ENGLAND UNDER 23s - TEAM MANAGERS REPORT FROM WORLD UNDER 23 CHAMPIONSHIPS IN MINEHEAD
We are pleased to announce that all the efforts of our U23s England development squad resulted in a marvellous bronze medal in the open clubs competition and fifth place in the closed clubs competition at the Minehead European Championships.
Every member of our squad gave 100% in both competitions and myself and Stuart are extremely proud to have led you all out on the championship field.
OPEN U23’S COMPETITION
We must firstly mention that ETOWA 2 had a Mammoth task only weighing 560 kilos in this 600k competition but, each and everyone of you must be congratulated on your efforts - you were outstanding and fought all the way. We know that had you been up on weight you would be contending the top places. ETOWA 1 had a superb day and, to everyone’s delight, won our first ever open medal - a brilliant bronze!
CLOSED U23’s COMPETITION
A tough corner on endy ground was the order of the day - the same for all teams but spoiling the competition somewhat. We performed well but, due to the ground conditions, drew too many matches and two harsh blowbacks to the middle cost us a place in the last four finally finishing fifth overall. That's tug of war and we will live to fight another day. We congratulate all the medal winning teams well done to all of you you are a credit to myself, Stuart and our Association.
The comments we have received about our squads’ performance from our Association, members and individuals have been extremely positive and very encouraging and our supporters second to none.We have a sound base to build upon for the coming years with all our young pullers and we know we can further improve our placing's at future world championships with the quality of the pullers we now have available to us. We would like to thank all our clubs for allowing our squad to use their facilities and young pullers to form our successful squad.
Dave and Stuart - England U23s coaches
NORMAN HYDE
To everyone in the tug of war community.
It is with sadness that the TOWA has learned of the passing of Norman Hyde. Norman was an active pulling member of Wood Treatment Bosley Tug of War Club during the 1950's, 60's, 70's and early 80's, and continued to be involved with the club during the 80's, 90's and early 2000's, helping out with training and maintainin Bosley's training facilities.
Norman was a member of the Bosley team that went unbeaten at the AAA championships for 20 years, and represented England on several occasions, winning many World and European titles.
Norman was also a Tug of War Association Award of Merit holder in recognition of his services to tug of war.
Norman will be sadly missed by everyone. We pass on our condolences to all of his family, friends and all associated with Wood Treatment Bosley Tug of War Club. Norman leaves behind daughter Wendy, sons Jon, Andrew and Terry, 7 grand children and 2 great grandchildren.
Click here for an audio-visual slide show produced by the Guardian Newspaper
Click here for an article featured in the West Somerset Free Press
PHOTOS
Click here for a selection of photos taken at the 2011 European Outdoor Tug of War Championships
Click here for photos taken by R&P Photographic where you can also order prints
VIDEOS
Click Here to watch videos of the finals and bronze medal pulls from the open and closed competitions in Minehead
This year, the Tug of War Association hosted the European Outdoor Tug of War Championships between 22 and 25 September at Butlins Minehead, Somerset. We were again lucky with the weather, which remained largely dry for the whole event.
The first two days of the championships saw the European Open Club Championships take place with 85 tug of war clubs from Europe, as well as teams from South Africa and Chinese Taipei taking part. A full list of teams competing can be found by visiting the European Championships web site at www.ec2011tow.co.uk.
In terms of the teams from England who took part, the English clubs competing were: Felton Eccles, Sandhurst (A and B), Glos/Som (A and B), Tavistock, Kennford, Holland, Two Dales, ETOWA (1 and 2), Oxney Vines Cross, Bedford Ladies and Team Army. Sheen Men, Sheen Ladies, and Norton were also at the European Championships, representing England in different weight classes, but did not compete in the open club competition.
The first two days of the open club competition saw four weight categories for mens teams (560 kilos, 640 kilos, 680 kilos, and 720 kilos), a mixed gender weight class at 600 kilos, two ladies weight classes (at 520 kilos and 560 kilos), a junior weight class at 560 kilos, and an under 23 weight class at 600 kilos take place.
Open Men 560 Kilos
In the open club competition, Felton Eccles, Sandhurst A and B, Tavistock, Kennford, Oxney Vines Cross and Team Army all competed in the mens 560 kilos weight class. The only team to make it to the knock-out of this weight class were Felton Eccles, who were knocked out by the eventual fourth placed team Bancran from Northern Ireland. The eventual winners of this weight class were Gaztedi from the Basque region of Spain, with Ebersecken from Switzerland finishing as runners up, with Mosnang from Switzerland winning bronze in a fiercely competitive weight class.
Open Men 640 Kilos
In the open 640 kilos event, Felton Eccles, Sandhurst A and B, Tavistock, Kennford, Holland, Oxney Vines Cross, and Team Army were the English teams that took part. Felton Eccles and Oxney Vines Cross both made it to the knock out stages, with Oxney being knocked out by the eventual bronze medallists Boley from Ireland, and Felton Eccles were knocked out by Gaztedi. The eventual winners of this weight class were Engelberg from Switzerland, with Eibergen from Holland finishing as silver medallists.
Open Men 680 Kilos
In the open 680 kilos weight class, Felton Eccles, Two Dales, Kennford, and Holland all took part. Felton Eccles were the only English team to progress to the knock-out stages of the competition, and progressed all the way to the final, only to be defeated by Engelberg from Switzerland in the final. TTV Vorden from the Netherlands won the bronze medal.
Open Men 720 Kilos
In the open 720 kilos weight class, the English teams competing were from Holland and Kennford. Both teams competed well, but neither reached the knock-out stage of the competition. This competition was won by TTV Heure from the Netherlands, with PTC from South Africa winning the silver medal, and Koapman from the Netherlands winning the bronze medal.
Open Ladies 520 Kilos
The ladies 520 kilos saw Bedford Ladies competing in a full group competition with the top four teams progressing to the semi finals. Bedford were involved in close pulling with both Gonten from Switzerland and Gaztedi from the Basque Region of Spain to make the cross over, but in the end, missed out to finish in 5th spot overall. This weight was won by the impressive Chinese Taipei ladies team, with Gaztedi winning the silver medal, and Disa Ladies from South Africa winning the bronze medal.
Open Ladies 560 Kilos
The ladies 560 kilos competition did not see any English clubs taking part, but again, the impressive Chinese Taipei Ladies took the gold medal, with silver going to Vechtlust from the Netherlands, and the Koapman Ladies also from the Netherlands winning the bronze medal.
Open Junior 560 kilos
The junior 560 kilos competition took place with Gloucester and Somerset ACF team fielding two teams. The B team failed to make an impact on the final standings in their group, however the A team competed very well, losing only to the eventual winners Drostdy A from South Africa. Glos/Som A finished in third place in their group overall, missing out on the semi final places to Simonswald from Germany. The eventual winners were Drostdy A from South Africa, with Simonswald from Germany winning the silver, and the Chinese Taipei youth team winning the bronze medal.
Open Under 23 600 Kilos
The under 23 600 kilos open competition saw the England under 23 development squad field two teams, which was a great showing for our Association. The two teams (ETOWA 1 and ETOWA 2) competed very well, with the second team being almost 40 kilos under weight. The first team however competed exceptionally, finishing top of the group at the end of the group phase of the competition, having only dropped two ends to Swiss opposition. In the semi finals, the team met Ebersecken from Switzerland and suffered their first defeat of the competition. ETOWA 1 went into the bronze medal match with Paarl from South Africa, and took a well deserved bronze medal by 2 ends to 0. The eventual gold medallists were Ebersecken from Switzerland with Mosnang, also from Switzerland, finishing as silver medallists.
Open Mixed 600 Kilos
The mixed 600 kilos competition saw English teams Team Army and World Open 4+4 silver medallists from 2010 Holland take part in the competition, but neither team progressed to the knock-out stage of the competition, which was eventually won by Wallby from Sweden. Touwtje from the Netherlands won the silver medal, with Gaztedi taking the bronze – their clubs third medal of the tournament.
Opening Ceremony
The opening ceremony for the European Championships and World Under 23 Championships took place on the Friday evening after the open competitions had been completed with a parade of teams, performances from the Minehead Spotlight Dance Academy, and opening speeches from TOWA president Mr. Tony Martin, and TWIF president Mr. Cathal McKeever. England’s representatives in the opening parade were Mick Grimston, Zak Baker, Diane Mcdonald, Matt Frost and Tom Knott.
Men 680 Kilos Closed Competition
The closed event saw England field teams in all weight classes. The first event was the 680 kilos, with the England team being represented by Two Dales from Derbyshire, who were representing England for the very first time. The team acquitted themselves well to the competition, however defeats to the medal winning teams, and a couple of other dropped ends meant that they missed out both the cross-over and fifth place, with England finishing in 6th place in this competition overall. A good result from the England representatives, who would have learned a lot from their experience.
Junior 560 Kilos Closed Competition
The world junior 560 kilos event was next up, with England being represented by the Gloucester and Somerset ACF team, who as a club, were also representing England for the first time. This year, we saw one of the most competitive youth competitions take place for many years, with no team progressing to the knock-out stages without losing any ends. The England team competed exceptionally well, and were only defeated by the eventual finalists Sweden and Switzerland, however to many draws with some of the teams, meant that they missed out on a place in the cross over, and finished in joint 5th position with Chinese Taipei, dropping to 6th place overall once the cautions were taken into account. A great performance from the England juniors nonetheless and a good learning experience for them. The gold medal eventually went to Sweden, with Switzerland winning the silver medal, and South Africa the bronze.
Mixed 600 Kilos Closed Competition
The mixed 600 kilos event saw England being represented by pullers from Bedford Ladies and Oxney Vines Cross. England competed well in the group stages to finish third in the group overall and make it to the semi finals. In the semi finals, England met the Netherlands, and were close to taking them over the line on the first end, however they did not have quite enough to take the Dutch over the line. England lost the semi final by 2 ends to 0 and went into the bronze medal match against Germany who they had already defeated in the group. Germany this time had more in the tank, and defeated England by 2 ends to 0 to take the bronze medal. The eventual gold medallists were Sweden, with the Netherlands winning the silver medal.
Ladies 560 Kilos Closed Competition
The ladies 560 kilos event saw Sheen Ladies representing England. England competed strongly and progressed to the semi finals along with Switzerland, Netherlands and Sweden. In the semi finals, England were defeated by 2 ends to 0 to the Netherlands, and went on to meet Switzerland to pull for the bronze medal. In the bronze medal pull off, England had a good battle with Switzerland, and did well to start taking rope on the first end, but the Swiss hung on and managed to turn England over to take the first end. On the second end, Switzerland again pulled strongly to take the end, and deny England the bronze medal. The gold medal was won by Sweden who defeated the Netherlands in the final by 2 ends to 0.
Men 560 Kilos Closed Competition
The mens 560 kilos event saw Norton representing England. Norton went into the event on the back of a good domestic season, and having also won the 2009 European Championships at 600 kilos and reaching the final of the World Championships last year. England started off their challenge against current World 580 kilos champions the Netherlands and competed well to secure a 2 ends to 0 win to get their campaign off to a good start. England defeated all of their other opponents in the group stage, only dropping one end to Switzerland. England progressed to the semi finals along with Sweden, Switzerland and Ireland. In the semi final, England defeated Ireland, whilst Sweden pulled off a good win against Switzerland. England progressed to the final to meet Sweden, with the first end lasting just over 4 minutes before England drove strongly to take Sweden over the line. On the second end, England got Sweden under pressure from the drop, and took just over a minute and a half to take the second end and the gold medal. The bronze medal went to Switzerland with Ireland finishing 4th.
Men 720 Kilos Closed Competition
The second day of competition started with the mens 720 kilos event. England were represented by Sheen in this weight class, who were representing England at an outdoor European Championships for the first time since 1993. England started off with a defeat to Sweden, but got back into the competition to progress to the semi finals along with the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland. In the semi finals, England were drawn against Sweden, and suffered another defeat, meaning that they would go through to pull off for the bronze medal against Switzerland, who had been defeated by the Netherlands. England performed well in the bronze medal pull off to defeat Switzerland by 2 ends to 0 to take bronze. The gold medal was won by the Netherlands, with Sweden winning the silver medal.
Under 23 600 Kilos Closed Competition
The world under 23 competition was a fiercely contested weight class this year, and England were again represented by a composite team selected from different TOWA clubs. The corner where the teams were competing turned out to be a little endy, which resulted in some 1-1 draws, and England competed well through the group, but had two bruising encounters with South Africa and Sweden, both of which involved no pulls. In the final round of pulls, England were level on points with South Africa, needing to win by 2 ends to 0 against Wales in their last match to have a chance of qualifying. England surprising lost the first end, but won the second end, and with South Africa defeating Chinese Taipei in their last match, they progressed to the semi finals at the expense of England. The gold medal was won by Switzerland, with Germany taking silver and South Africa the bronze.
Ladies 520 Kilos Closed Competition
The Ladies 520 kilos competition again saw England Ladies being represented by Sheen Ladies after Bedford Ladies withdrew from the event having suffered injuries and withdrawals from their team. As with the 560 kilos competition the previous day, England progressed to the semi finals along with Switzerland, Sweden and the Netherlands. As with the previous day of competition, England were drawn to face the Netherlands and were defeated by 2 ends to 0. England went into the bronze medal match to face Switzerland, and made up for the disappointment of the 560 kilos competition the previous day, taking the bronze medal by 2 ends to 0. The gold medal was won by Sweden, with the Netherlands taking the silver medal.
Men 640 Kilos Closed Competition
The final weight of the competition was the mens 640 kilos competition. England were represented by Felton Eccles in this weight class, who were representing England at 640 kilos for the 17th consecutive season at an outdoor European or World Championships. England faced current European Champions Switzerland early on, and came close to taking the first end, only to be blown out for receiving three cautions. England progressed through the group well, but then hit three hard teams in a row – Sweden, Netherlands and Germany, narrowly losing out to Holland, defeating Sweden, and losing to Germany. In the final pull of the round, England faced Ireland, only needing 1 end to guarantee a place in the semi final. Ireland also needed at least an end to guarantee qualification as they were level with Sweden going into the last match. England took a keenly contested first end, and then took the second equally tough end to make it through to the semi finals. In the semi finals, England met the Netherlands where they were defeated by 2 ends to 0. England went through to the bronze medal pull off against Sweden, and comfortably took the first end. On the second end, Sweden had to drop to 7 pullers after one of their team members had picked up an injury. Sweden had no option but to carry on with 7, as they had already used their substitute. England sportingly dropped to 7 pullers, but still took the second end to secure the bronze medal. The gold medal was won by Switzerland with Netherlands taking silver.
Well done to all of our teams who took part in the open and closed competitions, and thank you to all the teams, supporters, volunteers and the organising committee for making the 2011 European Tug of War Championships a big success.
25/09/2011 - TWIF EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS AND WORLD JUNIOR AND UNDER 23 CHAMPIONSHIPS DAY 2
Congratulations to the England mens 640 kilos team (represented by Felton Eccles) who won bronze today against Sweden
Congratulations to the England Ladies 520 kilos team (represented by Sheen Ladies) who won the bronze medal against Switzerland.
Congratulations to the England Mens 720 kilos team (representd by Sheen) who won the bronze medal.
Congratulations to the England Under 23 team who finished 5th in the under 23 kilos competition.
afternoon results will follow later. Results are also available via www.ec2011tow.co.uk
24/09/2011 - TWIF EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS AND WORLD JUNIOR AND UNDER 23 CHAMPIONSHIPS DAY 1
Congratulations to the England Men 560 kilos team (represented by Norton) who won gold in the final against Sweden.
Congratulations to the England Junior Men 560 kilos team who finished in joint 5th position with Chinese Taipei (6th after cautions taken into account).
Congratualtions to the England men 680 kilos team (represented by Two Dales, representing England for the first time) who finished in 6th position.
Congratualtions to the England Mixed 600 kilos 4+4 team (represented by Bedford/Oxney) who finished in 4th place.
Congratualtions to the England Ladies 560 kilos team (represented by Sheen Ladies) who finished in 4th place.
23/09/2011 - TWIF EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS - OPEN CLUB COMPETITION DAY 2
Congratulations to the England Under 23 development team (ETOWA 1) who won bronze in the under 23 600 kilos event this morning! Congratulations also to the under 23 ETOWA 2 team who competed very well but missed out on the semi finals.
22/09/2011 - TWIF EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS - OPEN CLUB COMPETITION DAY 1
Congratulations to Felton Eccles TOWC for winning silver in the Men 680 kilos weight class this morning.
14/09/2011 - ENGLAND UNDER 23 NOTICES
The England U23 development squad would like to thank Sandhurst Tug of War Club for their assistance in our training for the World U23 Championships in Minehead we are eternally grateful for all your help time and advice shown by all involved at Sandhurst when our squad has held training sessions with you.
We are also indebted to Len Hall and Area 2 for all the help given at Daventry and Mr Peter Craft Hon Gen Sec for his support; and finally Mick Grimston - England Team Manager, our Association, and clubs for allowing our squad to compete. A VERY BIG THANK YOU TO YOU ALL.
Another good session was had this weekend and everyone gave 110%. What more can coaches ask for!! We are now set for Minehead and we hope we can make our Association proud of our squad.
It has been a short time in the making of our squad and as always there are situations that occur that are beyond our control, frustrating at times for everyone but that is the nature of the beast. We can now look forward to Minehead and enjoy the experience of representing our Association and England. Good luck to all of you.
Contact numbers
Knotty 07779852610 Mob
Stuart 07900303490 Mob
We wish everyone from our Association and teams competing at Minehead the best of luck - lets have a great Championships.
Dave Knott/Stuart Canning - England U23s Coaches
06/09/2011 - NATIONAL LEAGUE FINALS RESULTS
Teams competing – Senior Men – Glos/Som (A and B), Sandhurst (A and B), Felton Eccles (A and B), Norton, Oxney Vines Cross, Bedford, Inkberrow, Under 23s, Caradoc, Two Dales.
Ladies and Youth – Sheen Ladies, Bedford Ladies, Glos/Som (A, B and C), LNR ACF (A and B).
Photo: Under 23 Development Team
The national league finals was this year again held at Daventry and was reasonably well supported. The event started with the 600 kilos competition, which was split into two groups. Norton were well ahead in the points standings going into the event, so would require a disastrous performance to deny them the gold medal. However, Norton continued their consistent form shown throughout the season, and won their group, however did drop an end to the England Under 23 development team who looked very smart in their new strip to be worn in the European Club Competition in Minehead. Norton progressed to the cross over of their group ahead of Sandhurst A. Photo: Glos/Som ACF
The second group contained Caradoc, Two Dales, Glos/Som A and Inkberrow, and Sandhurst B with both Two Dales and Caradoc progressing through to the cross over. There was some good performances in this group from Glos/Som A and Inkberrow with both teams holding their own and winning some good ends. The semi finals saw Norton and Sandhurst A both progress to the final, with Two Dales and Caradoc left to contest third place. This pull went to three ends, with Two Dales competing really well to win by 2 ends to 1 to secure third place. The final saw Norton and Sandhurst A line up against each other, with Norton taking both ends to win the competition on the day and secure national league gold. Photo: Norton - 2011 national league champions at 600, 640, and 680
The 640 kilos was the next weight to be contested, again split into two groups. Norton again won their group without losing an end and despite being pushed hard by Oxney. Caradoc again progressed to the semi finals along with Felton Eccles. In the semi finals, Norton defeated Caradoc and Felton Eccles defeated Oxney to make the final. Oxney won the third place pull by 2 ends to 0, and Norton defeated Felton Eccles to take their second win on the day, and again, secured the national league gold medal. Photo: Inkberrow TOWC
The final weight of the national league was the 680 kilos event. Again, this weight was split into two groups. Norton and Felton Eccles yet again proved to be the strongest in this weight class and both progressed to the final. Norton again stood firm to round off another strong season with a 2 ends to 0 win to win the competition on the day, and secure the overall gold medal in the 680 kilos national league. Photo: LNR ACF TOWC
At the end of the competition, a training competition was held at 600 kilos for the England Under 23 squad. We did have members of the squad missing due to work etc, but nonetheless all squad members present looked the business in their new shirts. In hindsight we wished we had entered two teams in the 600 kilos league finals as there were a few tired legs by the end of the day as a result of squad members pulling in the other weights. Both our teams pulled very well and many thanks to all the teams who helped us out to enable us to compete - we appreciate your help. Photo: Bedford Ladies
The ladies and youth league finals were contested with 7 teams taking part. Gloucester and Somerset ACF continued their winning streak, with their A team winning both the 520 kilos and 560 kilos weight classes. Sheen Ladies finished as runners up in the 560 kilos weight class on the day ahead of the Glos/Som B and C teams, Bedford Ladies, and the Leicester and Northants ACF A and B teams. In the 520 kilos event, Bedford Ladies finished as runners up on the day ahead of Sheen Ladies, Leicester and Northants ACF and the Glos/Som B and C teams. In overall youth league, Gloucester and Somerset ACF finished as overall winners of both the 520 kilos and 560 kilos, with Leicester and Northants finishing as runners up. In the ladies league, Sheen Ladies finished as overall winners of the 560 kilos and 520 kilos events, with Bedford Ladies finishing as runners up. Photo: Sheen Ladies
Well done to all of the teams who have taken part in the various leagues this year.
20/08/2011 - 2011 GENSB YOUTH INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT RESULTS
Sursee (Switzerland) played host to the 14th GENSB tournament on Saturday 20th August.
54 teams entered the competition from 10 different countries. The founder members of GENSB entered the following number of teams, Germany (7 teams), England (8 teams), Netherlands (10 teams), Switzerland (11 teams) and Belgium (6 teams) and in addition teams were entered from Sweden (3 teams), South Africa (1 team), Lithuania (4 teams), Ireland (2 teams) and Latvia (1 team). The 54th team was a mixed nationality team under the banner of “Europa”, made up of spare pullers to give everyone attending a chance to compete. Photo: Glossom ACF
The competition commenced at 10 am in very warm conditions. Following the officials the 54 teams progressed into the arena and lined up for the opening ceremony. The penultimate team and last years winners Mosnang (Switzerland) entered the arena carrying the GENSB trophy, which they then handed to a member of the organising committee to mark the end of their reign as champions. The last team to enter the arena were our hosts Nottwil carrying the GENSB flag. There was a short speech by the GENSB chairman Vic Ludkin and the competition was ready to commence. Photo: LNR ACF
The 54 teams (a record entry for the event) were divided into 6 groups of 9 teams. The best two teams from each group and the four best third placed teams went into the last 16.
The eight teams from England came from two clubs. Glossom (Gloucester & Somerset) Army Cadet Force and Leicester Northants and Rutland Army Cadet Force, with each club fielding four teams.
Our best performance came from Glossom A who gained 19th place overall. They finished fourth in their group, which included both semi finalist (Sins and Ebersecken from Switzerland) as well as Velkonis from Latvia who reached the last sixteen.
Other positions were 46th Glossom, 47th, 48th, and 49th. LNR; 52nd Glossom, 53rd LNR; and 54th Glossom.
The teams from England gained valuable experience from the competition. They learnt much about themselves, their competitors and the standard they must aim to achieve to be successful. Defeat can be hard and in tug of war often brutal, but all sides conducted themselves in a mature manner and maintained the high standards of our sport. Well done to all who took part. Photo: 2011 GENSB Champions Streefkerk
The final positions after some intense competition were
Teams reassembled in the arena for the presentation of medals to Sins (Bronze), TTV Powerrangers (Silver) and TTV Streefkerk (Gold) followed by the presentation of the GENSB trophy by Vic Ludkin to the 2011 winners TTV Streefkerk.
The 2012 GENSB youth international tournament will take place in Retie (Belgium) on 24 – 26 August 2012.
Thanks to Martin Mulcahy (TOWA Child Protection Officer) for providing this report.
13/08/2011 - UK OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS UNDER 23 REPORT
Please click here for a report from the England Under 23 team manager
13/08/2011 - UK OUTDOOR TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS
The 2011 United Kingdom Outdoor Tug of War Championships were this year hosted in England with Bedford Ladies doing much of the organisation to stage the event at Kempston in Bedford. The event was supported by teams from England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, with Scotland opting not to support the event this year, whilst concentrating their efforts on competing at the European Championships in Minehead instead. The UK weight classes this year were 600 kilos and 680 kilos for men, 520 kilos and 560 kilos for ladies, and a mixed 4+4 600 kilos event.
The 600 kilos event saw England field an A and B team (represented by Norton and Oxney Vines Cross respectively), and also a C team represented by the England Under 23 development squad.
England A started off Strongly with a win against Wales A, before comfortably beating the rest of the field, including the England B team represented by Oxney from Sussex. England B and England C started first on, but there was no upset here as England B defeated the under 23 team by 2 ends to 0. The England C team competed well throughout the day, but failed to take any ends off the opposition, despite running the Welsh teams close.
In the semi finals, England A met Wales A in the semi finals, going on to secure a comfortable 2 ends to 0 win to meet England B who defeated Northern Ireland A in their semi final by 2 ends to 1 in a good match. England A. represented by Norton again proved to be very strong and overcame the England B team by 2 ends to 0 to win the gold medal without dropping any points. The bronze medal was won by Northern Ireland A who had a good 2 ends to 0 win over Wales A in the bronze medal play off.
Whilst it was a great performance by England A, England B (represented by Oxney) did a great job throughout the competition, with many young new faces in their team representing England for the first time. When they join up with the England Under 23 team, they should help to make a strong England under 23 team for the world under 23 championships which are taking place alongside the European Championships in Minehead in September.
The ladies weight classes were the next weights to be contested, and in the absence of Scotland, four teams competed in each weight class – England A and B, and Wales A and B. England A and B were represented by Sheen Ladies and Bedford Ladies, With Sheen Ladies representing England A in the 560 kilos and England B in the 520 kilos, and Bedford Ladies representing England A in the 520 kilos and England B in the 560 kilos.
In both of the ladies weight classes Sheen Ladies, took gold for England, and on the hard ground proved to be formidable opponents to all before them, and were rarely troubled by any other the other teams from the UK nations, including the England B team represented by Bedford Ladies. Sheen Ladies took gold as England A in the 560, and gold as England B in the 520 kilos. Bedford Ladies, were worthy winners of the silver medals as England representatives in both weight classes. In the 520 kilos, Wales B defeated Wales A to take the bronze, and Wales A took the bronze in the 560 kilos event.
The second mens weight of the day was the 680 kilos competition. England A were represented by Sheen and England B were represented by Felton Eccles.
England A started off strongly by defeating Wales B, before beating all the other teams in the group, including England B, represented by 2010 UK champions Felton Eccles without losing an end. It wasn’t quite as straight forward for England B as they dropped an end to the strong Wales A side, however they progressed to the semi finals in second place in the group. In the semi finals, England A again defeated Wales B.
Again, England B, represented by Felton Eccles had to endure a tough three end pull with the Wales A side, and managed to overcome Wales by 2 ends to 1. In the final, England A were up against England B. England A took the first end fairly comfortably, however on the second end, England B raised their game to try and level the score. After a gruelling pull that lasted almost four minutes, and with both teams on 2 cautions, England A brought England B over the line to take the UK 680 kilos outdoor title. This was the first time that Sheen have won the 680 kilos weight class at an outdoor UK championships.
The final weight class of the closed event was the mixed 600 kilos 4+4. In this weight class, England A were represented by Bedford, and England B were represented by Oxney. Both England A and England B progressed to the semi finals along with Wales A and Wales B. In the semi finals, England A defeated Wales B, and England B defeated Wales A. Wales A took the bronze medal, and England A took the gold medal ahead of England B who won silver as runners up to cap off a good weekend for the England teams in which gold and silver medals were won in each weight class.
Acknowledgements
The Tug of War Association would like to make special thanks to Dave and Marion Kitchener and all associated with Bedford Ladies Tug of War Club for organising this years United Kingdom Tug of War Championships on behalf of the Tug of War Association. It was very well received by all who took part and supported the event over the weekend. A good job well done.
Men 600 Kilos - 1. England A (Represented by Norton) - 2 - England B (Represented by Oxney Vines Cross - 3 - Northern Ireland A - 4 - Wales A
Men 680 Kilos - 1 - England A (Represented by Sheen) - 2 - England B (Represented by Felton Eccles) - 3 - Wales B - 4 - Wales A
Ladies 520 Kilos - 1 - England B (Represented by Sheen Ladies) - 2 - England A (Represented by Bedford Ladies) - 3 - Wales B - 4 - Wales A
Ladies 560 Kilos - 1 - England A (Represented by Sheen Ladies) - 2 - England B (Represented by Bedford Ladies - 3 - Wales A - 4 - Wales B
Mixed 600 kilos 4 + 4 - 1 - England A (Represented by Bedford) - 2 - England B (Represented by Oxney Vines Cross) - 3 - Wales A - 4 - Wales B
12/08/2011 - TUG OF WAR IN THE NEWS
Please click here to read the BBC news article about the UK tug of war championships taking place in Bedford this weekend.
07/08/2011 - INTER COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIPS AND NATIONAL OPEN 4 + 4 RESULTS
This years Inter County and National Open 4+4 Championships were held at Cranleigh Agricultural Show in Surrey. The event was supported by Norton (Staffordshire), Felton Eccles (Somerset), Sandhurst (Berkshire), Oxney Vines Cross (Susses), 1066 (Sussex), Totham Bull (Essex), Leek (Staffordshire), and Woodton (Nortfolk). Photo: Staffordshire, represented by Norton
The championships were not quite as well supported as last year with some teams competing abroad or being unable to travel to the event, however the competition was good, and teams had the opportunity of trying out the new ropes that are to be used at the European Outdoor Championships in Minehead in September. Photo: Sussex, Represented by Oxney Vines Cross
All weight categories were pulled under TWIF Rules with the top four teams in each weight class progressing to the semi finals and finals. The two inter county weights at 640 kilos and 680 kilos were won well by Staffordshire who were represented by Norton. The runners up in the 640 kilos weight class were Sussex represented by Oxney Vines Cross. The runners up in the 680 kilos weight class were Somerset, Represented by Felton Eccles. Photo: Bedford - National 4+4 Champions
The national 4+4 competition was supported by five teams. Bedford Ladies finished up as the overall winners to defend their title from 2010. The runners up this year were Leek, with Oxney winning the bronze medal. Well done to all of the teams who took part in this event. Photo: Leek TOWC - National 4+4 silver medallists
The open weights were contested at 600 kilos and 660 kilos. Norton again finished as worthy winners without losing any ends. Oxney finished as runners up in the 600 kilos competition, with Felton Eccles A finishing as runners up in the 660 kilos event.
Please click here for a report from the latest England Under 23 training event and information regarding the UK championships coming up this weekend.
05/08/2011 – DARTMOUTH TOWC OPEN COMPETITION
Dartmouth held a competition on Friday with 7 mens teams and 3 ladies teams attending. The men’s competition was pulled in 2 groups. The winner in group A were Dartmouth with Culm Valley in the runner up spot followed by Whimple then another new team to the area Chagford. In group B Chumleigh were the winners with Okehampton in the runner up spot with Kingsbridge in 3rd.
In the first semi final, Dartmouth overcame Okehampton 2-0 and in the second semi final Culm Valley beat Chumleigh by the same score. Dartmouth then went on to defeat Culm Valley 2-0 in the final
In the ladies competition South Dartmoor girls were the victors again in a 3 team group points competition followed by Culm Valley and Whimple.
This week sees a busy one with Okehampton Show on Thursday with a 5.30 WI for 6.00pm first pull. Weights - men 640k & CWT and a ladies competition. Then on Saturday itsManaton show – weigh in 1.30pm first pull 2.00pm - weights also 640k & CWT.
With the FWA league now getting even tighter at the top this weeks events could make it very interesting. The latest FWA league table is as follows after 12 events:
The winners of a group of 4 teams were Culm Valley followed by Whimple then Yarcombe then Honiton
In the ladies Culm Valley were the victors with Whimple in the runner up spot
Some very tight pulling was to be had at this event, and as usual, the tug of war kept the very large and sometimes overenthusiastic crowd entertained.
02/08/2011 - ENGLAND UNDER 23s - IMPORTANT NOTICES
South West Open Day - Please click here to read a report from the South West Open Day, hosted by Felton Eccles TOWC.
England Under 23 Squad Selection for UK Championships - Please click here to read about the squad selection for both the closed and open championships for the UK Outdoor Championships taking place in Bedford on 13th/14th August 2011.
29/07/2011 – WHIMPLE TOWC OPEN COMPETITION
6 mens teams and three ladies teams attended a Friday evening competition hosted by Whimple TOWC.
The men’s catchweight competition was pulled in a straight group of 6. The winners were Culm Valley on 14 points followed by Whimple A in the runner up spot with 11 points. Chumleigh finished in joint third place with Dartmouth, both on 6 points. The Lamb Inn finished on 5 points and finally Whimple B finished on 3 points
In the ladies competition South Dartmoor girls were the victors again in a 3 team group with maximum points followed by Whimple and Culm Valley.
The latest FWA league table is as follows after 11 events
24/07/2011 – NATIONAL LEAGUE WEEK 6 – EAST CHESHIRE HOSPICE, MACCLESFIELD
Teams competing: Senior Men – Bosley, Felton Eccles (A and B), Norton, Sheen, Sandhurst, Penistone, Two Dales, Bakewell. Ladies and Youth – Sheen Ladies, Penistone Ladies, Leicester and Northants ACF A and B.
This weekend’s East Cheshire Hospice fundraiser brought with it good weather and excellent competition in all weight classes contested on the day in both the mens weights and ladies and youth weights. Sheen Ladies won all of the ladies and youth weights, only dropping the odd end at 500 kilos, 520 kilos, 540 kilos and 560 kilos ahead of Penistone Ladies in the 500 kilos, 520 kilos and 540 kilos, with the Leicester and Northants ACF A team finishing as runners up in the 560 kilos competition. Photo: Penistone Ladies
The mens weight classes were well contested. Sheen and Felton had some great battles in the 720 kilos and catchweight events, with Sheen winning the gruelling ends in both the group stages and the finals of both of those weight categories. Felton were in the mix again in the 680 kilos competition, this time, having to battle it out with Norton for the gold medal. Felton managed to overcome Norton by 2 ends to 0 in the final to take a hard fought win, with Norton succumbing to a rare defeat. Photo: Felton Eccles
Norton however pulled successfully in the 600 kilos, 620 kilos, and 640 kilos events, winning all three of those weight classes, despite being pushed harder this week by the likes of Bosley, Sandhurst and Bakewell. Norton defeated Sandhurst by 2 ends to 0 in the final of the 640 kilos event, Bosley in the final of the 620 kilos event, and Bakewell in the final of the 600 kilos event. Photo: Sheen Ladies
The organisers, on behalf of the East Cheshire Hospice would like to thank all of the teams and supporters for coming along and supporting the event again this year. Unfortunately we had no novice 6 a side teams competing like we have had in previous years, but it was still a good day nonetheless. Photo: Bosley
Results:
Men Catchweight – Winners – Sheen – Runners Up – Felton Eccles A
Men 720 kilos – Winners – Sheen – Runners Up – Felton Eccles A
Men 680 kilos – Winners – Felton Eccles A – Runners Up – Norton
Men 640 kilos – Winners – Norton – Runners Up – Sandhurst
Men 620 kilos – Winners – Norton – Runners Up – Bosley
Men 600 kilos – Winners – Norton – Runners Up - Bakewell
Ladies/Youth 560 kilos - Winners - Sheen Ladies - Runners Up - Leicester and Northants ACF A
23/07/2011 – HELP FOR HEROES CHARITY EVENT – NEWTON ABBOT RACECOURSE, DEVON
On Saturday TOWA officials Nick Major and John Neal travelled to Newton Abbot to run the Help for Heroes competition.
We had 7 totally novice teams attend and a good afternoon’s entertainment was had by all.
Newton Abbot All Whites rugby club were the winners with a South West Highways team in the runner up spot.
After the competition, we had an enquiry from one of the teams who had enjoyed themselves so much they are thinking of starting a team, John gave them a TOWA handbook and have taken their details. Nick Major will be sending them the remaining FWA fixtures and told them they would be made most welcome if they attended any FWA/TOWA events in the future. You never know we might get yet another team in our growing ranks in this area.
The latest FWA league table is as follows after 10 events
11 team’s attended Culm Valley’s open tug of war competition in Devon on Friday evening - 8 men’s teams & 3 ladies teams.
The men’s catchweight competition was split into 2 groups. In group A the winners were Culm Valley with Whimple the runnesr up. In group B the winners were Dartmouth with Chumleigh the runner up
The cross-over produced wins for Culm Valley by 2-1 over Chumleigh in a very close match and Whimple over Dartmouth 2-1 in another very close match. The final saw hosts Culm Valley defeat Whimple 2-1 in an exact repeat of their earlier group match.
The Far Western Area had another new team join their ranks in the Lamb Inn who pulled very well in their first competition at this level and if they choose to stick with it will be a very useful addition.
In the ladies competition the very impressive South Dartmoor girls won the 3 team group with maximum points followed by Culm Valley and Whimple (It is good to see the ladies teams out and about in the Far Western Area once again).
17/07/2011 - FORGE LANE TOWC OPEN COMPETITION RESULTS
Teams competing: Forge Lane, Felton Eccles, Sandhurst (A and B), Oxney, Hailsham, Cowbeech, 1066.
600 - Winners - Oxney
640 - Winners - Oxney
660 - Winners - Oxney
680 - Winners - Sandhurst
Catchweight - Winners - Felton Eccles
17/07/2011 – TOWA – TUG OF WAR FEDERATION JOINT EVENT – ASHBOURNE HIGHLAND GATHERING - RESULTS
Teams competing – York, Church House, Lutterworth, Sheen, Bosley, Norton, Leek, Two Dales, Lincoln, Sheen Ladies, Holland, Triple F, Whittlesey, Totham Bull, Woodton, Melbourne
The joint event at Ahbourne Highland Gathering was well supported by teams from both the Tug of War Association and The Tug of War Federation. 7 weight categories took place on the day, including two mixed weight classes. The day started off without too much rain, although later on conditions deteriorated with the ground becoming wet, but it made it a good leveller. The event was held under Federation rules, with pulls being decided as a best of 3 ends. Photo: Lincoln
8 teams competed in the 720 kilos competition, with Sheen, Holland, Lincoln, and Totham Bull progressing to the semi finals. Lincoln defeated Holland in their semi-final, with Sheen defeating Totham Bull. Sheen went on to win the event with a 2 ends to 0 victory over Lincoln.
8 teams competed in the 660 4+4 mixed competition. The competition was split into two groups, with Sheen Ladies and Holland both progressing to the final without losing any ends. The final was close, with Sheen Ladies winning the gold medal by 2 ends to 1.
m 10 teams competed in the 600 kilos event, being split into two groups. Lincoln and Totham Bull progressed through group 1 ahead of Church House, Whittlesey and Melbourne, and Norton and Two Dales progressed through group 2 ahead of York, Woodton and Triple F. The semi finals saw Norton defeat Totham Bull, and Lincoln defeat Two Dales. Norton went on to defeat Lincoln by 2 ends to 0 in the final.Photo: Totham Bull
The 680 kilos event was again entered by 11 teams split into two groups. Norton progressed from group 1 along with Bosley ahead of Two Dales, York, and Whittlesey, whilst Sheen and Lincoln progressed from group 2 ahead of Holland, Lutterworth, Totham Bull and Leek. Norton defeated Lincoln in their semi final, and Sheen defeated Bosley. Norton then won their second weight of the day with a 2 ends to 0 win over Sheen. Photo: Sheen
The 600 kilos mixed 4+4 competition was again contested by 8 teams, and again it was Sheen Ladies and Holland who progressed to meet each other in the final for the second time. This was another close three end pull, and this time it was Holland who took the win by 2 ends to1.
:The 640 kilos competition followed, and at this stage of the day, there was a heavy downpour. 12 teams entered the 640 kilos event, and to speed up the proceedings, the competition was split into four groups of three, with the top team in each group progressing to the final. Lutterworth, Norton, Whittlesey and Bosley all progressed, with Bosley being defeated by Lutterworth and Norton defeating Whittlesey. Norton and Lutterworth went into the final, and Norton took their third win of the day by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Holland
The final weight of the day was the catchweight competition with only three teams entered. Sheen won this weight without losing an end, with Lincoln finishing as runners up after defeating Holland by 2 ends to 1.
The event was considered to be a success, and thanks go to the officials from both organisations - Stuart Bell, Roger Beardsmore, Tony Gray, Glyn Lawrence, Maurice Simons, Pam Prosser and Sue Lawrence. The next joint event will take place at Kessingland in October. All teams are welcome to take part in this event. See the fixtures page for more info.
720 – Winners – Sheen – Runners Up – Lincoln 660 4+4 – Winners – Sheen Ladies – Runners Up – Holland 600 – Winners – Norton – Runners Up – Lincoln 680 – Winners – Norton – Runners Up – Sheen 600 4 + 4 - Winners – Holland – Runners Up – Sheen 640 – Winners – Norton – Runners Up – Lutterworth Catchweight – Winners – Sheen – Runners Up – Lincoln
17/07/2011 – WIDECOMBE TOWC OPEN COMPETITION, DEVON – RESULTS
9 teams attended this weekends competition at Widecombe in Devon.
The day started with the catchweight with a straight 5 team group. The winners were Whimple with Kennford the runner up, followed by Dartmouth, Chumleigh and Widecombe.
Next up was the 600 in a group of 6. The winners were the hosts Widecombe with Kennford again the runner up, followed by Whimple Dartmouth, Okehampton, and Princetown.
The third weight of the day was the 680 kilos, again another straight 6 group. The winners were Tavistock and the runners up were Kennford A, followed by Dartmouth Chumleigh, Widecombe, and Kennford B.
The biggest weight of the day was the 640 kilos competition with 8 teams entered split into 2 groups. In group A the winners were Widecombe with Kennford the runner up. In group B the winners were Tavistock with Okehampton the runner up. The cross over produced wins for Tavistock by 2 ends to 1 over Kennford in a very close match and Widecombe over Okehampton 2-0. The final saw hosts Widecombe defeat Tavistock by 2 ends to 0.
The 660 non finalist event was the last weight of the day, and this weight saw 4 teams qualify to compete. The winners Dartmouth followed by Princetown, Okehampton and then Chumleigh, which ended another great days pulling in the area.
Results Summary
Catchweight – Winners – Whimple – Runners Up – Kennford 600 – Winners – Widecombe – Runners Up – Kennford 680 – Winners – Tavistock – Runners Up – Kennford 640 – Winners – Widecombe – Runners Up – Tavistock 660 Non Finalist – Winners – Dartmouth – Runners Up - Princetown
The Far Western Area league is really hotting up now and getting very tight at the top after today’s results.
The latest FWA league table is as follows after 9 events
Felton Eccles TOWC recently appeared on ITV West Country following their success at the national outdoor tug of war championships in Lincoln. This filming forms part of publicity in Somerset and the South West for the forthcoming European Outdoor Championships in Minehead. To watch the video, please click here
TUG OF WAR DEMONSTRATION
A tug of war demonstration was recently held as part of the Evesham Festival of Sport. Assistance was provided by Richard Lane and Mick Copper of the Tug of War Association Midland Area, with the assistance also from officials of the Tug of War Federation. Pullers from Inkerberrow YFC and Shires Tug of War club formed teams to take part in the demonstration.
Many ends were pulled to help inform spectators on the day about the sport of tug of war and how they can get involved. Well done to those who took part to help us promote tug of war.
ENGLAND UNDER 23 REPORT - SANDHURST - 10/07/2011
We are pleased to report the success of the under 23s team trial at Sandhurst. A total of sixteen pullers attended with a further six that were unavailable on the day . This is by far the largest attendance our Association has had for the under 23s and shows the commitment from our clubs to their youth pullers to allow them to compete .
We would like to thank team Army, Bosley, Felton Eccles, Forge Lane, Holland, Kennford, Sandhurst, Totham Bull, Two Dales and Oxney Vines Cross for their co-operation in allowing the use of their pullers. We now have a squad of both experienced pullers and newcomers to our under 23s to build upon in the coming years and it will be a privilege to see them all develop into seasoned pullers.
It is a great honour to be selected for an England Squad and although only eight are able to pull in the final England selected team every one of you are playing a part on the future of English tug of war - be proud that you have been selected for the squad.
We would like to thank Sandhurst Tug of War Club and our officials for all their help and co-operation on making our trial day such a great success.
Train hard do that extra bit we are England Under 23s.
Dave Knott
England Under 23s Manager
11/07/2011 – TUG OF WAR VIDEO FROM 2010 WORLD OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS IN SOUTH AFRICA
The official video showing highlights of the 2010 World Outdoor Championships in South Africa is now available to view on Youtube.
Tug of War Association Area 8 had an excellent day at the FWA championships on Sunday 3rd July.
10 teams were in attendance and 5 different teams made it to the trophy table in the end with the results fairly well spread out.
The excellent weather conditions resulted in 3 or 4 other teams who were intending to come missing the event, as they are all farmers and emailed Friday and Saturday to say they could not attend as they were silaging in the good weather. Ten teams however is the best the FWA championships have had for many years.
Thanks must go to John Vargo for the use of his field and Probus for setting it up as hosts. Once the scales closed we had 10 teams weighed in for the various weight categories.
The pulling started with the ladies competition which was won by Helston A who defeated Helston B 2-0. It was a shame that we did not have any more of our ladies teams in attendance to make it a better competition, as the trophy is a nice one!
The main competitions started with the 720K which was pulled as a straight 4 group with Helston the winners and Tavistock runner up followed by Kennford and Chumleigh.
The next weight was the 600k 8 teams entered split in to 2 groups of 4. In group A Tavistock were the winners followed by Kennford in group B Widecombe were the winners followed by Probus. In the semi finals Tavistock defeated Probus 2-0 and Widecombe overcame Kennford 2-0 in a very tight match. The final saw Tavistock overcome Widecombe 2-0
This was followed by the 680K 5 teams entered in one group. The winners were Helston followed by Kennford in the runner up spot, then Tavistock, Widecombe and Chumleigh.
The last weight of the day saw 8 teams again enter the 640K again split into 2 groups.
In group A Tavistock were the winners followed by Probus, in group B Chumleigh were the winners followed by Okehampton.
In the semi finals Tavistock defeated Okehampton 2-0 and Probus overcame Chumleigh 2-0 in another very tight match. The final saw Tavistock overcome Probus 2-0 to lift the trophy.
Also competing on the day were Princetown & Whimple.
The final pull of the day was for the Tillitson trophy and an eagerly awaited match between pullers from Cornwall Vs pullers from Devon selected from the teams in attendance. This year it was at Catchweight as it alternates between 640 & Catchweight each year. After some tight pulling in both ends, Cornwall came out victorious with a 2-0 victory to take the cup for the first time in many years- so well done Cornwall.
The latest FWA league table is as follows after 6 events:
Chumleigh are top as they are the only team to have attended all of the league venues this season so far - Not bad for a team in their first full season with us.
19/06/2011 - YFC MIDLAND REGIONAL FINAL HELD AT THREE COUNTIES SHOW, MALVERN, WORCESTERSHIRE
Results supplied by TOWA Midland Area Number 2.
Men 680 kilo Hereford A 17 Staffordshire A 16 Hereford B 12 Warwickshire 8 Shropshire 5 Staffordshire B 4 Worcestershire 1
Womens’ 580 Staffordshire A 18 Staffordshire B 15 Shropshire A 11 Warwickshire 10 Worcestershire 4 Hereford 4 Shropshire B 1
YFC competitors have over the past five years continued to develop their skills and endurance and this competition demonstrated the best yet. This new level of endurance made for some lengthy pulls, which in turn, had an effect on the time the event took. All agreed that the event was a great success and provided good entertainment for the large audience. Many people commented on how professional the teams looked as they marched out to the rope and upon the quality of sportsmanship demonstrated during the day. The Two Judges Roger Beardsmore and Tony Henshaw were congratulated upon their handling of the competition.
We wish the winning teams the best of luck as the go to represent the Midland Area in the grand final.
20/06/2011 - NATIONAL OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS - PRESS ARTICLES
Please click here for a report on the championships from the Lincolnshire Echo.
Please click here for a selection of photos from the Lincolnshire Echo
Pleae click here for a report and video produced by the Young Journalists Academy. The video shows clips of the mens and ladies teams competing as well as an interview with junior ladies pullers from Leicester and Northants ACF
18/06/2011 - 2011 NATIONAL OUTDOOR TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS
National Outdoor Tug of War Championships 2011 - Teams competing:
Senior Men - Lincoln, Alford, Norton, Sheen, Bosley, Holland, Two Dales, Team Army, Felton Eccles, Tavistock, Widecombe, Sandhurst, Oxney Vines Cross, Forge Lane,
Junior Men – Gloucester and Somerset ACF, Leicester, Northants and Rutland ACF, Lincoln ACF
Junior Ladies (demonstration event) – Gloucester and Somerset ACF, Leicester, Northants and Rutland ACF
This years national outdoor tug of war championships were held in Lincoln at the Sabroan Barracks. The event was organised with the assistance and support of Captain Rob Holland and the Lincolnshire Army Cadet Force. The venue was good, and despite the dry weather experienced in this area, the ground cut up nicely allowing for some good competitive pulling. The weather remained largely dry for most of the day with only one heavy downpour during the 560 kilos event. Photo: Championships Officials
The championships opened with the mens catchweight and ladies 560 kilos events. Four teams competed in the catchweight competition, which was pulled under TWIF rules, meaning that each team pulled each other, before a semi-final cross over. Sheen started strongly with a 2 ends to 0 win over Sandhurst, whilst Bosley and Holland drew 1-1. Sheen then defeated Bosley, and Holland defeated Sandhurst. Bosley then defeated Sandhurst by 2 ends to 0, and Sheen defeated Holland. Photo: Holland Ladies
The semi finals saw the top team pull the fourth placed team, and the second placed team pull the third placed team. Sheen defeated Sandhurst by 2 ends to 0, and Bosley earned a hard fought 2 ends to 0 win over Holland to make the final. Sandhurst and Holland were left to fight it out for the bronze medal. Despite being very light in this weight, Sandhurst held their own very well, however Holland proved to be that bit stronger on the day, and won through by 2 ends to 0. Sheen and Bosley met again in the final, but Sheen again proved to very strong in this weight and went on to win the gold medal by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Woodton Ladies
The ladies 560 kilos event was contested by four teams this year – Bedford, Sheen Ladies, Holland Ladies and Woodton Ladies. The competition was very good, and like the catchweight competition, the teams pulled each other in a group points competition before contesting semi-finals and finals. Sheen and Bedford both beat Holland and Woodton by 2 ends to 0 each going into their head to head at the end of the group stage. Holland defeated Woodton by 2 ends to 0 in a good group match, whilst Sheen Ladies edged out Bedford Ladies by 2 ends to 0 to finish top of the group. Photo: Sheen Ladies
In the cross over Sheen defeated Woodton by 2 ends to 0 and Bedford defeated Holland by 2 ends to 0. Holland and Woodton contested the bronze medal match, which was won by Holland Ladies by 2 ends to 0. The final was a keenly contested match between Sheen and Bedford. Sheen took the advantage on the first end by beating Bedford to the drop. Bedford worked hard to get themselves back into the pull, however Sheen maintained their advantage to take the first end. He second end again saw Sheen try and take the early advantage, but Bedford tried hard to fight back and get some lifts in against Sheen. As Bedford looked to be getting themselves into it, Sheen got their momentum going again and went on to take the second end and the gold medal. Photo: Lincoln TOWC
The 640 kilos event followed, which was a competition split into two groups. Home team Lincoln were looking to get to the final again on home soil, having finished second in the event last year, and Felton Eccles were looking for their fifteenth 640 kilos title in 16 years. Felton progressed to the semi-final after finishing top of their group ahead of Sheen who finished second. Alford finished third in this group after some excellent pulling, taking the scalps of Sandhurst and Holland on the way. Group 2 was keenly contested, with Bosley eventually finishing top of the group ahead of Two Dales. Lincoln missed out on a spot in the semi finals after being defeated by Two Dales first on, and drawing 1-1 with Bosley. Tavistock finished fourth in this group ahead of Team Army. Photo: Wood Treatment Bosley
The semi finals saw Felton Eccles defeat Two Dales in a very fierce pull by 2 ends to 0, and Sheen defeated Bosley by 2 ends to 0. The bronze medal pull off was a close pull, and saw some very determined pulling by Two Dales which resulted in them taking the bronze medal ahead of Bosley by 2 ends to 0. The final saw Felton Eccles take on Sheen. Felton had already defeated Sheen in the group, however the incentive of a gold medal always ensures that a final is not so straight forward. Felton however managed to stand firm on the first end to take the advantage. On the second end, Felton started to take advantage, with Sheen then starting to throw in some big lifts in return, however Felton managed to keep taking the rope to secure their 15th 640 kilos gold medal in 16 years. Photo: Two Dales
During the 640 kilos weight class the junior weight classes were held. Defending champions Sandhurst were unable to field a team at the event this year, which meant that their would be new youth champions for 2011. Leicester and Northants ACF sprung the first surprise of the day by taking the gold medal in the junior 530 kilos weight class ahead of Gloucester and Somerset ACF, who had been winning most of the junior weight classes in the run up to the national championships. Photo: Holland TOWC
The junior 560 kilos weight class was another keenly contested youth weight class. Gloucester and Somerset ACF won all of their group matches ahead of Leicester and Northants ACF and Lincoln ACF without losing an end. A final was then contested between Leicester and Northants ACF and Gloucester and Somerset ACF. Gloucester and Somerset ACF took the advantage on the first end and moved Leicester and Northants ACF over the line to take their first step towards their first ever gold medal. Gloucester and Somerset then took the second end off a very determined Leicester and Northants ACF to take the junior 560 kilos title. Photo: Felton Eccles TOWC
A tug of war demonstration event took place for the junior ladies teams with Gloucester and Somerset ACF and Leicester and Northants ACF taking part. Leicester and Northants have had an established team set up over the past couple of years for junior ladies, having fielded junior ladies teams at past GENSB tournaments. This previous experience showed as they managed to beat Gloucester and Somerset ACF in both the 520 kilos and 560 kilos weight classes. We are hoping to run weight classes for junior ladies teams in future events, so anyone interested in setting up junior ladies teams are encouraged to do so. Photo: Alford TOWC
The mens 560 kilos event followed, which was again split into two groups. Norton finished as winners of group 1 ahead of Oxney, and Sandhurst finished as winners of group 2 ahead of Forge Lane. In the semi finals, Norton defeated Forge Lane by 2 ends to 0, and Sandhurst won a very keenly contested semi final against Oxney by 2 ends to 0 with Oxney making a couple of costly slips which Sandhurst did well to take full advantage of. The bronze medal match was a good battle between the two Sussex teams of Oxney Vines Cross and Forge Lane. Despite a great effort from Forge Lane, where on many occasions they put in some good lists against Oxney, Oxney stood firm to take a well earned Bronze medal by 2 ends to 0. The final was yet another showpiece between Norton and Sandhurst. Norton held their angles well to take a long first end off Sandhurst. For the second end, Sandhurst opted to make a substitution to add a fresh pair of legs to their team to try and get back into the final. Again after another long end, and a resilient effort by Sandhurst, Norton took the win and the gold medal. Photo: Gloucester and Somerset ACF
The mens 720 kilos event followed, and like the catchweight competition, four teams entered. This time however, Bosley and Sandhurst did not enter, but Two Dales and Felton Eccles were entered in their place. Sheen put in another strong performance to finish top of the group without losing an end. Felton finished in second place in the group stage, followed by Holland and Two Dales. In the semi finals, Sheen defeated Two Dales and Felton Eccles defeated Holland. The bronze medal match was a very tense affair between Holland and Two Dales. Holland won the group match between these two teams in a very close pull, however Two Dales took a very close first end in the bronze medal match. The second end was equally as tight, and with Holland on two cautions and Two Dales on one caution, Holland picked up their third caution and the bronze medal was won by Two Dales. The final was contested between Sheen and Felton Eccles. Both teams have been competing in many finals against each other at catchweight and 680 kilos throughout the season, and despite defeat to Felton in the 640 kilos event, Sheen went on to take the gold medal in this weight class strongly by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Leicester and Northants ACF
The Ladies 520 kilos weight class was contested alongside the mens 720 kilos event. Three teams contested this weight class – Holland, Sheen, and Bedford. Both Bedford and Sheen defeated Holland in the group rounds, meaning that both clubs would pull each other again in the final. The final this time was much closer than the final of the 560 kilos event with both teams favouring this weight class as their strongest weight. The final was close between these two very experienced ladies teams, however this time, Sheen Ladies made it two gold medals on the day to take the ladies national championships title off Bedford. Well done to all of the ladies teams who took part on the day, making a good advert for ladies tug of war. Photo: Forge Lane
The mens 600 kilos weight class was the next weight to be contested. Again, split into two groups, the competition started with a bang. Group 1 saw Fleton Eccles and Sandhurst battle it out to a 1-1 draw, and Lincoln defeated Oxney in group 2 by 2 ends to 0 in very hard fought battle. Norton went through as winners of group 1, with Felton Eccles finishing as eventual runner up after receiving less cautions than Sandhurst. In group 2, and despite defeat to Lincoln, Oxney finished as winners, with Bosley coming through as runners up after losing to Oxney in their final pull of the group. Norton defeated Bosley in the first semi final with Felton Eccles defeating Oxney in the other semi final to make the final. The bronze medal pull off saw Oxney and Bosley meet for the second time. This time, Bosley took the first end by catching Oxney off guard from the drop. On the second end, Bosley got Oxney moving again, and then stopped, allowing Oxney back into the pull to take the second end. The same thing happened again on the third end, and Oxney took a hard fought bronze medal. The final saw Norton pull strongly again as they have done all year and they took the gold medal ahead of Felton by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Norton TOWC
The final weight of the day was the 680 kilos weight class. This weight can sometimes throw up a few surprises, being the last weight class of the day, with most clubs entering a team for their last chance of winning a medal. Like most of the weight classes on the day, this competition was again split into two groups. Sheen were the winners of group 1, ahead of Two Dales who finished as the eventual runners up. Norton were the winners of group 2 ahead of Felton Eccles who finished as group runners up. In the semi finals, Sheen defeated Felton Eccles and Norton defeated Two Dales. The bronze medal match was a good battle between Felton Eccles and Two Dales. Two Dales managed to lift Felton to their toes on more than one occasion, however the experience and determination of the Felton team enabled them to hang on and take the bronze medal by 2 ends to 0. The final between Sheen and Norton was a tense affair. Norton opted to try and outlast Sheen on the first end, however Sheen started to work Norton out of shape, and a good battle unfolded with Sheen taking the first end. The second end saw both teams battle hard again, but Sheen proved to be that little bit stronger on the day, and they took their third gold medal of the championship. Photo: Sandhurst TOWC
At the end of the championships, the presentations took place, firstly with the ladies weight classes. The medals were presented in memory of Lynsey Chipperfield, with presentations being made by her parents Stafford and Lynsey. Fittingly, the gold, silver and bronze medals were presented to clubs with whom she had previously been actively involved with – Sheen Ladies, Bedford Ladies, and Holland (with whom her fiancé Gavin is also a member). The presentations for the mens weight classes were made by the TOWA chairman Pete Dyer in the absence of the TOWA president Tony Martin who was unable to attend the championships as his wife Sue has recently undergone an operation. We wish Sue a speedy recovery. A presentation was also made to the chief judge, Mr. Vic Ludkin. The Tug of War Association would like to thank all of the teams and supporters for coming along and making the day a success, and we would also like to thank all of the officials, recorders, and marshals for helping the event run smoothly. We would also like to place on record our thanks to Rob Holland and the Lincolnshire ACF for helping to stage the championships. Photo: Duncan Craft (Sheen Ladies Coach) receiving the winners medals from Stafford and Lesley Chipperfield.
PGood luck to all of the teams for the remainder of the outdoor season with the European Championships to look forward to in Minehead, Somerset. There is both the international event and open club competition taking place at this event. Any club team may take part in the open competition, so we look forward to seeing many English clubs at the event. Accommodation bookings, accreditation and weight entries are currently being taken, and early booking of accommodation is recommended. Please visit www.ec2011tow.co.uk for further information! Photo: Widecombe TOWC
Photo: Oxney Vines Cross
Photo: Team Army
Photo: Tavistock TOWC
Photo: Sheen TOWC
05/06/2011 - SANDHURST TOWC OPEN COMPETITION RESULTS
640 - Winners - Norton - Runners Up - Sandhurst
CWT - Winners - Felton - Runners Up - Lincoln
580 - Winners - Norton - Runners Up - Oxney
680 - Winners - Felton - Runners Up - Lincoln
600 - Winners - Norton - Runners Up - Oxney
Ladies and Youth 560 - Winners - Glos/Som A - Runners Up - Sheen Ladies
Ladies and Youth 520 - Winners - Sheen Ladies - Runners Up - Glos/Som A
04/06/2011 & 05/06/2011 - TUG OF WAR COMPETITIONS IN THE FAR WESTERN AREA
A busy weekend has just passed in the Far Western Area
At Dartmouth’s competition on Friday evening there were 6 teams in attendance with the host club victorious in the catchweight event followed by Chumleigh in the runner up spot. Also in attendance were Culm Valley, Okehampton, Kingsbridge & South Dartmoor.
On Sunday 5th June, the Devon championships took place and were hosted by Kennford and thanks must go to them for that and for their work to make the day a success.
A very high standard of pulling was to be seen, the best in the area this season so far with some great pressure pulling. The two county weights were pulled under TWIF rules where all teams pull in a group and then the top 4 teams advance to a knock out semi final.
The results are as follows;
The 640 kilos winners were Tavistock, and the runners up Whimple - who made the final after defeating Widecombe in the semi final. Tavistock defeated Kennford in the other semi final.
The Torbay shield was won by a very spirited Princetown side, who have recently reformed and with a mixture of some old heads and some new younger blood and pulled very well (although very light) -Well done to them.
The 680 kilo Winners were again Tavistock who defeated Widecombe in the semi final, and Kennford were the Runners up defeating Whimple in the other semi final.
In the Open Catchweight Tavistock were the Winners with Kennford the Runners up.
The Far Western Area league placings are as follows after 3 competitions;
Please download the notice from the England Under 23 Manager by clicking here. Those wishing to be considered for the under 23 team should attend Sandhurst's competition this Sunday. If you are unable to attend but would like to be considered, please contact the England Under 23 Manager as soon as possible.
29/05/2011 - WESSEX OPEN COMPETITION RESULTS
Teams competing - Sandhurst (A and B), Haye-on-Wye, Oxney Vines Cross, Felton Eccles (A and B), Widecombe, Cupids Hill, North Wiltshire, Kennford.
580 kilos – Winners – Oxney – Runners Up – Cupids Hill
600 kilos – Winners - Sandhurst A – Runners Up – Oxney
640 kilos – Winners – Sandhurst A – Runners Up – Oxney
680 kilos – Winners – Felton Eccles A – Runners Up – Sandhurst A
29/05/2011 - SHEEN LADIES TOWC OPEN COMPETITION
Sheen Ladies hosted a tug of war competition at Someral Herbert near Uttoxeter on 29th May. The competition was supported by teams from Sheen Ladies, Ashbourne YFC ladies, Waterhouses YFC Ladies and Bedford Ladies. Sheen, Norton, Lincoln, Bosley, Two Dales, Waterhouses and Melbourne supported the mens competition with Sheen A and B, Bedford, Melbourne and Waterhouses suppoting the mixed 4+4 competition. The weather remained largely dry and the ground cut up well resulting in very big holes for the teams to contend with, resulting in some very hard fought pulls.
Bedford Ladies won the 520 kilos event ahead of Ashbourne who finished in second place and Waterhouses finished in third place. Sheen ladies won both the 540 kilos and 560 kilos events with some good performances, winning those weights without losing any ends. Sheen were closely challenged in these two weights by Bedford who finished as runners up. Waterhouses finished in third place in both of these weight classes.
The mens competition saw Sheen win the catchweight competition by defeating Lincoln in the final by 2 ends to 0. The 620 kilos followed and was a keenly contested weight class with the top two teams of the group stage progressing to the final. Norton defeated Sheen by 2 ends to 0 in their first pull, with Bosley and Two dales going one end each. Norton progressed to the final without losing an end, and it was close between Sheen and Bosley as to who would go through. In that match, Bosley took the first end, but Sheen almost took Bosley over the line on the second end to take the end they needed to get to the final, however Bosley stopped Sheen within inches of the line to bring the rope back and take the second end. In the final, Bosley put up a good fight against Norton, but it was Norton who took the win by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Norton
The 680 kilos competition was pulled as a group of 6, again there was some very close pulling in this weight as a result of the ground conditions. Norton progressed through to the cross over along with Sheen, Two Dales and Lincoln. Norton defeated Two Dales, however there was a very close semi final between Sheen and Lincoln. Sheen took the first end, but Lincoln made a real fight of it on the second end, however Sheen dug deep to take Lincoln back over the line. In the final, Sheen started well, however Norton kept their composure to take the final by 2 ends to 0. Photo: host club Sheen Ladies
The 600 kilos was contested between Sheen, Two Dales and Melbourne. Melbourne put in a spirited performance on the day but did not finish in the top two. After the group stage the top two teams pulled again. Two Dales had defeated Sheen by 2 ends to 0 in the group, however the final was much closer and went to three ends. Sheen took the first end, and Two Dales took the second end. Two Dales won the toss, but Sheen held on to take the win. Photo: Two Dales
The final mens weight was the 640 kilos competition with the top two teams going to the final. Again, this was a group of 6, and with some very close competition again, it was Norton who progressed along with Two Dales who edged out Bosley into second place. Norton won the final by 2 ends to 0.
The final weight of the day was the 660 4+4. Melbourne put in a great performance in this weight giving the teams some good tight pulling and were much improved from the 600 kilos competition. At the end of the pulling Sheen B topped the group followed by Sheen A. Bedford finished third and Waterhouses in fourth. The final saw a reversal of the pull in the group with Sheen A winning the final by 2 ends to 0.
Well done to all who took part and thanks to Mick Grimston and Julie Petit for keeping the pulling going all day, ensuring the event finished by 5pm and thanks to Angela Battye for undertaking the recorders duties.
22/05/2011 - AAA CHAMPIONSHIPS - FELTON
Teams competing: Felton Eccles (A and B), Tavistock, Widecombe, Kennford, North Wiltshire, 17 Port and Maritime Regiment, Oxney Vines Cross, Forge Lane, Sandhurst (A and B), Lincoln, Sheen, Norton, Wood Treatment Bosley, Llanboidy.
The 2011 AAA championships were this year hosted by Felton Eccles TOWC at The Bungalow Inn, Felton near Bristol. This year it was decided to hold the AAA championships prior to the national championships to increase support. This year 11 teams supported the closed AAA weights, a vast improvement on the attendance of the 2010 event. The first weight of the day was the 640 kilos event, pulled as a straight group under TWIF rules with the top four progressing to the semi-finals. Norton, Sandhurst, Bosley and Lincoln all progressed, with Norton defeating Bosley by 2 ends to 0 in their semi final, and Sandhurst edging Lincoln out in the other semi final by 2 ends to 0. In the final, reigning champions Norton conceded little ground and took a well deserved 2 ends to 0 win to take the gold medal with Sandhurst earning a well deserved silver. Photo: Norton competing against Sandhurst
The catchweight event followed. Again, this was pulled as a straight group with the top four progressing to the semi final. Sheen, Felton, Lincoln and Tavistock all progressed ahead of Sandhurst, Widecombe and Kennford. In the semi finals, Sheen defeated Tavistock by 2 ends to 0 and Felton defeated Lincoln by 2 ends to 0 in a hard fought pull. In the final, Sheen went out to look to win their first AAA outdoor title since 1980 with reigning champions Felton Eccles standing in their way. Sheen pulled strongly against Felton and gave the host team little opportunity to get themselves back into the pull. Sheen went on to win the gold by 2 ends to 0 to secure their first AAA outdoor title for over 30 years. Photo: Sheen - AAA Catchweight winning team
The open national league weights followed, the first being the 600 kilos event, being pulled as two groups of 7. Norton progressed as winners of group 1 along with Oxney who progressed as group runners up. Sandhurst progressed as winners of group 2 with Tavistock finishing as group runners up. In the semi final, Norton defeated Tavistock by 2 ends to 0. Sandhurst and Oxney had a very close pull in the second semi-final with the match going to three ends. Sandhurst took the first end and Oxney the second. Sandhurst then took the third end to make the final. Norton then went on to take the win in the final by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Kennford TOWC
The 680 kilos competition was another competition split into two groups of 7. Llanboidy from Wales progressed as winners of group 1 ahead of Bosley, whilst Sheen progressed as winners of group 2 ahead of Norton. In the semi final, Norton defeated Llanboidy by 2 ends to 0, whilst Sheen defeated Bosley by 2 ends to 0. Sheen and Norton met in the final for their second match in this weight having drawn 1 end each in the group. Norton took a very close first end and then took the second end to take their third gold medal of the day. Photo: Tavistock TOWC
The 580 kilos competition was pulled as a straight group of 5 with no cross over. Teams therefore had to win the group outright to win the competition. Oxney pulled strongly in this weight to win the competition without losing an end. Tavistock and Kennford both put in strong performances to defeat Felton and Sandhurst to put themselves both in contention of the silver medal. Tavistock won the resulting decider by 2 ends to 0 to take the runners up spot. Photo: Widecombe TOWC
The final weight of the day was the 640 kilos competition. This was pulled as two groups with the top team in each group progressing straight to the final. Norton were the winners of group 1 ahead of Sandhurst A, Sandhurst B, Felton, Forge Lane and Widecombe. Bosley were the winners of group 2 ahead of Oxney, Llanboidy, Kennford and North Wiltshire. Both teams attacked from the drop in the final, but again, Norton had the edge and took the final by 2 ends to 0.
Felton Eccles Open Competition and National League
680 - Winners - Norton - Runners Up - Sheen 640 - Winners - Norton - Runners Up - Bosley 600 - Winners - Norton - Runners Up - Sandhurst A 580 - Winners - Oxney - Runners Up – Tavistock
21/05/2011 - DEVON COUNTY SHOW RESULTS
There were 9 male and 3 female teams in attendance at the 2011 Devon County Show's tug of war competition, which was run as a catchweight competition. Teams in attendance were from Holland, Dartmouth, Chumleigh, Culm Valley, Kingsbridge, Helston, Princetown, Ansty and Whimple. South Dartmoor, Whimple and Helston took part in the ladies competition.
The male competition was split into 2 groups. The winners of group 1 were Holland Sports from Staffordshire with Dartmouth runner up. In group 2 Chumleigh were the winners with Culm Valley runner up. In the semi finals Holland defeated Culm Valley and Dartmouth Defeated Chumleigh 2-1 in a very close match.
In the final Holland defeated a spirited Dartmouth to retain the trophy for the 4th year.
In the Ladies event South Dartmoor were the winners on maximum points followed by Whimple then Helston.
As usual we were thanked by the organisers for keeping the biggest crowds to that arena over the 3 days of the show well entertained.
15/05/2011 - MIDLAND CHAMPIONSHIPS - SHROPSHIRE COUNTY SHOW
There was a great turnout for this weekends Midland Area Championships held at the Shropshire County Show in Shrewsbury, the venue for the 2008 national outdoor championships. Many teams from England and some from over the border in Wales took part. The teams competing were: Norton, Felton, Holland, Sheen, Bosley, Two Dales, Lincoln, Sandhurst (A and B), Caradoc, Haye on Wye, Bolver, Cupids Hill, Rushock. The ladies and youth competitions were also well supported with Sheen Ladies, Bedford Ladies, Gloucester and Somerset ACF (A, B, C), Leicester and Northants ACF (A, B, C) taking part. Photo: Caradoc
In the mens weight classes, Norton were again in top form, winning the bottom four weight classes on the day at 600, 620, 640 and 680 kilos. Norton defeated Sandhurst A in the final of both the 620 kilos and 640 kilos competitions by 2 ends to 0, and also won the 600 kilos and 680 kilos competitions by defeating Sheen in the finals by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Bolver
There was some good pulling by local club Caradoc from Church Stretton, who made the cross over in both the 600 kilos and 620 kilos events only to be defeated by eventual winners Norton in both semi finals.
Sheen won the catchweight event, coming out of their group ahead of Felton Eccles, Holland and Bolver. Sheen defeated Two Dales in the semi final with Felton Eccles defeating Lincoln. Sheen then went on to defeat Felton Eccles in the final by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Sandhurst A
The ladies and youth events were again very well supported. Gloucester and Somerset ACF A were the winners of both the 520 kilos and 560 kilos events. Sheen Ladies were strong in finishing as runners up in the 560 kilos event, with Bedford Ladies finishing as runners up in the 520 kilos event. Photo: Sheen
Results of the Midland Championships held at the Shropshire County Show 15th May 2011
Cwt – Winners - Sheen – Runners Up - Felton Eccles 680 – Winners – Norton – Runners Up - Sheen Farmers 640 – Winners – Norton – Runners Up – Sandhurst 600 – Winners – Norton – Runners Up - Sheen Farmers 620 – Winners – Norton – Runners Up - Sandhurst Ladies/Youth 560 – Winners – Glos/Som ACF A – Runners Up – Sheen Ladies Ladies/Youth 520– Winners – Glos/Som ACF A – Runners Up – Bedford Ladies
08/05/2011 - GREAT ORMOND STREET CHARITY EVENT - DAVENTRY
This weekend saw another well supported tug of war event at Daventry in Northamptonshire. Despite the possible threat of rain, the weather remained dry, allowing for a good day of competition. The teams competing in the senior weights were Felton, Lincoln, Sandhurst (A and B), Killyloughey, Norton, Bosley, Two Dales, Caradoc, Oxney, Forge Lane, Triple F, with Boyneside from Ireland, Sheen, Bedford, LNR, and Gloucester and Somerset ACF taking part in the ladies competitions. Eire Og, LNR A, LNR B, Glos/Som A, Glos/Som B competed in the youth weight classes.
The first weight was the catchweight, which was pulled as a straight group with a top four cross-over. Felton Eccles met Killyloughey from Ireland whilst Sandhurst A and Lincoln met in the other semi-final. Felton defeated Killyloughy by 2 ends to 0 to be the first team to make the final, however it was a very close pull between Lincoln and Sandhurst to make the final, with Lincoln managing to overcome Sandhurst by 2 ends to 0. Felton defeated Lincoln by 2 ends to 0 to win the catchweight final. Photo: Caradoc TOWC.
At the same time as the catchweight event, the ladies 560 kilos and youth 560 kilos also took place as separate weight classes, with 5 teams competing in each weight class, both of which included teams from the Republic of Ireland. The youth competition was pulled with teams having best out of 5 end matches to give them all more pulling. Both Leicester and Northants ACF and Gloucester and Somerset ACF fielded two teams in the junior 560 kilos competition, with the Eire OG team from Ireland taking part. The deciding pull in this weight came between Gloucester and Somerset ACF A and Eire OG. Eire OG took the first end, with Gloucester coming very close to taking the second end, only to be stopped close to the line and taken all the way back. Eire OG then took the third and final end to confirm first place. Photo: Boyneside Ladies from Ireland
The ladies 560 competition was pulled in a straight group of 5 teams. There were some good performances from the Gloucester and Somerset ACF and Leicester and Northants ACF junior ladies teams, in addition to a good performance from the Irish Boyneside team, however it was the pull between the experience Sheen and Bedford Ladies teams which decided first place. Sheen continued their strong start to the ladies tug of war season by defeating Bedford Ladies by 2 ends to 0 to take first place. Photo: Forge Lane
The second mens weight of the day was the 600 kilos. This competition was split into two groups with the top two teams in each group progressing to the semi-finals. Norton finished as winners of the first group ahead of Oxney, with Sandhurst finishing as winners of group 2 ahead of Forge Lane. Norton defeated Forge Lane in their semi final, with Oxney and Sandhurst having a great pull in their semi-final with Sandhurst defeating Oxney by 2 ends to 0 in two very hard fought ends. Norton continued their dominant streak by winning the final by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Oxney Vines Cross
The 680 kilos event followed and it was another weight split into two groups. Norton were the winners of the first group ahead of Bosley, and Felton Eccles were the winners of the second group ahead of Sandhurst. Norton defeated Sandhurst in their semi final, but Felton and Bosley had a good battle for the other place in the final. Felton took the first end, but Bosley came very close to taking the second end only to stop a few inches short of the line with Felton managing to bring them back over to make the final. Norton then took their second win of the day by defeating Felton by 2 ends to 0 in the final. Photo: Eire OG Youth from Ireland
Both the ladies and youth 520 kilos events were the next weights to be pulled alongside the 680 kilos competition. The youth 520 kilos competition was again won by the Eire OG team without losing an end. Gloucester and Somerset A came a close second, but were given a challenge by the Leciester and Northants A team who managed to take an end of the Gloucester team, but it wasn’t quite enough to take second place. Photo: Leicester and Northants ACF A youth team.
The ladies 520 kilos event was another good competition with all teams giving a good account of themselves. Boyneside got themselves into the competition in this weight, giving Sheen Ladies a good pull, but Sheen held on for the 2 ends to 0 win. The deciding pull was between Sheen and Bedford, with Bedford this time winning the final by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Leicester and Northants ACF Junior Ladies team.
The mens 580 kilos event followed pulled as a straight group with a cross over of the top four teams. Forge Lane, Oxney, Sandhurst and Bosley all made the cross-over with Oxney defeating Bosley and Sandhurst defeating Forge Lane. Both Sandhurst and Oxney gave it their all in the final, with Oxney this time getting the better of Sandhurst to win the final by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Killyloughey from Ireland
The 640 kilos was the final mens weight of the day, again split into two groups. Felton Eccles were the winners of group 1 ahead of Oxney whilst Norton were the winners of group 2. The battle for the last semi-final place was between Bosley and Sandhurst A. Bosley were travelling back nicely with Sandhurst on the first end only to be blown out for receiving three cautions, and then Sandhurst A went on to take the second end to make it to the semi-finals. In the semi final Norton defeated Oxney whilst Sandhurst A defeated Felton. Norton went on to take their third win of the day by defeating Sandhurst A by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Gloucester and Somerset ACF Junior men and ladies squad
01/05/2011 - LINCOLN TOWC OPEN EVENT
Teams competing – Lincoln, Market Raisen, Alford, Holland, Two Dales, Sheen, Norton, Bosley, Felton Eccles, Sheen Ladies, Bedford Ladies.
This weekend, Lincoln TOWC held their annual event at Harby near Melton Mowbray. The weather remained dry as it has done over the past few weeks, and despite the ground being hard to start off with, the ground cut up nicely to give the teams some good holes to work with.
The first weight of the day was the catchweight event, split into two groups. Sheen and Felton had a tough battle first on in their group, with Felton coming away with a hard fought 2 ends to 0 win. This pull took a bit out of Felton as they went on to drop an end in their next pull to Two Dales, however they still progressed as group winners to the semi finals along with Sheen. In the other group, Holland and Lincoln had a good pull first on, but it was Holland who came away as 2 ends to 0 winners. Lincoln edged Bosley and Market Raisen out into second place in their group to progress to semi finals along with Holland. Sheen defeated Holland and Felton defeated Lincoln to make the final. This time in the final however, Sheen had altered their line up and went on to defeat Felton by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Bosley
The second weight of the day was the 600 kilos competition, which was pulled as a straight group of 6 with the top four teams progressing to the semi finals. The surprise package in this event was Alford who were competing in their first TOWA event. Alford made the cross-over along with Norton, Two Dales and Sheen. Alford went on to be defeated by Norton in the semi final despite a good effort and Sheen defeated Two Dales. Norton then went on to defeat Sheen in the final by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Sheen
The 680 kilos event was the third weight of the day, again split into two groups. Norton were the winners of group one ahead of Bosley, Market Raisen, and Lincoln. The pulling in group 2 was very keenly contested, particularly between Felton, Holland and Two Dales. In the end, it was Two Dales who progressed to the semi finals in second place behind Sheen. Norton proved to be too strong for Two Dales in their semi final, and Sheen and Bosley had a good pull in their semi final, with Sheen edging Bosley out to progress to the final. Norton continued their winning form by defeated Sheen by 2 ends to 0 in the final. Photo: Host club Lincoln
The final weight of the day was the 640 kilos event. Again split into two groups, Norton progressed from their group as group winners ahead of Bosley, Lincoln, Market Raisen and Sheen. Two Dales finished winners of group 2, closely followed by Holland, Alford and Felton. Norton defeated Holland in their semi-final by 2 ends to 0, and Two Dales and Bosley had a close fought battle in the second semi final. Bosley took the first end, but Two Dales were very close to taking the second end only for Bosley to draw the rope back to take the second end. Norton again proved to be ahead of the game in the final by defeating Bosley by 2 ends to 0 to win their third end of the day. Photo: Felton Eccles
There were only two ladies/youth teams present at this competition – Sheen Ladies and Bedford Ladies, competing at 520 kilos and 560 kilos. The ladies teams were given more pulling by going around three times in each weight class, with Sheen proving to be worthy winners of both weight classes. Bedford competed well whilst fielding two new ladies pullers in their team. Photo: Holland
Well done to all of the teams who took part on the day. Well done also to the judges. With only two officials available, Peter Craft and Mike Callaghan kept the pulling going all day to ensure the competition finished in good time, with the able assistance of Betty Craft and Jill Callaghan who fulfilled the timekeeper/recorders duties. The prizes at the end of the day were presented by Paul and Doreen Dolan.
27/04/2011 - BASIC SKILLS DOCUMENT FOR TUG OF WAR IN SCHOOLS AND YOUTH ORGANISATIONS
The Tug of War Association has recently developed a "basic skills" manual for use by schools/youth groups in running basic tug of war sessions/competitions as part of a PE lesson or sports day. The manual covers the basics of tug of war and how to set up a pulling area.
The document can be downloaded and read by clicking here.
If any individual or club is working with a school or youth club, then please provide them with a copy of this document. Anyone involved in promoting tug of war within schools are also encouraged to inform the TOWA Schools/Youth Officer, Terry Spoore with their progress. Please visit the Schools Tug of War Page for contact details.
25/04/2011 - GUILDFORD RESULTS
Six clubs attended the Easter Monday event at Shalford Park, Guildford - Forge lane, Oxney, 1066 and Hailsham YFC, Sandhurst and Holland Sports. The longest pull of the day was between Sandhurst and Oxney, which Oxney eventually won after more than six minutes.
660 – Winners – Oxney - Runners Up - Sandhurst
600 – Winners – Forge Lane - Runners Up - Sandhurst
640 – Winners – Oxney - Runners Up - Sandhurst
580 – Winners – Sandhurst - Runners Up – Forge Lane
680 – Winners – Sandhurst - Runners Up – Forge Lane
24/04/2011 - THAMES VALLEY RESULTS
This weekend there was a small turnout for ther easter sunday competition at Thames Valley, held at Reading Abbey Rugby Club near Reading. The weather was warm and sunny and the ground very hard. The teams competing were Oxney, Sandhurst, Forge Lane, Felton Eccles and Bosley, with Bedford Ladies and Gloucester and Somerset ACF (A, B, and C) all taking part. Photo: Glos/Som A in the 520 kilos event
The hard ground conditions again meant that there weren't any really long ends, however it made the pulling very competitive and lively. There were some close battles between Sandhurst and Oxney, particularly in the lighter weight classes, with both teams coming away with first and second place position between them in the 580 kilos, 600 kilos and 640 kilos events. Felton Eccles pulled well to win both the 680 kilos and catchweight events. The enxt national league fixture is at Daventry on Sunday 8th May. With many teams expected to attend as in previous years, this will provide a good opportunity for teams to accumulate a good number of national league points. Photo: Sandhurst competing in the 580 kilos event.
Ladies/Youth 520 - Winners - Glos/Som A - Runners Up - Bedford
Ladies/Youth 560 - Winners - Glos/Som A - Runners Up - Glos/Som B
TOWA ADOPT TWIF RULES
As people may be aware, at the TOWA AGM, a resolution was passed to pull TOWA competitions under TWIF International Rules. This will be the case for all TOWA Competitions for 2011 - outdoor and indoor. The implementation of these rules has been discussed at length by the TOWA general committee, and will be adopted in a flexible and practical way. As such, amended rules have been published that integrate the TWIF rules into our own rules. The 2011 tug of war rules document can be downloaded by clicking the link below.
The above rules will be applicable to all open and closed competitions throughout the year for indoor and outdoor.
Young Farmers Tug of War
Please note that the previous TOWA rules will still apply to young farmers tug of war competitions (county, regional, and national) at the request of the National Federation of Young Farmers.
600kg - Winners- Tavistock - Runners Up - Widecombe
640kg - Winners - Tavistock - Runners Up - Kennford
660kg - Winners - Kennford - Runners Up - Widecombe
680kg - Winners - Kennford - Runners Up - Tavistock
CWT - Winners - Tavistock - Runners Up - Kennford
18/04/2011 - NATIONAL LEAGUE WEEK 1 RESULTS - BEDFORD
Teams Competing - Forge Lane, 1066, Oxeny Vines Cross, Sandhurst, Felton Eccles, Norton, Bosley, Sheen, Lincoln, Two Dales, Sheen Ladies, Bedford Ladies, Leicester and Northants ACF (A, B, and C), Gloucester and Somerset ACF (A and B).
This weekend was the first competition of the 2011 outdoor national league. The teams taking part were treated to another dry and sunny day, and the dry ground conditions meant that there weren’t so many long ends.
The first weight of the day was the catchweight event, pulled as a straight points competition. 6 teams competed in this weight class, with Norton dominating the proceedings, winning the competition without dropping an end. The battle for second place was close between Lincoln, Felton, Sheen and Sandhurst, but it was Felton who took enough points to take the runners up spot.
During the catchweight event, the ladies and youth league competition was held, and following on from last week, it was another well supported event with seven teams competing. The first ladies and youth league weight was the 560 kilos event. Gloucester and Somerset ACF A were the strongest team on the day, winning the competition without losing an end. Sheen ladies finished as worthy runners up, only losing the two ends to Gloucester and Somerset.
The first national league weight of the day was the 600 kilos, which was split into two groups and pulled under TWIF international rules, with group stage pulls being best of two ends. The winners of group 1 were Norton, followed by Bosley who finished as group runners up ahead of Forge Lane, Lincoln, and Bedford. Group 2 was won by Sandhurst, with Two Dales finishing as group runners up, followed by Oxney, 1066, and LNR. As per the international rules, the top two teams in each group progressed with Norton as winners of group 1 pulling Two Dales as runners up of Group 2. Sandhurst as group 2 winners pulled group 1 runners up Bosley. Both Sandhurst and Norton progressed to the final after winning their respective semi-finals by 2 ends to 0. Norton again pulled strongly in the final to defeat Sandhurst by 2 ends to 0.
The 680 kilos event was another TWIF rules competition that was split into two groups. Norton progressed as winners of group 1 ahead of Sandhurst, and Felton Eccles progressed as winners of group 2 ahead of Bosley. Norton and Sandhurst again won their semi finals against Bosley and Felton respectively by 2 ends to 0 to meet in the final for the second time. Norton again won the final by 2 ends to 0.
The second ladies and youth weight class was the 520 kilos event. Again, no-one managed to stop Gloucester and Somerset ACF and they won the event again without losing an end. This time however, LNR ACF A finished as overall runners up ahead of Sheen Ladies who finished third. Well done to Bedford, LNR B and C, and Gloucester and Somerset B, who also competed well again this week in the ladies and youth league.
The final weight of the day was the 640 kilos weight class. Again this was pulled in two groups under TWIF Rules. Norton were the winners of group 1 ahead of Sandhurst, and Felton were the winners of group 2 ahead of Bosley. Norton and Sandhurst again defeated Bosley and Felton respectively to set up a third final between the two sides, but Sandhurst could not overhaul Norton, and Norton took their fourth final win of the day by 2 ends to 0.
Results
Men Catchweight - Winners - Norton - Runners Up - Felton Eccles
Men 680 - Winners - Norton - Runners Up - Sandhurst
Men 640 - Winners - Norton - Runners Up - Sandhurst
Men 600 - Winners - Norton - Runners Up - Sandhurst
Ladies and Youth 560 - Winners - Glos/Som ACF A - Runners Up - Sheen Ladies
Ladies and Youth 520 - Winners - Glos/Som ACF A - Runners Up - LNR ACF A
NORTON TUG OF WAR CLUB COACH JOHN WEB VISITS CHINA TO GIVE A PRESENTATION ON TUG OF WAR
John Webb, the Coach of Norton Tug of War Club has recently been to China to promote tug of war through an international judging and coaching course organised by the Tug of War International Federation (TWIF).
John was invited by TWIF to give a presentation to 160 delegates attending the event from China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Macau, Poland and other Asian countries, teaching the basics of judging, indoor tug of war and outdoor tug of war at the Beijing Language and Culture University. Photo: John teaching the basics of outdoor tug of war in Beijing
John was invited by the Tug of War International Federation as a coach of both indoor tug of war and outdoor tug of war, having led both Sheen and Norton to World and European Championship finals.
Photo: John teaching the basics of indoor tug of war
Speaking about his experience at the event, John said that “I was invited by TWIF to give a presentation on both outdoor and indoor tug of war, followed by practical training in the sports hall as well as outside"
“It was a very proud moment for me to represent the English Tug of War Association on the world stage, and assist the International Federation in promoting tug of war worldwide. The sport appear to be growing in popularity around the Asian region, so hopefully by educating more countries in tug of war, we will see more countries participating at international events in the future, which will hopefully help the sport reach its goal of returning to the Olympic Games some day” Photo: John receiving a gift from the Macau delegation in recognition of his attendance at the course.
“I have to add that the hospitality shown to me and other TWIF delegates at the event was second to none. I was even asked to stay on for an extra couple of days to give an advanced outdoor course for the China national coaches, which went very well. The whole event was a great success for our sport”.
Tug of War Association think that it is fantastic that a coach of one of our teams has been recognised by the Tug of War International Federation in this way. John has given a lot to both the sport, and the teams he has coached over the years, and we are very proud of his dedication and achievements in tug of war. Photo: John Webb (fourth from right) with TWIF secretary general Glen Johnson (fourth from left) and the rest of the Chinese delegation.
10/04/2011 - WOOD TREATMENT BOSLEY OPEN COMPETITION
The second full week of outdoor competition took place this weekend in Bosley, near Macclesfield, Cheshire, hosted by Wood Treatment Bosley Tug of War Club. The weather was warm and sunny, with soft ground conditions which made for some good competitive pulling in both the men’s weights and the ladies and youth weights.
The teams that were competing were Bosley, Norton, Sheen, Lincoln, Two Dales, Holland, Felton Eccles, Sandhurst, and Altrincham Young Farmers who were competing at a TOWA event for the first time.
In the ladies and youth league, Sheen Ladies, Bedford Ladies, Gloucester and Somerset A and B, and Leicester and Northants ACF A, B and C took part.
The first weight of the day was the catchweight event, which was very lively, with many pulls going to three ends. Felton Eccles finished as the eventual winners, with Lincoln overcoming Sheen and Holland in two very close pulls to finish as eventual runners up. Bosley and Altrincham had good pulls in this weight too, with both teams taking ends throughout the competition. Photo: Gloucester and Somerset ACF "B" Team
The 640 kilos was another good contest, with some good close pulling. The fight for first place came between Norton, Sandhurst and Bosley. Norton and Bosley met first out of the three, with Bosley setting out to try and take the pull to Norton. Norton held firm however to take the pull by 2 ends to 0. The same was the case when Sandhurst took on Norton, but again, Norton took the pull by 2 ends to 0. Bosley and Sandhurst fought each other for second place, with Sandhurst keeping their shape better to win the pull by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Bedford Ladies
The 600 kilos competition had a smaller entry of teams, and again, it was Norton who went on to win the competition without losing an end. The battle for second place was between Two Dales and Sandhurst, with Sandhurst winning a close pull by 2 ends to 1.
The 720 kilos was a five team competition, again with some exciting pulling. Holland, Two Dales and Lincoln missed out on the battle for second spot, with all three teams giving a good account of themselves, however the key battle for first place was between Norton and Felton Eccles. This was a great pull between the two teams, with Felton being taken very close to the line on the first end, only for Norton to be blown out for receiving three cautions. The second end was another good contest, with Felton managing to draw Norton over the line to take first place. Photo: Leicester and Northants ACF "A" team
The final weight of the day was the 680 kilos competition. There were certainly a few tired bodies on the field, however Norton ran out as eventual winners without losing an end, with Sandhurst finishing as worthy runners up. Photo: Norton competing in the 720 kilos competition
The ladies and youth league competition was well supported this week with 7 teams taking part in each weight category. There were many new pullers on the field this week, which was very encouraging. Both the 520 kilos and 560 kilos weight classes were won by the Gloucester and Somerset ACF “A” team, but they were pushed all the way by the “A” team of Leicester and Northants, and also Bedford Ladies and Sheen Ladies. Photo: Lincoln - Runners Up in the catchweight event
03/04/2011 - WILTSHIRE COUNTY OPEN RESULTS
Catchweight - Winners - Felton - Runners Up - Sandhurst A
600 - Winners - Norton - Runners Up - Oxney
680 - Winners - Norton - Runners Up - Sandhurst A
640 - Winners - Norton - Runners Up - Sandhurst A
27/03/2011 - DORSET TRAINING LEAGUE - OVERALL RESULTS
The Dorset Training League was completed this weekend, with the total scores over the four weekends added up to determine the overall winners. The overall winners were Tavistock, with Kennford finishing as runners up. The full list of placings are as follows:
1. Tavistock 2. Kennford 3. Widecombe 4. Whimple 5. 17 Port Maritime 6. Probus 7. North Wilts 8. Blandford 9. Culm Valley 10. Helstone 11. Ansty
Well done to all of the teams who took part.
27/03/2011 - SECOND MIDLAND EARLY PULL RESULTS
A cold day ensured the second round of the Early Pulls moved at a pace. The venue was good and the ground even. The six teams who attended enjoyed good pulling in an air of cooperation and friendship. Medals were presented to first and second in each weight based upon the grand score over the two weeks. York Youth received the Best Youth Cup and Melbourne the Most Improved Team Cup. Lea Hall Welfare Club was very happy with the event and wish us to return next year. Rodger Beardsmore, Julie Pettit and Tony Henshaw maintained a very high standard of judging and Jill Thomas kept efficient control of the results and proceedings. The teams that competed over the two weeks were Holland, Barton, York, Melbourne, Triple F, York Youth, Luutterworth and Diesel Power. Well done and thank you to all of the teams for taking part. Photo - Diesel Power on the Rope
Photo - York TOWC
Results from Week 2
620 - Winners - Holland - Runners Up - Barton
660 - Winners - Holland - Runners Up - York
680 - Winners - Holland - Runners Up - York
Catchweight - Winners - Holland - Runners Up - York
660 4+4 - Winners - Holland - Runners Up - York Youth
Overall Results
620 Kilos
1. Holland 2. Barton 3. Triple F 4. Diesel Power 5. Lutterworth 6. York 7. Melbourne
660 Kilos
1. Holland 2. York 3. Barton 4. Lutterworth 5. Diesel Power 6. Triple F 7. Melbourne
680 Kilos
1. Holland 2. York 3. Diesel Power 4. Barton 5. Lutterworth 6. Melbourne 7. Triple F
Catchweight
1. Holland 2. York 3. Lutterworth 4. Barton 5. Melbourne 6. Triple F 7. Diesel Power
660 4+4
1. Holland 2. York 3. York Youth 4. Diesel Power 5. Melbourne 6. Barton 7. Triple F
20/03/2011 - MIDLAND EARLY PULL RESULTS
The first Midland Area Early Pull took place this Sunday at Barton-under-Needwood. Area 2 of the Tug of War Association would like to thank Holland Tug of War Club of Staffordshire for all of their efforts in organising the venue. The weather was kind and the pullers keen. York brought their youth team and we were able to accommodate them with a pull against six of Holland Sports team. No women's teams weighed in but three 4+4 teams at 660 gave good day of sport. Melbourne showed clear development in pulling as the day wore on. The day was a good shakedown for both the teams and judges after the winter layoff. The next venue at Rugely, Staffordshire promises a good day's pulling. The results were:
620 1. Holland 2. Triple F 3. Barton 4. York
660 1. Holland 2. York 3. Barton 4. Triple F 5. Melbourne
680 1. Holland 2. York 3. Barton
Catchweight 1. Holland 2. York 3. Barton
660 4+4 1. Holland 2. York 3. Barton
20/03/2011 - DORSET TRAINING LEAGUE RESULTS
The third Dorset training league took place at Fraddon in Cornwall. The weather was overcast but dry which made for some great competition.
A judges course took place in the Far Western Area over the weekend, and the new prospectus judges did some judging as part of their practical examination. We are pleased to report that Graham Taylor and Jonny Neal become fully Qualified TOWA judges. There was one other judge who passed the theory side of their judges course on the previous day, but unfortunately could not make it to the competition so will take their practical examination in the near future.
In terms of the pulling, 8 teams attended and 3 teams were made up to make a 4+4 competition and a good days pulling was had by all. The results were as follows
The location of the Final Dorset Training League Meeting is this weekend on Sunday 27th March 2011. It will be held at The Crown Meadows, Blandford Forum. The Crown Meadows is next to The Crown Hotel in Blandford Forum, opposite the Marsh and Ham Car Park (Morrison's car park).
The presentation of trophies will take place at the Rugby Club in Blandford Forum after pulling is completed.
06/03/2011 - DORSET TRAINING LEAGUE RESULTS
620k
1. Tavistock 2. Kennford A 3. North Wilts 4. Widecombe 5. Ansty
660k
1. Tavistock 2. Kennford A 3. Kennford B 4. Widecombe 5. Ansty 6. North Wilts
Catchweight
1. Tavistock 2. Kennford A 3. Blandford 4. Widecombe 5. Ansty 6. Kennford B
28/02/2011 - DORSET TRAINING LEAGUE RESULTS
The Dorset Training League commenced this weekend, with a good number of local clubs turning out to support the event so early in the year. The next event for the Dorset training league takes place this weekend at Marshwood, Dorset.
Results
Men 600
1. Tavistock 2. Probus 3. Whimple 4. Kennford 5. North Wilts 6. Widecombe 7. 17 port Maritime 8. Culm Valley
Men 640
1. Tavistock 2. 17 port Maritime 3. Kennford 4. North Wilts 5. Probus 6. Widecombe
Men 680
1. Tavistock 2. Kennford 3. Widecombe 4. Culm Valley 5. Kennford B 6. 17 port Maritime 7. Whimple
Photos from the UK indoor Championships are now available to view via our Facebook page.
Results sheets from the UK open club championships can be downloaded by clicking here.
14/02/2011 - UK INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS
England tug of war teams this weekend competed at the United Kingdom Indoor Tug of War Championships in Perth Scotland, which will also be the venue for the 2012 World Indoor Championships.
England did not send as many teams to the event as in previous years, however still had teams capable of bringing home medals. After a short opening ceremony, the event started with the 600 kilos competition. England A were represented by Kilroe, England B were represented by Raunds.
In the 600, some of England’s youngsters had the chance to shine as they were invited to represent the England Under 23 team in the senior 600 kilos event. As part of the 600 kilos competition, each of the home nations were invited to field under 23 teams for the first time. England were the only country that took on the challenge and competed as England C. Although the under 23 team did not finish in a final medal position, the team competed extremely well, winning many plaudits along the way and providing much encouragement for the future. The England C (under 23) team were mainly made up of pullers from Sheen, Kilroe and Uppertown. Well done to them.
When it came to the top four stage of the competition, England B represented by Raunds missed out on a spot in the last four after losing out to Northern Ireland A in a good tussle. England A, represented by Kilroe, progressed to the semi finals behind Scotland A, and ahead of Scotland B and Northern Ireland A. England A won through their semi final to meet Scotland A in the final. Scotland A took a close first end, but the second end went right down to the wire. Scotland picked up two early cautions for locking, however England were also given two cautions before the bull was brought back to the middle for the re-start. On the re-start, England missed the drop completely, and Scotland took full advantage, inching England over the line to take victory. Scotland B took the bronze medal after defeating Northern Ireland.
The second weight of the day was the 680 kilos competition. England only fielded one side in this event, and were represented by Sheen. England progressed to the semi-finals as a top two team, level on points with Scotland A. Scotland B and Northern Ireland A were the other teams to progress. England defeated Scotland B in the semi-finals before going on to meet Scotland A again in the final. Both countries fielded much changed teams from the very close 2010 final, however it was Scotland A who looked stronger this time around, and took the gold medal by 2 ends to 0.
England fielded two teams in the mixed 600 kilos event. These teams were made up from pullers from Sheen Men and Sheen Ladies. This weight class provided a much happier ending for England, with England A winning the competition without losing an end, and defeating Scotland A comfortably in the final to win a well deserved gold medal. England B finished in fourth position behind Scotland B after being narrowly defeated by 2 ends to 1.
There was no ladies competition in the closed event this year, however a club event was held at 540 kilos, with Sheen Ladies finishing in first place ahead of Ayrshire. The Saturday competition also saw the first of two open 640 kilos competitions take place. The final was between Ayrshire of Scotland and Mountain View of Ireland, with Ayrshire winning a thrilling final by 2 ends to 1.
The second day of the UK championships saw the open club competition take place. In addition to the home countries a number of teams from the Republic of Ireland, Italy and also the Basque region of Spain took part. It was another good day of competition with Sheen winning the 640 kilos after defeating Mountain View from Ireland in the final with a well deserved 2 ends to 0 win, and Sheen Ladies also won the ladies 540 kilos event. Sheen Men and Ladies also joined forces again to form a mixed team, and again won that 600 kilos 4+4 event in style, defeating Ayrshire from Scotland in the final by 2 ends to 0.
Kilroe enjoyed success too by winning the mens 560 kilos event, defeating Mountain View from Ireland in the final, but lost the final of the 600 kilos event by 2 ends to 1 to Mountain View in another great final. Raunds and the Under 23 team also competed in the open 600 kilos event, competing very well again on the day, but missing out on a place in the last four.
Well done to all of the England teams that took part, and well done to the Scottish Tug of War Association for hosting a good championships. The venue was excellent, and we are sure that the venue used in Perth will provide an excellent venue for next years world indoor championships.
Saturday - Closed Men 600 - Gold - Scotland A - Silver - England A (Kilroe) - Bronze - Scotland B Men 680 - Gold - Scotland A - Silver England A (Sheen) - Bronze - Scotland B Mixed 600 - Gold - England A (Sheen/Sheen Ladies) - Silver - Scotland A - Bronze - Scotland B Open 640 - Gold - Ayrshire (Scotland) - Silver - Mountain View (Ireland
SATURDAY 4TH DECEMBER - NATIONAL INDOOR TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS
started with an emotional tribute to Lynsey Chipperfield, whose parents Stafford and Lesley, brother Andrew, and fiance Gavin were in attendance. On behalf of the Tug of War Association, thank you to everyone for the support and respect shown to Lynsey and her family.The 2010 national indoor tug of war championships took place this weekend at the Harry Mitchell Leisure Centre in Smethwick, West Midlands. Raunds, Sheen, Kilroe, Norton, and Uppertown took part in the event, with team attendance down on last year after a hard season of outdoor tug of war, and no World Indoor Championships to aim for. Despite the freezing weather conditions, a reasonably good number spectators turned out to see if Sheen and Norton could defend their 2009 national indoor titles.
The day started with an emotional tribute to Lynsey Chipperfield, who sadly passed away on 28th November. The event was attended by her parents, Stafford and Lesley, brother Andrew, and Fiance Gavin. Tributes were paid to Lynsey by TOWA President Tony Martin, and TOWA Chairman Mike Callaghan at the start of the event, prior to a moments silence being held in Lynsey’s memory. Thank you to everyone for the support and respect shown to Lynsey and her family during this difficult time. Photo: Lynsey Chipperfield whilst representing England at the European Outdoor Tug of War Championships in Minehead, 2007.
The tug of war competitions started with the catchweight event. Sheen took the gold medal in this weight ahead of Raunds who finished as close runners up. The 640 kilos event followed the catchweight competition, with world indoor 640 kilos champions Sheen looking to defend their national title. This years strong contenders came in the form of Norton, who had earlier defeated Sheen in the AAA 640 kilos championships in November. These two teams met in their first pull, which was a good close match, with the first end going to almost 6 minutes of pulling before Sheen took the end. The second end was not as long and Sheen took the end required to defeat Norton by 2 ends to 0. Sheen went on to take the gold medal without losing any ends, Norton taking the silver, and Raunds the bronze. Photo: Norton
The 560 kilos competition had a small entry of teams, but it was the pull between Kilroe and Norton that would determine the gold and silver medals. Norton were the defending champions, and after another long first end, Norton this time took the upper hand. The second end was another close pull, put the gold medal never really looked in doubt for Norton. Uppertown finished in the bronze medal position. Photo: Uppertown
The 720 kilos, was again between Sheen and Raunds, with Sheen taking their third gold medal of the day. The 600 kilos event followed, which was another close run competition. Sheen defeated Kilroe first on, and then defeated Uppertown and Raunds to go into their final pull against Norton needing the win to take the gold medal. Norton went into that pull on the back of a 2 ends to 0 defeat to Kilroe, needing a 2 ends to 0 win against Sheen to get back into the running for the gold medal. Despite giving Sheen a good pull, Sheen went on to take the two ends they needed to secure their fourth gold medal of the day. Photo: Raunds
The final weight of the day was the 680 kilos competition. No-one was capable of matching Sheen’s dominance in this weight, and they went on to take their fifth gold medal of the day for the third year running. The challenge for silver and bronze was much closer between Norton, Raunds, and Kilroe. Kilroe and Norton both defeated Raunds in close matches, which left Kilroe and Norton to battle it out for the silver. Norton took the first end, but Kilroe turned it around in another long end to level the match. The third end was another close battle, but this time it went to Norton, giving them the silver medal. Photo: Kilroe
The medals were presented to the winning teams on the day by TOWA President Tony Martin, and all the teams and officials were thanked for their efforts on the day. The officials on the day were Peter Craft, Mike Callaghan, Vic Ludkin, Ray Fray-Smith, Mike Selwood, Julie Petit, Betty Craft, Wendy Dyer, Jill Thomas and Pete Dyer. Our thanks also go out to Paul Richards and Tony Henshaw of Area 2 who have taken care of hall hire and making sure that ropes and mats are available at the venue. Photo: Sheen
Teams will now be looking forward to the UK indoor championships in Perth, Scotland in February.
Thank you to all of the teams who have supported the indoor tug of war season this year. We will be looking for more teams to take part on the indoor circuit next year. Anyone wishing to find out more about taking part in indoor tug of war in 2011 should contact us.
It is with sadness that the Tug of War Association has learned of the passing of Lynsey Chipperfield after a long battle with illness.
Lynsey until recently was an active puller, and was a member of Bedford Ladies, before joining Kilroe Ladies More recently, Lynsey pulled with Sheen Ladies, winning a world open bronze medal in 2008 at the World Indoor Championships in Italy. Lynsey has represented the England ladies on a number of occasions.
Our thoughts go out to her parents Stafford and Lesley; brother Andrew; fiancé Gavin, and all of her family and friends.
The family would like family flowers only and donations should anyone wish, should be made to Cancer Research UK by clicking here. This is a special page dedicated to raising funds in Lynsey's memory.
29/11/2010 - INDOOR LEAGUE WEEK 7
This weekend was the final competition of the Indoor League prior to the national indoor championships. Uppertown, Sheen, Kilroe, Sheen Ladies and Raunds took part at the event in five weight categories at 600, 640, 680, 720 and catchweight.
Sheen were the winners of four weight classes on the day, winning the 640, 680, 720, and catchweight, with Raunds springing a surprise by winning the 600 kilos event, ahead of Kilroe who finished second. Raunds also finished as runners up in the catchweight event, with Kilroe finishing as runners up in the 640, 680 and 720.
Uppertown and Raunds had a great three end battle in the 640 kilos event, with Raunds taking it by 2 ends to 1.
At the end of the event, the Len Hall indoor league trophies were presented, with Sheen winning all weights after accumulating the most points over the course of the season. Well done to them, and all of the other teams who have taken part in the league this year. We have not seen as many teams taking part on the indoor circuit this year, however, hopefully more teams will wish to have a go at indoor next year.
Indoor League week 7 results:
Catchweight - Winners - Sheen - Runners Up - Raunds
720 - Winners - Sheen - Runners Up - Kilroe
680 - Winners - Sheen - Runners Up - Kilroe
640 - Winners - Sheen - Runners Up - Kilroe
600 - Winners - Raunds - Runners Up - Kilroe
Mrs Elsé Rolfe
Please see below a statement from Area 6 following the passing of Mrs Elsé Rolfe a timekeeper/recorder of the Tug of War Association:
"I am sorry to have report that Mrs Elsé Rolfe passed away on 4th November.
Elsé was a Timekeeper/Recorder and a staunch supporter of Tug of War in Area 6. Elsé was the first lady recipient of the Tug of War Association Award of Merit. Elsé’s funeral was attended by close family members only, but a service of thanks giving for her life was held at Warbleton Church, East Sussex on 19th November. The church was packed and among the congregation were several members (past and present) of the Tug of War Association. Tug of War was only one of Elsé’s many interests. She was a prominent supporter of her local church and a member of the choir. Elsé was Danish, which was hard to believe, because she spoke such perfect English. I’m sure everyone in the Association will join me in offering our sincere condolences to Elsé’s husband Sam and her family at this sad time".
Peter Tuckwell - Area Six Secretary
21/11/2010 - INDOOR LEAGUE WEEK 6
There was only a small number of teams competing at this weekends competition at the Harry Mitchell Centre. Norton, Sheen, Sheen Ladies, Raunds (A and B), and Kilroe (A and B) took part.
The first weight was the catchweight. Sheen continued their dominance at this weight by winning the competition without losing an end. Raunds finished as the eventual runners up ahead of Kilroe.
The 620 kilos weight class was a lively competition, but again it was Norton who were too strong for everybody, and they finished as winners of the competition without losing an end. Sheen finished as runners up ahead of Kilroe.
The 680 kilos weight class, again saw teams evenly matched, with Norton again edging out Sheen into first place with Kilroe finishing in third position.
The 640 kilos weight class again saw Norton win the competition without losing an end, despite another strong challenge from Sheen, who again finished as runners up, again ahead of Kilroe.
Disappointingly, only two teams entered the 600 kilos event, with Kilroe winning ahead of Sheen Ladies.
This weekend is the final week of competition before the national indoor championships take place on Saturday 4th December.
14/11/2010 - AAA INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
The AAA championships this weekend took place at the Harry Mitchell Centre, with Norton, Sheen (A and B), Kilroe (A and B), Hedge End, Raunds, BAC and Uppertown taking part. Sheen went into the event as defending champions in both the 640 kilos and catchweight events, and went into the event with a good chance of repeating that feat, however this year, they faced a very strong challenge in the 640 kilos event.
The catchweight event was first on, and Sheen started off by defeating Kilroe before going to defeat Raunds and Hedge End to go on and win the competition without losing an end. Kilroe finished as the eventual silver medallists after beating Raunds into second place.
The 640 kilos weight class was a keenly contested weight class. Both Sheen and Norton both got a good start winning their first matches, with Sheen defeating Kilroe, and Norton defeating Raunds, and they both went all the way through the remainder competition without dropping any ends to meet each other in the final pull. Both teams started strongly, but it was Norton who went on to control the match, winning a well deserved gold medal by 2 ends to 0.
The open competitions took place after the championship events, with Norton continuing their good run of form, winning the 680 kilos event, despite a very strong challenge from Sheen who finished as runners up, and also winning the 600 kilos event, again ahead of Sheen to round off a good day of competition for them.
The 620 kilos weight class was the final competition of the day. There was some good pulling in this weight from all of the teams who took part, with Kilroe, Sheen and Norton finishing on level points in the end after Norton defeated Sheen, and Sheen defeated Kilroe. Norton later picked up an injury, which resulted in Kilroe defeating them in the final pull to round off the competition.
Catchweight - Winners - Sheen - Runners Up - Kilroe
640 - Winners - Norton - Runners Up - Sheen
Open
680 - Winners - Norton - Runners Up - Sheen
620 - Joint Winners - Norton, Sheen, Kilroe
600 - Winners - Norton - Runners Up - Sheen
Photos to follow
VECTOR ROPE TRAINERS
HaB International Limited have contacted the TOWA to inform us that they are supplying a number of Vector Rope Trainers in the UK, which could be used as part of a fitness programme for tug of war teams. Anyone interested in finding out more about this product should click the link below.
This week saw another good indoor competition take place, with overall team performances improving, and competition getting closer in some weight classes. The event started with the catchweight event, with Sheen A and Raunds finishing as winners and runners up respectively.
The 620 kilos event followed, pulled as one straight group. Norton had more or less a full compliment of men this week, and they won this weight well without losing an end. Sheen A finished as runners up, with Kilroe finishing in third place.
The 680 kilos weight class was another keenly contested weight class between all sides. The deciding pull for the winners and runners up spot came between Sheen A and Norton, with Norton taking a close 2 ends to 0 win over their Staffordshire rivals. Raunds followed closely behind, finishing in 3rd place.
The 600 kilos competition was another lively event. Sheen A made up for defeat in the final of the previous weight class by winning this weight without losing an end, followed by Kilroe who finished as runners up. Uppertown and BAC had a great battle in this weight, with Uppertown battling hard to overturn BAC by 2 ends to 1 in a very close pull.
The final weight of the day was the 640 kilos weight class. Normally teams approach this last weight with fatigue, however, there was some really close pulls, a sign that teams are improving as the national championships approach. BAC gave Norton a tight pull first on, but Norton took the win by 2 ends to 0. Kilroe and Sheen had a great battle in this weight which went to four ends, Sheen Ataking the first end, the second end being blown back to the middle after both teams received three cautions, and then Kilroe taking the next two ends. BAC and Sheen A also went to three ends with another no pull, but Sheen won through by 2 ends to 0. Norton finished as the eventual winners with Kilroe finishing as runners up.
Results
Men Catchweight – winners – Sheen A – Runners Up – Raunds
Men 680 – Winners - Norton – Runners Up – Sheen A
Men 640 – Winners – Norton – Runners Up – Kilroe
Men 620 – Winners – Norton – Runners Up – Sheen A
Men 600 – Winners – Sheen A – Runners Up - Kilroe
31/11/2010 - INDOOR LEAGUE WEEK 3 RESULTS
Week 3 of the Indoor League saw another better supported competition take place. In addition to Sheen (A and B), Norton, Kilroe, Raunds (A and B), BAC, and Uppertown, we also welcomed back Hedge End, who have re-formed after a two year absence.
Five weight categories took place at Catchweight, 680 kilos, 640 kilos, 620 kilos and 600 kilos. The catchweight competition was a lively weight first on, with Sheen fielding two evenly weighted teams against Raunds, Kilroe, and Hedge End. Raunds came out on top, winning the competition without losing an end, with Sheen A finishing as runners up. Photo: Hedge End TOWC
The lightweight competitions provided more lively pulling, particularly in the 600 kilos and 620 kilos weight categories. Sheen A won the 600 kilos weight class, with Sheen B finishing as eventual runners up ahead of Kilroe, Uppertown, BAC and Raunds. The 620 kilos was also another good competition, with Norton finishing as the winners, however Uppertown, Sheen A and Kilroe all finished on level points in second place after all teams took ends off each other. Photo: Raunds TOWC
Sheen completed another dominant display on the day, winning the 640 kilos and 680 kilos weight classes, with Norton finishing as runners up in the 680 kilos weight class, and Kilroe finishing as runners up in the 640 kilos weight class. Photo: Kilroe TOWC
Full Results
Catchweight – Winners – Raunds – Runners Up – Sheen A
680 Kilos – Winners – Sheen A – Runners Up – Norton
640 Kilos – Winners – Sheen A – Runners Up – Kilroe
600 kilos – Winners – Sheen A – Runners Up – Sheen B
WORLD OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS PHOTOS
Photos from the world outdoor championships held in Pretoria, South Africa are now available via our Facebook Page. You do not have to have a Facebook account to view these photos, however you have to have an account to post comments to our Facebook page.
The second week of the indoor league saw a better turn out of teams and pullers, which gave us an excellent second weekend of competition. The teams competing were Sheen (A and B), Raunds (A and B), Norton, Kilroe, and BAC. There was some good close pulling in all of the weight classes, with a few good three end pulls giving all the teams that took part some good competition. A number of clubs were still not at full strength so we expect some more ferocious competition in the coming weeks. The results were:
Men 720 – Winners – Sheen – Runners Up – Norton
Men 600 – Winners – Sheen – Runners Up – Norton
Men 680 – Winners – Norton – Runners Up – Kilroe
Men 620 – Winners – Sheen – Runners Up – Norton
Men 640 – Winners – Sheen – Runners Up - BAC
17/10/2010 - INDOOR LEAGUE WEEK 1
Only a small number of teams attended the first week of the indoor league, but each team that did attend fielded a side in most of the weight classes. Sheen, Raunds, Kilroe and Sheen ladies attended the competition. Sheen ladies competed with 9 pullers against the mens teams which made for some good competition in the lighter weight classes. Photo: Sheen Ladies
Sheen men won 3 of the five weight classes on offer on the day, with Kilroe and Raunds also winning a weight class each. The first week of indoor competition is always low on numbers, and it is hoped that we will see a few more teams in attendance next week. Photo: Sheen Men
The results were:
600 - Winners - Sheen - Runners Up - Raunds
620 - Winners - Kilroe - Runners Up - Sheen
640 - Winners - Raunds - Runners Up - Sheen
680 - Winners - Sheen - Runners Up - Kilroe
720 - Winners - Sheen - Runners Up - Raund
9th & 10th OCTOBER 2010 – KESSINGLAND AUTUMN TUG OF WAR WEEKEND – TUG OF WAR ASSOCIATION & TUG OF WAR FEDERATION JOINT EVENT - RESULTS
At this historic event where the competition was jointly run by the Tug of War Association and Tug of War Federation with Officials from both organisations, there were 13 teams competing.
Leo’s Boys from Ireland; St Ouen from Jersey; Raunds; Holland; Triple F; Woodton; Wymondham; 1066; Leek; York; Hadleigh; Toton Bull; Holland B.
The Saturday started with the 600 Kilo competition with some good competition between the teams. Winners were Leo’s Boys with Holland in the runner up spot.
The second competition was the 640 Kilos with 11 teams in two groups of 6 and 5 with Leo’s Boys once again coming out on top with Raunds finishing a very credible second. The third competition was the 600 4+4 which was one group of 6 and was a very strongly contested competition. Holland came out winners with second place being decided on the last pull between York and Woodton, with the winners taking second place. York took the honours. Photo: Leo's Boys TOWC from Northern Ireland
The final competition for Saturday was the 680 Kilos which again was one group of 6 with Holland coming out as winners and Raunds as runners up. Photo: Wymondham TOWC
The Sunday saw another day of good competitions starting with the 620 with 9 teams in a group of 5 and 4. Under Federation rules where there are two groups they always have the crossover to give semi-finals. The winners of group 1 were Holland with Triple F second and in group 2 the winners were Leo’s Boys with Leek second. The semi-finals were then Holland v. Leek and Leo’s Boys v. Triple F. Holland and Leo’s Boys made it through to the final with Leo’s Boys coming out on top in an excellent final. Photo: Hadleigh TOWC
The second competition on the Sunday was the 660 Kilos again with 9 teams in a group of 5 and 4 with Raunds winning group 1 and 1066 taking second spot. Group 2 saw Holland in first place with Leo’s Boys coming second. The semi-finals were Raunds v. Leos Boys and Holland v. 1066. The final was a repeat of the 620 but this time Holland took first place with Leo’s Boys runners up. Photo: Woodton TOWC
Next up was the 660 4+4 in one group of 6. Once again there was some very good battles between the teams with Holland taking the spoils and it was great to 1066 taking the runners up spot. Photo: St Ouens TOWC from Jersey
The final competition was the 720 Kilos with 6 teams in 1 group. Holland once again came out winners with Raunds being a very credible second. Photo: Working together - Officials from both the Tug of War Association and the Tug of War Federation
The two days of competition, the first joint event between the Association and Federation was considered by those present to be a great success.
Men 600 – Winners – Leos Boys – Runners Up – Holland
Men 620 – Winners – Leos Boys – Runners Up – Holland
Men 640 – Winners – Leos Boys – Runners Up – Raunds
Men 660 – Winners – Holland – Runners Up – Leos Boys
Men 680 – Winners – Holland – Runners Up – Totham Bull
Men 720 – Winners – Holland – Runners Up – Raunds
600 4+4 – Winners – Holland – Runners Up – York
660 4+4 – Winners – Holland – Runners Up – 1066
2010 WORLD OUTDOOR TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS - PRETORIA - SOUTH AFRICA - SEPTEMBER 2010
Below is a detailed report from all four days of the world outdoor championships 2010.
15/09/2010 - WORLD OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS - DAY 1
The 2010 World Outdoor Championships were this year hosted by the South African Tug of War Federation in Pretoria. This is the second time the event has taken place in Pretoria, the last time in 2002. The ground in 2002 was very hard, which made for very difficult pulling conditions. However the ground had been treated in the build up to this event to address that problem. Despite regular watering, the ground was still quite hard, but after a few ends, it did start to cut up although not providing deep holes, which meant that we did not see many long ends.
The first day of the 2010 World Outdoor Championships saw teams competing in the 580 kilos and 700 kilos weight classes for senior men, 540 kilos for senior women, and 560 kilos for junior men. A non TWIF junior ladies 480 kilos club competition also took place on the day for South African teams. Photo: Holland TOWC competing in the open 700 kilos competition.
The day started with the mens 700 kilos competition. English interest in this competition came in the form of Felton Eccles from Somerset, and Holland from Staffordshire. Both teams got off to a good start, with Holland defeating Vechtlust from the Netherlands. Felton Eccles also got off to a good start with a very good 2 ends to 0 win over Latvian team Velkonis. Both Holland and Felton competed in the same group, with the competition split into two groups. The two English sides met half way through the group stage of the competition, having a good pull, with both teams taking a share of the spoils, winning one end each. Despite both teams getting some good wins over tough opposition, defeats and dropped ends to Lakehill from Ireland, Shongau from Switzerland, and Valsbaii from South Africa meant that neither side progressed to the semi finals. Photo: Felton Eccles competing in the open 700 kilos competition
The semi finals was between Veenseboys from the Netherlands who won group 1, and Shongau from Switzerland as runners up of group 2. Lakehill from Ireland faced Eibergen from the Netherlands in the second semi final. Veenseboys comfortably dispatched of Shongau by 2 ends to 0 to maker the final, with Eibergen getting a hard earned win over Lakehill to set up an all Dutch final. The bronze match between Lakehill and Shongau saw Lakehill dictate the pull from start to finish and they took the bronze medal by 2 ends to 0. The final saw Veenseboys from the Netherlands put on an impressive display of power pulling by defeating current European Club 640 champions Eibergen by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Seigelau - winners of the junior 560 kilos club competition
The Junior 560 kilos event was contested at the same time as the mens 700 kilos event, and was pulled as a straight group. There were many good South African teams in the event, joined by teams from Germany, Chinese Taipei and the Basque country. The group stage was dominated by Drosty from South Africa, and Dream Team Seigelau from Germany. Both teams progressed to the semi final stage with relative ease, followed by two other South African teams from Drackenstien and Oakdale A. The team from Chinese Taipei finished in 5th place to miss out on the semi finals after a good display for their first world championships. Like with the indoor, they pull a good style, and are certainly ones to watch on the outdoor in the future. Photo: Lakehill - 700 kilos bronze medallists
The semi finals were again dominated by Seigalau and Drosty who won their respective matches in impressive style to leave Oakdale and Drackenstien to fight it out for the bronze. Both teams fought very hard for the bronze medal, but in the end, it was Drackenstien who took the bronze medal. The final was yet again another clash between a German and a South African youth team. The final saw Drosty dominate the early exchanges, but the German team hung on to take a hard fought first end. The second end saw the Germans assert a little more control, and they took the second end to take the gold. Photo: Team Army competing in the open 580 kilos competition
The mens 580 kilos in the afternoon was pulled as two groups. With many good teams competing. English involvement in this event came in the form of Team Army. Despite all their efforts, they faled to make the semi finals in a group containing world class opposition, including Engelberg from Switzerland, and Boley from Ireland. It was those two teams who progressed from their group, with Engelberg going through in first place, Boley in second. The second group was won by Veenseboys from the Netherlands who were chasing their second gold medal of the day, however the pulling was very close to decide second place, with Gortletteragh from Ireland, Derryogue from Northern Ireland, Mosnang and Ebersecken from Switzerland, and Goiherri from the Basque country all with a good chance of finishing second. It was the Basque team that ended up pipping Mosnang to second place overall, and they progressed through to the semi finals. Chinese Taipei - ladies 540 kilos open club silver medallists
The semi finals saw Veenseboys defeat a determined Boley by 2 ends to 0, with Engelberg having a tough task in overcoming Goiherri by 2 ends to 0 to reach the final. The bronze medal match saw Goiherrie pull very well to hold there positions against Boley to take a hard earned bronze medal by 2 ends to 0. The final between Veenseboys and Engelberg was a case of seeing how long Engelberg could hold onto the strong Dutch team to try and find any weaknesses. The first end saw Veenseboys win in impressive style. On the second end, Engelberg threw everything at the Dutch side, drawing back any rope they lost, however they were picking up cautions on the way, before the Dutchmen drew the rope back to haul Engelberg over the line to claim their second gold medal of the day. Photo: Veenseboys - 580 kilos open club champions
The ladies 540 kilos weight class was pulled as a straight group, with some good teams from the Netherlands, South Africa, Lithuania, USA, the Basque Country, Japan, and Chinese Taipei. The surprise team was certainly the Chinese Taipei ladies team, having not competed at many World Outdoor Championships. They made it through the the semi finals, along with Koapman and Vechtlust from the Netherlands, and the South African team. The Chinese Taipei team pulled off a great 2 ends to 0 win over the South Africans to make it to the final, where they met Vechtlust, leaving Koapman and the South African team to fight it out for the bronze. The South Africans pulled very strongly in the bronze pull off to win by 2 ends to 0. The final between Chinese Taipei and Vechtlust was a good contest, with Chinese Taipei pulling a good level rope, just like what they are renowned for on the indoor. They got a good drive early on, but the Dutch held firm to take the first end. On the second end Chinese Taipei managed to unsettle the Dutch, but were a couple of lifts short of bringing them over, with Vechtlust taking the gold medal. It was a good performance from the Taipei team to take their first ever outdoor world medal. They certainly look like they can be as good on the outdoor as they are currently at indoor tug of war. Photo: Vechtlust - ladies 540 kilos open club competition
16/09/2010 - WORLD OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS DAY 2
The second day of the open club competition started with the mixed 4+4 600 kilos event. This competition was pulled as a straight group of 11, with English interest coming in the form of Holland TOWC. Holland made a strong start, winning their first two pulls two straight, before going on to pull well in the remainder of their group matches, only losing to Gaztedi of the Basque country. Holland progressed to the semi finals along with Gaztedi, Jaersrust from the Netherlands, and Koapman, also from the Netherlands. In the semi-finals, Holland comfortably defeated Kopaman by 2 ends to 0 to reach their first ever final at a TWIF world championships. They would alter meet Gaztedi who overcame Jargersrust in a tough semi final pull. The bronze medal match went to three ends with Jagersrust taking the bronze by 2 ends to 1. The final between Holland and Gaztedi was a good pull, with Holland taking an early advantage, before Gaztedi got themselves back into the pull to take the first end. The second end saw Holland again take some early rope, but Gaztedi seized the advantage to take the gold medal by 2 ends to 0, giving Holland the silver. Photo: Goldschuere - winners of the open under 23 championship
The under 23 600 kilos competition also took place alongside the 600 4+4 competition and was pulled as a straight group. Along with strong teams from South Africa, clubs from Switzerland, Germany, Chinese Taipei, USA, and Belgium also took part. There was some close pulling at the start of the event with all teams dropping ends. The team from Chinese Taipei again gave another strong showing taking ends from Mosnang and Goldscheure early on. Goudini were also strong in defeating Mosnang and taking points from Goldscheure. Most of the other teams also acquitted themselves well, including DJs from the USA, who were competing in the under 23 category for the first time. Goudini, Goldscheure, Mosnang, and Chinese Taipei all progressed to the semi finals. Mosnang defeated Chinese Taipei, with Goldscheure defeating Goudini. The bronze medal match was a real tough encounter between two very strong teams, but it was Goudini who managed to break down Chinese Taipei to bring home the bronze medal. The final was between the German team of Goldscheure, and the Swiss team of Mosnang. Golscheure kept better body angles on the hard ground to defeat Mosnang by 2 ends to 0 to take a well deserved gold medal. Photo: Holland TOWC pulling in the 4+4 event
The afternoon saw the 640 kilos and ladies 540 kilos competitions take place. England teams in the 640 kilos competition were from Felton Eccles, Team Army, and Holland. The competition was split into four groups. Felton Eccles battled through their group to finish in first place ahead of Goudini from South Africa who progressed in second place. Holland and Team Army were both placed in the same group, but despite some good performances, neither side progressed through to the knock out stages. Their group was won by Boley from Ireland, with Goiherri from the Basque country progressing through in second place. Photo: Holland TOWC 4+4 team after winning the silver
The quarter finals saw Boley defeat Lakehill, Eibergen defeat Goudini, Felton Eccles defeat Veenseboys B, and Veenseboys A defeat Fam. Janssens from Belgium. The semi finals saw Eibergen win well against Boley to earn a place in the final, with Veenseboys A defeating Felton Eccles. Felton Eccles went into the bronze medal match where they faced Boley from Ireland. Felton pulled strongly in this match and managed to contain Boley’s counter attacks really well to take Boley over the line to take the bronze medal by 2 ends to 0 to win a well deserved bronze medal. The final was the second of the weekend between Veenseboys and Eibergen, both of the Netherlands. Eibergen, current European Champions had a point to prove after defeat in the 700 kilos on the previous day and they pulled strongly early on, putting Veenseboys under some real pressure for the first time in the whole of the open club competition. Veenseboys however had a good long counter lift, which Eibergen on a couple of occasions did well to contain, but no-one was going to deny the Veenseboys their third gold medal of the competition and they took the 640 gold by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Team Army Squad
Bedford competed in the ladies 500 kilos competition, pulled as a straight group of 11. The teams from the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland all kept a low profile in this weight, but there were still strong teams from Germany, Chinese Taipei, USA, and Belgium all taking part. Bedford met Chinese Taipei. Fam. Janssens and Dietenbach from Germany in their first three pulls coming away with two points from the first three matches, however, the team settled down, and they went on to win all the remaining pulls in their group to reach the semi final. Chinese Taipei finished as overall group winners, with Bedford, Fam. Janssens and Dietenbach all finishing on level points. Dietenbach finished in second place after cautions and weight were taken into consideration. Leaving the draw to be decided on the toss of a coin. Bedford were drawn against Chinese Taipei, with the Chinese Taipei team winning by 2 ends to 0 to reach there second final of the weekend. Dietenbach won the second semi final by 2 ends to 0 to reach the final. Bedford went into the bronze medal match with high hopes, but came undone at the last hurdle, with Fam. Janssens getting Bedford moving early on. Beedford looked as though they were going to stop them, but it was too close to the line before they could get the rope back, and it was the team from Belgium that ended up taking the bronze medal. The final turned out to be a great performance from the Chinese Taipei team, and they were too strong for Dietenbach, taking their first ever outdoor gold medal by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Bedford Ladies 500 kilos - 4th place in the open competition.
The evening saw the opening ceremony for the closed world championships take place, with traditional African dancing, as well as a speech from TWIF president Cathal McKeever to mark the 50th anniversary of the Tug of War International Federation. England’s representatives in the opening ceremony were Diane McDonald of Bedford Ladies, and Emmett Power and Ryan Tommins of Sandhurst Youth. Photo: Felton Eccles - world 640 kilos bronze medallists
17/09/2010 - WORLD OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS DAY 3
The closed competition started with the mens 700 kilos competition, later followed by the junior mens competition at 560 kilos. England did not enter a team in the mens 700 kilos competition, so it was a chance to watch some of the other countries in action. 9 teams competed in the competition, with the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and Ireland making the semi finals. The Netherlands defeated Sweden to reach the final, whilst Switzerland defeated Ireland. The bronze medal match went to three ends with Sweden taking the first end against Ireland, before Ireland took the next two ends to take the bronze. The final was another three end match, with the Swiss taking the first end. On the second end, Switzerland were unable to contain the big Dutch lifts and they took the second end to level the match. The Dutch won the toss to choose the winning end and they went on to secure the gold medal. Photo: England Youth Team
England entered a team in the junior 560 kilos competition, this year being represented by Sandhurst Youth, with most of their team representing England for the first time. It was a tough competition with no easy teams to pull against at youth international level. England started against Chinese Taipei, who sent very strong sides to the World Championships this time in the ladies and youth weights. On top of the ground they were not an easy team to pull, and despite both teams trying to get momentum, Chinese Taipei got England moving and they took the first pull by 2 ends to 0. It was to be a tough day all round for the England youth with defeats to Switzerland, South Africa, Sweden and Germany, which meant that they missed out on a place in the semi finals. Despite not winning any ends it was a good performance, and a good learning experience for our youth. There will be an opportunity for a youth team to represent on home soil again next year at the European Championships in Minehead. Photo: Switzerland Youth Team on the podium
Switzerland, Sweden and South Africa all made it to the semi finals, but Germany and Chinese Taipei finished on level points. Germany picked up less cautions in the competition, and they progressed to the semi finals. Switzerland defeated Germany in their semi final, and Sweden managed to overcome South Africa by 2 ends to 1 to reach the final. The bronze pull off was an exciting battle between the home nation and Germany. Germany took the first end, but South Africa levelled the pull to take the match to three ends. Germany managed to hang on to take a hard earned bronze medal. The final was between Switzerland and Sweden. Switzerland had much more left in the tank than Sweden and they earned a good 2 ends to 0 win to win the youth gold medal. Photo: England 580 kilos team
The mens 580 kilos competition followed in the afternoon and England were represented by current European Champions Norton. England went into the event with high hopes of getting a medal, but the early stage of the competition proved to be a stern test. The 580 kilos competition this year was fiercely competitive, with 5 or 6 teams out of the 11 looking like they were capable of reaching the final. England started off with a tough pull against Germany first on, securing a 2 ends to 0 win. England then met the other early favourites – Netherlands and Sweden – losing to both teams by 2 ends to 0 to put England under some early pressure. England then had Northern Ireland, taking the first end, but losing their balance on the second end to drop points to Northern Ireland. England then pulled off a good 2 ends to 0 win over Ireland to get themselves back into the competition, rounding off the competition without dropping any more points, including a good 2 ends to 0 win over Switzerland. Photo: Netherlands 580 kilos winning team
England qualified for the semi finals along with Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland, and were drawn against Sweden who had earlier defeated them in the group. The ground had cut up more now which gave both teams a sound footing. Sweden took the first end after England were harshly blown out for receiving three cautions. England then assumed control for the next two ends to take a good win into the final. England met the Netherlands who defeated Switzerland in the other semi final. The Netherlands were the hot favourites going into the final, having only lost one end in the group. England gave a good account of themselves on the first end, but could not quite tie down the big lift and row style of the Dutch team. The second end went the same way and the Netherlands secured their second gold medal of the championship. It was a great result for England after a terrible start, and the pullers came off the field happy that they won a silver medal when earlier in the competition it looked as though they could have finished out of the medals. Switzerland secured the bronze medal by defeating Sweden by 2 ends to 0. Photo: England 580 kilos team on the podium with their silver medals
The ladies 540 kilos competition took place at the same time as the mens 580 kilos competition. England did not have a team entered in this weight class, but the event was won by Sweden, with the Netherlands winning silver, South Africa the bronze and Chinese Taipei finished in fourth place. Photo: Sweden ladies winning the ladies 540 kilos title
18/09/2010 – WORLD OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS DAY 4
Day four started with the 600 4+4 competition. England were not entered in this weight class, but 7 countries entered the event. Switzerland, Netherlands, South Africa and Sweden made the cross over with the Netherlands and Sweden both progressing to the final. South Africa and Switzerland both fought it out for the bronze medal, with Switzerland taking a hard fought pull by 2 ends to 0 to take the bronze medal. The final was between Sweden and the Netherlands. Sweden dropped in with good angles to start with and started to inch the Dutch team over. The Dutch tried to get some big lifts through but Sweden managed to contain them to take the first end. The second end went much the same way and Sweden took the first TWIF international 4+4 title. Photo: Sweden 4+4 Team
The under 23 600 kilos competition was fought out by 9 countries. There was some competitive pulling in this weight with Germany, Switzerland, South Africa and Sweden all progressing through to the semi finals. Germany defeated South Africa and Switzerland defeated Sweden, both in two straight ends. The bronze medal pull off saw Sweden defeated a spirited South Africa team by 2 ends to 0. The final saw Switzerland dominate Germany by 2 ends to 0 to secure the Under 23 title for the second year running. Photo: Switzerland Under 23 Team
The afternoon saw the men 640 kilos and ladies 500 kilos competitions take place. England were represented in the ladies 500 kilos competition by Bedford Ladies. England started off with a good 2 ends to 0 win over former world champions USA, in a tough field. England failed to make the cross-over in what was a very competitive weight class, with all teams pulling at a high standard. The teams that made the cross over were Germany, Chinese Taipei, Sweden and the Netherlands. Sweden defeated the Netherlands, and Chinese Taipei defeated Germany. Netherlands and Germany fought it out for the bronze medal, and it was Germany who took the two ends to earn the bronze medal. The final between Sweden and Chinese Taipei was between a team who was not been defeated for a few years in ladies tug of war, and another team who are an emerging force. It was Chinese Taipei who caused the biggest upset of the whole tournament by defeating Sweden by 2 ends to 0 to win their first ever outdoor world title. Photo: England Ladies 500 team
The 640 kilos competition saw England being represented by Felton Eccles. This was another great competition. England made a good start by defeating Germany by 2 ends to 0, and progressed through the competition, only dropping ends to Sweden, Switzerland and the Netherlands, as well as getting a good 2 ends to 0 win over Ireland early on in the group stages. England progressed to the semi finals in second place in the overall group ahead of Ireland and Switzerland, with the Netherlands finishing in first place in the group. In the semi finals, England were drawn against defending world champions Switzerland. England dropped in well on both ends, not allowing Switzerland to get into the pull, driving Switzerland out in two straight ends. The Netherlands won their semi final against Ireland to reach their third final of the mens weight categories, leaving Ireland and Switzerland to fight it out for the bronze. Despite losing to Switzerland in the group stages Ireland put in a good performance take the bronze medal by 2 ends to 0. England went into the final looking to inflict defeat on the Dutch mens team for the first time in the championships. Despite dropping in well against the Dutch on both ends, the long lifts and rows of the Netherlands proved to be effective yet again, and they went on to take the gold medal by 2 ends to 0 to finish off a fine weekend of pulling for them. Photo: England 640 kilos team
Well done to all the England teams and clubs who travelled to the event to take part. It took a lot of commitment by everyone to travel and compete at the event, and to come away with two medals in the open competition, and two medals in the closed competition is a great achievement considering we did not have the large contingent of pullers travelling to the event like we have done in previous years. England TWIF judges were Ray-Fray Smith and Mike Callaghan. Wendy Dyer was chief recorder, and Pete Dyer was assistant chief marshall. Alan Ludkin was commentator and liaison officer. Photo: Netherlands 640 kilos team
Next year, we host the European Outdoor Championships and World Junior and Under 23 Championships in Minehead, England. We look forward to competing in that event, and we look forward to welcoming everyone from Europe and the world. Photo: England 640 kilos team with their silver medals
JUDGES COURSES
Mick Grimston of Area 5 has recently passed his judges course. Mick had to take his course later than other candidates and completed the practical course at competitions held during April. Mick was presented with his certificate for passing the course at the weekend. Mick is a former puller and was a member of Lincoln, St Pats and Congleton Tug of War Clubs. Photo:Mick Grimston (left) is pictured recieving his judges certificate from TOWA president Tony Martin (right)
05/09/2010 - NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final Results
The national league finals were this year again held in the central location of Daventry. This was the final weekend of the 8 competition national league, which included mens, ladies, and youth weight classes. The teams competing were in the senior weights were Sandhurst, Felton Eccles (A and B), Bosley, Hanging Bridge, Norton, Oxney Vines Cross, Triple F, and Gloucester and Somerset. In the Ladies and youth, Sheen, Bedford, Sandhurst, Gloucester and Somerset ACF and two teams from Leicester and Northants ACF competed.
Three mens weights took place, all run as points competitions at 600 kilos, 640 kilo and 680 kilos. The first weight was the 600 kilos. Norton had a healthy lead of 21 points going into the event, and were almost certain of taking the final gold medal on the day unless they had a disastrous competition. Norton pulled strongly throughout the weight without dropping an end to confirm the gold medal. The competition was much closer for the silver and bronze medals however, as Sandhurst, Felton Eccles, and Oxney were most likely to take the two remaining medals. Oxney competed well throughout the competition to only lose to Norton to secure the silver medal, and Felton Eccles overtook Sandhurst to take the bronze. Photo: Norton
The 640 kilos was again won by Norton, but was not quite as straight forward, having dropped an end to Oxney during the competition. Norton had an unassailable 33 point lead in this weight going into the event so losing ends did not matter. They again finished top of the pile, with Felton Eccles finishing as silver medallists on this occasion, having been two points behind Sandhurst at the start of the competition. Sandhurst took a well deserved bronze medal. Photo: Felton Eccles
The 680 kilos was the final mens weight of the day. Norton had achieved a small lead going into the final event, and it was most possible in this weight that teams behind them could catch up, provided that a few teams could take points off them. Felton Eccles pulled strongly, and were the only team to achieve this feat, beating Norton in a hard pull by 2 ends to 0 on the day. Both teams won all of their other pulls, which meant that Norton took their third gold, with Felton Eccles taking the silver. The fight for the bronze ended up between Bosley, Sandhurst and Oxney. Bosley were ahead of the other teams by 11 points, so needed to win a few points to secure the medal. Despite a few defeats, Bosley got enough points on the board to take the bronze medal. Photo: Bedford Ladies
The ladies and youth league competition was well supported, with some good pulling in both the 520 kilos and 560 kilos weight class. Sandhurst Youth had a tough day with many pullers competing in both the senior and junior weights. They had a tough battle first on in the 520 kilos event with Gloucester and Somerset giving them a hard time, with Sandhurst eventually winning the pull by 2 ends to 1, and later went on to win the competition, finishing two points ahead of Gloucester and Somerset in the overall youth league for this weight class. Leicester and Northants finished as bronze medallists. Bedford Ladies took the gold medal in the ladies 520 kilos weight class, with Sheen Ladies finishing as runners up. Photo: Sandhurst Youth
The 560 kilos weight class was dominated by Sandhurst, and they won the competition on the day to secure the overall league title, again followed by Gloucester and Somerset, with Leicester and Northants winning the bronze. Bedford Ladies again won the ladies league, having a good battle with Sheen Ladies to win by 2 ends to 1 on the day. Sheen Ladies finished as overall runners up. Photo: Gloucester and Somerset ACF Squad
Thank you to all of the teams that have supported the leagues over the whole season. Hopefully there will be many more teams taking part next year, particularly with the added incentive of the European Championships taking place in England.
Thank you also to the officials on the day – Timekeeper/Recorders – Betty Craft, Wendy Dyer and Yvonne Ludkin – Judges – Ray-Fray Smith, Ernie Jones, Vic Ludkin, Peter Craft, Mick Selwood, Mick Grimston, Ray Wells, Julie Petit, Matt Cowlard and Roger Beardsmore.
Youth 520 – Gold – Sandhurst – Silver – Gloucester and Somerset – Bronze - Leicester and Northants
Youth 560 – Gold – Sandhurst – Silver – Gloucester and Somerset – Bronze - Leicester and Northants
Ladies 520 – Gold – Bedford – Silver – Sheen
Ladies 560 – Gold – Bedford – Silver – Sheen
SATURDAY 28TH AUGUST 2010 - GENSB YOUTH INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT
City and North East London ACF TOW club competing at GENSB 2010
GENSB 2010 was held at Heino (a small town between Zwolle and Deventer) in the Netherlands. Thirty seven teams took part this year, and they included seven army cadet teams from England (LNR ACF A, B and C; GLOSSOM ACF A and B; NE London ACF A and B). Each GENSB country has to provide two judges, and the English judges were Ray Fray-Smith and Peter Tuckwell. Vic Ludkin was also in attendance at the event as England GENSB Representative. There was a lot of rain in the area on the Friday, but Saturday (the day of the competition) started fine. About half way through the competition the Sun disappeared and we were hit by a heavy thunderstorm. Fortunately the venue was a riding school with a huge indoor facility, which had been made available to the teams. The competition was temporarily suspended until the storm had passed over, and everyone was relieved that the riding school building was available for shelter.
Leicester and Northants ACF TOW Club competing at GENSB 2010
There were four groups in the first (points) part of the competition, and the top four teams in each group progressed to the knockout stage. LNR ACF A was the only English team to progress out of the group stage, and they were beaten in the last 16 by Dutch team Streefkerk, who ended up as losing semi finalists. The eventual winners were Mosnang of Switzerland, who beat TTV Powerrangers of Belgium in the final. Mosnang also won the competition last year, and are a very strong team. A lot of the non-English clubs entering GENSB are junior sections of senior teams who always manage to recruit sufficient young pullers to make top-rate teams, and these young pullers progress to the senior men’s teams. This is something that the TOWA will be looking to address in the future. The full results and photographs are now available on the GENSB web site - www.gensb.eu.
Thanks to Peter Tuckwell for providing the above report.
Gloucester and Somerset ACF TOW Club competing at GENSB 2010
Photos courtesy of Eddie Van Ramsdonk of the Netherlands Tug of War Association.
13/14 AUGUST - UK OUTDOOR TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS - ENNISKILLEN - NORTHERN IRELAND - RESULTS
The 2010 UK outdoor championships were this year hosted by the Northern Ireland Tug of War Association, with the event taking place in Enniskillen. Sheen Men, Felton Eccles, Wood Treatment Bosley, Oxney Vines Cross and Sheen Ladies all represented England in the closed event, with Lincoln TOWC also competing in the open event. The closed competition took place on the Friday afternoon, and started with a short opening ceremony, before the competition got underway with the mens 600 kilos competition. Photo - England B 600 kilos team - represented by Oxney Vines Cross
In the mens 600 kilos competition England A were represented by Bosley, and England B were represented by Oxney. England B started off with the toughest test first, going 1 end each with a very strong and lively Scotland A team. England A started off by defeating Northern Ireland B by 2 ends to 0, but then went on to be beaten by 2 ends to 0 to Northern Ireland A. Both teams had tough battles throughout the remainder of the group stage with England A defeating Scotland A, but dropped ends to Wales A. England A then made a substitution to bring on a fresh pair of legs for their remaining pulls. England B also dropped ends to Wales A. Both England A and England B met in the last pull of the group, with both teams in need of points to ensure that they progressed to the last four. England A needed one point, and England B needed three points and also relied upon Northern Ireland B dropping an end in their final match. Photo - England A 600 kilos squad - represented by Wood Treatment Bosley - 600 kilos gold medallists
England B took a hard first end against England A, but the second end saw England B take England A to within 3 feet of the line. With England A on two cautions it looked as though England A might go out, but England B stopped and England A managed to work the rope all the way back without picking up any more cautions to get the end they needed to secure a place in the semi final. Northern Ireland B won their final group pull by 2 ends to 0 to secure their place in the semi-finals, which meant that England B missed out. In the semi-final, England A came out strongly to defeat Northern Ireland A by 2 ends to 0 in a tough match. Northern Ireland B defeated Wales A to qualify for the final. Northern Ireland A secured the bronze medal with a good win over Wales A. Photo - England B 680 kilos team - represented by Felton Eccles - 680 kilos gold medallists
The final was between England A and Northern Ireland B, two teams who really had to battle hard to make it through to the semi-finals. The first end was very close, with Northern Ireland B starting off strong trying to work England A over the line. Northern Ireland B had England A on two cautions early on, but England A held on to break Northern Ireland B down, and they soon started to pick up cautions, eventually receiving their third which gave the end to England A. Both teams battled hard on the second end, but England A got the momentum this time, taking Northern Ireland B all the way over the line to take a hard earned gold medal. This was a landmark moment for representative club Wood Treatment Bosley, who won their first championship title below 640 kilos. Photo - England A 680 kilos team - represented by Sheen - 680 kilos silver medallists
In the ladies 540 kilos competition, England were represented by Sheen Ladies. Due to travel problems at the airport, England had one of their main pulling members missing for this competition as they could not travel to the event until later in the day, meaning that England had to change the team. England started off with a defeat to Wales A first on, but defeated Scotland B and went one end each with Scotland A which meant that they qualified for the semi-finals. England were defeated by Wales A in the semi-final, and had to settle for a pull against Scotland B for the bronze medal. England were too strong for the Scottish B team, and ran out as 2 ends to 0 winners to take the bronze medal for England. Photo - England Ladies 540 kilos team - represented by Sheen Ladies - 540 kilos bronze medallists
The closed event finished with the mens 680 kilos competition. England A were represented by Sheen in this weight, with England B being represented by Felton Eccles. England B started off with another tough test against Scotland A going to a 1 ends each draw, but recovered well to progress to semi finals, only dropping ends to Wales A and England A. England A, also endured relatively straight forward qualification for the semi finals, only dropping ends to the very strong Wales A side represented by Llanboidy. Photo - Lincoln TOWC competing in the open 600 kilos event
In the semi finals, England A were drawn to pull against Scotland A, with England B having a tough test against Wales A. England A pulled strongly in the semi final to defeat Scotland A, but England B really had to dig deep against Wales A to grind out a 2 ends to 0 win to make it to the final. The bronze medal pull off was between Scotland A and Wales A, which was a very good contest which went to three ends. Both teams have very strong lifts, and it was Scotland A who took the first end. Wales A however dug deep and took the next two ends to secure the bronze medal. Photo - Sheen Ladies team - ladies 540 kilos UK open champions
The final was between England A and England B. England A opted to try and outlast their opponents on the first end, but as both teams started to wear each other down the rope started to move and a good contest emerged, with England B managing to bring England A over the line. On the second end England B assumed control, and took England A over the line to take the gold medal, giving England B the silver.
The open competition took place the following day, with Felton Eccles, Lincoln, Oxney, and Sheen Ladies taking part. Sheen ladies made up for the disappointment of the previous day, as they took the gold medal in the ladies 540 kilos event, with all of their pullers available. Sheen Ladies defeated Ayrshire by 2 ends to 0 to take the gold medal in the final. Felton Eccles also secured a bronze medal in the open 680 kilos event, defeating Cornhill for the bronze. This event was won by Lakehill from Ireland, with Llanboidy from Wales taking the silver. Felton Eccles also competed in the 640 kilos event but did not progress to the semi final stage. Lincoln and Oxney also competed at the event in both the 600 kilos and 640 kilos events. Both teams competed well, but neither team progressed to the semi final stages in either weight class.
The Tug of War Association would like to take this opportunity to thank the Northern Ireland Tug of War Association for all of their hospitality throughout the weekend, and we would like to congratulate all the teams from England who took part at the event, many of whom were either competing without full strength teams or competing under challenging circumstances. The full results from the event are below.
500KG CLOSED- Gold - Scotland A - Silver - Wales A
540KG CLOSED - Gold - Scotland A - Silver - Wales A - Bronze - England A (represented by Sheen Ladies - 4th - Scotland B
600KG CLOSED - Gold - England A (represented by Bosley) - Silver - Northen Ireland B - Bronze - Northern Ireland A -4th - Wales A
680KG CLOSED - Gold - England B (represented by Felton Eccles) - Silver - England A (represented by Sheen) - Bronze - Wales A - 4th - Scotland A
SUNDAY 8TH AUGUST - INTER COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIPS AND NATIONAL OPEN 4+4 CHAMPIONSHIPS, HOSTED BY BEDFORD LADIES TOWC
The Inter County Championships this year, were much better supported than the previous few Inter County Championships, and this was further boosted by the first mixed pulling event hosted by the Tug of War Association. It was pleasing to see a good turnout of teams, and a good turn out of both Association and Federation teams, all pulling in the same arena. Photo - Norton representing Staffordshire - winners of the 640 kilos Inter County Championship
The Inter County Championships kicked off with the 640 kilos competition and the battle for the coveted 640 kilos shield. The defending champions were Staffordshire (represented by Norton). This event was keenly contested, and was split into two groups. Staffordshire started off their defence with a hard fought win over Somerset (Felton Eccles) before defeating Berkshire (Sandhurst), Lincolnshire (Lincoln), and Essex (Totham Bull). Group 2 (which had loads of pulls which went to three ends) was won by Sussex A (Oxney), with Derbyshire (Hanging Bridge) finishing as runners up, ahead of Cheshire (Bosley), Staffordshire B (Holland) and Sussex B (Forge Lane). The semi finals saw Staffordshire A defeat Derbyshire, and Sussex go through a tough 3 end pull with Somerset to reach the final. Despite a strong performance by Sussex, Staffordshire held their shape well to take the 640 kilos inter county shield by 2 ends to 0. Photo - Holland TOWC 4+4
The second Inter Counties weight was the 680 kilos weight class. Staffordshire A (Norton) were again the defending champions. Staffordshire A started off with a difficult two ends to nil win over Lincolnshire (Staffordshire A were 60 kilos light), before going on to defeat Staffordshire B (Sheen) by 2 ends to 1. Derbyshire (Hanging Bridge) then took another end out of Staffordshire A, but it was Somerset (Felton Eccles) who pulled strongly throughout the competition to win the 680 kilos shield without losing an end. Staffordshire A (Norton) finished as runners up. Photo - Woodton TOWC 4+4
The national open 4+4 championship at 600 kilos was then contested. This was a first for the Tug of War Association, with 7 teams taking part. As this was a first event for the Association and to get it off the ground, teams were allowed to borrow up to four pullers from another club to enter the weight class on the day. The teams that competed were Woodton, Bedford, Oxney, Sheen, Totham Bull, Holland, and 1006. Sheen started with a hard fought win over Holland first on, and there was a good pull between Holland and Woodton, with Woodton taking Holland close to the line on the first end, only to run out of steam. The eventual winners were Bedford, with Oxney finishing in silver medal position and Sheen finished as bronze medallists. For a first event, this competition was a success. Photo - Totham Bull TOWC 4+4
The open weights were contested in the ladies 500 kilos and 540 kilos, and men 600 kilos, 640 kilos and 700 kilos. Bedford Ladies won both of the ladies weight classes, with Sheen Ladies finishing as runners up in the 540 kilos weight class, and 1066 finished as runners up in the 500 kilos weight class. Norton won the 700 kilos weight class, with Felton finishing as runners up. Norton also won the 640 kilos weight class, with Felton Eccles finishing as runners up again. Oxney finished as winners of the 600 kilos weight class, with Hanging Bridge finishing as runners up. Photo - Oxney Vines Cross 4+4
The TOWA would like to congratulate all of the teams who took part in the Inter County Championships and Open 4+4 Championships and made it a good day of tug of war. Officials on the day were Ray-Fray Smith, Peter Tuckwell, Ray Wells, Peter Craft, and Julie Petit, with Betty Craft and Wendy Dyer undertaking the timekeeping and recording duties. Photo - 1066 TOWC Ladies team
SUNDAY 1ST AUGUST - CRANLEIGH AGRICULTURAL SHOW
The National League week 6 competitions were held at the Cranleigh Show in Surrey on Sunday 1st August. Cranleigh is the biggest one-day agricultural show in England. The teams competing were Norton, Sandhurst A and B, Felton A and B, Oxney Vines Cross and 1066. The ground was very hard due to the long spell of dry weather, but it became very dusty when the surface started to break up.
The first weight was the 600, which had an entry of 6 teams (Sandhurst A & B, Oxney, Felton A & B and Norton). Norton won the weight with maximum points (15) with Oxney runners up on 12. The first pull between Oxney and Norton was hard fought at 2 minutes 30 seconds, but Norton wrapped up the second end in 55 secs. Sandhurst A were 3rd placed with 6 points.
The second weight was the 640 with 1066, Oxney, Norton, Felton and Sandhurst taking part. Norton won this weight with maximum points (12), with Oxney again runners up on 9. Felton took 3rd place with 6 points. The longest pull of the day was in the 640; it was the first end between Felton and Sandhurst and took 4 minutes 24 secs with Felton the final victors. 1066 from East Sussex were the only team on the day with lady pullers, and they put up a creditable performance. They have high hopes for the 4+4 Open Championship at Bedford next weekend.
The final weight of the day was the 680 with Felton A &B, Norton, Sandhurst and Oxney competing. Norton made it a clean sweep by winning the 680 with maximum points (12). Felton A were runners up with 9, and Oxney 3rd with 6.
The judges were Peter Craft, Ray Wells, Ernie Jones, Julie Pettit and Peter Tuckwell and the Timekeeper was Mrs Betty Craft.
SUNDAY 1ST AUGUST - EAST CHESHIRE HOSPICE CHARITY FUNDRAISER
This years event was held one week later than normal after the date was changed to accommodate the AAA championships. The event still clashed with other club events (both TOWA and non TOWA) which affected the turnout this year. Three teams competed in the mens weight classes (Wood Treatment Bosley, Sheen and Lincoln) and four teams competed in the ladies and youth weight classes (Sheen Ladies, Bedford Ladies, and two teams from Leicester and Northants ACF).
The ground was damp at the start, however the teams that competed did get some good pulling out of it, particularly the ladies and youth, who competed in four weight classes on the day at 500 kilos, 520 kilos, 540 kilos and 560 kilos. Each of the ladies and youth clubs came away with a medal on the day, with Sheen Ladies winning the 520 kilos event, Bedford Ladies winning the 500 kilos event, and Leicester and Northants winning the 540 kilos and 560 kilos events. There were quite a few three end pulls in this weight, which gave these teams plenty of pulling.
The mens weights were contested by Bosley, Lincoln and Sheen. Sheen took the 720 kilos and catchweight events, along with the 640 kilos after beating Bosley by 2 ends to 1, and Sheen also won the 600 kilos event. Lincoln finished as winners of the 680 kilos event, with Bosley finishing as runners up.
Thanks to all the teams and officials that supported this event, and helped to raise a small sum of money for the East Cheshire Hospice. This event will be moved back to its original date next year.
SUNDAY 25TH JULY - AAA CHAMPIONSHIPS - LYMPSTONE
AAA catchweight champions - FELTON ECCLES
AAA 640 kilos champions - NORTON
SUNDAY 18TH JULY - FORGE LANE TOWC RESULTS
Men Catchweight - Winners - Felton Eccles - Runners Up - Lincoln
Men 680 - Winners - Felton Eccles - Runners Up - Lincoln
Men 640 - Winners - Oxney - Runners Up - Forge Lane
Men 600 - Winners - Oxney - Runners Up - Forge Lane
SATURDAY 10TH JULY - CONGLETON CARNIVAL RESULTS
Tug of war returned to Congleton Carnival this year, an event that runs every two years. Only a small number of teams turned out, but they put on a good show for the large amount of spectators in attendance. Three weights were contested at 600 kilos, 640 kilos and 680 kilos. Hanging Bridge won all three weight classes on the day, with Bosley finishing as runners up in the 640 kilos and 680 kilos weight classes. Stretton finished as runners up in the 600 kilos event, and finished in third place in both the 640 kilos and 680 kilos event. The competition was officiated by Roger Beardsmore, and the event organisers expressed their gratitude to all of those who tokk part. They hope to have a few more teams taking part at the event when it is organised in 2012. Photo: Hanging Bridge competing against Stretton
Stretton YFC Tug of War competing at Congleton Carnival. Stretton are the current Cheshire county young farmers tug of war champions.
NATIONAL OUTDOOR TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS PHOTOS
Photos taken at the national outdoor championships on Saturday 19th June are now available via our press and media page. You can view these photos by clicking here. These photos are also available via our facebook page.
TUG OF WAR MEMORIES
The Tug of War Association was founded in 1958 and took over the organisation of national tug of war competitions from the Amateur Athletic Association (AAAs). We have heard of many success stories over the past 50 years of the TOWA, but we know little about competitions that took place prior to 1958, and the success stories that teams experienced before then.
Donald Kelly has contacted the Tug of War Association after doing some research about his father, Dan Kelly who remembers taking part in tug of war competitions in the 1940’s at the White City Stadium. Donald tells the story of his father below:
“My father was born in Headford, near Killarney, County Kerry, Ireland on 9th December 1919, the fourth of fourteen children of Con and Nora Kelly. In his youth he was an outstanding gaelic footballer for local clubs Glenflesk and Kilgarven and represented Kerry at Minor level. With his eldest brother, Jerry, he regularly participated in Tug of War locally and with some success. He had just been selected to play a gaelic football trial for Kerry Juniors (in those days a vital step towards Kerry Senior selection), when he emigrated, with Jerry, to England in 1943. There he drove large trucks carrying the materials to keep the runways maintained at various RAF aerodromes in Eastern England and as the War ended he was driving for George Wimpey and was based at Heathrow, as the airport there was being developed. He was playing gaelic football regularly, competing in the London GAA League for the Wolfe Tones (he still has his “B” London League Winners Medal for 1946). One morning, soon after moving to Heathrow, one of the Wimpey surveyors, A B Smith, asked him, and some other new arrivals at Heathrow, to participate in a trial at Wimpey’s Tug of War “training facility”. This comprised some scaffolding especially erected on a piece of land with ropes and pulleys attached to various sizes of barrels filled with concrete. A number of men appropriate to the size of barrel selected were required to pull the relevant rope lifting the barrel into the air and then on shouted orders to move the barrel up or down or just hold it in position, all as ordered. After Dad’s trial Mr Smith noted that he clearly was an experienced TOW man and he was asked to join Wimpey’s TOW teams that regularly competed in TOW competitions around the South of England”.
The 1947 Wimpey Tug of War Team
“My father pulled for Wimpey in 1946 and 1947 before work opportunities caused him to move out to Essex early in 1948. He recalls pulling in both Wimpey catchweight and restricted weight teams and competing in both years at the White City, where the AAA Championships (including tug of war) were held at that time. He is certain that his Wimpey team won at least one “National” (ie AAA) Championship at the White City, although he can no longer find his TOW medals. He believes they beat the RUC team in a final and that the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) were the reigning champions at the time. A study of the records reveals that the RUC, having won both in 1939, were the reigning AAA Champions coming into the 1946 AAA Championships at both Catchweight and 100 Stone, where they lost both. Wimpey won the 1946 Catchweight AAA Championship but not the 100 Stone. On the other hand Wimpey won the AAA Championships at both Catchweight and 100 Stone in 1947 (a double Wimpey repeated in 1948 and 1949). The records do not reveal runners-up. Absent other information, it is tempting to believe that Dad was a member of the Wimpey team that won the 1946 Catchweight AAA Championship and merely to ponder whether he also shared in Wimpey’s 1947 successes. But Dad has unearthed a fascinating piece of evidence. The above photograph of the Wimpey TOW team was taken in 1947 (the date is handwritten on the back). Dad is standing on the furthest right hand side of the photo. As the smallest and lightest (5ft 8in and 11.5 Stone) he took up the most forward position on the rope. The photograph shows a very impressive haul of trophies won in 1947 (I think you can make out 19 Cups and 2 Shields). Alan Knott of the TOWA has confirmed that the trophies photographed include the AAA Catchweight rosebowl (third trophy from left on the lowest bench) and the AAA 640 kilos (formerly 100 Stone) Cup (on the far right of the lowest bench), both of which are still competed for today, and both of which were won by Wimpey in 1947”.
“So, did my father and his Wimpey teammates in the photograph win both AAA TOW Championships in 1947 ? Dad doubts it. Studying the team in the photograph, he thinks it more likely that this was the sussessful 100 Stone AAA Champions of 1947, and that Wimpey had arranged for photographs of both their successful teams of 1947 to be taken standing behind all the trophies either Wimpey team had won during 1947. But, of course, he is not sure. As he can not be sure that he was in the Wimpey Catchweight team that took the AAA title from the RUC in 1946. And probably we will never know now. Asked to name his teammates in the photograph Dad says “ We were all Irish. Most were Mayo or Galway men. But the lad furthest to the left was another Kerry- man. I can’t remember any of their names.”. He is just pleased that my research supports the likelihood that he was indeed a TOW AAA Champion in his day, and maybe more than once”.
“In the 1950’s and early 1960’s Dad was well known in the Essex District of Debden, Loughton and Buckhurst Hill as an accomplished darts player, winning many league and cup titles, including the individual championships (he still has many darts cups and medals). My father was 90 last December and is still a fit powerful man for his age. The second photograph (left) was taken at his 90th Birthday lunch and shows him with two of his three adored grandaughters”.
The Tug of War Association would like to take this opportunity to thank Dan Kelly and his son Donald for his story, on what is a very interesting part of tug of war history.
NATIONAL OUTDOOR TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS - SATURDAY 19TH JUNE
This years outdoor national tug of war championships were held in Warslow in the Peak District, and were hosted with the assistance of Sheen TOWC and Manifold County Primary School.
The teams competing on the day were: Sheen, Holland, Norton, Wood Treatment Bosley, Hanging Bridge, Leek, Lincoln, Felton Eccles, Sandhurst, Oxney Vines Cross, Forge Lane, BAC, Tavistock, Widecombe, Team Army, 17 Port and Maritime Regiment in the mens weight classes. Bedford, Sheen and Leek took part in the ladies weight classes, and Sandhurst, Gloucester and Somerset ACF and Leicester and Northants ACF took part in the junior weight classes. Photo: Leek Ladies in the 540 kilos event
The day started with the catchweight event, although this year, there was only two teams taking part due to the lack of heavy teams around on the circuit this year. Those two clubs were Sheen and Holland, both from Staffordshire. Sheen performed strongly despite a huge effort from Holland to take the catchweight title by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Widecombe competing in the 640 kilos event
The ladies 540 kilos took place next with Sheen Ladies and Bedford Ladies having a good three end pull first on. Sheen took the first end, but Bedford took the second end to level the pull, before taking the third end to move ahead in the competition. Both Sheen and Bedford Ladies defeated Leek Ladies by 2 ends to 0, to ensure that Bedford finished with the gold medal and Sheen Ladies came away with the silver. Photo - Sandhurst youth competing in the junior 530 kilos event
The second mens weight was the 640 kilos event, which was pulled as a straight points competition. Felton started the defence of their title with a hard fought 2 ends to 0 win over Lincoln, whilst Bosley earned a hard fought 2 ends to 1 win over Sheen. Both teams then went on to lose their next pull, but started to pick up points again elsewhere. Oxney and Hanging Bridge were in contention of medals half way through the competition, but then started to fade away, leaving Felton, Lincoln, and Bosley in contention. Bosley defeated Lincoln by 2 ends to 1 to move within a point of them in second and third place, which meant that Bosley had to take two ends off Felton to take the silver. Felton had already earned enough points to secure gold, but Bosley gave them a real fight, but Felton had just enough to take the two ends to secure the gold medal without losing an end, with Lincoln taking the silver, and Bosley the bronze. Photo: Felton Eccles in the 640 kilos event
The first junior weight class of the day was the junior 530 kilos competition. Sandhurst started off by defeating Leicester and Northants ACF by 2 ends to 0, and Leicester and Northants went on to defeat Gloucester and Somerset ACF by 2 ends to 0. Sandhurst then beat Gloucester and Somerset to secure the gold medal, with Leicester and Northants taking silver. Photo: Norton in the 580 kilos event
The 580 kilos competition saw a large entry of teams and the competition was split into two groups. Norton and Forge Lane progressed from Group 1 ahead of Felton, Bosley, BAC, and Widecombe, with Sandhurst and Oxney progressing ahead of Team Army, Hanging Bridge, Tavistock, Hanging Bridge, Leek, and 17 Port and Maritime Regiment. In the cross over, Norton defeated Oxney by 2 ends to 0, and Sandhurst defeated Forge Lane. That left the two teams from Sussex to battle it out for the bronze medal, with Oxney taking the bronze medal against Forge Lane, who have made massive improvements over the past couple of seasons. The final was between Norton and Sandhurst, and was a repeat line up of the 560 kilos finals we have had for the past few seasons. Norton have had a strong and consistent season so far, and nothing was going to stop them again on this occasion as they defeated a spirited Sandhurst team by 2 ends to 0 to become the first team to take the new national 580 kilos title. Photo - Sandhurst in the 580 kilos event
The next mens weight was the 700 kilos weight class. Four teams entered this weight class – Sheen, Felton, Holland, and Leek. Sheen started off against Holland in their first pull, with Holland throwing everything at Sheen, before Sheen took the pull by 2 ends to 0. Holland and Leek then had a good pull second on which went very close before Holland took that pull by 2 ends to 0. Felton and Sheen meanwhile had another excellent battle, with Felton really having to hand on to Sheen on the first end before eventually pulling them over the line. Felton then took the second end, and went on to defeat Holland by 2 ends to 0 to take the gold medal, with Sheen taking silver and Holland the bronze. Photo: Holland in the 700 kilos event
The ladies 500 kilos weight class was a lively contest. Bedford defeated Sheen by 2 ends to 0 first on, but the best pull of the competition came second on between Leek and Sheen. Leek took a hard fought first end, before Sheen had to battle really hard to level the pull. The third end was equally as exciting, but Sheen had enough left in the tank to bring Leek over the line. Bedford secured the gold medal with a 2 ends to 0 win over Leek, with Sheen finishing as silver medallists. Photo - Bedford Ladies in the 500 kilos event
The 600 kilos event then saw another large entry of teams, and the competition was split into two groups. Bosley were the winners of group 1 ahead of Oxney, Felton Eccles, Hanging Bridge, Forge Lane, Team Army and Tavistock, with Norton finishing as winners of group 2 head of Sandhurst, Lincoln, Leek, 17 Port and Maritime Regiment, Widecombe, and BAC. Norton went on to again defeat Oxney in a semi final, whilst Bosley took a hard earned semi final win against Sandhurst to make the final. Oxney pulled strongly in the bronze medal pull to defeat Sandhurst by 2 ends to 0, and Norton gave another strong performance in the final, to win their second gold medal of the day by beating Bosley by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Sheen Ladies in the 500 kilos event
The junior 560 kilos event, again saw Sandhurst, Gloucester and Somerset ACF, and Leicester and Northants ACF fighting it out for the medals. Sandhurst won the competition without losing an end to take a well deserved gold medal, with Gloucester and Somerset taking a good silver medal, by beating the 2009 winners Leicester and Northants ACF by 2 ends to 0. Well done to all of the youth teams who took part. Photo - Leek in the 700 kilos event
The final weight of the day was the 680 kilos weight class. This weight is always usually wide open as the last weight of the day, with most teams having competed in many other weight classes. The competition was split into two groups. Felton edged through as winners of group 1, despite a very hard battle against Holland in this weight who went through in second place ahead of Hanging Bridge, Tavistock, Sandhurst and Team Army. Sheen progressed as winners of group 2 ahead of Norton who finished as group runners up, Lincoln, Bosley, Widecombe, and Oxney. Sheen defeated Holland in their semi final, and Norton came away with a good 2 ends to 0 win over Felton Eccles. Felton Eccles then went on to secure the bronze medal against Holland, whilst Sheen beat an underweight Norton team in the final by 2 ends to 0 to take their second gold medal of the day. Photo: LNR ACF in the Junior 560 kilos
At the end of the day, the gold silver and bronze medals were presented to the teams by TOWA president Tony Martin. The Tug of War Association would like to thank Sheen TOWC and Manifold County Primary School for providing the venue and hosting the event on our behalf. We would also like to thank all of the teams for coming along to the event as well as thanking all of the local people who turned out in force to support the teams. Photo: Gloucester and Somerset ACF in the Junior 560 kilos
We would also like to thank the officials for attending the event. As with the teams, without them, we would not be able to have a championship. They were: Peter Craft (Controller), Nick Major (Chief Judge), George Ferrett (Referee), Betty Craft (Chief Recorder), Wendy Dyer (recorder), Yvonne Ludkin (recorder), Roger Beardsmore, Matt Cowlard, Ernie Jones, Vic Ludkin, Adrian Willis, Ray Fray-Smith, Mike Callaghan, Mick Grimston, Julie Petit and Pete Dyer (Chief Marshall). We would also like to thank Alan Ludkin for providing the commentary on the days events. Photo - Bosley in the 600 kilos event
BAC competing in the 600 kilos event
Team Army competing in the 600 kilos event
Lincoln competing in the 680 kilos event
Sheen competing in the 680 kilos event
Full Results:
Men Catchweight - gold - Sheen (Staffs) - Silver - Holland - (Staffs)
Men 640 kilos - gold - Felton (Somerset) - Silver - Lincoln - Bronze - Bosley (Cheshire)
Teams competing - Men – Hailsham, Southminister, Oxney Vines Cross, Sandhurst (A and B), BAC, Forge Lane, Felton Eccles (A and B), Sheen, Norton, Bosley, Lincoln, Gloucester and Somerset ACF, Team Army, 17 Port and Maritime Regiment.
Ladies and Youth – Bedford, Gloucester and Somerset ACF, City of London ACF (A and B), Sandhurst.
The annual open competition at Sandhurst was another well supported event, with some very competitive pulling on the day. The forecast rain showers and thunderstorms held off, and despite the ground being very hard at the start of the day, it soon broke up after the first couple of weights, resulting in some very hard pulling.
The catchweight event was run as a straight group, with Sheen performing very strongly to overcome all teams without losing an end. Felton Eccles finished as worth runners up, with some notable performances from Southminster.
The 580 kilos event was split into two groups, with the lighter weight classes seeing large entries in recent weeks, the competition was again very close. Norton put in another fine performance in this weight to finish top of their group ahead of Bosley, Sandhurst, Lincoln, Hailsham, and Felton Eccles A, with Oxney coming through as winners of their group ahead of Felton Eccles B, Forge Lane (after a close 2 ends to 1 pull), Gloucester and Somerset ACF, and Team Army. Norton went into the final to record a good 2 ends to 0 win over Oxney. Photo: Sheen in the 680 kilos
The 680 kilos was again split into two groups. Sheen continued their strong performance in the catchweight event to edge out Lincoln to finish top of their group to go on to meet Felton Eccles in the final. Now that the ground had cut up, Felton had the opportunity to get behind the holes in the ground to try and stop Sheen’s power. Felton managed to do this to take a well deserved win in this weight. Photo: Felton Eccles competing with Sheen in the final of the 680 kilos event
The 600 kilos competition was by far the most keenly fought weight class on the day. The competition was split into two groups, with a good spread of teams across the draw. The first group saw Sandhurst come through as winners, to come through on top after a tough three end win over Oxney, however there was even more excitement in the second group, with close pulls between Sheen, Bosley, Forge Lane and Lincoln. Bosley defeated Sheen by 2 ends to 0 in a very hard pull, but were then defeated by Forge Lane by the same score. Sheen then came through to defeat Forge Lane by 2 ends to 0, but Bosley’s loss against Lincoln meant that Forge Lane and Sheen would have to pull again to see who would go through to the final. This was another great pull, with Forge Lane just edging it by 2 ends to 1. Forge Lane then went on to meet Sandhurst in the final. Both teams had had tough pulling in the group, but those extra ends for Forge Lane took a lot out of them, and it was Sandhurst who came through as worthy winners by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Forge Lane competing in the 600 kilos event.
The final weight of the day was the 640 kilos weight class. This was again split into two groups. Norton comfortably won their group, with Lincoln coming through to win their group with a good win over Oxney in their last pull in the group to make the final. Norton then went on to win the final by 2 ends to 0.
30/05/2010 - WESSEX OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
This bank holiday weekend saw the Wessex Open Championships take place at Christian Malford near Chippenham in Wiltshire. The event was reasonably well supported with Felton Eccles (A and B), Sandhurst (A and B), Oxney Vines Cross, Lincoln, BAC, Widecombe, Whimple and Broadclyst, Norton, Wood Treatment Bosley, and the re-formed North Wiltshire tug of war clubs taking part. The weather remained dry, so the conditions were good for tug of war.
The event started with the 700 kilos event, which was pulled as a straight group. Felton Eccles performed strongly in this weight to win the competition without losing an end, followed by Lincoln who finished as runners up after a hard fought 2 ends to 1 win over Oxney first on. North Wiltshire started with a good performance to finish fourth overall in this weight. Photo - Oxney Vines Cross
The 580 kilos event followed, and this was again pulled as a straight group. Oxney and BAC had a good pull first on, and competition between Oxney, Sandhurst and Bosley was close to determine who would finish in first place. Oxney firstly defeated Sandhurst by 2 ends to 0, then Bosley followed suit to beat Sandhurst by 2 ends to 0. The final and deciding pull was between Bosley and Oxney, with Bosley coming away with a hard fought 2 ends to 0 win over Oxney. Photo - North Wiltshire TOWC
The 680 kilos event was split into two groups. Oxney were the winners of group 1 ahead of Widecombe, Whimple and Broadclyst, and North Wiltshire, whilst Felton Eccles came through as winners of group 2 ahead of Lincoln, Bosley, Sandhurst A and Felton B. In the final of this weight, Oxney and Felton Eccles fought it out. Oxney gave a good battling performance, but Felton Eccles maintained their composure to work their way to a well deserved 2 ends to 0 win. Photo - Whimple and Broadclyst TOWC
The 600 kilos event was also split into two groups. Norton came through as winners of their group ahead of Felton Eccles A, Sandhurst A, Lincoln, and Sandhurst B. Oxney came through as winnes of group 2 after a hard earned 2 ends to 1 win over Bosley to beat them into first place, with Whimple and Broadclyst, North Wiltshire and BAC also competing in the group. Norton again pulled strongly, maintaining their postitions throught their rope to pressure Oxney out for a 2 ends to 0 win.
The final weight of the day was the 640 kilos event. Norton were again the dominant force in this competition, winning the whole competition without losing an end. Bosley finished as runners up after being defeated by Norton in two straight ends.
23/05/2010 - FELTON ECCLES OPEN COMPETITION - NATIONAL LEAGUE WEEK 4 RESULTS
Hot and sunny weather greeted the teams this year at Felton Eccles' annual open tug of war competition. The event was well supported with Felton Eccles (A and B), Kennford, Gloucester & Somerset, 17 Port and Maritime Regiment, Sandhurst (A and B), Lincoln, Widecombe, Oxney, BAC, Sheen, Tavistock, Norton, Forge Lane, and Wood Treatment Bosley all taking part.
The day started with the 600 kilos event, which was pulled in two groups. Norton were the winners of group A, ahead of Oxney who finished as runners up, and Lincoln won group B with Felton Eccles finishing as group runners up. There was also some very close competition between the other teams in this weight class. Their were many notable performances from Tavistock, Widecombe, Gloucester and Somerset, Kennford, and 17 Port and Maritime Regiment who had to endure many three end pulls. The final was between Norton, and Lincoln, and it was a good performance by Norton who won strongly by 2 ends to 0 to win the 600 kilos event for their fourth successive week. Photo: Widecombe in the 600 kilos event
petiThe 680 kilos was the second weight of the day, and was again split into two large groups. Norton were the winners of group 1, beating Bosley into first place to make the final, with Felton Eccles winning the second group ahead of Forge Lane. The final was a good battle between Norton and Felton Eccles, with the first end running very close, with Norton having to battle very hard to take Felton over the line. Norton asserted a little more control on the second end to contain the early surge from Felton, and went on to take a hard fought two ends to nil win against Felton, which was applauded by all around the field. Photo: Host club Felton Eccles competing in the 600 kilos event.
The 580 kilos event followed, which was split into two groups. Forge Lane pulled very strongly in their group to make the final ahead of Oxney Vines Cross, with both teams having a good tussle to see who would come out of the group to make the final. Bosley were the winners of group two, which was another competitive group, finishing ahead of Tavistock and Felton who were also both in contention to reach the final. In the final, Forge Lane had the upper hand from the drop on both ends to take a well earned win in the 580 kilos weight class. Photo: BAC competing in the 600 kilos event
The 640 kilos event followed, again split into two groups. At this stage of the day, given the very warm weather, and hard pulling already endured, some teams started to fatigue, but it did not stop Norton from progressing to their third final of the day ahead of Oxney, Sheen, Bosley, Kennford, Widecombe, and Sandhurst B, where they met Sandhurst A in the final, who overcame Lincoln in a good three end pull, BAC, Felton A, Tavistock, and Felton B. Norton again dominated the proceedings against Sandhurst in the final, by going on to win by 2 ends to 0, although Sanhurst will be pleased with their efforts having come through some hard pulling in the group with two youth pullers in their team. Photo: Tavistock competing in the 600 kilos event
The final weight of the day was the catchweight event. There was a smaller entry of teams in this weight so it was pulled as a straight group. Sheen and Felton had to battle it out first on, with Sheen going on to win by 2 ends to 0. Sheen went on to win the competition, with Felton finishing as runners up. Photo: Kennford, who have recently reformed, taking the strain in the 600 kilos event.
The event was also attended by Peter Baker, who provided good and informative commentary on the event throughout the day, which was appreciated by the crowds that attended the event. Peter Baker is a long standing and respected member of the Tug of War Association, and has served as a past TOWA chairman and president. Peter has also served on the TWIF executive committee in the past. In recognition of this, current TWIF senior vice president and TOWA President Tony Martin presented Peter with a commemorative award from TWIF which is being presented to long standing past and present members of TWIF to commemorate their 50th anniversary. The Tug of War Association would like to congratulate Peter Baker on receiving his award.
16/05/2010 - MIDLAND CHAMPIONSHIPS - NATIONAL LEAGUE WEEK 3 RESULTS
The 2010 Midland Championships this year were held at Madeley Court Leisure Centre, Telford, the first time for a few years that tug of war has been held here. The last competition to take place here was on the indoor circuit in 2002. The teams competing were Norton, Sheen, Sandhurst, Lincoln, Hanging Bridge, Rushock, Caradoc, Haye-on-Wye, and Felton Eccles, with LNR ACF A and B and Sheen Ladies competing in the ladies and youth weights.
The 2010 Midland Championships started with the mens catchweight event, run as a single group points competition. The event included a few young farmers teams, who acquitted themselves well to the competition, despite being up against more experienced clubs. The competition between most clubs was close, but not as close as the deciding pull between Felton and Sheen which went to three ends. Felton took the first end, but Sheen took the second in with a hard battled win. The third end was equally as close, and just as Felton looked to be getting themselves back into the pull, Sheen managed to moved Felton over the line to win the pull and the catchweight competition.
The second weight of the day was the 580 kilos competition, again run as a straigh points competition. The pulling was again tight, with Bosley and Hanging Bridge having a three end match firs on with Bosley beating Hanging Bridge by 2 ends to 1. There were many other close pulls, but it was Sandhurst who won the competition without losing an end, with Bosley finishing as runners up.
The 680 kilos competition was split into two groups. Norton were the winners of group 1 ahead of Bosley, Sandhurst, Hanging Bridge and Haye-on-Wye, With Felton Eccles finishing ahead of Lincoln, Sheen and Rushock in their group. Norton went into the final with a light team, but pulled a good tight rope throughout to hold off the challenge from Felton to win the competition by 2 ends to 0.
The 600 kilos event followed, and again was pulled as a straight group. Norton were again very strong and won the competition without losing an end. Bosley finished as worthy runners up, but there was some good pulling between all of the other teams - Haye-on-Wye, Hanging Bridge, Sheen, Lincoln, and Caradoc, with many of those pulls going to three ends.
The final mens weight of the day was the 640 kilos which was split into two groups. Norton were the winners of group 1 ahead of Lincoln, Felton Eccles, and Sheen, with Bosley winning group 2 ahead of Hanging Bridge, Haye-on-Wye, Caradoc, and Rushock. Norton and Bosley met again for the third time in a deciding pull in the final, and despite a battling effort, Norton came through as winners once again to take their third win of the day.
The ladies and youth weights were contested by Sheen Ladies and two teams from Leicester and Northants ACF. The Leicester and Northants ACF teams pulled well this week fielding mixed teams of junior boys and girls. Their A team finished as winners of both the 520 kilos and 560 kilos events, with Sheen Ladies finishing as runners up.
09/05/2010 - GREAT ORMOND STREET CHARITY EVENT
This weekend, the annual charity tug of war competition organised by Len Hall took place at Daventry and District Sports Club, with a good number of senior and junior tug of war teams taking part.
The men's competition saw the following teams taking part - Colchester, Market Rasen, Lincoln, Soutminster, Team Army, 17 Port and Maritime Regiment, Forge Lane, BAC, Hanging Bridge, Sandhurst (A and B), Oxney Vines Cross, Wood Treatment Bosley, Norton, and Felton Eccles.
There was again a well supported ladies and youth competition, with Leicester and Northants ACF (A, B and C), Glouscester and Somerset ACF (A and B), Sandhurst Youth, and Bedford all taking part. This competition also welcomed the Eire OG team from Ireland, who have become regular visitors to Daventry over the years. Photo: Leciester and Northants ACF Youth.
The competition opened with the catchweight event, pulled as a straight group. Felton Eccles ended up as winners without dropping an end, and Lincoln finished as runners up ahead of Sandhurst, Market Rasen, and Southminster.
The mens 600 kilos competition followed the catchweight competition, and was split into two groups. Norton won the competition without losing an end, finishing ahead of Hanging Bridge in their group to go on and defeat Sandhurst A in the final.
The 680 kilos was another good competition, split into two groups. The teams from Southminster, Colchester, and Market Rasen gave some excellent battling performances in this weight, but Norton went through to the final as winners of group 1, with Felton Eccles also coming out of a tough group to reach the final. Norton put on a strong performance in the final for a hard earned win by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Cornwall ACF Youth
The 580 kilos competition was another interesting weight class, with Hanging Bridge coming through as winners of their group ahead of Sandhurst A, Bosley, Lincoln, Oxney and 17 Port and Maritime Regiment. Forge Lane came through as worthy winners of group 2 by defeating Felton Eccles, BAC, Sandhurst B, and Team Army. Forge Lane put up a good fight against Hanging Bridge in the final, but Hanging Bridge just edged out Forge Lane to finish in first place. Photo: Forge Lane
The final mens weight of the day was the 640 kilos weight class, split into two groups. Group 1 was won by Norton, who defeated Sandhurst A, Felton Eccles, Oxney, Team Army, and Forge Lane. Group 2 was won by Hanging Bridge, who came through a competitive group ahead of Bosley, BAC, Lincoln, Sandhurst B, and Colchester. The pulling in this group was particularly good, with Colchester defeating Sandhurst B and BAC, and also taking an end out of Bosley. The final saw Norton face Hanging Bridge, who threw everything at Norton, but Norton held off the challenge to take their third win of the day. Photo: 17 Port and Maritime Regiment
The ladies and youth weights were contested at 560 kilos and 520 kilos. The 560 kilos was the first weight, which provided some good exciting pulls. The ground was a little bit greasy on top at the start, resulting in a couple of endy pulls to start with. Gloucester and Somerset had a good pull with the Eire OG team first on, narrowly being defeated by 2 ends to 1, before Sandhurst youth went on to win by 2 ends to 1 against the Eire OG team. Sandhurst went on to win this weight without losing an end. Leicester and Northants ACF fielded three teams in this weight, fielding teams with a mix of both junior boys and girls pullers. Cornwall ACF also competed well, along with Bedford Ladies who had no other ladies teams to pull on the day. Photo: Hanging Bridge
The 520 kilos competition was later won by Sandhurst Youth, with Eire OG finsishing as worthy runners up ahead of Gloucester and Somerset ACF A. Photo: Colchester YFC
03/05/2010 - NORTH SOMERSET SHOW RESULTS
On Bank Holiday Monday, the annual tug of war competition took place at North Somerset Show. The weather was dry, and the competition took place in front of a large and appreciative crowd. The teams taking part were Tavistock, Felton Eccles, Cupids Hill, North Wilts, Widdecombe, Kennford and Wedmore Young Farmers. The results were:
Men 600 - Winners - Tavistock - Runners Up - Felton Eccles
Men 640 - Winners - Tavistock - Runners Up - Cupids Hill
Men 680 - Winners - Cupids Hill - Runners Up - Tavistock
02/05/2010 - LINCOLN TOWC OPEN COMPETITION RESULTS
Teams competing - Senior Men - Lincoln, Market Rasen, Southminster, Norton, Sheen, Felton Eccles (A and B), Wood Treatment Bosley, Hanging Bridge.
Ladies - Bedford and Sheen
Results
Men Catchweight - Winners - Sheen - Runners Up - Felton Eccles A
Men 640 Kilos - Winners - Norton - Runners Up - Lincoln
Men 600 kilos - Winners - Norton - Runners Up - Bosley
Men 680 kilos - Winners - Norton - Runners Up - Sheen
01/05/2010 - SHEEN LADIES OPEN COMPETITION RESULTS
Teams competing - Sheen Ladies, Sheen Men, Ashbourne YFC, Holland TOWC, Lutterworth YFC
Results
Men Catchweight - Winners - Sheen - Runners Up - Holland
Men 680 - Winners - Sheen - Runners Up - Holland
Men 640 - Winners - Sheen - Runners Up - Lutterworth
25/04/2010 - THAMES VALLEY OPEN COMPETITION RESULTS
580- Winners - Sandhurst - Runners Up - BAC
600- Winners - Sandhurst - Runners Up - Oxney
640- Winners - Sandhurst - Runners Up - Felton Eccles
680- Winners - Lincoln - Runners Up - Felton Eccles
Catchweight - Winners - Felton Eccles - Runners Up - Lincoln
18/04/2010 - EAST OF ENGLAND CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS - NATIONAL LEAGUE 1
This week was the first competition of the Tug of War Association National League, which took place in Kempston, Bedford. The event was well supported with senior mens teams from Southminster, Triple F, Sheen, Norton, Felton Eccles, Sandhurst (A and B), Lincoln, Oxney Vines Cross, Wood Treatment Bosley, Gloucester and Somerset ACF, BAC, Hanging Bridge taking part. The ladies and youth competition also saw seven teams competing from Bedford, Sheen, Leicester and Northants ACF (A, B and C), Gloucester and Somerset ACF (A and B). The dry weather conditions meant that the ground was hard, and this factor, combined with the warm weather made the competition in all weight classes very competitive. Photo: Sheen Ladies in the Ladies and Youth 560 kilos
PhThe day started with the catchweight event, split into two groups. Norton won group one ahead of Felton Eccles, Bosley and Southminster, with Lincoln finishing as worthy winners of group two, finishing ahead of Sheen, Sandhurst A, Hanging Bridge, and Oxney Vines Cross. Lincoln and Norton met in the final as winners of their respective groups to decide who would finish first and second. Norton pulled strongly to take a 2 ends to 0 win over Lincoln. Photo: Bedford in the ladies and youth 560 kilos
Along with the mens catchweight competition, the ladies and youth 560 kilos competition took place. There was some very close competition in this weight class, but it was Bedford who kept the best shape all day to win the competition without losing an end. Sheen finished as worthy runners up.
The second weight of the day was the 600 kilos event, which was a good competitive weight class split into two groups. Sheen were the surprise package in this weight, winning their group ahead of Triple F, Felton Eccles, Bosley and Sandhurst B. BAC came through as winners of the second group ahead of Sandhurst A, Oxney Vines Cross, and Hanging Bridge, with whom BAC finished level on points. BAC and Hanging Bridge then had to pull again to decide who would go through to the final, and it was BAC who won through to meet Sheen. The extra pulling took its toll on BAC, and it was Sheen who came through to win the final by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Southminster in the catchweight event.
The 680 kilos was another points competition split into two groups. Norton were the winners of group one ahead of Oxney Vines Cross, Lincoln, Hanging Bridge and Sandhurst A. Felton Eccles won group two ahead of Bosley, Triple F, Sandhurst B and Sheen. Norton and Felton Eccles met in the final, with Felton giving an aggressive performance against Norton. Despite all their efforts, Norton kept their composure on both ends to take the win by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Felton Eccles in the catchweight event.
Alongside the mens 680 kilos competition, the ladies and youth 520 kilos competition took place. Like the Ladies 560 kilos competition earlier, the competition was again very very close, with some close pulling between all the teams. Bedford again were worthy winners, with Gloucester and Somerset ACF A finishing as runners up. Photo: Gloucester and Somerset ACF "A" team in the ladies and youth 560 kilos event.
The final weight of the day was the 640 kilos. This was again a points competition, split into two groups. Norton again pulled strongly to win their group ahead of Hanging Bridge, Bosley, Felton Eccles and Gloucester and Somerset ACF. Sandhurst A were the winners of group two ahead of Lincoln, BAC, Sandhurst B and Triple F. Norton were again a strong team in the 640, and went on to win the final by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Lincoln in the catchweight event
The competition in Weymouth was supported this year with 6 teams taking part. They were Widecombe, Tavistock, Wareham, Lympstone, Kennford and Blandford. The judges were Nick Major and Mick Selwood. The results were:
Catchweight - Winners - Tavistock - Runners Up - Blandford
680 - Winners - Tavistock - Runners Up - Widecombe
660 - Winners - Tavistock - Runners Up - Widecombe
640 - Winners - Tavistock - Runners Up - Widecombe
600 - Winners - Tavistock - Runners Up - Kennford
11/04/2010 - WOOD TREATMENT BOSLEY OPEN COMPETITION
The competition this weekend was hosted by Wood Treatment Bosley Tug of War Club in the village of Bosley, Cheshire. The competition was attended by teams from Wood Treatment Bosley, Sheen, Norton, Hanging Bridge, Lincoln, Felton Eccles, and Sandhurst (A and B). Five weight classes were contested on the day, and there was a good mixture of results.
The competitions held on the day were all run as points competitions so all the teams got plenty of pulling. The ground cut up well, which made for good competitive pulling. The day started with the catchweight event, with Felton Eccles taking first place in this weight class, which they normally dominate at this time of year. Sheen took the runners up spot in their first outing since winning the gold medal at World Indoor Championships in February. Photo: Wood Treatment Bosley in the 600 kilos event
Following the catchweight competition, the 640 kilos competition took place. This again was run as a full group. Norton have again come back at the start of the season with a good level of fitness and won the competition without losing an end. Hanging Bridge were the worthy runners up, just finishing ahead of Bosley who finished third. Photo: Sandhurst TOWC competing in the 620 kilos event
The 640 kilos competition was watched by Joyce Hollinshead and Sturat Hollinshead, the wife and son of former Bosley coach John Hollinshead, who passed away towards the end of last year. Also in attendance was former Bosley puller Mick Eardley. John was coach during the 1970’s and 1980’s winning over 100 championship gold medals with the club, including national, AAA, UK, European and World titles.
After the 640 kilos competition, a memorial shield in memory of John was presented by his family to the winners of the 640 kilos event, and this award was received by Norton from Stuart Hollinshead who presented the award on behalf of the family. All of the pullers and spectators who attended the event then gave three cheers in tribute to John. Photo: Sturat Hollinshead (right), son of former Wood Treatment Bosley Coach John Hollinshead presenting Dave Calcutt (left)of Norton TOWC (640 kilos winners) with the John Hollinshead Memorial Shield
Following this presentation, the 600 kilos, 680 kilos, and 620 kilos competitions took place. Sandhurst A were the worthy winners of the 600 kilos, with Bosley finishing as runners up after a hard fought victory over Hanging Bridge. Norton took their second weight of the day in the 680 kilos competition, with Felton Eccles finishing as runners up. Sandhurst A then took the 620 kilos event by beating Bosley by 2 ends to 1 in close fought final.
05/04/2010 - GUILDFORD EASTER SHOW 2010
The competition at the Guildford Easter Show in Surrey was held on Easter Monday. The recent wet weather had made the ground soft, but Monday remained dry and windy and the ground dried out as the day progressed. The surface was a bit slippery to start with, but as the ground broke up some decent holes soon developed, and the spectators were treated to some good pulling. The number of clubs taking part was down on last year, which is a shame because the Tug of War at this show is always popular with the spectators, and there were quite a few ‘old pullers’ in the crowd. Photo: BAC TOWC
The first weight was the Men’s 600 with BAC, Sandhurst A, Sandhurst B, Sandhurst Youth, Holland, Oxney A, Forge Lane and Bedford Ladies taking part in an eight team points competition. Sandhurst A won the weight, losing only one end to worthy runners up Forge Lane. Sandhurst Youth and Bedford Ladies took part in the Men’s 600 and, in accordance with the new rule, some of the men’s teams dropped pullers when they met these teams. Unfortunately one of the Bedford pullers sustained an injury near the end of this weight, and the team then withdrew from the competition. The injured puller was treated on the field by the St John Ambulance and we wish her a speedy recovery. Photo: Bedford Ladies TOWC
The second weight was the Men’s 640, which was a seven team points competition with BAC, Sandhurst A, Sandhurst B, Holland, Oxney A, Oxney B and Forge Lane taking part. Sandhurst A were winners with Oxney A runners up.
Only two teams weighed in for the Ladies/youth competition, which should have been held at the same time as the Men’s 640, but this was abandoned due to Bedford withdrawing.
The third and final weight was the Men’s 680, which only had four teams (Sandhurst A, Sandhurst B, Oxney A and Oxney B). This was won by Sandhurst A with Sandhurst B runners up.
The judges were Vic Ludkin, Ernie Jones, Ray Wells and Peter Tuckwell, and the timekeeper was Mrs Yvonne Ludkin. Thanks to Terry Spoore for supplying the ropes and gazebo and the Tug of War information display.
04/04/2010 - WILTSHIRE COUNTY OPEN RESULTS
Teams competing were: Sandhurst A & B, Felton A & B, Tavistock, Lympstone and North Wiltshire Tug of War Club who have re-formed this year. The results were:
600 - Winners - Felton A - Runners Up - Sandhurst A
640 - Winners - Sandhurst A - Runners Up - Tavistock
680 - Winners - Sandhurst A - Runners Up - Felton A
Catchweight - Winners - Felton A - Runners Up - Sandhurst A
MIDLAND EARLY PULL RESULTS
Sunday 28th March - Held in Droitwich, Worcestershire
Men Catchweight - Winners - Holland A - Winners - Holland B
Men 660 - Winners - Holland A - Winners - Holland B
Men 640 - Winners - Holland A - Winners - Holland B
Men 620 - Winners - Holland A - Winners - Holland B
Ladies and Youth 520 - Winners - Gloucester & Somerset ACF - Runners Up - LNR ACF A
Ladies and Youth 560 - Winners - Gloucester & Somerset ACF - Runners Up - LNR ACF A
The Dorset training league took place between 28th Feb and 28th March 2010
Four competitions have taken place over recent weeks in the South Western Area as part of the Dorset training league. A total of 13 teams took part in the event. They were Tavistock, Lympstone, Widecombe, Culm Valley, Kenford, 17 Port & Maritime Regiment, Whimple, North Wiltshire, Warbstow, Wareham, Probus, and 11 Signal Regiment. The event organisers would like to thank and congratulate all of those teams who took part. The officials were Mike Callaghan, Matt Cowlard, Nick Major, George Ferrett, and Mick Selwood. Jane Major was the timekeeper/recorder.
Photos from the World Indoor Championships are available on our press & media page.
Photos are also available via our Facebook Page
28th FEB 2010 - WORLD INDOOR TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS
The 2010 World Indoor Tug of War Championships took place in Cesenatico, Italy, the second time in succession where the world indoor championships have been hosted by the Italian Tug of War Federation.
World Open Club Championships
The first two days of the event were the open club competitions. There was little involvement by English clubs in this weight, although Raunds entered a team in the 640 kilos, and Kilroe entered a team in the 600 kilos. Neither team reached the semi finals, with both teams concentrating on representing England at the weekend. Abadino from the Basque region of Spain pulled very well to win the Open Competition at both 560 kilos and 600 kilos, with Bremore from Ireland winning the 640 kilos event, and Heidenskip from the Netherlands winning the 680 kilos event. Photo: Abadino in the Men 560
In the ladies open competition, the ladies teams from Chinese Taipei won both the ladies 500 kilos and ladies 540 kilos competitions. It was a different team to what we have seen dominate ladies indoor tug of war for the past 4 or 5 years, but this new team were technically just as good as their predecessors, and they won both finals against Basque team Badiotz. Photo - Chinese Taipei in the open 540 kilos
World Championships – Closed – Day 1
The closed competition started with the opening ceremony on the Friday evening, with pulling starting on Saturday with the mens 560 kilos competition. 10 countries fielded a team in this weight class, which turned out to be a very stern test for all teams taking part. England were represented by Norton in this weight, who progressed through the group finishing in first place, having lost one end to Scotland in the group. England progressed along with the Netherlands, Scotland, and 2008 winners Northern Ireland. With the quality of the teams in the last 4, the semi final draw would have a big impact on the final result. England were drawn against Scotland, with Northern Ireland apparently having the easier draw against the Netherlands. Northern Ireland progressed to the final, with a hard fought 2 ends to 1 win over the Netherlands, but all eyes were on the thrilling battle between England and Scotland. England eventually won by 2 ends to 1, however not before the final end was blown back to the middle twice after both teams received cautions for infringements. It really was a close semi-final which took a lot out of both teams. Photo - England 560 kilos team
There was a break before the final to allow the bronze medal pull off for both the mens 560 and the ladies 540 to take place, with Scotland taking a hard earned bronze medal by defeating the Netherlands by 2 ends to 1. The final came along with England looking to win the 560 kilos title last won in 2006. Northern Ireland made the better start, taking the first end. The second end saw England taking rope of the Northern Ireland team before both teams started picking up cautions. The second end was then blown back to the middle for a re-start, and both teams went to battle again. Again, England took rope, but both teams were picking up the cautions, and the second end was again blown back to the middle. The pull commenced again, and with both teams having to dig deep, England picked up the extra cautions which gave Northern Ireland a second 560 kilos world title. Despite the defeat, it was a great performance by England to compete like they did in the final after a tough semi-final against Scotland. Photo - England 560 team on the podium
The ladies 540 kilos event took place alongside the mens 560 kilos competition. There was only a small entry of teams in the ladies weights this year, with none of the home countries fielding sides. Many other countries did not field sides this year, which may be due to the financial difficulties many of us have experienced in recent months. Chinese Taipei again became World Champions, but were not without a fight this year, having had to defeat China by 2 ends to 1 to take the gold medal. Japan won the bronze against Switzerland.
The afternoon saw the mens 640 kilos competition take place. The defending champions were Scotland, but England went in to the competition with confidence of making a severe challenge to Scotland. England were represented by Sheen, who already defeated Scotland at the UK championships in January, and they were confident of further success.
England started the competition well, defeating Serbia, China and the Netherlands, before they met Scotland in the next round. England took both ends, although Scotland were no showing their hand at this point. England progressed to the semi finals along with Scotland, the Netherlands, and the Republic of Ireland, and were drawn against the Netherlands in the semi-final. England controlled this match well to make it to the final with a 2 ends to 0, where they again met Scotland. Photo: England 640 team celebrate winning gold
The final was very close, with Scotland taking 3 metres of rope from England before both teams hit the floor. Having received cautions, it was important for both teams to keep clean. England managed to come up off the floor quickest, and started to take Scotland back before Scotland received their third caution for sitting. The second end was an equally stern test for England, and went much the same as the first end, with England having to battle really hard to take Scotland over the line and secure the gold medal. England last won the 640 kilos title in 2002, and it was the first World Championship gold medal for a representative Sheen team since 1993. Photo - England 640 team on the podium
World Championships - Closed - Day 2
Day 2 commenced with the 600 kilos competition. Scotland were the defending champions, and England again had high hopes of at least reaching the final. England had a tough start against the strong Northern Ireland team, but came through with a 2 ends to 0 win. England progressed to the semi finals in second place in the group behind Scotland who defeated England in the group stages.
In the semi-finals, England were drawn against the Republic of Ireland, with Scotland being drawn against Northern Ireland. England quickly dispatched of Ireland by 2 ends to 0 in their semi final, with Scotland defeating a strong Northern Ireland team in their semi-final. Northern Ireland went on to secure the bronze medal against the Republic of Ireland. The final was another battle between England and Scotland. Both teams were strong, but Scotland got the upper hand on the first end after a slip from the England team. Scotland then went on to take the first end after England received three cautions. The second end was a much closer contest with both teams taking rope. Both teams then started to pick up the cautions, and with both teams on two cautions, they both hit the floor. The judge then awarded the pull to Scotland after giving England their third caution, which gave Scotland their first gold of the tournament. Photo - England 600 kilos squad
The ladies 500 kilos event was another small competition in comparison to recent indoor championships. Japan secured their second bronze medal of the tournament by defeating Switzerland, but there was a good final between Chinese Taipei and China, with both countries fielding strong teams. There was to be no repeat of the previous days final however as China went on to defeat Chinese Taipei by 2 ends to 0 to take a first ever TWIF World Championship tug of war gold medal for China. Photo - China Ladies Team
The final day of competition concluded with the mens 680 kilos competition, with England being represented by Raunds. Having had a good first half of the season, Raunds lost several pullers from their squad, and utilised pullers from Sheen to strengthen their squad for this weight. England made a good start, going one end each with the defending champions from the Netherlands. England also dropped ends to Scotland and Ireland, but beat all the other nations competing to earn a place in the semi finals, along with Scotland, the Netherlands, and Ireland. Photo - England 680 team
In the semi-finals, England were drawn to face 2008 silver medallists Scotland, with England being defeated by 2 ends to 0, which resulted in England having to face Ireland in the pull off for the bronze medal. The Netherlands defeated Ireland by 2 ends to 0 to reach the final. In the bronze medal match, it wasn’t to be for England. Having lost the first end, England made a substitution, but it was to no avail, as Ireland took their second bronze medal of the championship. The final gave Scotland a comfortable 2 ends to 0 victory to secure their second gold medal of the event.
Well done to all of the England teams who took part in the event. With all teams finishing in the top four, and to come away with one gold and two silver medals, it represents our best results for a few years. We now eagerly look ahead to the outdoor season, and we look forward to seeing everyone again for the March training leagues, and forthcoming open competitions which start in April.
Full Results:
Men 560
Gold - Northern Ireland - Silver - England (represented by Norton) - Bronze - Scotland - 4th - Netherlands
Men 600
Gold - Scotland - Silver - England (represented by Kilroe) - Bronze - Northern Ireland - 4th - Ireland
Men 640
Gold - England (represented by Sheen) - Silver - Scotland - Bronze - Ireland - 4th - Netherlands
Men 680
Gold - Scotland - Silver - Holland - Bronze - Ireland - 4th - England (represented by Raunds)
Ladies 500
Gold - China - Silver - Chinese Taipei - Bronze - Japan - 4th - Switzerland
Ladies 540
Gold - Chinese Taipei - Silver - China - Bronze - Japan - 4th - Switzerland
Tug of War Association and Tug of War Federation Joint Committee
Informal discussions between the Tug of War Association and the Tug of War Federation of Great Britain have been held recently in order to discuss how to work together for the benefit of tug of war. Two meetings have been held, and you can read and download the minutes of thos meetings by clicking the links below.
The tri-services tug of war championships takes place annually between the police, the combined services, and the Civil Service. The Civil Service are looking for more pullers to take part in this years event. To qualify to take part in the Civil Service Team, any pullers working for a government department, body or agency; local/county council; or contract to an agency for an authority that are interested, please contact Frank Moriarty - e-mail frank.moriarty@btinternet.com or phone 01252 874576.
The
2018 AAA Championships were this year hosted by Felton Eccles TOWC in Wrington
near Bristol, the same venue that was used for the club’s successful
international anniversary event held in 2017. The AAA closed competition was
contested at the usual weight classes of Catchweight and 640kg for mens teams,
and this years event also included a AAA weight class for ladies and youth
teams of 520kg. Photo: Norton - AAA 640KG winners 
The
mens AAA competition saw Lincoln retain their catchweight title from 2017, with
Norton finishing as the silver medallists. Norton then went on to retain the
640kg title with Oxney Vines Cross finishing as the silver medallists. Photo: Lincoln - AAA Catchweight Winners
The
first ladies and youth AAA 520kg competition saw a good level of participation,
with Bedford Ladies claiming the first gold medal in this new weight class,
with Army Ladies finishing as the silver medallists. Photo: Oxney Vines Cross - AAA 640kg Silver Medallists
In the open weights the mens 600kg was
won by Norton with Sandhurst finishing as runners up. The 640kg competition
was also won by Norton with Oxney Vines Cross finishing as the runners up,
and the 680kg competition was won by Lincoln
with Oxney again finishing as the runners up. Photo: Bedford Ladies - Ladies AAA 520kg Gold Medallists
In the ladies and youth open competitions, Bedford
made it a clean sweep of ladies weights winning the gold in the 520kg and 560kg
competitions with Haldon finishing as runners up in the 560kg competition and
Army Ladies finishing as runners up in the 520kg competition. Photo: Army Ladies - AAA ladies 520kg Silver Medallists
In the 4+4 competition, Bedford ladies won their 4th
gold medal of the day with Lincoln finishing as the runners up. Photo: Haldon Men
Photo: Tadcaster Ladies
Photo: York 4+4 Team
One of the first events of the season took place on Easter Sunday, being
hosted by Bosley Tug of War Club. Despite being a very cold Easter Sunday, the
number of teams competing was reasonably good, with teams attending as follows: Photo: Army Ladies
Senior Men/Mixed: Bosley, Upper Eden Tug of War Club (A and B ), Lincoln, Norton
Tug of War, Leek Young Farmers Club, York, Kilroe, Longridge, Bedford, Holland Photo: Bedford Ladies
Ladies/Youth: Kilroe Ladies, Holland Ladies, Bedford Ladies Tug of War, Leek
YFC, Upper Eden, Team Army Ladies. Photo: Host club Bosley
Norton won all four men’s weight classes, with Lincoln finishing as runners
up in the 640kg and Catchweight. Bosley finished as runners up at 680kg and
Upper Eden finished as runners up in the 600kg. Photo: Holland Ladies
Kilroe won the senior mixed 600kg competition with Upper Eden B finishing as
runners up. Photo: Leek YFC Mixed Team
Bedford and Kilroe Ladies won one ladies/youth weight each, Kilroe taking
the 560kg and Bedford the 520kg, with both clubs finishing as runners up to
each other in those weight classes. It was good to see Upper Eden competing
with their new ladies team, and it was good to see a number of new female
pullers competing amongst the other ladies and junior teams taking part on the
day. It was also good to see Bedford Ladies back out on the circuit having
taken a break during 2017. Photo: Upper Eden Ladies
The officials on the day were Dave Kitchener, Dave Hamer, Gavin Corden, Tony
Henshaw, Adele Hamer and Caroline Abri. Photo: York Mens Team
The remainder of the weight classes saw Raunds claim 4 gold
medals, winning the 600kg, 640kg, 680kg and 720kg titles. Kilroe finished as
silver medallists in the 600kg competition, with Sheen finishing in third
place. A close 640kg competition saw quite a few 1-1 pulls take place, with
Raunds and Uppertown contesting the final. Kilroe took the bronze with a 2 end
to 0 win against Sheen. The 680kg competition was another good competition,
with Sheen and Kilroe providing an exciting bronze medal match, which Sheen won
by 2 ends to 0, with Raunds and Uppertown contesting the final, which Raunds
took by 2 ends to 0. Raunds won the 720kg competition by defeating Sheen in the
final. Photo: Uppertown
As a final note, we would like to thank all of the officials
who helped to run the competition on the day - Judges: Peter Craft, Ray
Fray-Smith, Gavin Corden, David Kitchener, Ernie Jones and Recorders - Wendy
Dyer, Jill Thomas and Wendy Dyer. Photo: Raunds
We would love to see more teams giving indoor tug of war a
go next year, with the season starting in October. If any clubs wish to give
indoor tug of war a go and would like to know how to get started and how to get
involved, then please contact us. Photo: Sheen
This was the final TOWA event of 2017. We would like to
thank everyone who has supported the Tug of War Association this year, in what
has been both a challenging year and a rewarding year on and off the field. We
wish everyone well over the festive period and we look forward to seeing teams,
officials and tug of war supporters in 2018 - the 60th Anniversary
of the Tug of War Association. Photo: Kilroe
The event started with the catchweight competition with Lincoln winning the gold medal for the fourth consecutive season. Felton Eccles finished as the silver medallists in this weight class. Photo: Catchweight AAA Gold Medallists - Lincoln
The 640kg competition was the next closed weight, with Norton winning the gold medal to win the AAA 640kg championships for the 10th consecutive year. Lincoln won the silver medal. Photo: Norton - AAA 640kg Gold Medallists
The open competitions saw Norton go on to win the 580kg and 600kg competitions, with Lincoln going on to win the 680kg competition. Photo: Felton Eccles - AAA Championship Catchweight Silver Medallists
The
second round of competition in the mens National League and the third round of
competition of the National League took place at Lincoln Tug of War Club’s
annual tug of war event. There was a good number of teams taking part in the
ladies and youth league competition, however there was a reduced number of
teams taking part in the mens competition this week. Lincoln (A and B), Felton
Eccles, Diesel Power, Bosley, Holland and Team ACF took part in the mens
competitions, and Team ACF Boys, two teams of ACF Girls, Kilroe, St Pats, and Team
Army took part in the ladies and youth league competition. Photo: St Pats Ladies
The
mens competitions saw Lincoln A win the catchweight and 720kg competitions,
with their B team finishing as runners up in the 720. Lincoln also finished as
runners up in the 600, 640 and 680 competitions. Felton Eccles finished in
first place in the 600, 640 and 680 competitions and also finished as runners
up in the catchweight competition. Photo: Host Club Lincoln
There
was some exciting competition in the ladies and youth league this week, with St
Pats getting their first win of the season by winning the 560kg competition,
with Army Ladies finishing as runners up. In the 520kg competition, Team Army
ladies finished as the winners to get their first win of the season with ACF
boys finishing as the runners up. Photo: Team ACF
In the mens weights, Norton won the 600kg, 640kg and
catchweight classes, defeating Lincoln in the final of the catchweight, Felton
Eccles in the final of the 600kg and Two Dales in the final of the 640kg.
Felton Eccles won the 720kg competition ahead of Lincoln, but Lincoln went on
to win the 680kg competition after a good 2 ends to 1 win over Felton in the
final. Photo: Lincoln.
Three weights were held for the ladies and junior teams at
520kg, 540kg and 560kg. York Ladies competed well to win all three weight
classes. Leek finished as runners up in the 560kg competition and Upton
finished as runners up in the 520kg and 540kg competitions. Photo: York Ladies/Juniors
The day finished with a 4+4 competition, which turned out to
be a good little competition, with Bosley contesting the final against Turf
Turners from County Durham. Turf Turners had gone through the competition
without losing an end, but Bosley managed to improve for the final by winning
an exciting pull by 2 ends to 0. Well done to all of the teams who took part. Photo: Norton
The 600kg competition then followed, another round robin
competition with some close pulling between Lincoln A and B, Sandhurst, Felton
Eccles, Oxney, Thames Valley and Haldon. Felton Eccles and Oxney emerged as the
top two teams who went forward to pull each other again in the final, with
Felton Eccles coming away with a good 2 ends to 0 win. Photo: Haldon
The 680kg competition was again pulled as a straight group.
This saw Felton Eccles and Lincoln B emerge as the top two teams again to
compete in their second final of the day. Felton Eccles this time won the
competition by 2 ends to 0 to take their second win of the day. Photo: Thames Valley
The final mens weight of the day was the 640kg competition
which was split into two groups. With the hot weather conditions, some pullers
started to struggle with cramp, but this didn’t take away from the pulling.
Some of the best pulls in the group stages came between Thames Valley and
Haldon who won one end each off each other, and then Thames Valley and Felton
also had a good match between each other which Felton won by 2 ends to 0. In
the other group, Lincoln B and Sandhurst had a good battle which Sandhurst won
by 2 ends to 0, with Lincoln coming very close to taking the second end. The final
of this weight class was between Lincoln A and Felton Eccles, which Felton
Eccles eventually won by 2 ends to 0 to win their third gold medal of the day. Photo: Oxney
The ladies and youth league competition wasn’t as well
supported this week, with Army Ladies, Upton, and St Pats taking part. Army
Ladies won gold in the 560kg competition, and Upton won gold in the 520kg
competition. Well done to these teams for supporting this event. Photo: Sandhurst
A lovely sunny day of tug of war at Longridge was enjoyed by
all. A great day out for York Penistone, Bilsborrow, Chipping, Longridge & Vale
of Lune to contest the first competition of the TOWA Northern Area League. York
won the 4+4 without losing an end and York also finished in first place in the
ladies 540kg. Kilroe Ladies went on to win the ladies 580kg competition.
Longridge the hosting team won the 600kg and Catchweight competitions. The next
TOWA Northern Area League competition takes place on 30th April and
will be hosted by Whitley Chapel in Northumberland. Photo: Pensitone
The first league event of the Far Western Area League season took place on
Saturday at the Devon YFC Activities day at Bideford in North Devon, Haldon
Ladies, Exe Valley, Haldon Men & Meshaw Youth took part in the event. Photo: Exe Valley
Bosley Tug of War Club hosted their annual club competition,
with teams from around England taking part, as well as visiting teams “the Shop”
from Ireland and Halkyn from Wales. The English clubs competed were from
Bosley, Two Dales, Norton, Lincoln (A and B), Felton Eccles, Upper Eden, York,
Longridge, Diesel Power, Holland, Kilroe Ladies, Team ACF Boys, Team ACF Girls,
York Ladies, Leek YFC, St Pats, Team Army. Photo: host club Bosley
There was plenty of tug of war throughout the day, with both
of the ladies/junior weights and the mens 600, 640, and 680 competitions having
large entries of teams. Photo: Felton Eccles
In the mens weight classes, there was a good mix of results.
The catchweight competition was won by Lincoln A, who had good battles with
Norton in both the group stage and the final, the group pull going 1-1 and then
Lincoln winning the final by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Army Ladies
The 560kg competition saw Team ACF A taking the gold medal
overall without losing an end. York pulled strongest out of the remainder of
the field to finish as runners up. Leek YFC competed with a junior ladies team
in this weight for the first time and gained valuable experience from this
weight class. The TOWA welcomes junior male and junior female teams, so if any
other young teams wish to get involved in ladies and junior competition, then
please contact us for further information. Photo: Upper Eden
The Mens 600kg competition was a straight league of 10 with
the top two teams going through to the final. Only the Shop from Ireland
progressed to the final without dropping many ends, with the pulling close
between the remainder of the teams. Two Dales progressed to the final where
they met The Shop. The Shop continued their good form by winning the final by 2
ends to 0. Photo: York Ladies
The 680kg competition was split into two groups. In another
competitive weight class, Lincoln B and Felton Eccles progressed to the final,
with Lincoln B winning the competition by 2 ends to 0. The ladies and junior
520kg competition was pulled as a straight group, this time with Kilroe Ladies
and York progressing to the final. This was a good close final which went to
three ends, York taking the first end and then Kilroe Ladies taking the next
two. Photo: The Shop from Ireland
The mens 640kg competition was again split into two groups.
Both Felton and The Shop progressed to their second finals of the day, with The
Shop winning their second final by 2 ends to 0. The day finished with the 720kg
competition. After some more close pulling, The Shop took first place without
losing an end, Felton Eccles taking their third runners up spot on the day. Photo: Longridge
The officials on the day were Ray Fray-Smith, Peter Craft,
Mick Grimston, Tony Henshaw, David Hamer, Gavin Corden, Adele Hamer, Mark
Williams and Caroline Abri. Photo: Leek YFC
The meeting started with the opening of the meeting by outgoing TOWA President Mr Vic Ludkin. Our congratulations to Mike Callaghan who has been
elected as president of the TOWA for 2017. Mike is pictured here with
outgoing TOWA president Vic Ludkin, who stood down as president this
year. We would like to thank Vic for his time and effort in representing
the TOWA at events around the country during his time as president and
we wish Mike well in his new role. Mike has previously served as TOWA
Chairman and it is great to have him on board in his new role. Photo: Outgoing President Vic Ludkin (left) and new TOWA President Mike Callaghan (right)
Following the election of president, The TOWA Award of Merit was presented. The TOWA AGM saw three upstanding members of the TOWA receive
the TOWA Award of Merit. This award is given to people who have been
nominated for their long and distinguished service to tug of war over
the years. This year, Nick Major, Jane Major and Ray Fray-Smith were
nominated for the award and a summary of why they were nominated is
provided below. Photo: 
Firstly, both Nick and Jane Major are both a judge and timekeeper/recorder respectively. Both have served as TOWA officials over many years at many local and national events. Both have also served as a TWIF
judge and recorder. Both work tirelessly in their Area (Area 8 - Devon
and Cornwall) running Friday night competitions, and regular Saturday
and Sunday Area 8 competitions, and they also officiate at other TOWA
events. Nick also served on the TOWA general committee as an area
representative over many years and both still work tirelessly in their
area to promote tug of war and encourage new teams. Well done to Nick
and Jane. Photo: 
Ray Fray-Smith has also been recognised for his contributions to tug of
war, not just within the TOWA, but also within the armed forces tug of
war circuit as well. Ray has been influential in keeping tug of war
going in the Armed Forces in the face of severe challenges as a result
of military organisation changes and funding cuts. Ray is also a TOWA
committee member and TWIF judge. Photo: Ray Fray-Smith (left) receiving the TOWA award of merit from TOWA president Mile Callaghan (right)
At the AGM, the armed forces present
presented Ray with a combined services sports cap, which is only awarded
in special circumstances and has only been awarded for tug of war on 6
previous occasions. Congratulations Ray! Photo: Ray Fray-Smith (left) receiving the Combined Services Sports cap from Gareth Davies
Photo: The Upper Eden Tug of War squad from Cumbria
Photo: Raunds - 2016 Indoor AAA Champions at 640kg and Catchweight
Photo: Sheen Farmers TOWC competing in the second week of the indoor tug of war league
Photo: Raunds from Northamptonshire competing in the first week of indoor competition
England got the international events off to a great start today in the mens 700kg competition. England were represented by Lincoln in this weight class, and the competition was split into two groups. England were drawn into the same group as Sweden, Belgium, Latvia, USA, Italy, Chinese Taipei and France. England performed strongly in the group to finish top without losing an end to make the semi finals. Sweden finished as group runners up. 
The teams to progress to the semi finals were England, Switzerland, Sweden and the Netherlands. England were drawn against the Netherlands in the semi finals but unfortunately missed out on a place in the final by 2 ends to 0. England then went on to meet Sweden again to pull for the bronze medal. With confidence from the group, England put in another good performance to beat the home nation by 2 ends to 0 to take the bronze medal. Congratulations to the Lincoln pullers and staff on their achievement. 
The ladies open 540kg competition has just taken place, and English interest in this event came in the form of Kilroe Ladies and Gloucester ACF. The competition was pulled in a straight group, with the top four teams progressing to the semi finals. For Gloucester ACF, with a young team, it was very much about gaining experience for them, and they competed well despite not having an impact on the final standings. Kilroe Ladies managed to progress to the semi finals in third place in the group, and there they met Gelderswoude from the Netherlands. After losing by 2 ends to 0, Kilroe went into the bronze medal pull against Ayrshire. Kilroe almost had the first end, before running out of steam with Ayrshire taking it. Ayrshire then took the second end and the bronze, but it was another good top four finish for our ladies teams. 
English interest in this competition came from both Kilroe and Felton Eccles. Both teams were drawn into separate groups - Kilroe were in group 1 and Felton Eccles were in group 2.
English interest in this weight came from Army Ladies. The competition was
split into two groups, and the Army Ladies put in a great performance to finish
in joint second position in their group. The competition in this group was very
close, and Army Ladies were in a three way tie for second place. When the TWIF
criteria was applied, Army Ladies progressed to the semi finals, which meant
that they would be in with a chance of a medal. The team came up against the
strong team of Ta Shi Da Jingmei from Chinese Taipei and were defeated by 2
ends to 0, so they went into the bronze medal match against Gaztedi from the
Basque Country who Army had pulled earlier in the group. Unfortunately the Army
Ladies missed out on the bronze medal by 2 ends to 0. With many pullers from
the Army team competing at their first world championship, a fourth place
position in the world championships is still a great achievement!
English interest in this weight class came from Norton Tug of War Club and
Felton Eccles Tug Of War Club. This weight was split into four large
groups, Both clubs were drawn into different groups but unfortunately both
clubs didn't progress to the knock out stages. With very sandy ground
conditions, there were some very long ends including an end that went on for 35
minutes between Bancran from Northern Ireland and Gaztedi from the Basque
Country in the group stage.
The junior ladies competition saw England field A and B
teams made up of junior ladies pullers from the ACF clubs. Wales and Northern
Ireland both entered teams into this competition. Both the England A and B
teams progressed to the semi finals with Wales A topping the group. England A
pulled Northern Ireland A in the first semi final, and Wales A pulled England B
in the second semi final. England A and Wales A both progressed to the final
leaving England B and Northern Ireland A to pull for bronze. Photo: England Under 23 600kg Squad
In the bronze medal pull, Northern Ireland proved to be the
stronger team on this occasion and England B missed out on the bronze medal. In
the final, England A and Wales A enjoyed a good contest, but it was the home
team of Wales A who were the stronger team on the day and they took the gold
medal by 2 ends to 0. Photo: England B 600kg team - represented by Felton Eccles
The ladies 520kg competition saw England A being represented
by Bedford Ladies, and England B being represented by Army Ladies. In the group
stages of the competition, the two England teams went 1-1 with each other, and
both teams also defeated the A and B teams from Wales and the team from the
Republic of Ireland to progress to the semi finals along with Scotland A and
Scotland B. Photo: England B Junior Ladies Team - Represented by a combined ACF team
In the semi finals, England A pulled Scotland A and England
B pulled Scotland B. On this occasion both of the England teams were defeated
by their Scottish opponents so had to face each other for the bronze. A close
pull in the bronze medal match saw England A (represented by Bedford Ladies)
take the bronze by 2 ends to 0 against England B (represented by Army Ladies).
The final saw Scotland A take the gold medal against their B team. Photo: England A Junior Ladies 520 Team represented by a combined ACF team
The mens 600kg competition saw England A being represented
by Norton and England B being represented by Felton Eccles. England also
fielded a C team in this weight made up of pullers from the England Under 23
Development Squad. Wales also fielded an Under 23 C team in this weight which
made a good competition being pulled as a straight group of 10 teams. England B
had an exciting pull first on with Northern Ireland A who were represented by
Bancran who became European Champions in 2015. This pull saw Northern Ireland A
take the first end, but England B performed strongly on the second end to make
the score 1-1. England A progressed through the group well to go through the
group stage of the competition without losing an end. Photo: England C 600kg Under 23 Team
The England C under 23 team gave a very encouraging
performance in this weight class, going 1-1 against the Wales C under 23 team,
and then defeating the Wales B team by 2 ends to 0 in a very good performance,
which is a good stepping stone for the Under 23 team in the build up to the
European Championships in Southport in 2017. If anyone under the age of 23 is
interested in becoming part of the England Under 23 Development Squad and wish
to register your interest, then visit the 
In terms of the medal pulls, both England A and England B
made it through to the semi finals. England A met Ireland A and England B met
Northern Ireland A. England A defeated Ireland A to make the final by 2 ends to
0 and Northern Ireland A this time defeated England B by 2 ends to 0 to reach
the final. Photo: England B Ladies 520kg team - represented by Army Ladies
The bronze medal pull saw England B take on Republic of
Ireland A and England B recorded another good performance by taking a
thoroughly deserved bronze medal by 2 ends to 0. The final saw England A take
on last year’s UK and European Champions Northern Ireland A. Unlike last year’s
UK championship final between these two teams, who both endured a very lengthy
contest, the contest was short, but fierce with England A putting in a convincing
performance to defeat Northern Ireland A by 2 ends to 0 to take the British and
Irish Championships crown. Photo: England B Junior Men 560kg team - represented by a combined ACF team
The Junior Men 560kg competition saw all of the British and
Irish nations entered other than Scotland. England fielded an A and B team in
this weight class that were made up by combined ACF teams. Both the England A
and B team progressed to the semi finals, along with the Wales A and B teams. Photo: England A Ladies 520kg Team - Represented by Bedford Ladies
England A faced Wales B, and England B faced Wales A. Unfortunately
both teams lost out to Welsh opposition and went to pull each other for bronze.
England A juniors took the bronze by 2 ends to 0 against England B. Wales A
then went on to secure the gold medal against Wales B in a very close match. Photo: England A junior men 560kg team - represented by a combined ACF team
In the ladies 560kg, England A were represented by Kilroe
Ladies, and England B were represented by Haldon Ladies who were representing
England for the very first time. Both teams performed well in the group stages,
with England A topping the group, and England B finishing the group in second
place, so both progressed to the semi finals. Photo: the medals up for grabs
Both clubs faced Scottish opposition. England A faced
Scotland B, and England B faced Scotland A. Both matches were identical in
outcome, with both of the England teams taking the first end in their
respective semi finals, before both Scottish teams levelled the scores by
taking the second end. On the third and deciding end in both semi finals, both
of the Scottish coaches won the toss of the coin and had the choice of the
slightly better end. Scotland won both of the second ends, so despite looking
like we might have got an all England Ladies final, we ended up with England A
and B pulling each other for bronze. On this occasion, England A took the
bronze by 2 ends to 0, but it was a great experience for the England B ladies
in their first international competition. Scotland A took the gold medal by defeating
Scotland B by 2 ends to 0. Photo - the junior mens and ladies squads
The mens 680kg competition saw Two Dales represent England
A, and Lincoln represent England B. The competition included teams from all of
the other participating nations, including the Republic of Ireland A team
represented by G&B who have been dominant in their home country this year
by winning all of the national titles available there. Photo: England B Ladies 560kg team - represented by Haldon Ladies
England B turned out to be the strongest team in this weight
class in the group stages, only dropping one end to the Ireland A team on their
way to topping the group. Ireland A finished as group runners up, followed by
Scotland A and England A. In the semi finals, England B defeated England A by 2
ends to 0, and Republic of Ireland A defeated Scotland A by the same score. Photo: England A Men 680kg team - represented by Two Dales
England A went into the bronze medal match against Scotland
A, which was another close 3 end match. Scotland A took the first end, but
England A then took the second end. Scotland won the toss for the choice of the
third end, and then pulled England over the line to secure the bronze. The
final was between England B and Republic of Ireland A. Both teams went 1-1 in
the group and many were expecting a close final, but the England B team
performed very strongly in this weight to outperform the Republic of Ireland to
take the gold medal by 2 ends to 0. Photo: England A Ladies 560kg team - represented by Kilroe Ladies
The final weight of the international competition was the
mixed 600kg. England A were represented by Norton / Kilroe Ladies and England B
were represented by Lincoln / Bedford Ladies. Both teams dominated the group
stages by finishing as the top two teams - England A in first place and England
B in second place. England A pulled Scotland A in the first semi-final, and
England B pulled Wales A in the second semi-final. Both of the England teams
progressed in straight ends to set up an all England final. The end result saw
England A win a well deserved gold medal by 2 ends to 0 against England B.
Wales A won the bronze medal by 2 ends to 1 against Scotland A. Photo: England B 680kg team - represented by Lincoln
The
following day, the open competition took place. English clubs competing in the
open competition were Norton, Lincoln, Felton Eccles, Bedford Ladies, Kilroe
Ladies, Haldon Ladies, Army Ladies, Brampton YFC, Haldon Men, Gloucester ACF,
LNR ACF, Derby ACF. Photo: England B Ladies 560kg team congratulate each other on their performances.
The first weights of the day were the mens catchweight and
ladies/youth 560kg competitions. The mens catchweight was pulled in a straight
group of 7 teams, with the top two teams pulling again in the final. In this
weight, we welcomed newly formed Ashbrook from Cheshire, and they competed well
in this weight to finish 5th overall. The top two teams emerged as
Lincoln and Felton Eccles. Lincoln repeated their catchweight success from the
previous weekend of competition by defeating Felton Eccles by 2 ends to 0 in
the final. Photo: Ashbrook
The ladies/youth 560kg competition had a good entry of teams
and was split into two groups. Bedford Ladies, Kilroe Ladies, Upton and
Gloucester Boys progressed to the semi finals. Both Gloucester Boys and Upton
progressed from their respective semi finals to meet each other in the final.
This was a very close match up going to three ends. Gloucester Boys won the
first end, but Upton put up a good fight in the next two ends to take first
place. Photo: Bosley
The mens 600kg competition then followed and was split into
two groups. Lincoln and Bosley started with a very long pull in the first match
of their group, with the match going 1-1. The winners of the first group were
Felton Eccles with the England under 23 development team finishing as group
runners up, and Two Dales were the winners of group 2, with Bosley finishing as
runners up. In the semi finals, Felton Eccles defeated Bosley by 2 ends to 0,
with the other semi final going to a close 3 ends, with Two Dales eventually
progressing. The final of this weight class between Felton Eccles and Two Dales
gave us another 3 end pull, with Felton Eccles edging it by 2 ends to 1. Photo: Two Dales
The mens 680kg and ladies/youth 520kg then followed. There
were two groups in the 680kg competition. Norton, Felton Eccles, Lincoln and
Two Dales all progressed to the semi finals. Norton overcame Two Dales by 2
ends to 0 in their semi-final, and Lincoln overcame Felton Eccles in the second
semi final. Norton and Lincoln then faced each other in the final, and Norton
came away with a 2 ends to 0 win. Photo: Gloucester Junior Ladies 
The Ladies/Youth 520kg competition was an exciting event.
Again it was split into two groups. Gloucester, Upton, Army and Haldon all
progressed to the semi finals. In the first semi final, Gloucester Boys
defeated Haldon, but the second semi final was a very exciting match between
Upton and the Army Ladies. Upton took the first end, but the Army Ladies took a
very close second and third end to take a well earned place in the final. In
the final, Gloucester Boys took the win by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Chipping
The mens 640kg and ladies/youth 540kg competitions followed.
The 640kg competition was again pulled as two groups. Norton and Felton Eccles
emerged from group 1 ahead of Bosley and Lincoln, and some close pulling in
group 2 saw Halkyn emerge as group winners, along with Two Dales, ahead of
Chipping and 4 RA. The semi finals saw Felton Eccles overcome Halkyn and Norton
overcome Two Dales. The final saw Felton Eccles put up a good fight against
Norton, but it was the current national champions from Norton who took the gold
medal by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Kilroe Ladies
The ladies and youth 540kg competition was pulled as a
straight group and after the round robin stage, Haldon and Gloucester Boys
progressed to the final. In the final, Gloucester Boys took the first end, but
after a determined fightback, Haldon took the next two ends to take a well
deserved gold medal. Photo: Upton on Severn Juniors
The mens catchweight
and the ladies 560 competition was first on the programme. The mens catchweight
only had a small entry of teams, pulled in a small group with the top two teams
progressing to the final. The top two teams were Felton Eccles and Lincoln with
Lincoln winning the final by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Under 23 Squad
The Ladies 560 kilos
competition had a strong entry of teams, with Bedford Ladies, Army Ladies,
Haldon Ladies, Kilroe Ladies, Derby ACF and LNR ACF all taking part. There was
some close pulling in this weight, with Kilroe Ladies and Army Ladies
progressing to the final. Kilroe Ladies won the gold medal in this weight by 2
ends to 0, Army Ladies taking silver. Photo: Army Ladies
The mens 600kg
followed, pulled as a straight group with the top two teams progressing to the
final. There was some good tight pulling in this weight. The England Under 23
development team proved to be one of the strongest teams in the event, only
dropping two ends to Bosley in the group to progress. 3 RLC and Holland also
gave the teams some tight ends to contend with. The final standings at the end
of the group stage saw Bosley progress as group winners, followed by the Under
23 team who finished ahead of Felton Eccles. The final was between Bosley and
Under 23s. The Under 23s took a hard fought first end, with Bosley turning it
around to take the second end. On the third end, the Under 23s eventually ran
out of steam and Bosley took first place. Photo: 3RLC 4+4 Team
The ladies 520kg
competition saw another good entry of teams, and those entered into the 560kg
competition were joined by the 3 RLC ladies team. Like the 560kg competition,
there were some very close ends. This time Haldon and Kilroe Ladies progressed
to the final. Haldon Ladies have made great improvements throughout this season
as they build towards the British and Irish Championships on 13 and 14 August,
and they performed well to win the final against Kilroe Ladies by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Derby ACF 4+4 Team
The mens 680kg
competition was again pulled as a straight group. Felton Eccles and Lincoln
defeated all of the teams in front of them before meeting each other in the
final pull in the group stages. This was most definitely the pull of the weight
class, with Lincoln winning a tremendously tough battle between the two teams
which was really exciting to watch by those present. On the second end, Felton
Eccles won the pull to level the scores. As both teams finished top of the
group, they both had to pull each other again in the final. It wasn’t quite as
fraught as the group match however, and Lincoln pulled well to win the final by
2 ends to 0. Photo: LNR ACF 4+4 Team
This weekend saw teams
competing at the South West Open Competition, hosted by Felton Eccles Tug of
War Club in Bristol. The teams were greeted by some warm and dry weather conditions,
and it was great to see more YFC teams out and about as they prepare for the
forthcoming NFYFC National Championships in August. The teams competing were as
follows: Felton Eccles, Stourminster Newton, Haldon, Anstey, Bosley, Lincoln,
Norton, Sandhurst, and Two Dales. Photo: Felton Eccles
The day started with the
catchweight competition, pulled as a straight group with the top four teams
competing in a semi-final and final. No team went through the group stage
without losing an end, and the teams that progressed to the semi-finals were
Lincoln, Two Dales, Felton Eccles and Haldon. In the semi-finals, Felton Eccles
defeated Haldon, and Lincoln defeated Two Dales. In the final, Felton Eccles
defeated Lincoln by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Lincoln
The second weight of the day
was the 600kg competition, which was run under the same format as the
catchweight competition. This time, Norton finished top of the group, followed
by Felton Eccles. A number of other teams took ends off each other in the
remainder of the group matches, and it was Bosley and Haldon that progressed.
In the semi finals, Norton defeated Bosley by 2 ends to 0, and Felton defeated
Haldon by 2 ends to 0. In the final, Norton took the gold medal by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Anstey
The third weight of the day was
the 680kg competition. Again, this competition was pulled as a straight group,
but this time, the top two teams in the group went straight through to the
final. There was a good group match between the two
YFC teams of Haldon and Stourminster Newton, which went 1-1, but the battle for
the top two places ended up being between Lincoln, Norton and Felton Eccles.
The points difference between the teams meant that it was Lincoln and Felton
Eccles that progressed to contest the final, with Lincoln progressing without losing an end. Both of these teams had a close
pull in the group, but this time it was Felton Eccles who won the final by 2
ends to 0 to take their second win of the day. Photo: Norton
The final weight of the day was
the 640kg competition, again pulled in one straight group to give teams plenty
of competition. Felton Eccles once again emerged as the gold medal winners for
the day, making it a hat-trick of wins from the four finals they reached on the
day. Photo: Haldon
The officials on the day were -
Judges - Ray Fray-Smith, Mick Grimston, Dave Kitchener, Tim Tatler - Timekeeper/Recorders
- Wendy Dyer, Sharon Hutchins and Mark Williams. Photo: Stourminster Newton
This weekends event was hosted by Bosley Tug of War Club in Astbury
near Congleton where the club was raising funds for the East Cheshire Hospice.
There were 5 weight classes for mens teams, along with ladies and youth league
weight classes at 520kg and 560kg. The day finished with the mixed 4+4. Also in
attendance at the competition were around 20 under 23 pullers wishing to compete
for a place in the England under 23 teams for the forthcoming British and Irish
Championships and World Under 23 Championships. Photo: Derby ACF
The catchweight competition started proceedings, pulled as a straight
group with the top two teams progressing to the final. The final two ended up
being Norton and Felton Eccles, with both teams giving us a 3 end final. Norton
took a close first end, and then Felton battled hard to take the second end. The
third end was equally as close, with Norton taking first place. Photo: Whitley Chapel YFC
The ladies and youth 560kg was pulled as a straight group, which gave
all of the teams competing a lot of pulling, with a good number of ladies and
junior pullers taking part. After some close competition, Gloucester ACF Boys took
first place, ahead of Upton on Severn YFC who finished as the overall runners
up. Photo: Army Ladies
The mens 600kg competition followed with some good even contests
throughout. Felton Eccles first two pulls against Norton and Bosley all went
1-1, and the match between Norton and Bosley also went 1-1, which meant that
half way through the competition, points between these teams were even to
determine who would progress. However, later on in the competition, Felton
Eccles dropped ends to both York and Longridge, which meant that Bosley and
Norton progressed to the final. Like the group match between these two teams,
the ends were close, but Norton took the pull by 2 ends to 0 to finish in first
place. Photo: Haldon Ladies
The ladies and youth 520kg competition was another close event, with
Army Ladies and Haldon Ladies winning some good ends against some of the more
established teams in the ladies and youth league. The final standings saw Upton
on Severn win the competition without losing an end, with Gloucester ACF Boys
taking the overall runners up spot. Photo: Gloucester ACF Girls
The mens 720kg competition saw a smaller entry than the other weights,
but it was again Norton and Felton Eccles that contested the final. Felton
Eccles this time turned the tables from the catchweight competition, and took
first place by 2 ends to 0.
Photo: Gloucester ACF Boys
The 680kg competition followed, with some good competitive matches
between a number of teams, including Whitley Chapel and York who had a close
match to determine which team would finish second in the group and meet Felton
Eccles in the final. York progressed to meet Felton Eccles, and it was Felton
Eccles who finished in first place, defeating York by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Bosley
The 640kg competition was the final mens weight of the day, and at the
start of the competition, we had a heavy downpour of rain, which turned out to
be a good leveller between all of the teams. No team went through the group
without losing an end, and with a number of teams taking ends of each other, it
was interesting to see which teams would progress to the final. Felton A
progressed to the final along with Bosley. Felton Eccles A won the final by 2
ends to 0 to take their third winners spot of the day to round off a good day
for them. Photo: Upton on Severn
The last weight of the day was the 600kg 4+4. There was some close
competition in this weight class all the way through, with Bedford and Upton on
Severn / Army progressing to the final. Bedford continued their strong form by
taking both ends in the final to finish as overall winners. Photo: Felton Eccles
Teams Competing - Lincoln, Norton, Bosley, Two Dales, Holland, Haldon, Felton Eccles, Sandhurst, Oxney Vines Cross, York, 4 Regiment RA, Bedford Ladies, Kilroe Ladies, Haldon Ladies, Holland Ladies, Army Ladies, LNR ACF, Gloucester ACF
The 2016 Tug of War Association National Outdoor Tug of War
Championships were this year hosted by Macclesfield Rugby Club in Cheshire. Up
for grabs were gold medals in 6 weight classes for mens teams, 2 weight classes
for ladies teams and a senior mixed weight category. We also held the junior
national championships. Unfortunately, entries were limited this year, so we
were only able to hold a junior championship with one weight class – the junior
mixed 560kg, which was a new weight class introduced this year.
The day started with the mens 640kg competition, which was
split into two groups. Defending champions Norton were in group 1 and they went
through to the semi finals without losing an end. Lincoln finished in second
place in group 1 and also progressed. The competition was close in group 2,
with Felton Eccles and Oxney Vines Cross – 2 very successful teams in this
weight class in the past - went 1 end
each first on. Felton then continued through the group without losing another
end to progress as group winners, with Two Dales finishing in second place in
the group.
In the 640kg semi final, Norton overcame Two Dales by 2 ends
to 0, and in the second semi final, there was a great pull between Lincoln and
Felton Eccles. Lincoln took the first end, Felton Eccles took the second end
and then Lincoln won a very close third end to make it through to the final. In
the bronze medal pull, Two Dales did what they were unable to do in the group
stages and defeat Felton Eccles by 2 ends to 0 to win the bronze medal. Onto
the final between Norton and Lincoln, and Norton went on to win their 5th
National 640kg title in a row by 2 ends to 0.
After the 640kg competition, the junior mixed 560kg
competition took place. Contesting the final was Gloucester ACF and LNR ACF. It
was a great final between these two junior teams which really did go all the
way down to the wire, with Gloucester taking the gold medal by 2 ends to 1 in a
crowd pleasing 3 end pull. Well done to both of these junior teams for making
the effort to compete at this years national championships. Hopefully we will
have more junior teams enter next year in the junior men, junior ladies and
junior mixed weight classes.
The mens catchweight competition turned out to be an
exciting event, despite the small number of teams entered. Holland TOWC from
Staffordshire met Oxney Vines Cross in the final, and this match went to three
ends, with Holland taking the first end and Oxney battling hard to take the
second end. Both teams gave everything in the deciding end, with Holland edging
it to take gold at this weight, after having to settle for silver in this
weight at the previous national championships.
The mens 580kg competition was pulled as a straight group.
Defending champions Norton started off by defeating Felton Eccles first on, and
Sandhurst edged out Bosley in the first round of pulling. After the group
stage, Norton, Sandhurst and Bosley emerged as the top three teams. The final
position for the fourth spot in the medal pulls was between York and Felton
Eccles. Both teams were level on points, and after using the TWIF criteria to
separate the teams, Felton Eccles progressed.
Norton and Sandhurst competed in the final, and Felton
Eccles and Bosley ended up competing for the bronze medal. Bosley took a close
pull by 2 ends to 0. In the final, we had yet another lightweight final between
Norton and Sandhurst. Norton took a tight first end, but Sandhurst rallied on
the second end and made a good fight of the pull, getting Norton under
pressure, however Norton recovered well to take the second end and the gold
medal.
The ladies 540kg was equally a very exciting competition,
with an improved entry of teams this year. No team went through the group stage
of this competition without dropping an end this year, however it was the teams
of Kilroe Ladies and Bedford Ladies that emerged as the top two teams in the
group stage. The close competition between Haldon Ladies, who were making their
national debut), Army Ladies and Holland Ladies eventually saw Haldon Ladies
and Holland Ladies emerge as the third and fourth teams.
Holland Ladies and Haldon Ladies went on to contest the
bronze medal, and Haldon Ladies came away with a fantastic bronze medal on
their national debut by 2 ends to 0, much to the delight of themselves and
their supporters. The final between Bedford Ladies and Kilroe Ladies was
another exciting final with Kilroe winning a fairly even match up by 2 ends to
0 to take the gold medal.
The mens 700kg competition followed. This was an interesting
competition which saw Norton top the group without topping an end. The battle
for second place was close, with Oxney Vines Cross and Lincoln finishing level
on points. After the TWIF criteria was applied, Oxney progressed to the final
in second place. Holland and Lincoln went on to pull for the bronze medal with
Lincoln winning the bronze medal by 2 ends to 0. In the final, Oxney put up a
good fight against Norton, but it was Norton who came away with another gold
medal by 2 ends to 0.
The ladies 500kg competition turned out to be another great
ladies competition and provided just as much excitement as the 540kg
competition. Bedford Ladies this time went through the group stage as winners,
followed by Army Ladies, Haldon Ladies and Kilroe Ladies. Bedford Ladies and
Army Ladies went on to contest the final, but first the bronze medal had to be
decided between Kilroe Ladies and Haldon Ladies. Haldon Ladies made a great day
of it by taking their second bronze medal of the day by 2 ends to 0. Well done
to them. The final was between Bedford Ladies and the Army Ladies. This was
another good ladies final. On the first end, Bedford took an early advantage,
but at one stage it looked as though the Army Ladies would get back into the
match, but Bedford managed to recover to take the end. The second end was just
as close a match up, but Bedford took the end and the gold medal.
The mens 600kg was next on the agenda, and this weight class
was split into two groups. Norton won group 1 ahead of Bosley, and Felton
Eccles were the winners of Group 2 ahead of Two Dales. In the cross over,
Felton Eccles defeated Bosley by 2 ends to 0, and Norton defeated Two Dales by
2 ends to 0. In the bronze medal match, Two Dales took their second bronze
medal of the day by 2 ends to 0 against Bosley. The final saw Felton and Norton
contest the 600kg final for the second year running, but Felton were this year
unable to turn the tables on Norton, and Norton took the gold medal by 2 ends
to 0.
The final mens weight class of the day was the 680kg
competition, which was again split into two groups. There were a lot of close
matches in this weight, but it was Norton, Lincoln, Felton Eccles and Two Dales
that emerged as the semi-finalists. In the first semi-final, Norton overcame
Lincoln, and in the second semi-final, Two Dales overcame Felton Eccles.
Lincoln and Felton contested for the bronze medal with Lincoln taking their
third medal of the day by 2 ends to 0. The final saw Two Dales take on Norton,
with Norton hoping to repeat their success from 2014 and win 5 gold medals.
Norton did just that, and won the final by 2 ends to 0.
The final weight of the day was the mixed 600kg, which saw
an improved entry of teams this year, with the competition being split into two
groups. Two Dales and Lincoln progressed from group 1, and Norton and Bedford
progressed from group 2. In the semi-finals, Lincoln defeated Bedford and
Norton defeated Two Dales. In the bronze medal match, Two Dales had run out of
steam and Bedford took the bronze medal by 2 ends to 0.
The final between Lincoln and Norton was probably the best
final of the day, which went all the way down to the wire, going to 3 ends.
Lincoln took a close first end which lasted for almost 6 minutes. Norton then
had to battle very hard to take a very close second end in just under 5
minutes. Norton eventually took a third end and their 6th gold medal
of the day.
Our thanks go to Macclesfield Rugby Club for allowing us to
stage the 2016 National Championships and to Ben Rathbone for working on behalf
of the TOWA behind the scenes in getting the event set up.
Longridge hosted the second leg of the northern league in the beautiful
sunshine, the competition was hard and the ends were all hard fought for
between all of the teams that took part. The event saw teams from Lancashire,
Yorkshire, Cumbria and Shropshire taking part. Photo: Host Club Longridge
Photo: Diesel Power
The
catchweight got off to a good competitive start. Felton Eccles topped the group
stage having only dropped one end in the group, and they progressed to the
final where they met Oxney Vines Cross. Despite Felton having won the match in
the group between these two teams, Oxney performed strongly to win the final by
2 ends to 0. Photo: Oxney Vines Cross
The
second weight of the day was the 600kg competition. Again, there was some
closely fought ends in the group stage, but it was Bosley and Sandhurst who
progressed through to the final. Bosley won the 600kg competition for the
second weekend running by defeating Sandhurst by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Host Club Thames Valley
The
620kg competition was again fiercely contested, and like the 600kg competition
earlier, Bosley and Sandhurst began to emerge as the top two teams. These two
teams met in the final pull of the group stage which went 1-1, before both
teams met again in the final. This was a very hard fought final, which Bosley
won by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Sandhurst
The
final weight of the day was the 640kg competition. Oxney Vines Cross emerged as
the strongest team in this weight class, winning the competition without
dropping an end. Sandhurst reached their third final of the day by finishing as
runners up. Photo: Bosley
The day
started with the mens catchweight and ladies and youth 560kg competition. The catchweight competition was pulled as a straight group
competition, with the top two teams in the group progressing to a final.
Lincoln performed strongly in the group to reach the final without losing an
end. The competition for second place in the group was close, with Norton
eventually progressing through in second place. The final between Norton and Lincoln
was very close. Lincoln took the first end, but Norton managed to take the next
two ends to win the first weight class of the day. Photo: Oxney Vines Cross
The ladies and youth 560kg competition saw Gloucester ACF
Boys win the competition without losing an end, with Upton YFC finishing as
worthy runners up ahead of the other ladies and youth teams. Photo: Holland
The mens 600kg competition was split into two groups of 6
teams. Group 1 contained Norton, Sandhurst, Two Dales, Bosley, Holland and
Lincoln, and Group 2 contained 4th Regiment, Felton Eccles, Oxney
Vines Cross, Gloucester ACF, Blunham YFC and Widecombe. The top team from each
group would progress to the final after the group stages had completed. The
winners of group 1 were Bosley, who finished ahead of Norton and Sandhurst as
the nearest challengers, however the second group was very close with teams
dropping ends. Blunham YFC certainly gave a lot of the teams a good run for
their money, taking some good scalps along the way. Oxney Vines Cross
eventually emerged as the group winners to meet Bosley in the final. In the
final, Bosley defeated Oxney by 2 ends to 0 to win their first weight class of
the season. Photo: Team Army Ladies
The ladies and youth 520kg competition again saw some close
competition, with some evenly matched ends between Bedford Ladies and Kilroe
Ladies, but the pull of the competition came in the deciding match between
Upton YFC and Gloucester ACF, with Upton YFC this time taking first place
without losing an end. Gloucester ACF finished as runners up. Photo: Host club Bedford Ladies
The mens 680kg competition was again split into two groups,
with Felton Eccles finishing as winners of group 1 ahead of Two Dales, Bosley,
Lincoln B and Oxney. Norton finished as the winners of group 2 ahead Lincoln A,
Sandhurst, Widecombe and Holland. Norton and Felton met in the 680kg final for
the second week running, with Norton taking their second weight of the day by 2
ends to 0. Photo: Gloucester ACF Junior Ladies
The final weight of the day was the mens 640kg competition
that was split into two groups. Norton progressed to the final from group 1
ahead of Oxney Vines Cross, Felton Eccles and 4th Regiment, and
Bosley progressed from group 2 ahead of Two Dales, Sanhurst and Lincoln. In the
final Norton took their third weight of the day by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Widecombe 
The day kicked off with the 600kg, where Whitley Chapel
started with a 2 ends to 0 win over Longridge, then York and Boroughbridge went
1 end each, which seemed to be the tone early in the day. York then went 1 end
each with Whitley Chapel and so did Longridge and Boroughbridge. The final
round saw York and Longridge go to 1 end each and Whitley Chapel beat Boroughbridge
2-0. York and Whitley Chapel then went again in the final with York taking a
close 2-1 victory. Photo: Boroughbridge
The 640kg was a very tough weight, again all 4 teams went
hard and ended up with a three way tie between York, Longridge and Whitley
Chapel, so there was a three way pull off to decide who should meet in the
final. Whitley Chapel beat Longridge 2-0, then York beat Whitley Chapel 2-0,
then York went 1 each with Longridge, so we had a rematch of the 600kg final. This
time Whitley Chapel fought very hard and took a 2-0 victory. Photo: Whitley Chapel
The 680 kg followed, again all 4 teams pulled hard, and this
time it was Whitley Chapel and Boroughbridge that met in the final, Whitley
Chapel showed why they are YFC national champions and put on a show of strength
and style to take a 2-0 victory. Photo: York
The teams
who took part were Bosley, Norton, Felton Eccles, Lincoln, York, 4 Regiment, Two
Dales, Holland Men, Kilroe Ladies, Bedford Ladies, Upton on Severn, Vale o Lune
ladies, Gloucester ACF and Holland Ladies. Photo: Upton on Severn Juniors
The soft
ground made for some good competitive ends, however it was Norton who were the
dominant force on the day, winning all 5 of the mens weight classes at 600kg,
640kg, 680kg, 720kg and catchweight. Photo: Vicky Plant of Kilroe Ladies
The most
competitive weight of the day was the mens 600kg competition, with 9 teams
entered pulling as a straight group, with some hard fought battles and some 1-1
pulls. Bosley finished as runners up to Norton in this weight after a good
battle between these two teams to decide the winner. Photo: Vale o Lune Ladies
In the
other mens weights, Lincoln finished as runners up to Norton in the Catchweight
and 720kg competitions, Felton Eccles finished as runners up in the 680kg
competition, and Bosley finished as runners up in the 640kg competition. Photo: Norton lining up ready to pull
There was
some good competition in the ladies and youth weights also, with 6 clubs taking
part. Upton-on-Severn from Worcestershire finished as winners in the 560kg
competition, with Gloucester ACF finishing as runners up. Photo: 4 Regiment
In the
520kg competition, Bedford Ladies finished as the winners, with Upton-on-Severn
finishing as the runners up. The pull of the ladies and youth competitions was
between Vale o Lune Ladies and Bedford Ladies, with Vale o Lune coming very
close to taking a hard fought first end, with the experience of Bedford Ladies
coming through in the end. Photo: Host Club Bosley
This
was the very first British and Irish Championship as the previous Unitied
Kingdom Championship was expanded this year to include the Republic of Ireland.
A big welcome to the Irish Tug of War Association, and we look forward to
having some great championships going forward. Photo: England B 600kg Team Represented by Raunds
The
event started with a short opening ceremony to welcome all of the teams, and a
minutes silence in memory of UK Commission Chair Rosemary Smith from Wales was
observed. This is the first championship for many years where Rosemary will not
be present and she will be missed by everyone. Photo: England A 600kg Team Represented by Kilroe
The
pulling started with the mens lightweight category with the teams competing up
to the maximum team weight limit allowed of 600 kilos. In this competition,
England A were represented by Kilroe, and England B were represented by Raunds.
All of the countries taking part fielded A and B teams in this weight class.
There was some very intense pulling the group stage, with England A having a
couple of No pulls against Scotland B and Northern Ireland A to make their
start to the competition very tough. England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and
Republic of Ireland all got a team through to the semi finals. The English team
to get through were England B, represented by Raunds. In the semi finals,
Scotland A defeated Republic of Ireland A, and Northern Ireland B defeated
England B. England B were left to fight it out for the bronze medal with
Ireland A, and in a very exciting contest came away with the bronze medal,
winning by 2 ends to 0. Photo: England A 680kg Team Represented by Uppertown
The
final between Northern Ireland B and Scotland A was a good spectacle,
especially on the first end, which was very close with Northern Ireland taking
Scotland a good way, before Scotland took a good amount of rope back. Northern
Ireland got themselves back into the pull and Scotland were eventually blown
out for receiving three cautions. Northern Ireland then took the second end a
little easier to take a well deserved gold medal. Photo: England B 680kg Team Represented by a Composite Team 
The
mens heavyweight division was contested with a maximum team weight limit of 680
kilos. England A were represented by Uppertown and England B were represented
by a composite team. Again, each of the participating countries contested the
group stage with A and B teams. The group stage was again keenly fought, but this
time, England got both their A and B team through to the semi finals, along
with Scotland A and Republic of Ireland A. Photo: England A Mixed 600kg 4+4 Team Represented by Kilroe
The
first semi final saw England A defeat Republic of Ireland A, but the contest of
the tournament came in the other semi final between England B and Scotland A.
This match went to 5 ends. England B took the first end, but the second end was
declared a “no pull” after each team had received three cautions each. Scotland
then took the restart, and the next end was again declared a no pull. The final
end saw Scotland A take it which denied an all England final. Photo: Scotland A 680kg Team
Republic
of Ireland A defeated England B for the bronze medal by 2 ends to 0, but in the
final England A took the gold with a great performance against Scotland A to
win by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Republic of Ireland A 600kg team
The
final international weight class of the day was the mixed 600kg competition,
where each team competes with four men and four ladies in their teams. England
A (represented by Kilroe) again proved to be the dominant force by taking the
gold medal by 2 ends to 0 against Scotland A in the final. Photo: Country Club from Northern Ireland in the Open Club Competition
Following
the international competition, a club competition was held, with tug of war
clubs from all of the UK and Ireland countries taking part. Again there was
more exciting contests with the Uppertown Club from near Chesterfield in
Derbyshire taking gold in the mens 640kg competition by defeating Country Club
from Northern Ireland in the final. Cuan Rithe from Ireland won the bronze
medal, with Kilroe finishing in 4th place. Photo: Uppertown Tug of War Club from Derbyshire - winners of the Open Club 640kg Competition
Raunds got the day off to a winning start by winning the
catchweight competition ahead of last weekend’s AAA championship winners Sheen.
The 600kg competition followed, which was well supported and was pulled in two
groups. Kilroe edged out Uppertown to finish top of group 1 and Raunds finished
ahead of Sheen in the second group to make their second final of the day so
far. In a well fought out final, Kilroe defeated Raunds by 2 ends to 0 to take
their first win of the day. Photo: Kilroe
The first ladies and youth competition was the 560kg
competition. Kilroe Ladies won the competition without losing an end. This
week, Gloucester ACF Juniors fielded two teams, having junior men and junior
ladies competing. In this weight however, Bedford Ladies finished as the
runners up. Photo: Uppertown coach Clem Sorrell urging his team on.
The 640kg competition was another keenly contested weight
class, with Uppertown and Raunds having a closely fought pull early on,
finishing 1-1. Both of these teams won all of their remaining matches in the
competition ahead of Sandhurst, Kilroe, and Sheen A and B. The final between
Raunds and Uppertown was another close match, going to three ends. Uppertown
took the first end, with Raunds winning the next two to take their second win
of the day. Photo: Sandhurst
The ladies and youth 520kg competition was another well
contested weight category, with Kilroe Ladies again finishing in first place.
This time, Gloucester ACF A made their first final of the indoor season to
finish as runners up ahead of Gloucester ACF B and Bedford. Well done to the
ladies and youth teams who competed again this week, and good luck to the cadets
who are taking part in the Army Indoor Tug of War Championships this Wednesday. Photo: Sheen
The 680kg competition was contested as a full group, and was
again a very close competition. At the end of the group stage, Raunds, Sheen
and Kilroe finished on level points having all taken ends off each other. After
the TWIF criteria was applied, Raunds and Sheen progressed to the final. In the
final, Raunds earned their third win of the day by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Gloucester ACF Juniors
This Sunday (29th November) is the final weekend
of competition before the Tug of War Association National Indoor Tug of War
Championships takes place on Saturday 5th December. All supporters
and spectators are welcome to come along and cheer the teams on, so make sure
you get yourselves there! Photo: Vicky Smith - Kilroe Ladies
The first competition was the AAA catchweight competition,
pulled as a round robin points competition with the top two teams competing in
the final to decide the gold and silver medals. Sheen were the dominant team in
the group stages, finishing top of the group without losing an end. Kilroe were
the team who progressed to the final as group runners up. In the final, Sheen
retained their AAA catchweight gold medal from 2014 by winning the gold medal
by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Raunds 640kg silver medal winning team. 
The second weight of the day was the 640kg competition, with
Raunds entering the competition as the defending champions of 2014. Uppertown got
the competition off to a strong start by defeating Kilroe by 2 ends to 0, but
then had a good battle with Raunds, which Raunds won by 2 ends to 0. Sheen
started the competition well also, winning their early rounds, and eventually
progressed again as group winners. Raunds finished ahead of Uppertown, Kilroe
and Sandhurst for the second place in the group and a place in the final.
Raunds put up a good fight in the final against Sheen, but Sheen held firm on
both ends with Raunds never giving up. It was, however, Sheen’s day and they
took the gold medal by 2 ends to 0 to add to their very impressive list of
indoor tug of war titles. Photo: Lincoln
The ladies and youth weights saw Gloucester ACF competing at
their first indoor tug of war competition alongside Bedford and Kilroe, which
was a good learning curve for them and it was great to see these youngsters
coming out and giving it a go, and above all enjoying themselves. The juniors
didn’t make any finals this time, but with more practice, they will make finals
in the future. In both the 520kg and 560kg weights, Kilroe Ladies were the
winners, with Bedford Ladies finishing as runners up. Well done to all of the
ladies and junior teams who took part this week. Photo: Gloucester ACF Juniors
The mens 680kg competition was split into two groups. There
were some good pulls in this weight, particularly between Sheen B, Sandhurst
and Lincoln, with Lincoln winning some very keenly contested ends between these
three teams. Kilroe finished as top of this group to make the final. In the
second group, Uppertown competed Strongly to head off strong challenges from
Raunds and Sheen in another keenly contested group. In the final, Uppertown met
Kilroe and pulled strongly to win the competition by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Bedford Ladies
The 600kg competition followed and was another keenly
contested competition that was split into two groups. Sheen won their group
ahead of Raunds, Bedford and Gloucester, with Kilroe winning their group ahead
of Uppertown and Sandhurst. In the final, Sheen and Kilroe had a good tight
pull on both ends, which Sheen won by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Uppertown - 680kg Winners 
The 2015/16 indoor tug of war season commenced this weekend at the
Harry Mitchell Leisure Centre in the West Midlands. The competition was held on
the new indoor tug of war mats that have been purchased by both the Tug of War
Association, and the Tug of War Association Midland Area and our thanks are
extended to all of the volunteers who gave up their own free time over the past
few weekends to get the mats ready in time for the start of the indoor tug of
war season. Photo: Raunds competing in the 680kg competition
5 weight classes were held on the day at catchweight, 600, 620, 640 and
680. All of the weights were pulled as a straight group, with the top two teams
pulling again in the final. The teams that were competing at the competition
were Raunds, Sheen, Uppertown, Kilroe, Sandhurst and Kilroe Ladies. Photo: Sheen competing in the 620kg competition
A close catchweight competition started the day off with Raunds
progressing through the group unbeaten. The competition for the second place in
the final was close, with Sheen and Kilroe being the teams in contention. The
pull between these two teams went to 1 end each, but with Sheen picking up more
cautions through the competition it was Kilroe who made the final. In the
final, Raunds won the first weight of the season by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Kilroe Ladies
The second weight of the day was the 600kg competition. Sheen were the
dominant team in this weight with a good squad of young men, some of who were
pulling indoor for the first time this year. Sheen won the competition without
losing an end. Raunds finished as runners up after making their second final of
the day. Photo: Paul Rose of Kilroe 
The 680kg competition saw Sandhurst start off Strongly by defeating
Sheen and Kilroe, and they made the final along with Raunds, who went through
the group unbeaten, only losing an end to Sheen. In the final, Raunds finished
as winners by beating Sandhurst by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Phil Lewis of Sandhurst being coached by Keith Dawkins, under the supervision of TOWA Judge Dave Kitchener
The 620kg competition saw Sheen follow up their good performance in the
600kg competition by going through the group stage of the competition unbeaten,
followed by Sandhurst who only dropped the two ends to Sheen. The final saw
Sheen take their second win of the day, winning the final by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Uppertown in the 640kg competition
The final weight of the day was the 640kg competition, with all teams
entering the fray for the final competition. Sheen topped the group without
losing an end, followed by Raunds who just edged out Uppertown to claim the
second spot in the final. Photo: TOWA Judge Gavin Corden
This weekend,
the annual GENSB Youth International Tournament took place in Heino,
Netherlands. Around 350 Competitors from 9 different countries formed 40 junior
teams made up of junior male and junior female pullers. Photo: the teams line up for the GENSB opening ceremony
40
teams from 9 nations entered the competition (Germany 2 teams, England
4 teams, Netherlands 14 teams, Switzerland 8 teams, Belgium
5 teams, plus guests Ireland 2 teams, Northern Ireland 1 team, Wales 1 team,
Lithuania 1 team plus 2 Europa Mix). Photo: Grayrigg YFC from Cumbria waiting to pull.
The
ethos of the GENSB competition is a friendly international event, hosted on a
budget, with the price of accommodation capped at an affordable level for
competitors. As such, GENSB is an important event in terms of encouraging young
people involved in tug of war, and this is demonstrated by the number of teams
that take part in GENSB every year. Photo: Grayrigg YFC in action
England
had 4 teams competing in the event, with Gloucester ACF fielding 3 teams with
the support of other ACF clubs, including Derby, LNR and Somerset, with the
fourth team taking part being Grayrigg YFC from Cumbria, who were the runners
up in this year’s National Federation of Young Farmers GENSB Youth Tug of War
competition. Photo: Grayrigg YFC from Cumbria with Trecastle YFC from Wales. 
The competition
was split into four groups of 10. All of the teams from England gave an
excellent account of themselves in the groups stages, with the top four in each
group progressing to the knock-out stages of the competition. Unfortunately
none of the England teams made it through the group stages, with the Gloucester
1 team coming closest, finishing 6th in their group. Photo: Sins from Switzerland - GENSB 2015 winners 
The
final result of the competition saw Sins from Switzerland take gold,
Stans-Oberdorf from Switzerland take silver, and Spoortrekkers 2 from the
Netherlands winning bronze after defeating Mosnang from Switzerland. Photo: The ACF Tug of War Squads
Tug of war teams from around the country gathered at the Cheshire Game
and Angling Fair at Peover Hall, near Knutsford, Cheshire over the weekend to
compete in the Tug of War Association National League Finals. The event was the
culmination of 8 events that have run over the course of the outdoor tug of war
season, with the final points on offer determining who would win the gold,
silver and bronze medals in the Tug of War Association National League.
Teams from Oxney Vines Cross, Felton Eccles (A and B), Lincoln (A and
B), Norton, Holland, Bosley, Longridge, Two Dales, Chipping, and Billsborrow
took part in the event which was held over three weight classes. Weight classes
were held at 600kg, 640kg and 680kg.
Large crowds gathered around the tug of war arena all day to watch the
teams taking part battle it out in some thrilling competition which resulted in
overall national league victories for Norton in all three of the weight classes
up for grabs.
The remaining medals were shared between Two Dales from Derbyshire who
took silver in the 600kg division and bronze in the 680kg division, with
Lincoln taking silver in the 640kg and 680kg divisions. Oxney Vines Cross from
Sussex took the bronze medals in the 600kg and 640kg divisions.
The results of the actual competitions that took place on the day saw
Norton win both the 600kg and 640kg competitions, with Two Dales finishing as
runners up in the 600kg competition and Felton Eccles finishing as runners up
in the 640kg competition. The 680kg competition saw Two Dales and Felton emerge
as the top two teams on the day.
Whilst the focus tends to be on the winning teams at national events,
there was some notable pulling from all of the other teams who took part, in
particular from Billsborrow and Longridge who gave all of the top teams a good
run for their money across all weight classes, being very difficult teams for
most to handle. They really enjoyed the competition as well, and they have
informed us that they will be back again to compete at more events next year!
Well done to all of the teams who took part. It was a good day of
sport, and we put a good competition on for the hundreds of spectators who
continually stopped by throughout the day to watch the tug of war. The
organisers of the show were very impressed with the competition and they have
had lots of good feedback from their visitors who have told them what a welcome
addition tug of war was to their event. They have asked us to take tug of war
back there next year, so watch this space for details about next year’s event!
The day started with a short opening ceremony before the
mens 600kg competition kicked off the proceedings. The competition was first
pulled as a straight group with the A and B teams from each of the home
countries taking part, including an England “C” team which was formed by Under
23 pullers. There was some good close competition in the group stages, with
Northern Ireland finishing as the top team in the group stage, followed by
England A in second place who were represented by Norton. The competition for the remaining two places
in the top four was very close between Scotland A, Northern Ireland B, England
B (represented by Oxney Vines Cross), and Wales A. In the end, it was England B
and Wales A that progressed to the semi-finals. Photo: England Under 23 600kg Team
In the semi-finals, England A met England B, and Wales A met
Northern Ireland A. Northern Ireland A comfortably overcame Wales A in their
semi-final, and England A defeated England B to progress. Before the final, the
bronze medal had to be decided between England B and Wales A. Wales A put in a
spirited performance, and never gave up at any point throughout the pull,
making it very difficult for England B, but it was England B who took the
bronze medal by 2 ends to 0. Photo: England A 600kg Team - represented by Norton from Staffordshire
The supporters of England A and Northern Ireland A, along
with everyone else in the crowd were treated to a very close an competitive
final between two teams who are very likely to be challenging for the top
medals at the forthcoming European Championships which are taking place in
Belfast, Northern Ireland in September. Photo: England A Ladies 520kg Team - Represented by Kilroe Ladies
The first end went to 9 minutes and 7 seconds. The first
part of the pull saw the two teams waiting for the first opportunity to take an
advantage, and after that, we were treated to a hard fought pull, which
eventually went to Northern Ireland A. The second end was again keenly
contested, but didn’t go on as long, with the pull going on for less than 3
minutes before Northern Ireland A took the end to retain the UK 600kg title
which they won in 2014. Photo: England B Junior 560kg team. 
The Ladies 520kg competition was the first ladies weight of
the day. England A were represented by Kilroe Ladies, and England B were represented
by Bedford Ladies, and they were up against the ladies teams from Scotland and
Wales. England A topped the group without losing an end. The pulling was close
between Scotland A and England B, with both teams finishing the group level on
points in second place. The Wales A ladies team joined the two England teams
and Scotland in the semi-finals. Photo: England A Junior Men 560kg team - represented by Gloucester ACF
In the semi-finals, England A defeated Wales A, but we were
treated to a good second semi-final between England B and Scotland A which went
the distance, going the 3 ends. England B took the first end, and Scotland B
took the second end. The deciding pull saw England B edge it to make it an all
England final. Photo: England B 600kg team - represented by Oxney Vines Cross TOWC from Sussex
The bronze medal match was contested first between Scotland
A and Wales A, with Scotland ladies winning the bronze medal by 2 ends to 0.
The final saw England A face England B, and it was England A who were the
stronger of the two teams on the day, winning the final by 2 ends to 0. Photo: England Judge Ian Grant
The junior men 560kg competition then took place, with
England, Scotland and Wales all having teams entered into the competition.
England A were represented by Gloucester ACF and England B were represented by
a composite team. The group stage of the competition saw Wales A top the group,
followed by England A, England B and Scotland A. Photo: England B Junior Ladies 520kg Team
In the semi-finals, Wales A defeated Scotland A, and England
A defeated England B. In the bronze medal match, England B put in a good
performance to take the bronze medal by 2 ends to 0. The final was between
Wales A and England A. England A looked to attack the drop on the first end
however the Wales team stood firm and took the first end. The second end saw
Wales take the end and the gold medal. Photo: England Judge Mike Callaghan
The afternoon saw the mens 680kg competition take part, with
all of the countries fielding A and B teams. There were some close ends in this
competition, and England A (represented by Lincoln) and England B (represented
by Felton Eccles) finished on level points at the top of the group, followed by
Wales A and Northern Ireland A. Taking into account TWIF criteria, England B
finished top, followed by England A, Wales A and Northern Ireland A. In the
semi-finals, England B defeated Northern Ireland A, and England A defeated
Wales A. Northern Ireland A and Wales A went into the bronze medal match, and Wales
A took the bronze medal by 2 ends to 0. Photo: England A 680kg team - represented by Lincoln TOWC
Yet again, we were treated to another close and competitive
final, this time between England A and England B. Both teams gave everything to
try and take the gold medal, and the first end went to England A, represented
by Lincoln. The second end was equally as competitive, with England A taking
England B close to the line, but were disqualified for receiving 3 cautions.
The third and deciding end was again very exciting, with England A this time
managing to take England B over the line and win the gold medal. Photo: England Judge Mick Grimston
The Junior Ladies 520kg competition saw teams from England
and Scotland taking part. There has yet to be enough support at international
level to run a Junior Ladies tug of war competition at the World Junior Tug of
War Championships (which is a great shame), but it is good to see this weight
division being contested at a UK Championship. The England A junior ladies team
(represented by a composite team) were in fine form on the ay, topping the
group without dropping an end, followed by England B (who were represented by a
second composite team). Scotland A were in third place in the group stage. The
final was contested by England A and England B, with the England A junior
ladies winning a well deserved gold medal by 2 ends to 0. Well done to both of
our junior ladies teams. Photo: England B 680kg Team - Represented by Felton Eccles from Somerset
The Ladies 560kg competition saw two composite teams
represent England A and England B, who were again up against good opposition
from Scotland. England A and B both performed strongly again to progress to the
final, with England A taking the gold medal by 2 ends to 0. Scotland A won the
bronze medal. Photo: England A Junior Ladies 520kg Team
The final weight of the day was the 600kg 4+4 competition
with Scotland, England and Wales all represented with A and B teams. England B
(represented by Kilroe Ladies) topped the group stage of the competition,
followed by England A (represented by Lincoln), with Wales A and Wales B also
making it through to the semi finals. In the semi finals, England B defeated
Wales B, and England A defeated Wales A. In the bronze medal match, Wales A
took the bronze medal by 2 ends to 0. The final was another contest between
England A and England B, which this time saw England B take the gold medal by 2
ends to 0. Photo: Billy Reilly Memorial Trophy - Presented to the winners of the UK 600kg 4+4 competition
The 600kg 4+4 competition saw the donation of a new trophy
to the championship – the Billy Reilly memorial trophy. As many people know,
Billy coached both the Kilroe Mens team and also the Kilroe Ladies team, so it
is fitting that a trophy was presented for the mixed weight class, and it was
made all the more special with the Kilroe Ladies team getting their name on the
trophy first. Our thanks go to the Reilly family for donating the trophy. Photo: England B Ladies 520kg Team - Represented by Bedford Ladies
The
competitions started with the catchweight competition, pulled as a straight
group with the top two teams competing again in the final. Lincoln topped the
group, and were joined in the final by Felton Eccles. This weight gave us a
three end battle, with Lincoln taking the first end, with Felton taking the
second end. The third end was another closely fought out pull, with Felton
taking the end and the gold medal. Photo: Wood Treatment Bosley TOWC
The second
weight of the day was the 600 kilos competition, again pulled as a straight
group with the top two teams going through to the final. This was an
interesting weight class, as no team went through the competition without
dropping an end. There was some close fought matches in this weight, with
Oxney, Bosley and Norton all being close on points going into the final couple
of rounds. Oxney progressed to the final along with Bosley. The final brought
us another three end final, with Bosley taking the first end, and Oxney taking
the next two ends to win the gold medal. Photo: Host club Felton Eccles TOWC
The third
weight of the day was the 680kg competition, which was split into two groups.
Norton and Felton A progressed from group 1, with Lincoln and Holland
progressing from group 2. In the semi-finals, Norton defeated Holland and
Lincoln defeated Felton Eccles. Another good final was contested between Norton
and Lincoln, this time with Lincoln winning the match in two straight ends. Photo: Lincoln TOWC
The annual tr-services tug of war championships took place recently and were held in Sandhurst, with teams from the Civil Service, Combined Services (Army, Navy and RAF), and the Police taking part in four weight classes. Photo: The Civil Service team competing at the event. 
The Civil Service squad won all 4 gold medals on the day. The runners up positions in the different weights
were shared between the Combined Services and the Police
teams. There was a good standard of competition between the teams throughout the day. Well done to all of the teams who took part. Photo: The Civil Service squad with their winners trophies
This weekend Bosley TOWC
hosted their annual charity tug of war event in aid of the East Cheshire
Hospice in Astbury in Cheshire, with mens, ladies and junior weight classes on
offer. Teams from Bosley, Norton, Lincoln, Holland, Two Dales, Felton Eccles,
Whitley Chapel, Longridge and Stone competed in the mens weight classes, with
teams from Upton, Bedford, Stone, Holland and Kilroe competing in the ladies
and youth weights. Under 23 pullers were also involved in the days’ events,
with England Under 23 triallists taking part in the catchweight competition. Photo: Lincoln TOWC
The catchweight was
first on pulled as a straight group with the top two going through to the
final. There were some close ends in
this weight with Lincoln, Felton and Two Dales emerging as the top three teams
in the group stage, with all teams having dropped ends. Lincoln and Felton had
the most points at the end of the group stage where they went on to contest the
final, with Felton going on to take first place with a good 2 ends to 0 win. Photo: Two Dales TOWC
The ladies and youth
520kg competition was first on with Stone and Upton having a good match first
on going to one end each. There was more good competition to come in this
weight with some good ends also involving Bedford Ladies. Stone finished as the
eventual winners of this weight class with Upton finishing as runners up. Photo: Upton YFC Junior Team
The mens 600kg
competition followed and was pulled as a straight group. There was some good
competitive ends in this competition, with a number of pulls going 1-1. The top
two teams in this weight were Norton and Felton, with Norton winning the final
by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Bedford Ladies TOWC
The Ladies and youth
560kg competition was again another competitive weight class. Having won the
first weight, Stone YFC gained more confidence and were again a very strong
team, emerging as the winning team without losing an end. Upton again finished
as worthy runners up. Photo: Felton Eccles TOWC
The mens 720kg
competition was another keenly contested weight class which was again pulled as
a straight group of 6 with the top two teams progressing to the final. Lincoln
finished top of the group followed by Norton with both teams contesting a good
final. Both ends were good long ends, with Lincoln eventually taking a hard
fought win by 2 ends to 0.
The ladies and youth
500kg competition only saw a small entry of teams with Kilroe and Bedford
contesting the final, with Kilroe Ladies winning the final by 2 ends to 0. The
ladies and youth 540kg competition saw Holland ladies win the gold medal with Upton
finishing as the runners up. Well done to all of the teams who contested the ladies
and youth weight classes. Photo: Whitley Chapel YFC TOWC
The 640kg competition
was up next, which was split into two groups with the top team from each group
progressing to the final. Norton won group 1 ahead of Felton, Bosley and
Longridge, with Two Dales winning group 2, needing to win a very hard fought
battle with Holland by 2 ends to 0 to make sure that they progressed to the
final. The final of the 640kg competition was a repeat of the National 640kg
championships final, which was contested between Norton and Two Dales. The result
of the nationals was repeated with Norton winning by two ends to 0. Photo: Longridge YFC TOWC
The final weight of the
day was the mens 680kg competition. Another good weight class, split into two
groups and some good pulling to end the day with. Felton Eccles won group 1
ahead of Two Dales, Holland and Stone, but what a great result in group 2 for
Whitley Chapel who overcame Norton, Lincoln and Bosley to reach the final.
Whitley Chapel went on to contest the final against Felton Eccles; and although
they didn’t quite manage the scalp of Felton in the final they put up a good
battle and never gave in until the rope crossed the line with Felton finishing
as overall winners. Well done to Whitley Chapel who travelled down from
Northumberland to compete at the event as they prepare for the National YFC
finals at Tenbury Show in August. Photo: Host Club Bosley TOWC
Finally, a massive thank
you to Peter Craft, Tony Henshaw and Betty Craft who were the officials on the
day. They did a great job running through 5 mens weights and 4 ladies and youth
weights with good entries of teams without a break and managing to get the
competition completed before 6pm. Photo: Stone YFC TOWC
The day started with the mens 640kg competition, which was
run in two leagues, with the top two from each group progressing to the semi-finals.
Defending champions Norton won group 1 ahead of Lincoln, Oxney, Kennford and
the Combined Services. Lincoln progressed through the group in second place.
The second group was keenly contested between Raunds, Holland, Two Dales,
Felton and Haldon. Felton and Two Dales finished on level points at the top of
the group, with Two Dales progressing as group winners when the TWIF criteria
was applied. In the semi-finals, Norton defeated Felton by 2 ends to 0, with
Lincoln and Two Dales taking part in a closely fought and competitive second
semi-final, which went to 3 ends. Lincoln took the first end, but Two Dales
took the next two ends to make the 640kg final for the second successive year. Photo: Norton 640kg Team
Lincoln and Felton met in the bronze medal pull, and the
exertions of the semi-finals took some energy away from the Lincoln team,
however Felton performed well in any event and won the bronze medal by 2 ends
to 0. The final was a good match-up between Norton and Two Dales, with a good
first end between the two teams. Two Dales managed to get Norton moving early
on in the first end, before Norton edged the rope back over the line to take
the first end. There were no slip ups on the second end as Norton took the
640kg gold medal for the fourth consecutive year. Photo: Bosley 560kg Team
The ladies 560kg was the first ladies weight class, that was
very keenly contested. Kilroe Ladies made a return to ladies tug of war this
year and they won a closely fought first match by 2 ends to 0 against Bedford
Ladies. The surprise package in this weight were the Holland Ladies team who
then went on to beat both Kilroe Ladies and Bedford Ladies to finish top of the
group. Kilroe Ladies and Holland Ladies met each other again in the final, and
in another hard fought battle, it was Kilroe Ladies this time who won the final
by 2 ends to 0 to take the gold medal. Photo: Two Dales Catchweight Winning Team
The junior 530kg competition was the first junior weight of
the day, with Somerset and Gloucester meeting in the final, a repeat of the 2014
final. This time, it was Gloucester who took the gold medal by 2 ends to 0 in a
good battle that was enjoyed by the local spectators who were supporting the
home team. Photo: Felton Eccles 680kg Team
The mens 560kg competition was next and was pulled as a
single group with the top 4 teams progressing to the semi-finals. This was
another good competition with Widecombe, Sandhurst, Bosley and Norton all
making the cut to go through to the semi-finals. In the semi-finals, Norton met
Widecombe and Bosley met Sandhurst. Both semi-finals were well fought, with
Norton winning their semi-final by 2 ends to 0. The second semi-final saw
Bosley take the first end from Sandhurst, however Sandhurst took the next two
to progress to the final. Photo: Lincoln 680kg Gold Medal Winning Team
The bronze medal match was another good crowd pleaser that went
to three ends. Widecombe took a hard fought first end, and looked to be on
their way to taking the second end. Bosley never gave up and they managed to
take the second end and level the match. The third end saw Bosley take rope
from the start, eventually taking the end and the bronze medal. The final was a
Norton and Sandhurst final, which over a good number of years, tug of war
supporters have been accustomed to in the lighter weight class, although Oxney
made the lightweight final against Norton last year. Another tight final, but
again, there only ever looked to be one winner, and that was Norton who took
the gold medal by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Holland TOWC 600kg 4+4 Team
The catchweight competition was contested at the same time
as the 560kg competition, and this was another lively competition. Two Dales
and Holland progressed as the top two teams in this weight into the gold medal
match, with Haldon and Raunds contesting the bronze medal match after a lively
group stage had been completed, which saw the Haldon team from Devon give all
of the other teams a real run for their money. Photo: Widecombe take on Bosley in the 560kg competition. 
The bronze medal match saw Raunds take the bronze medal
against Haldon by 2 ends to 0, and we were treated to another good medal
decider with a crowd pleasing final between Holland and Two Dales which went to
three ends. Two Dales took the first end, with Holland taking the second end.
The third end was equally close before Two Dales took the gold medal by 2 ends
to 1, and to win the catchweight competition for the second year running. Photo: Sandhurst take on Norton in the 560kg competition. 
The 720kg competition only had a small entry of teams this
year, and after the group stage, Raunds were eliminated from the competition
and Lincoln and Holland contested the final. Lincoln performed strongly in this
weight class, and the gold medal never looked in doubt as they defeated Holland
by 2 ends to 0. Photo: LNR ACF take on Somerset ACF in the Junior 560kg competition. 
The ladies 520kg competition saw some more good battles,
with Gloucester ACF Ladies entering the fray in the lighter of the two ladies
weight divisions. This time, it was Kilroe Ladies and Bedford Ladies who
progressed to the final. Kilroe Ladies won the match between these two teams in
the group stages, and after another close final, Kilroe Ladies took their
second gold medal of the day by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Somerset ACF Junior Team
The junior 560kg competition was another good weight class
for the youth, but again, it was the Gloucester and Somerset youth teams who
emerged at the top of the group to progress through to the final. The final was
another good match between the two teams from the neighbouring counties, and
Gloucester this time took their second gold medal of the day by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Kilroe Ladies 520kg team
The mens 600kg competition followed, with the competition
being split into two leagues with the top two teams going through to the
semi-finals. Defending champions Norton started off with a hard fought battle
with Two Dales, with that pull going to 1 end each, before Norton recovered to
top the group. Oxney Vines Cross progressed in second place from group 1. The
second group saw some more equally tough pulling, this time with Felton
progressing as group winners. Bosley progressed as group runners up, 1 point
ahead of the nearest challengers Widecombe. In the semi-finals Felton Eccles
defeated Oxney by 2 ends to 0, and Norton defeated Bosley by the same score. Photo: Bedford Ladies 520kg Team. 
The final mens weight class of the day was the 680kg
competition, with Norton looking to make it four gold medals from the four
weights entered. The competition was split into two groups in what turned out
to be a very close run competition. Lincoln topped group 1 this time ahead of
defending champions Norton who finished second in the group. Felton Eccles
topped group 2 ahead of Two Dales. Photo: Raunds Catchweight Team
The semi-finals saw Norton overcome Felton in a close pull
by 2 ends to 0, whilst Lincoln defeated Two Dales by the same score. The bronze
medal match saw Two Dales pull Felton Eccles, with Felton Eccles securing their
third medal of the day by 2 ends to 0. The final was a good battle between
Norton and Lincoln, with both teams having good campaigns in the build up to
the event. Lincoln had made big improvements since 2014, and they performed
exceptionally to take the title from Norton by 2 ends to 0 to take their second
gold medal of the day. Photo: Haldon Catchweight Team. 
The final weight of the day was the 600kg 4+4 for mixed
teams of men and ladies. There was again, only a small entry in this weight
class this year, but it was a good competition. Kilroe and Holland had two very
long ends on the very first match, which Kilroe eventually won by 2 ends to 0.
Lincoln then defeated Holland, and so Kilroe and Lincoln met in the final. Not
content with two gold medals, Lincoln went on to win their third gold medal of
the day by 2 ends to 0 to round off a very successful day for them. Photo: Gloucester ACF Junior 560kg winners. 
The English Tug of War Association is pleased to learn that
it has been announced officially today that tug of war is one of 26 sports to
be considered for potential inclusion on the 2020 Olympic Games which are to be hosted by
the city of Tokyo in Japan.As
part of recent reforms initiated by the IOC, Games hosts now have the chance to
bring in one or more sports popular in their country to boost ratings and
attract greater sponsorship with a limit in the number of competitors across
all sports of 10,500, and a limit of 310 events. The IOC can also decide on the
inclusion of any sport on the Olympic Programme at any IOC session. 
Tug of War was previously on the Olympic programme between
1900 and 1920, taking place at 5 Olympic Games. During that time, Great Britain
won 5 medals, including two gold medals. If tug of war does return to the
Olympic programme, Great Britain would defend the title won at the Antwerp
(Belgium) Olympic Games in 1920.
Tug of war must be one of the purest of all athletic events
in terms of the natural human abilities it tests, and therefore the case in
support of tug of war on all counts is very strong, and stronger than that of
many other sports. The message of this article is therefore very clear:
This weekend teams were competing at Sandhurst TOWC’s annual
open competition in Berkshire. Attendance was a little lower at this weekend’s
competition, with Felton Eccles competing abroad in Switzerland, and with other
teams concentrating on their final preparations for the fast approaching
National Championships on 20th June. Photo: Host club Sandhurst TOWC
The day started with the mens 600kg competition with 9 teams
entered and split into two groups. The top two teams from each group progressed
to the semi-finals, with Oxney and Widecombe progressing from group 1 and
Sandhurst and Bosley progressing from group 2. In the semi-finals, Sandhurst
defeated Widecombe in the first semi-final, with Bosley defeating Oxney in the
second semi-final. Bosley and Sandhurst met for the second time in the final,
with Sandhurst winning the match by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Raunds TOWC
The 640kg competition followed and this was pulled as a
straight group. There was some very close competition in this weight and no
team went through the group stage without dropping any ends. Widecombe and
Oxney progressed to compete in the final, with Oxney winning the final by 2
ends to 0. Photo: Oxney Vines Cross TOWC
The 580kg competition was pulled as a straight group, and
again there was some good pulling between all of the teams. Sandhurst, Oxney,
Widecombe and Bosley progressed to the semi-finals, with Bosley and Sandhurst
finishing level on points in the top two positions after going 1-1 in the group
stage. In the semi-finals, Oxney defeated Sandhurst by 2 ends to 1 in a hard
fought match, and Bosley defeated Widecombe by 2 ends to 0 in their semi-final.
The final was a turnaround from what happened in the group stages with Oxney
this time defeating Bosley by 2 ends to 0 to win the competition. Photo: Widecombe TOWC
The final men’s weight of the day was the 680kg competition,
which was again pulled as a straight group. There was some good close pulling
again, this time with Raunds and Widecombe progressing to the final. The final
was very even and went to three ends. Raunds took the first end, with Widecombe
fighting back hard on the next two ends to take a well deserved first place. Photo: Bosley TOWC
There was a good entry of teams in most of the weight
classes, with the 600kg competition opening proceedings. This competition was
split into two groups. Group 1 contained Lincoln, Felton, Norton, 4th
Regiment, Holland and Raunds, with group 2 containing LNR, Sandhurst, Kilroe,
Bosley and Widecombe. There were some close ends in both groups, with the top
team from each group progressing to the final. Norton won group 1 without
losing an end, and Sandhurst emerged from a keenly contested second group with
Widecombe, Bosley and Sandhurst all finishing on the same amount of points,
Sandhurst going through having received less cautions. The final was between
Norton and Sandhurst with Norton taking a 2 end to 0 win. Photo: Holland TOWC
The 680kg competition followed, which was another good entry
of teams, the competition being split into two groups. Lincoln progressed from
group 1 ahead of Raunds, Widecombe, Felton, Llangollen and 4th
Regiment, with Norton progressing from group 2 ahead of Two Dales, Sandhurst,
Bosley, and Holland. The final was a good battle between Norton and Lincoln
with Lincoln taking Norton to within two foot of the line on the first end,
only for Norton to recover and take the end. Norton then took the second end to
win their second weight of the day. Photo: Widecombe TOWC
The 640kg competition was another competition split into two
groups. Norton were the winners of group 1 ahead of Holland, Llangollen,
Bosley, Widecombe and Felton, and Lincoln were the winners of group 2 ahead of Sandhurst,
4th Regiment, Two Dales and Raunds. The final wasn’t quite as close
as the 680kg competition, but it was still Norton who took the win by 2 ends to
0. Photo: Llangollen YFC
The final weight of the day was the catchweight, and again
it was split into two groups. This was the first competition of the day where
Norton didn’t make the final, after they lost out to Lincoln in a keenly
contested match in their group. Lincoln progressed to the final where they met
the winners of group 2 Holland. Lincoln went on to win the event by 2 ends to
0. Photo: Two Dales TOWC
The championship weights of
Catchweight and 640 kilos were contested, as well as open weights at 580kg,
600kg, 680kg, and ladies and youth 520kg and 560kg. Photo: Norton 640kg team
The championship weights kicked off the event, with the
event starting with the catchweight competition. Lincoln were the defending
champions from 2014, and they got off to a winning start against the 2014
silver medallists Norton. Lincoln went on to finish the competition without
losing an end to win the gold medal. The race for the silver meal was a close
one between Norton, Felton Eccles and Raunds. All of these teams dropped ends
against each other, however it was Felton Eccles who emerged with more points
from the three teams and they finished with the silver medal. Photo: Widecombe 640kg team
The 640kg competition followed, again run as a full points
competition. There were again some close matches in this competition, with a
few 1-1 pulls following the TWIF criteria. Norton finished as the eventual gold
medallists, and yet again, there was a close race for the silver medal, this
time between Widecombe, Sandhurst and Oxney. Widecombe performed really well
ahead of the other two teams to take a well deserved silver medal. Photo: Lincoln Catchweight Team
The ladies and youth weights were held at 520kg and 560kg
with the Gloucester ACF Boys emerging as the top team again by winning both
weights. This certainly did not detract from the remaining competition with
some good ends taking place between the remaining teams. Bedford Ladies
finished as the eventual runners up in the 560kg competition, and Kilroe Ladies
finished as the eventual runners up in the 520kg competition. Photo: The Shop from Ireland
The Mens 600kg competition was run in two groups with the
top two teams from each group progressing to the final. The semi finals saw
Oxney and Sandhurst progress from group 1 and Norton and Widecombe progress
from group 2. Oxney defeated Widecombe in their semi final, and Norton defeated
Sandhurst in their semi-final. Norton and Oxney were involved in a good final,
which Oxney took by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Bosley
The mens 580kg competition followed the same format as the
other open competitions with two groups and a semi final. Sandhurst finished as
the winners of group 1, with Widecombe finishing as runners up, and Bosley were
the winners of group 2 with The Shop finishing as runners up. In the semi
finals, Bosley defeated Widecombe and Sandhurst defeated The Shop. The final
was very much a crowd pleaser which went to 5 ends. Bosley took, the first end with Sandhurst taking
the second end. Sandhurst won the toss and chose what was the slightly better
end, with the next two ends being declared no pulls with both teams receiving 3
cautions each for persistent infringements. The final end was equally close,
with Sandhurst eventually taking it. A great effort from all of those pullers
involved, who left everything out on the field. Photo: Felton Eccles
The officials on
the day were Nick Major, Graham Taylor, Mick Grimston, Vic Ludkin, Ernie Jones, Matt Cowlard, Wendy Dyer, Sharon Hutchins and Jane Major. Thank you to Felton
Eccles TOWC for staging this years AAA Championship. Photo: Sandhurst
The first weight of the day was the mens catchweight
competition, which was pulled as a straight group with the top two teams going
through to the final. The first pulls in the round saw Lincoln pull Felton and
Two Dales pull Raunds. Both matches were very close, with Lincoln defeating
Felton by 2 ends to 0, and Raunds went 1-1 with Two Dales. Lincoln finished the
group stage top of the group without losing an end, however it was very close
for second place, with Two Dales and Felton going into the final round of
matches as the most likely contenders. This pull ended 1-1, but it was Felton
who progressed through to the final where they met Lincoln. Lincoln continued
their winning streak at catchweight to win the final by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Widecombe TOWC
The ladies and youth 560 kilos was the first ladies and
youth weight of the day, and as with previous weeks of competition, there were
some keenly contested matches, again with many teams going 1-1 with each other,
which shows how close some of the ladies and youth competitions are this year.
Gloucester Boys emerged as the winning team overall in this weight, with
Bedford Ladies finishing as runners up. Inkberrow Ladies and Upton YFC entered
the competition this week, with both teams giving a very good account of themselves. Photo: Lincoln TOWC
The mens 640kg competition was split into two groups with
the top two teams progressing to the semi-finals. There was some good
competition in this weight with Widecombe and Bosley progressing from group 1
ahead of Holland and Raunds, and Norton and Two Dales progressed from group 2
ahead of Felton Eccles and Lincoln. The
semi-finals saw Norton pull Bosley and Two Dales pull Lincoln. Both semi-finals
were very competitive with no teams winning easily. The eventual finalists were
Norton and Widecombe, with Norton winning the final by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Inkberrow Ladies YFC
The Ladies and youth 520kg competition was another
competitive weight class, with Gloucester Boys, Derby Boys, Upton, and Bedford
all competing well ahead of the other teams that were taking part. The final
result saw Gloucester take their second gold medal of the day, with Bedford
Ladies finishing as the runners up. Photo: Upton YFC Junior Team
The men’s catchweight competition opened the proceedings,
pulled as a straight group. The final placings came down to the results of the
matches between Lincoln, Two Dales and Felton Eccles. Lincoln and Two Dales
both claimed the points needed against Felton Eccles, and Lincoln also defeated
Two Dales in the group stages, which meant that Two Dales and Lincoln competed
again in the final. Lincoln came away with a 2 ends to 0 win in the final to
continue their good run of form in this weight over recent weeks. Photo: Diesel Power Ladies
The mens 600 kilos competition followed, which was split
into two groups. Two Dales, Norton, Bosley, Oxney, and Sandhurst competed in
group 1, and Lincoln, Holland, Felton, and Diesel Power competed in group 2.
There were some close matches in group 1, with Norton eventually topping the
group, and the pull of the competition came in group 2, with Holland and Diesel
Power going to 1 end each with two really competitive ends. The eventual
winners of this group were Lincoln. Norton and Lincoln met in the final, with
Norton winning the gold medal by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Gloucester ACF Junior Men
The 680 kilos competition followed and again this was split
into two groups. Norton were the winners of group 1, and Lincoln again finished
as the winners of group 2, with both teams progressing to the final. The second
final of the day between these two teams again saw Norton come out on top by 2
ends to 0. Photo: Derby ACF Junior Men
The 580 kilos competition was up next, and was another
weight class that was split into two groups. Bosley won group 1 ahead of
Norton, Sandhurst and Oxney, and Two Dales won group 2 ahead of Diesel Power,
Felton Eccles and Holland. The final was a good pull with Bosley and Two Dales,
with Two Dales lifting Bosley very close to the line, but didn’t quite manage
to get the pull over the line before Bosley got back into the pull to take the
first end. On the second end, Bosley managed to take Two Dales over the line
for the win. Photo: Oxney Vines Cross
The final mens weight of the day was the 640 kilos
competition, again split into two groups. Norton finished as the winners of
group 1 ahead of Oxney, Lincoln, Coleshill and Felton, with Holland pulling
well to win group 2 ahead of Two Dales, Bosley, Diesel Power and Sandhurst.
Holland and Norton both progressed to the final, with both teams having a good
first end, with Norton eventually taking it. Norton picked up an injury and
carried on pulling with 7 pullers, with Holland sportingly dropping a puller so
that both teams competed with equal numbers. Despite the injury setback, Norton
went on to take their third final of the day by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Bedford Ladies
The ladies and youth weight classes this week saw some very
close competition in the 520kg and 560kg weight classes with a number of pulls
going 1-1, which meant that most teams came away with lots of points towards
their 2015 Ladies and Youth League tallies. Bedford, Derby ACF and Gloucester
ACF emerged as the medal winning teams in the ladies and youth weight classes.
Confirmation of the final placings from the ladies and youth weight classes on
the day are awaited. Photo: Two Dales TOWC
The event started with the ladies 580 kilos competition with
7 ladies teams competing from Kilroe Ladies, Vale of Lune, Bilsborrow,
Chipping, Silsden with Skipton, Parbold and Diesel Power. There were some very
close ends in this competition, but it was the Kilroe Ladies team who finished
top without losing an end and the Vale of Lune Ladies finished as very worthy
runners up, only losing ends to Kilroe
Ladies. Photo: Chipping Ladies TOWC
The 640 kilos competition followed which was again split
into two groups. Boroughbridge were the winners of group 1, and things were
close again in group 2. As with the competition held at Bosley a couple of
weeks ago, Bosley and Longridge drew 1 end each, with Longridge going through
to the final when the TWIF criteria was applied. In the final, Longridge pulled
strongly to win their first gold medal of the day. Photo: Bilsborrow TOWC Ladies
The first weight of the day was the catchweight competition
with some good competitive matches and a few 1-1 pulls. Lincoln and Felton
finished as the top two teams at the end of the group stage and went on to
compete against each other again in the final with Lincoln winning the first
final of the day by 2 ends to 0 to win the Norman Hyde shield. Photo: Host club Bosley
The first ladies and youth weight class was the 560 kilos
competition, pulled as a straight group of all 8 clubs entered. There was again
some good ends in this competition with a few more 1-1 pulls. It was good to
see a strong entry with Leek YFC competing in a TOWA youth event for the first
time. The eventual winners were Gloucester Boys ACF, with Kilroe ladies
finishing as worthy runners up after a spell away from the sport. Photo: Diesel Power from Shropshire
The mens 640 kilos competition was split into two groups
with a good mixture of teams in each group and some more competitive pulling,
with no ends being won easily. Norton and Lincoln finished in first place in
their respective groups to compete against each other in the final. The first
end was a lengthy pull with Lincoln managing to take Norton a good way down the
line before Norton managed to turn the pull around to win the first end. On the
second end, Norton managed to keep a bit more control to take the end and the
win. Photo: Waterhouses YFC from Staffordshire
The ladies and youth 520 kilos competition followed and was
again another competitive weight class with a few 1-1 pulls and all teams
picking up league points. Gloucester ACF Boys took their second win of the day
finishing in first place unbeaten with Bedford Ladies finishing as runners up
this time. Photo: Longridge YFC from Lancashire
The next mens weight was the 720 kilos competition, which
was pulled as a straight group. Like the catchweight competition, there were a
few 1-1 pulls, with Norton and Lincoln coming out in first and second place in
the group to pull again in the final. Norton competed well in the final and won
the competition with a 2 ends to 0 win. Photo: Felton Eccles TOWC
The 600 kilos competition was a keenly contested weight
class, and was again split into two groups. Norton won the first group ahead of
Lincoln, Waterhouses, Pontefract, and Diesel Power. The second group saw Bosley
and Longridge finish level on points ahead of York, Felton and Holland, with
Longridge going through when the TWIF criteria was applied. The final provide
to be one of the best pulls of the day between Longridge and Norton, which went
to three ends. Longridge’s strong lifts gave the team some good momentum on the
first end, which gave them the upper hand. The second end saw Norton draw
level, which meant that a deciding end was needed. Longridge again got Norton
into a lot of trouble, but Norton managed to hand on to take the win in a good
final that was appreciated by everyone in attendance. Well done to both teams! Photo: Leek YFC Youth from Staffordshire
The final mens weight was the 680 kilos competition. A few
teams withdrew from the competition after a long hard day of pulling, so
Bosley, Felton and Norton remained to compete in this weight class. The first
match saw Felton and Norton go 1-1, with Norton then going 1-1 with Bosley.
Felton then defeated Bosley by 2 ends to 0, which meant that Norton and Felton
met each other again in the final. This time Norton went on to beat Felton by 2
ends to 0 to win their fourth weight of the day. Photo: Leicester and Northants ACF
The day ended with the 600 4+4. Only two teams entered this
weight class, with Norton and Kilroe Ladies fielding teams. Norton won this
competition with a 2 ends to0 win to round off an excellent day of competition. Photo: Gloucester ACF Junior Ladies
Well done to all of the teams who made it a good day of
sport. A special mention must go to the four judges who kept the competition
going all day. The four judges on the day were Tony Henshaw, Gavin Corden, Dave
Hamer and Dave Kitchener. Most of these officials forfeited a day of pulling or
coaching with their own teams to ensure that this competition could go ahead,
so many thanks to them. The Tug of War Association is looking for more judges
to help run the many competitions that take place throughout the year, so if
you have recently retired from active pulling and if you want to stay actively
involved with tug of war, then please contact us to find out how you can become
a judge. Photo: York TOWC
Photo: Stone YFC taking the strain during one of the men's weight classes - photos and results courtesy of the Tug of War Association Midland Area. You can view further photos from this event via the 
Well done to Bedford Ladies Tug of War Club puller Tara Adams, who as part of a rowing team, has successfully rowed 3800 nautical miles from Mainland Europe to Mainland South America in 51 days and 17 hours, breaking the record for the fastest time to row across the Atlantic.
Congratulations to Vic Ludkin who was duly nominated and elected as Tug of War Association president for 2015 at the recent TOWA AGM. Vic is a current TOWA judge, has recently served as chair of the GENSB committee, has also been a TWIF judge, and prior to becoming an official was an active puller. We wish Vic well in his new role.
The
competitions started with the mens 640kg competition, which got the day started
with a bang. The first matches saw Uppertown take on Kilroe and Raunds take on
Sheen. Uppertown won the first match by 2 ends to 0, but the pull between Sheen
and Raunds was a great match between the two sides. The first end went on close
to 4 minutes, eventually being declared a no pull after both teams received
three cautions. The teams then went at it again after the restart, with Sheen
taking the first end. The second end was equally as close, this time the pull
going to Raunds. Kilroe then defeated Sheen by 2 ends to 0, and Raunds and
Uppertown went to one end each. In the final round, Sheen then beat Uppertown
by 2 ends to 0 and Kilroe and Raunds went one end each. When the scores were
added up, Sheen, Kilroe and Uppertown were all joint first with 4 points each. After
the criteria was applied, Kilroe and Uppertown progressed to the final, with
both of theses teams having picked up less cautions than Sheen. Photo: Sheen 640kg Team
Raunds
and Sheen then faced each other in the bronze medal pull, which like the first
pull of the competition was very close and very exciting to watch, with the
match going all the way to three ends. Sheen took a hard fought first end, but
Raunds managed to last the distance to take the next two ends and win a hard
earned bronze medal. The final was between Kilroe and Uppertown, and with no
teams going through this weight without dropping an end, both teams would have
fancied their chances. On this occasion, Uppertown managed to get the job done
without losing an end to take the 640kg national title, Kilroe winning the
silver medal. Photo: Raunds 640kg Team
The
560kg championship then followed, and again, there was only a small entry in this
weight class this year. The final was contested between Raunds and Sandhurst,
which meant that there would be a new name on the championship trophy this
year. Raunds put in a solid performance in this weight despite a strong
challenge from Sandhurst to win their first national indoor title since 2000
and their first ever championship at 560kg. Photo: Uppertown 640kg winning team
The
600kg competition again saw a lower number of entries this year, and as with
the 560kg competition, Raunds and Sandhurst contested the final, which again
meant that there would be another new name on the championship trophy. Raunds
again were the dominant force having had a good indoor season all year, and
they won the gold medal by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Sandhurst National Championships Squad
The
final mens weight class of the day was the 680kg competition. Like the 640kg
event, this was again a very close competition. Uppertown, the defending
champions from 2013 went through the group stage without losing an end. The
competition between the rest of the teams was close, and in the end, it was
Sheen who progressed to the final in second place in the group. The bronze
medal match was between Raunds and Kilroe, and as with the 640kg competition,
the bronze medal match went to three ends. Kilroe took the first end, and after
another two very close ends, Raunds took the next two to win bronze and their 4th
medal of the day. The final saw Sheen throw everything they could at defending
champions Uppertown, however it wasn’t quite enough and Uppertown took their
second national title of the day by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Kilroe Men and Ladies National Indoor Championships Squad
This weekend a small, but dedicated number of teams took
part in the annual AAA Indoor Tug of War Championships at the Harry Mitchell
Centre in Smethwick, West Midlands. The event kicked off with the catchweight
competition, which was well fought out and closely contested. Raunds and
Uppertown started off with a great first pull, which after two very close ends
which went backwards and forwards resulted in a 2 ends to 0 win for Uppertown.
In the other match first on, Kilroe and Sheen had another competitive contest,
with Sheen winning the match by 2 ends to 0. In the remainder of the
competition, Kilroe went 1-1 with Uppertown and Raunds, with Sheen defeating
Raunds, and then Uppertown defeating Sheen. Sheen and Uppertown both progressed
to the final and after a substitution by Sheen to alter the balance of their
team, Sheen went on to claim the AAA gold medal at catchweight by 2 ends to 0
against Uppertown. Photo: Sheen Catchweight Team - AAA Gold Medallists
The 640kilos competition also saw a small entry of teams,
with Raunds and Kilroe going on to contest the final. Raunds put in a good
performance to win the gold medal by 2 ends to 0 and win their first AAA Indoor
title since 2000. Photo: Kilroe 640kg team - AAA Silver Medallists
The open competitions were held at 600kg, 620kg and
680kg. The 600kg competition was split into two groups, with Raunds A winning
group 1 and Sheen winning group 2. In the final, Raunds A continued their good
run of form to win the competition by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Raunds 640kg Team - AAA Gold Medallists
The 680kg competition was run as a single large group
with the top two teams after the round robin stage going through to the final.
The top two teams to emerge were Raunds A and Uppertown. Uppertown again
competed strongly to win the final by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Uppertown Catchweight team - AAA Silver Medallists
Well done to the English teams competing at the Flanders Cup at the
Weekend - York, Raunds, LCS, Holland 1 and Holland 2 competed at the event which sees teams of 7 weigh in at 550kg, or teams can enter teams of 6 pullers with no weight limit. Photo: Holland TOWC - 2014 Flanders Cup Finalists 
After a very long afternoon of a straight 15 competition, Photo is Holland
TOWC made
the Final against Familie Jannsens from Belgium. On this occasion
Familie Jannsenns took home the Flanders Cup despite a great effort from Holland.
Well done to all the teams for a great performance, and also to York TOWC
pulled their way through to a great fifth place. Photo: York TOWC - 5th Place at the Flanders Cup
This years Yorkshire Open Championships were again held at
the Countryside Live agricultural show at the Great Yorkshire Showground in
Harrogate. The event was well supported by teams from Yorkshire, Lancashire and
Cheshire in the mens, ladies and mixed competitions, with the weather remaining
dry. The competition was run on a points basis, with matches pulled as best of
three ends, rather than the TWIF format of best of two ends. Photo: Penistone Ladies
The first weight of the day was the ladies 580kg competition
with 5 teams competing. The competition opened with a very exciting three end
pull between the ladies teams of Billsborrow and Vale-o-Lune, both from
Lancashire. Billsborrow took a close first end, with Vale-o-Lune taking the
next two ends to win the match. Vale-o-Lune only lost another to ends to the
eventual winners Penistone from Yorkshire (runners up in the National YFC
Ladies final in August), who won the competition without losing an end. Photo: Vale-o-Lune Ladies
The Mixed 4+4 weight was pulled as 660kg. Penistone emerged
as the strongest team in this weight class, again winning the competition without
losing an end. The battle for second place was very close between the two teams
from Lancashire, Longridge and Billsborrow, with Longridge winning this match
by two ends to nil to finish as eventual runners up. Photo: Longridge
The mens weights then followed, the first weight being
600kg. Longridge YFC were outstanding in this weight class, winning the
competition without losing an end and hardly losing any ground. Their
Lancashire rivals Billsborrow finished as the worthy runners up. Photo: Billsborrow 
The 640kg competition featured a very close and exciting
pull first on between the very strong team of Billsborrow and Bosley, which
went to three ends. Billsborrow took the first end, with Bosley taking the next
two, which took a lot out of both teams. Going into the later stages of the
competition, Bosley and Longridge emerged as the top two teams, and these two
teams had another tough match, going all the way to three ends. Longridge took
the first end with Bosley having to battle hard to take the next two ends.
Another great match. At the end of a very close competition, Bosley finished as
winners, with Longridge finishing as runners up. Photo: Upper Wharfedale
The final weight of the competition was the mens 680kg
competition. This weight was split into two groups, with the top two teams from
each group progressing to the semi finals. The semi finals saw Billsborrow,
Chipping, Upper Wharfedale and Bosley progress. Billsborrow defeated Chipping
in their semi final, and Bosley defeated Upper Wharfedale in the other semi
final. The final was another exiting pull between Billsborrow and Bosley, with
Billsborrow coming very close to taking the first end, only for Bosley to take
it all the way back over the line. Another hard fought second end saw Bosley
take the win. Photo: Bosley
Photo: England 640kg team competing at the World Outdoor Tug of War Championships
Photo: England 600kg mixed team competing at the World Outdoor Tug of War Championships
Photo: England 700kg team competing at the World Outdoor Tug of War Championships
Photo: England 580kg team competing at the World Outdoor Tug of War Championships
Photo: Norton TOWC competing in the Open Club competition at the World Outdoor Tug of War Championships
39 teams from 9 nations entered the competition (Germany 3 teams, England 8 teams, Netherlands
6 teams, Switzerland 6 teams, Belgium 7 teams, plus guests Ireland 2
teams, Northern Ireland 1 team, Scotland 2 teams, Lithuania 3 teams plus 1
Europa Mix). The GENSB competition saw Northern Ireland and Scotland enter
junior teams into the event for the first time. Photo: Gloucester ACF Girls carry the GENSB Flag into the arena
The ethos of the GENSB competition is a friendly
international event, hosted on a budget, with the price of accommodation capped
at an affordable level for competitors. Studies by Sport England suggest that
in addition to access to transport and the availability of good facilities,
cost is a huge barrier to participation in sport by young people. As such,
GENSB is an important event in terms of encouraging young people involved in
tug of war, and this is demonstrated by the number of countries that take part
in GENSB every year. Photo: The GENSB flag is raised
England had 8 teams competing in the event as
follows – England Barbarians (a composite team of pullers from Somerset ACF,
Gloucester ACF, Felton Eccles and Oxney Vines Cross); Gloucester ACF Boys;
Gloucester ACF Girls; Gloucester/Somerset ACF; Derbyshire ACF, J Coy (Somerset)
ACF; Leicester Northants and Rutland ACF and Parbold YFC. Parbold YFC and
Derbyshire ACF were competing at the GENSB international competition for the
first time. Photo: Parbold YFC
The competition was split into 3 groups of 10 and 1
group of 9. All of the teams from England gave an excellent account of
themselves in the group stages. The top 4 teams from each group progressed
through to the last 16 knock-out stage and in many cases, the competition to
get through was very close. Notable mentions go to Gloucester ACF girls who
competed with 10 girls against other teams of boys, or mixed teams containing
boys and girls and also Derbyshire ACF who gave a good account of themselves
after entering this event for the first time. It was also a baptism of fire for
Parbold YFC who recently won the GENSB competition at the National Federation
of Young Farmers Finals. Parbold finished 5th in their group to just
miss out on a place in the knock-out stages. Parbold a certainly keen to enter
the 2015 GENSB competition in the Netherlands. The combined team from
Gloucester and Somerset ACF also finished 5th in their group. Photo: Gloucester ACF Boys
The England Barbarians and Gloucester ACF Boys
performed strongly in their group, with the England Barbarians finishing as
runners up to Sins from Switzerland in their group. Gloucester ACF Boys were
also in the same group, and they progressed in joint third place with TTV
Schijf from the Netherlands. Photo: England Barbarians
Unfortunately, the England barbarians succumbed to
a 2 ends to 0 defeat against the Elektrotrekkers to miss out on a place in the
semi finals, but getting this far in an international competition was a
fantastic achievement. TTV Electrotrekkers were joined in the semi finals by
Ebersecken, TTV Powerrangers and Sins. Photo: Gloucester/Somerset ACF
The semi finals featured two teams from Switzerland
and two teams from Belgium. Sins and Ebersecken faced each other in the first
semi final, and Powerrangers and Elektrotrekkers faced each other in the second
semi final, meaning that both Switzerland and Belgium were each guaranteed a
team in the final. Ebersecken and Elecktrotrekkers won their respective semi
finals to reach the final, leaving Sins and Powerrangers to fight it out for
the bronze medal. Photo: Derby ACF
The bronze medal match saw Sins take the bronze
medal by 2 ends to 0, which never looked in doubt. The final was between
Ebersecken and Elektrotrekkers, two teams who had gone through the competition
without losing an end. Both teams performed very strongly, but it was the very
good team from Switzerland who took the gold medal by 2 ends to 0 to become the
2014 GENSB Champions. Photo: Leicester, Northants and Rutland ACF
At the end of the competition, medals were
presented to the winning teams, and awards and thanks were given to all
participants and the officials. The GENSB flag was then handed over by Vic
Ludkin (England GENSB representative and chair of the GENSB committee) to the
Netherlands who host next years competition. Well done to everyone who took part
and thanks to the Army Cadet Force for looking after everyone over the weekend. Photo: Gloucester ACF Girls
The GENSB trophy and medals were presented by Her Majesty’s
Deputy Lord-Lieutenant of Kent Lieutenant Colonel Richard C B Dixon TD DL. Medals
to the officials were presented by the German Attache. Photo: J Coy (Somerset) ACF
England Officials – Vic Ludkin, Ray Fray-Smith,
Peter Craft, Ian Grant, Gavin Corden, Betty Craft, Yvonne Ludkin
Also our thanks to all the Association members, clubs and
areas which supported the event by bring ropes, scales, equipment, barriers
etc. In addition our thanks to those who acted as judges, marshals, recorders
or just came along to support. We cannot mention you all by name, but our
thanks for helping to make the event a success.
Photo: England A 600kg team (represented by Bosley)
Photo: England B 600kg team (represented by Felton Eccles)
England Ladies 520kg team (represented by Bedford)
Photo: England A 680kg team (represented by Two Dales)
Photo: England B 680kg team (represented by Lincoln)
Photo: England A Junior 560kg Team (represented by Somerset ACF)
Photo: England B Junior 560kg Team (represented by Gloucester ACF)
England A junior ladies 480kg team (represented by Gloucester ACF)
The open competition took place on the Saturday, and by stark contrast
to the dry weather from the previous day, most of the competitions took place
in torrential downpours! Bosley, Felton, Lincoln, Holland, Gloucester ACF,
Somerset ACF, Bedford Ladies, Holland Ladies, and Sheen Ladies took part in the
various mens, ladies, junior and mixed weights. Bedford Ladies dominated the
ladies weights by winning both the ladies weights ahead of Cornhill from
Scotland in the 520kg and Ballinastoe from Ireland in the 560kg. Bedford also
took gold in the mixed 600kg ahead of Boyneside from Ireland. Somerset ACF
finished as runners up in the junior 520kg competition to Rathkeale from
Ireland, and Gloucester ACF won the junior ladies weight ahead of Glasgow and
Lanarkshire ACF. In the mens weights, Bosley and Felton took part in the 580kg
competition, finishing in 3rd and 4th respectively in the
group stage, with both teams losing their respective semi finals to miss out on
the final. Lincoln made the semi finals of the 640kg competition, but again
missed out on a spot on the final.
Photo: Bancran TOWC from Northern Ireland competing in the open competition the very heavy rain!
The East Cheshire Hospice Charity Tug of War Event was run by Bosley Tug
of War Club, taking place at Chelford Village Hall in Cheshire. The event was
supported mainly by the northern area teams, with 5 mens weights and 4
ladies/youth weights being held. The weather was dry, but the overnight rain
softened the ground up, meaning that it cut up well to give the teams competing
some tough ends against each other. Photo: Two Dales TOWC
In the mens weights, competitions from 620 kilos all the way up to
catchweight were held. Norton were the dominant force on the day, winning all 5
weight classes on offer, but were pushed hard on some ends by the other teams
taking part, so finishing in first place was never a full gone conclusion.
Lincoln finished as the runners up in the 720 kilos and catchweight
competition, with Holland finishing as runners up in the 680 kilos competition,
and the host club Bosley finishing as runners up in the 640 kilos and 620 kilos
competitions. Photo: Upton YFC Junior Team
The ladies and youth league competitions were held at 520 kilos and 560
kilos, with additional weights at 500 kilos and 540 kilos also being contested.
There were some closely fought ends in these weight classes, and it was
pleasing to see Upton YFC from Worcestershire travelling up to the event for
their first taste of TOWA competition. Upton will be competing in the youth
competition at the National Young Farmers Finals in August, and they came very
close to getting a runners up medal in the 520 kilos competition earlier in the
day. Gloucester ACF and Bedford Ladies both finished with two winners medals
each, Gloucester winning the 520 and 560, and Bedford winning the 500 and 540. Photo: Norton TOWC
This event also included a charity 6 a side
competition aimed at teams from the local area. The final of this competition
was contested by Macclesfield Young Farmers and the “Academy Ninjas”. In a
closely fought match, Macclesfield won the final by 2 ends to 1. Photo: Bosley TOWC
The first weight was the catchweight competition, which was run as a
straight points competition of 6 teams. There was some close ends in this
weight, especially between Lincoln and Two Dales at the start, with Two Dales
coming very close to taking the first end, only for Lincoln to take the rope
all the way back, and take the second end also. At the end of the group stage,
Norton finished top of the group with Lincoln in second place. Both teams met
again in the final, which Norton won by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Oxney Vines Cross 
The 680kg and 640kg competitions followed, and both weights were pulled
as straight groups with the top four teams going through to the semi finals. In
the 680kg competition, there was some close pulling, but it was Norton who
topped the group without losing an end. They were joined in the semi-finals by
Oxney, Holland and Bosley. In the semi finals, Norton defeated Bosley, and
Oxney defeated Bosley. Norton and Oxney then met in the final, with Norton
putting in a strong performance to win by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Felton Eccles
The 640kg competition was the last weight of the day. Norton and Oxney
again emerged as the top two teams in the group stages, and these two teams
both ended up in the final. This final proved to be the closest fought out on
the day, going to three ends. Oxney took a closely contested first end after
Norton took Oxney to within a metre of the line, before conceding ground and
picking up cautions. Oxney were then awarded the end after Norton received
three cautions. Norton then had to work hard in the next two ends, but managed
to win the next two ends to win the 640kg competition. Photo: 4th Regiment RA
Saturday 21 June saw the Tug of War Association
National Outdoor Tug of War Championships take place at Sobroan Barracks in the
historic city of Lincoln. The following clubs took part in the 2014
championships: York, Bosley, Norton, Two Dales, Lincoln, Holland, Felton
Eccles, Widecombe, Team Army, Sandhurst, Oxney Vines Cross, Sheen Ladies,
Bedford Ladies, Team Army Ladies, Holland Ladies, Gloucester ACF Boys,
Gloucester ACF Girls, Somerset ACF Boys, Derby ACF Boys, Derby ACF Girls, LNR
ACF Boys, LNR ACF Girls. Photo: Team Army Men 640kg team
The mens 640kg competition was pulled as a straight
points competition, with the top four teams going through to the semi finals.
There was some close competition in this group, with 2013 winners Norton
finishing top of the group, followed by Two Dales, then Lincoln and then 2013
silver medallists Felton Eccles. In the semi-finals, there was a repeat of the
2013 final between Norton and Felton Eccles, with Norton winning the pull by 2
ends to 0. There was a finer margin between Two Dales and Lincoln in the second
semi-final, and after two very close ends, Two Dales progressed to the final by
2 ends to 0. Photo: Somerset ACF Junior Men 530kg Team
In the bronze medal match, Lincoln and Felton faced
each other. This was the first time that Felton had not reached a 640kg final at
a national championship after a run of over 18 years. Lincoln had won the
earlier match between these two teams in the group stages, however the tough
semi-final against Two Dales had some impact and Felton took the bronze medal
by 2 ends to 0. The final saw Two Dales challenge Norton for the gold medal.
Norton continued their strong form from the group stages and defeated Two Dales
by 2 ends to 0 to retain the 640kg title. Photo: Gloucester ACF Junior Ladies 480kg Team
The Junior Ladies 480kg competition took place with
the mens 640kg competition, with Gloucester ACF and Derby ACF both reaching the
final. The Gloucester ACF Girls have a couple of years experience over their
rivals from Derby, who were competing at their first ever Tug of War
Association National Championship. The Gloucester ACF girls pulled strongly on
both ends of the final to win the gold medal by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Derby ACF Junior Ladies 480kg Team
The Junior Men 530kg competition was keenly
contested, with Gloucester ACF, Somerset ACF and Derby ACF competing for the
gold medal. Both Gloucester ACF and Somerset ACF progressed to the final, with
Somerset ACF finishing on maximum points in the group stage. In the final,
Gloucester and Somerset put on a good display, with Somerset showing strong
form to take the gold medal by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Lincoln 640kg team
The next weights to be contested under the new
format was the mens catchweight, mens 580kg and ladies 540kg competitions. All
three weight classes were pulled as points competitions with the top four teams
going through the semi finals to compete for medals. Photo: Gloucester ACF Junior Men 530kg Team
In the mens catchweight competition, Holland topped
the group stages without losing an end, followed by Two Dales, Bosley and Team
Army. In the bronze medal match, Bosley faced Team Army, and pulled strongly
over both ends to win the bronze by 2 ends to 0. The final was a very close
pull between Two Dales and Holland. On the first end, Holland took Two Dales to
within a couple of feet of the line, only to stop, which allowed Two Dales to get
back into the pull and take Holland back to take the first end. On the second
end, Holland were lively again, but Two Dales put in another strong performance
to win their first ever gold medal at an outdoor national championships. Photo: Two Dales 640kg Team
In the ladies 540kg competition, there was some
close pulling between all of the teams that took part. In the group stages,
Bedford Ladies topped the group, followed by Sheen Ladies, Holland Ladies and
Team Army. Holland Ladies and Team Army took part in a very competitive bronze
medal match which went to three ends. Holland took a close first end, with Team
Army winning the second end. With the toss of a coin, the Team Army coach won
the choice of the winning end and both teams went to battle, a very determined
Holland team winning the third end and the bronze medal. The final was between
Sheen Ladies and Bedford Ladies. Both teams put in good performances, but
Bedford had the upper hand this year and took the gold medal by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Widecombe 640kg Team
The Mens 580kg competition was contested as a
straight group with the top four teams going through to the semi finals.
Sandhurst and Oxney met first on, and after a very hard fought and competitive
match, Oxney won the pull by 2 ends to 0. There were many other hard fought
battles in the group, particularly between York, Widecombe and Felton, and the
eventual semi finalists were Norton, Oxney, Widecombe and Sandhurst. In the
semi finals, Norton defeated Widecombe by 2 ends to 0, and Oxney defeated
Sandhurst by the same score to reach the final, and break the streak of having
a Norton-Sandhurst final in the mens lightweight competition at a national
championship for the first time in a good number of years. Photo: Sandhurst 640kg Team
The bronze medal match was on first with Sandhurst
up against Widecombe from Devon. On the first end, both teams were composed,
and Sandhurst looked to be holding on well, only for Widecombe to get the rope
moving against which Sandhurst struggled to respond, Widecombe taking the first
end. The second end was again keenly contested, but Widecombe made no mistakes,
and took the bronze medal, their first medal at a Tug of War Association national
championships – well done to them. Photo: Derby ACF Junior Men 530kg Team
The final was between Norton and Oxney Vines Cross.
The first end saw Oxney put in a determined performance against the defending
champions, and certainly did not wish to make it easy for Norton to take gold,
making sure they lifted back everything that Norton tried to throw at them.
Norton managed to keep their shape throughout the pull and took the first end.
The second end went much the same way, and Norton took the second end that they
needed to retain the 580kg title. Photo: Felton Eccles 640kg Team
In the mens 700kg competition, defending champions
Holland faced strong challenges from the other teams, in particular Lincoln,
who went into the event having won the European Club Championships in 2013, and
also Norton, who this year decided to enter the fray. In the group stages,
Norton finished top after only dropping one end, followed by Lincoln and then
Holland. Norton and Lincoln both progressed to the final, in what was a keenly
contested pull. Norton took the first end, and almost looked like they were
going to take the second end, getting to within a couple of feet of the line
before they stopped, with Lincoln getting back into the pull and taking Norton
all the way back to level the score. The third end was equally as close with
Norton taking Lincoln right to the line. Both teams were on two cautions, and
Lincoln managed to take some rope back. After some hard pulling by both teams,
Norton took the end and the gold medal, which meant that they were on track for
winning an unprecedented 5 gold medals. Photo: Holland Catchweight Team
In the Ladies 500kg competition, Sheen, Bedford,
Team Army and Holland all battled it out again for the medals. Bedford again
topped the group, followed by Sheen Ladies, Holland Ladies and Team Army.
Holland and Team Army progressed to the bronze medal pull. Unlike the 540kg
competition, this match only went to two ends, which were still keenly
contested, however this time, Team Army upped their game from the first ladies
weight and they took a hard earned bronze medal by 2 ends to 0. The final was
another contest between Bedford Ladies and Sheen Ladies, with Bedford Ladies in
high spirits having taken gold in the 540kg competition. This final saw Sheen
Ladies drop in and attack on both ends, only for Bedford to defend their
position well on both ends to take the gold medal by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Bedford Ladies 540kg Team
The Junior Ladies 520kg competition was well
contested. As with the Junior Ladies 480kg competition, Gloucester ACF had with
them the benefit of experience, and they won the group stages without losing an
end, followed by Derby ACF and LNR ACF. Gloucester ACF and Derby ACF met again
in the final, with Gloucester ACF completing their double by taking the gold
medal by 2 ends to 0. Well done to all of the junior ladies teams who have
competed this year. Photo: Holland Ladies 540kg Team
In the Junior Men 560 kilos competition, this was
another well fought out competition. Somerset ACF emerged as the top team in
the group stage, followed by Gloucester ACF, Derby ACF and LNR ACF. In the
bronze medal match, Derby ACF faced LNR ACF. Derby ACF put in an excellent
performance to take the two ends required to secure the bronze medal, their
first ever medal in the Junior Mens competition. The final was between
Gloucester ACF and Somerset ACF for the second time. Both of these teams pulled
as a combined team (Gloucester and Somerset) at the previous three national
championships, however this year, have separated and registered as two separate
clubs. The competition between these two teams throughout the year has been
very close and very exciting to watch. In this weight class, as with the 530kg
competition, the two ends went to Somerset ACF who took their second gold medal
of the championships. Photo: Oxney Vines Cross 580kg Team
The Mens 600kg competition followed, which was
split into two groups, with the top two teams from each group progressing to
the semi finals. Both groups were keenly contested, with little to separate
most of the teams. Norton topped group 1, with close competition for second place
between the remaining teams. Bosley claimed second place after only losing to
Norton in the Group, with Widecombe, York and Sandhurst following. In the
second group, the competition for the top two places was very close,
particularly between Felton, Oxney and Two Dales. Oxney eventually progressed
as group winners, with Felton finishing as runners up ahead of Two Dales, Team
Army and Holland. In the semi-finals, Norton faced Felton and Bosley faced
Oxney. Both semi finals were pulled at the same time. Norton defeated Felton by
2 ends to 0, and had finished both of their pulls whilst Oxney and Bosley were
still on their first end, Bosley taking a hard fought first end. Oxney then
took the second end to set up a deciding pull. This was again a very hard fought
match, with both teams eventually ending up on two cautions before the judge awarded
the pull to Bosley after Oxney received three cautions. This was a very close
match that could have gone either way. Photo: LNR ACF Junior Men 560kg Team
In the bronze medal match, Oxney and Felton met for
the second time. Oxney had to recover from a difficult 3 ender in the
semi-final, however Felton still performed strongly to take the bronze medal by
2 ends to 0. In the final, Bosley met Norton for the second time in the
competition. Bosley too had a tough semi-final to recover from, but Norton’s
experience in the light weight competitions again showed, and despite Bosley’s
best efforts, Norton took their fourth gold medal of the day by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Team Army Ladies 500kg Team
The final men’s weight of the day was the 680kg
competition. This was again split into two groups. Norton and Two Dales emerged
from group 1, with Felton and Lincoln emerging from group 2. In the semi
finals, Two Dales performed strongly to defeat Lincoln by 2 ends to 0 to reach
their third final of the day in their semi final, and Norton defeated Felton
Eccles in their semi final by the same score. The bronze medal match saw
Lincoln and Felton compete against each other again. Felton managed to hold
onto Lincoln on both ends to win the bronze medal match by 2 ends to 0 to win
their third bronze medal of the day. In the final, Two Dales met 2013 winners
Norton. Norton were determined to win their fifth gold medal of the day, and
despite a strong showing from Two Dales, Norton took the two ends needed to win
the gold medal and set a new record of winning 5 gold medals at the same
national outdoor championship. Photo: Sheen Ladies 500kg Team
The final weight of the day was the 600kg 4+4
competition. The defending champions in this weight from 2013 were Holland. As
ever, the strongest challengers were York and Bedford. This year, Bedford
topped the group, followed by Holland and York. Bedford and Holland progressed
to the final, which was a good match between these two teams. This year,
Bedford had they took a well deserved gold medal by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Bosley 600kg Team
The Tug of War Association would like to
congratulate all of the teams who took part this year. As an amateur sport, it
is always difficult for teams to find the funding to
travel around to competitions and commit the time, so win or lose, all of the
teams have played a valuable part in making the championships a success. Thank
you also to the judges, recorders and marshals. We only had a small number of
officials available on the day, all of who played their part in making sure the
day ran smoothly. Thank you also to the supporters who came along, and to all
of those teams and individuals who helped to supply volunteers, ropes, and
equipment. If we did not have everyone working together to support the
championships and our sport, it would be very difficult to do anything, so
thank you to everyone for your support and input. We now wish all of the teams
the very best for the remainder of the season, wherever you are competing, and
we look forward to next years national championships! Photo: Norton 600kg Team
Congratulations to Lieutenant Colonel (Retd) Cecil John Lawson, known to
most of us as "Tug", who has been awarded with the British Empire Medal
in the Queen's Birthday Honours List today for voluntary service to the
Army Cadet Force. Tug has been part of the Leicestershire,
Northamptonshire and Rutland ACF for many years, and was instrumental in
promoting tug of war within the ACF. Tug of war is now a fully
recognised sport within the ACF, with county, regional and national tug
of war competitions taking place every year. Many ACF clubs are now
taking part in TOWA youth competitions, with many also taking part in
GENSB competitions, with some ACF clubs also going on to represent
England at youth level. Well done Tug for everything that you have done
and continue to do!
The catchweight competition started the event, pulled as a straight
group. Despite the dry weather, the ground was greasy on top due to the rain
from the previous day, but all of the teams coped with the conditions well, and
there was some competitive ends. Bosley and Lincoln emerged as the top two
teams, with Lincoln finishing the group on maximum points. In the final, the match
up was a little closer than in the group stage, but Lincoln took the required
two ends to finish as winners. Photo: Pontefract
The 580 kilos competition followed, and this
competition was split into two groups, with some teams weighing in with 7
pullers. This was another keenly contested competition, especially with the
Young Farmers teams in the mix, giving the more experienced teams a good run
for their money. Two Dales topped their group, but there was some very close
competition in the second group. Bosley and Lincoln went 1-1, and in the final
pull of the group, Bosley had a tough match with Brandesburton, dropping a
gruelling first end, but winning the second end, which meant that Lincoln
progressed to the final. In the final, Two Dales earned a well-deserved 2 ends to
0 win over Lincoln. Photo: Brandesburton
The 640 kilos competition was again split into two groups, with more
closely contested battles. The first group saw Lincoln A (pulling with 7 men)
and Two Dales had a gruelling two ends match that eventually went to Lincoln
and they topped their group to reach the final. In the second group, there was
again some more close pulling, with Bosley and York going 1-1 and some close
pulling with the other teams in that group. Bosley and York topped the group on
level points, but it was York who progressed having picked up fewer cautions.
In the final, Lincoln A pulled well to finish in first place by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Stamfordham
The 600 kilos competition was pulled as a straight group with the top
two teams pulling again in the final. Two Dales finished top of the group on
maximum points, followed by York. Both teams pulled again in the final, and Two
Dales continued their good form in this weight to finish first by 2 ends to 0. Photo: 4th Regiment
The final mens weight of the competition was the 680 kilos competition,
again split into two groups. In the first group, the competition was close to
get through to the final between York and Pontefract, with both these teams
going 1-1 with each other, York eventually progressing on the TWIF rules
criteria. In the second group, Lincoln finished ahead of Two Dales and Bosley
to progress to the final. In the final, Lincoln overcame York by 2 ends to 0 to
win their third final of the day. Photo: Host club York TOWC
In the ladies weight classes, Bedford Ladies and Sheen Ladies competed
at 520 kilos and 560 kilos. These two teams had a few matches against each
other in both weight classes, and the two teams were fairly evenly matched,
which gave both teams some good competition practice before the nationals.
Bedford won the most ends in both competitions to finish as overall winners,
with Sheen Ladies finishing as runners up. Photo: Two Dales TOWC
The
lofty sum was raised by guests, spectators and sponsor Taylor Wimpey, all of
whom were keen to witness the annual battle between Lords and MPs over a tug of
war rope. And
they weren’t disappointed. The Commons men, lead by Angus McNeil MP, were determined not to break
their winning streak and went on to defeat the Lords in two straight pulls. Photo: Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service competing in the event
Female
MPs had less luck against the Macmillan ladies (trained by Diane Macdonald of
Bedford Ladies) and were also defeated in two straight pulls; putting this down
to the charity team’s strict regime of diet and exercise, which was in stark
contrast to their own preparation, team captain Penny Mordaunt MP said. Photo: announcer Jeremy Vine (TV and Radio Presenter) cheering the teams on
A
spokesperson from Macmillan said: “Macmillan’s Parliamentary Tug of War gets
together politicians of all persuasions to pull together and put their weight
behind a great cause. The money raised will help Macmillan to make sure no one
faces cancer alone. Photo: the tug of war arena in the college gardens of Westminster
Taking place in London’s Westminster
College Gardens, guests enjoyed champagne and canapés, as they took
in the matches adjudicated by the Tug of War Association. Matches also took place
between the armed forces, headline sponsors Taylor Wimpey and BAE Systems. Photo: one of the ladies teams in action
All
of the weights were run as a straight group, with semi finals and finals in
each weight class. The 640 kilos was first on, with some close competition
between all of the teams. The closest pull in this weight was between York and Bosley
with both teams putting up a good fight, Bosley eventually winning by 2 ends to
0. The semi finals saw Norton take on York, and Bosley take on Lincoln. Norton
won their semi-final, and Lincoln won their semi final. In the final, Lincoln
managed to take rope from Norton, but Norton stood firm to prevent Lincoln from
finishing the job, winning the final by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Norton TOWC competing at Brand Hall in Shropshire
The 680 kilos competition followed, and followed a similar
pattern to the 640 kilos competition. Again, Lincoln and Norton progressed to
the final, with Norton winning the gold medal by 2 ends to 0. The 600 kilos
competition followed, and this was another very close competition, especially
in the semi final between York and Lincoln, which was a hard fought three end
pull between these two teams, the pull eventually going to Lincoln. Norton
overcame Bosley to win their semi-final, before going on to defeat Lincoln in
the final. Photo: Lincoln TOWC competing at Brand Hall in Shropshire.
The AAA Championship weights are contested at catchweight
and 640 kilos, and these are championship events that has been contested since
the early 1900s. The first weight was the catchweight competition.
Unfortunately, the catchweight competition only attracted a small entry of
teams this year, but the competition was very close between the teams to reach
then final. This year, Lincoln and 2013 winners Norton reached the final. In
the wet conditions, both teams performed well, but this year it was Lincoln who
pulled very strongly to continue the momentum they have been building since
winning the European Open Club 720 kilos title last year, and they took the
gold medal by 2 ends to 0 to win their first ever AAA title at catchweight. Photo: Tim Lee, Lincoln Coach (left) receiving the AAA catchweight Championship Rose Bowl from judge Peter Craft (right)
The second championship weight was the 640 kilos
competition. This competition was pulled as a straight group with the top 4
teams going through to a place in the semi finals. There were a few 1-1 pulls
in the group stages of this competition and in the end, it was Norton, Two
Dales, Bosley and Felton Eccles that progressed through to the semi finals. In
the semi finals, Norton were up against Felton Eccles and Two Dales were up
against Bosley. In the first semi final Norton defeated Felton Eccles by 2 ends
to 0, and in the second semi-final Two Dales defeated Bosley by 2 ends to 0 to
make their first ever AAA Championship final. In the final, Two Dales gave
Norton a good run for their money, but the defending champions Norton took the
two ends required to take the gold medal, with Two Dales taking a well deserved
silver medal. Photo: John Webb, Norton Coach (left), receiving the 640kg AAA Championship trophy from judge Peter Craft (right)
The ladies weight classes were contested between Sheen
Ladies and Bedford Ladies, with only a small turn out of ladies teams this
weekend. The competition between the two teams was very even this week, but it
was Bedford that took the winners positions of both the 520 kilos and 560 kilos
this week, with Sheen Ladies finishing as runners up. Photo: Lincoln TOWC AAA catchweight champions 2014
The weather began to clear later in day, with open weights
contested at 580 kilos, 620 kilos and 680 kilos, each competition being pulled
as straight groups with semi final cross-overs in each weight which gave all of
the teams plenty of competition. There were a few 1-1 pulls across all weights.
The 580 kilos competition was won by Norton, with Felton Eccles finishing as
runners up. The 620 kilos competition and 680 kilos competitions were also won
by Norton, with Two Dales finishing as runners up in those two weight classes.
Well done to all of the teams that took part in both the championships and the
open competition. Thanks also to the Two Dales club for staging this years
event. It was a good venue at Bakewell Showground, and hopefully the weather
will be better the next time we come back! Photo: Showing just how wet it was this week!
Photo: Holland TOWC competing in the mens 600 kilos competition
Photo: Somerset ACF competing in the ladies and youth 560 kilos competition
Photo: Sandhurst TOWC competing in the mens 600 kilos competition
York took the 600 and 640 kilos competitions without losing
an end, and York also took the 600 4+4 after finishing ahead of Longridge in
the final. Stanfordham beat Pontefract to win the catchweight competition. In
the ladies competition, Sheen Ladies finished as the winners, with Silsden
taking the runners up trophy. Well done to all of the teams who took part.
the event organisers are always looking for more teams to take part at this show, so teams wishing to take part next year are more than welcome. Thanks to Neil Hudson from York TOWC for providing the results. Photo: York TOWC competing at Otley Show
The day started with the mens catchweight competition, which
was pulled as a straight group. The competition was close between the 7 teams
that entered, the top two teams going through to pull in a final. Lincoln,
Felton Eccles and Norton emerged as the top three teams, but it was Norton and
Felton who progressed to the final. In the final, Norton emerged as winners by
2 ends to 0. Photo: Norton TOWC
The
ladies and youth 560 kilos competition was first on in this weight class, with
a straight group of 11 teams. It is pleasing to see an increase in
participation of male and female junior pullers, as well as an increase in participation
from senior ladies pullers. The pulling was competitive at all levels, with
Gloucester ACF Boys and Somerset ACF Boys emerging as the top two teams. In the
deciding pull between these two teams, Somerset ACF took the three points by 2
ends to 0. It was good to see Brandon and Wolston YCF team taking part in this
weight class, taking a few good ends on the way as they look to prepare for
their area YFC finals later this month. Photo: Gloucester ACF Boys
The mens 600 kilos competition followed, which was again run
as a straight group. There were many 1-1 pulls in this competition, the
strongest team in this weight being Oxney. Oxney progressed to the semi finals
on maximum points, and were joined by Norton, Lincoln and Two Dales. In the
Semi finals, Norton defeated Two Dales and Oxney defeated Lincoln. In the
final, Oxney had that bit more on Norton and ran out as 2 ends to 0 winners. Photo: LNR ACF
The Ladies and youth 520 kilos competition was another
keenly contested weight class. This time Gloucester ACF Boys emerged as the
overall winners with Derby ACF Boys finishing as the worthy runners up. At the
end of the Ladies and Youth competitions, the points were all added up for both
weights and separate awards were presented for the top two junior boys, junior
girls and ladies teams in each weight class. Somerset ACF finished as winners
of the Junior Men 560 kilos competition with Gloucester ACF finishing as
runners up. Goucester ACF finished in first place in the junior men 520 kilos
competition with Derby ACF finishing as runners up. Gloucester ACF won both of
the junior girls weight classes, with Derby ACF girls finishing as runners up.
Bedford Ladies finished as overall winners in both of the ladies weight
classes, with Holland Ladies finishing as runners up in both weights. Well done
to all of the ladies and youth teams for another good day of sport. Photo: Sheen Ladies
The
Men 680 kilos competition continued the proceedings and was split into two
groups. Group 1 contained Oxney, Bosley, Two Dales, Felton A and Lincoln, and
Group 2 contained Felton B, Sandhurst, Holland, Raunds and Norton. Both groups were very
competitive, again with ends being dropped across the field. Raunds started off
with an excellent 2 ends to 0 win over Norton in their first pull of the group,
and there were plenty of other close and competitive matches throughout. The
eventual semi finalists after points and cautions were taken into account were
Raunds, Oxney, Norton and Two Dales. In the semi finals, Norton recovered from
their earlier setback against Raunds with a 2 ends to 0 win over Two Dales,
with Oxney and Raunds having a good three ender in their semi final, Oxney
going through to the final by 2 ends to 1. In the final Norton took the gold
medal by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Brandon and Wolston YFC Ladies
The 580 kilos competition was run as a straight group. As
with all of the other weights, more teams dropped points in this competition,
with Oxney performing the strongest out of all teams to finish top of the pile.
The competition was close for second place, particularly between Norton, York
and Sandhurst, with all three of those teams taking ends off each other. York
eventually finished as the group runners up. Photo: Somerset ACF
This weekend Lincoln Tug of War Club hosted their annual tug of war
competition in Harby, Melton Mowbray. The event was well supported, especially
from a strong number of ladies and youth teams. Each weight was pulled as a
points competition, with the top two teams pulling again in the final. The
first weight was the catchweight competition, which was keenly contested on
fresh ground. Lincoln were the strongest team in the group stage, finishing the
group stage of the competition without losing an end. Bosley, Holland and
Raunds finished level on points in second place. When TWIF criteria was
applied, Holland progressed to the final. In the final, Lincoln repeated their
pulling from the group stage and won the final by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Raunds TOWC
The Ladies and Youth 560 Kilos competition was an excellent competition
to watch, with 10 teams competing in a single group points competition with the
top two teams pulling in the final. There was some good competitive pulling at
all levels through the group, which was very pleasing to see. In the end, it
was the teams from Gloucester ACF Boys and Somerset ACF Boys who emerged as the
teams to beat, and they did not pull each other until the last pull of the
group. In an evenly matched contest, the two teams took one end each to finish
level on points at the end of the group stage. Both clubs met again in the
final, and after another competitive pull, Somerset ACF won the final by 2 ends
to 0. Photo: Gloucester ACF Junior Girls
The Men 640 kilos competition was pulled as a straight points
competition again with the top two teams meeting in the final. There was a
bigger entry in this competition than the catchweight competition, and again,
there was some very close pulling, with many pulls going to one end each. Lincoln
and Oxney emerged as the top two teams, with Oxney finishing top of the group
without dropping an end. The two teams met again in the final, and Oxney pulled
strongly again to win the 640 kilos final by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Derby ACF Junior Girls
The ladies and youth 520 kilos competition was again another keenly
contested weight class between all of the teams taking part. This time,
Gloucester ACF Boys topped the group without losing an end, and the Gloucester
ACF Girls team emerged as group runners up. In the final, it was the Gloucester
ACF Boys that took the gold medal, with the Gloucester ACF girls finishing as
worthy runners up. Photo: Two Dales TOWC
The 720 kilos competition was contested in a group of 6 teams, again
with a lot of tough ends. Lincoln topped the group, eventually followed by
Oxney who finished second. The two teams met again in the final, and despite a
good effort by Oxney, Lincoln edged the final by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Oxney Vines Cross TOWC
The 680 kilos competition was split into two groups. After some tough
pulling in the previous three weights, grit and determination came into it,
just as much as fitness. Lincoln continued their form from the previous weights
by progressing from their group, as did Oxney who won their group. In the final
however, it was Oxney who took the win by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Derby ACF Junior Boys
There was a strong turn out of teams for the first main competition
hosted by Bosley TOWC with 11 senior men’s clubs and 6 ladies and youth teams.
It was particularly pleasing to see a good number of teams from the northern
area taking part, and it was pleasing to see a good number of Young Farmers
Clubs taking part in competition in their build up to their own county and
regional rallies. Widecombe also took the long journey up from Devon to compete
at the event. There were 5 mens weights, two ladies and youth weights and a 4+4
weight class up for grabs on the day. Photo: York TOWC
The 640 kilos competition was pulled in two groups. Group 1 contained
five teams, with Bosley finishing as group winners on maximum points ahead of
Lincoln who finished as group runners up. Norton won group 2 with Widecombe
finishing as group runners up. In the semi finals Norton defeated Lincoln, with
the second semi final between Bosley and Widecome taking a little longer to complete,
as both teams had a good battle for the second spot in the final. Bosley
eventually progressed by 2 ends to 0. In the final, Bosley gave a good account
of themselves against Norton, but it was Norton who took first place by 2 ends
to 0. Photo: Bedford Ladies TOWC
The 720 kilos competition was pulled as a points competition, and again
there was some good competitive pulling between the teams. Norton entered the
fray in the heavier weights this time having not entered the catchweight
competition. The competition was contested between 6 teams with Lincoln and
Norton emerging as the top two teams. Both teams went into the final round
unbeaten before they met eachother. Lincoln took a hard fought first end,
however Norton took the second end in this TWIF rules competition. As such,
when the TWIF criteria applied, Norton had picked up two cautions more than
Lincoln, and Lincoln finished as the winners, with Norton finishing as runners
up. Photo: Bosley TOWC
The 680 kilos competition was run on a knock-out basis, and there was
some good competition throughout. Bosley defeated Widecombe by 2 ends to 1,
Lincoln defeated Pontefract, Norton defeated Waterhouses and Holland defeated South
West Yorkshire. In the semi finals, Lincoln defeated Bosley and Norton defeated
Holland. Lincoln and Norton met in the deciding pull for the third time during
the competition, and after a keenly contested match, Norton finished as 680
winners by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Holland TOWC
The final weight of the day was the 600 4+4, with a small entry of 5
teams. There was again some good pulling in this weight, with Bedford finishing
as eventual winners without losing an end. There was a closely fought battle
for second place in this competition, particularly between South West Yorkshire
and York, with York hanging to the line to eventually bring South West
Yorkshire back over the line to take second place. Well done to those teams. Photo: Lincoln TOWC
The event finished at just after 6pm, and our thanks go to the officials
on the day for running this event. With only three officials available and a
large number of teams, we did well to get through a total of 8 weight classes
on the day, so our thanks go to Ray Fray-Smith, Peter Craft, Mick Grimston and
Betty Craft for performing the judging and recording duties. The Tug of War
Association is always looking for new judges and recorders to help officiate at
various events around the country, so if you are interested in taking a judges
course or becoming a recorder, then please speak to any member of the General
Committee or your area representative. Photo: Pontefract YFC
York TOWC this weekend hosted an early event at the Yorkshire Heart
Brewery and Vineyard. The weather held and five teams battled it out for first
place in a full set of weight classes. The teams were, South West (Yorkshire
District YFC), Pontefract, Longridge, Silsden with Skipton, and the hosts York. Photo: Host club York TOWC with their new team kit. 
On Saturday 8th March, a tug of war demonstration was held at
Richmond Rugby Club, Richmond on Thames, London. This event took place at the
Richmond vs Blackheath rugby match. The pull was organised as part of the 150th
anniversary celebration of this fixture between two of the world’s oldest surviving
rugby clubs. The very first fixture between these two clubs took place in 1864,
and that very first match also featured a tug of war match after that match,
although there is no actual record of who won. Photo: Blackheath Rugby Club (represented by Totham Bull/Bosley)
Richmond Rugby Club approached the TOWA to replicate this tug of war
match and requested having two experienced tug of war teams to represent the
two rugby clubs in a tug of war match after the game. Pullers from Oxney,
Totham Bull and Bosley went along to represent the two rugby clubs at the event
with Oxney representing the Richmond team and the pullers from Totham Bull and
Bosley representing the Blackheath team. Photo: Richmond Rugby Club (represented by Oxney)
The rugby game ended in a 31-31 draw watched by over 1500 spectators,
with many of those spectators stopping on after the game to support their teams
in the tug of war match. The tug of war match was pulled as a best of 5 ends
match, with Richmond defeating Blackheath by 3 ends to 2. Thank you to all the
pullers/coaches from Oxney, Totham Bull and Bosley for going along to promote
our sport and thank you to Peter Tuckwell for officiating at the event. Also a
big thank you to Richmond Rugby Club for their hospitality and looking after
the pullers on the day. Photo: The teams after the competition
Promotional banners – we
have promotional banners for teams to use at events. These banners are
available to all event organisers to help your events stand out and attract
passers by into your competitions to watch. Sets are currently held by Pete
Dyer, Alan Knott and Terry Spoore. If you wish to use these banners, please
contact any of the above who will make them available to you.
The day started with the mens 600 kilos competition started
proceedings with England being represented by Kilroe. The competition was run
in a group of 10 teams and England started first against Northern Ireland and
took a 2 ends to 0 win before defeating Italy, Japan, Netherlands, and China.
However, the rest of the competition was not so straight forward, with defeats
to Spain, Chinese Taipei, Scotland and Ireland which knocked England out of the
competition. In the semi finals, Chinese Taipei, who topped the group, met
Spain, and Scotland met Ireland. Scotland defeated Ireland by 2 ends to 0, and
Chinese Taipei defeated Spain. In the bronze medal pull, Ireland pulled
strongly to defeat Spain by 2 ends to 0 to take bronze. The final was a
fantastic match up between Chinese Taipei and Scotland who were the defending
World Champions. Chinese Taipei took the first end, however the next end was
blown to the middle after both teams received three cautions. On the re-start
both teams battled hard again and both teams again were on two cautions. The
third end was then blown to Scotland, which was a close call. The fourth end
was again another tough battle, which was blown back to the middle again after
both teams picked up three cautions. On the final end, Scotland managed to get
the momentum and eventually took the end and the World title. Photo: England 600 kilos team - represented by Kilroe
The ladies 500 kilos competition took place in the morning
alongside the 600 kilos competition. England did not have a team entered in
this weight but it was another great competition. Spain took the bronze ahead
of Switzerland, but the final was another excellent contest between China and
Chinese Taipei. China took the gold medal in the ladies weight class on the
previous day, but this final was not straight forward. China took a hard fought
first end, but Chinese Taipei battled very hard to stay with it on the second
end, and they got their reward for their hard work by taking the second end.
The third end was another close battle, which eventually went to Chinese Taipei
who finished with the gold medal. Photo - the Chinese Taipei Ladies Team
In the afternoon, the 680 kilos competition took place, with
England being represented by Uppertown. England got off to a great start,
defeating the Netherlands by 2 ends to 0, and also went 1-1 with defending
World 680 kilos champions Ireland. England then went on to defeat China and
Spain, but dropped an end to Italy. England met Scotland in their last pull,
but neither team needed to win the match as both had earned enough points to
progress to the semi finals. In the semi finals, England met Scotland again,
and had a great battle, with England taking the first end. However, Scotland
rallied and took the next two ends to make the final. England then had to go
into the bronze medal pull where they met the Netherlands who they defeated
first on. England pulled strongly in the bronze medal match to win the bronze
by 2 ends to 0. In the final, defending champions Ireland faced Scotland.
Ireland defeated Scotland earlier in the group and would have been quietly
confident of taking the gold medal. Ireland took the first end, but again,
Scotland dug deep to beat Ireland on the drop in the next two ends to take the
gold medal, their third of the weekend. Photo - England 680 kilos bronze medal winning team - represented by Uppertown
The final competition was the mixed 600 kilos 4+4. England
in this weight were represented by Sheen Ladies/Sheen. England started off by
defeating the Netherlands, and they also defeated Singapore (who were competing
in their first World Indoor Championships), Spain, and Ireland, only losing to
China and Chinese Taipei. In the semi finals, England were defeated by Chinese
Taipei, and went into the bronze medal match against Spain. England handled the
pull really well and took the bronze medal by 2 ends to 0. The final was
another excellent match up between China and Chinese Taipei, who in the womens
weights, gave us to really good, exciting finals. Again, this pull went to
three ends, with China taking the first end, but the defending champions
Chinese Taipei took the next two ends to take the gold medal, their third gold
medal of the championships. Photo - England mixed 600 kilos 4+4 team - represented by Sheen/Sheen Ladies
This afternoon, the mens 640 kilos competition took place. England were represented in this weight by Raunds, who stepped into the breach in January after national champions Sheen withdrew from representing England at the World Championships having represented England at the last two world championships and winning the gold at 640 kilos on those occasions. Raunds, representing England in this weight gave it their best effort, but unfortunately missed out on the cross over, finishing 5th overall. Photo: Scotland
Photo: England 640 kilos team - represented by Raunds
In the 560 kilos competition, England took silver
after being defeated by a strong, disciplined and well drilled team from
Chinese Taipei. England performed well in the group stages, defeating
defending champions Northern Ireland in their first match, before
defeating all of the remaining teams. The only team that England were
defeated by were Chinese Taipei. In the semi finals, England defeated
the host country, Ireland by 2 ends to 0 before going to meet Chinese
Taipei in the final. Photo: England 560 kilos team - represented by Norton
In
the ladies 540 kilos, Sheen Ladies represented England, and had a
number of pullers in their team representing England at indoor tug of
war for the first time. The team competed well throughout the
competition, finishing 5th overall. The gold medal in this weight was won by China, who won a thrilling final against Chinese Taipei by 2 ends to 0. South Africa took the bronze medal after defeating Switzerland by 2 ends to 0. 
The morning competition started with the mens 600
kilos competition. Kilroe were the only club from England taking part in
this event, having won the open 600 kilos title at the 2012 World
Indoor Championships. Kilroe had a much changed team in from that event,
and it was a struggle for the team competing in a competition of two
groups of 10. Kilroe did not make the cross over, but competed well
nonetheless. The teams that progressed to the semi finals were Abadino
(Spain), Clonmany B (Ireland), Country Club (Northern Ireland) and
Cockhill (Ireland). Photo: Kilroe TOWC competing in the open 600 kilos competition.
An under 23 competition took place at 600 kilos,
but unfortunately only 3 teams took part, which is a shame for a
prestigious world event. The gold medal went to the well drilled outfit
of Nan Tou from Chinese Taipei, with Clonmany B of Ireland taking
silver, and Streamstown from Ireland taking the bronze. Two members from England were asked to pull with Clonmany B in the 600 kilos under 23 competition (Dan Kenny and Emmett Power-Thomas of Raunds) and earned a silver medal, so well done to them. Photo: Clonmany B 600 Kilos U23 Team - Open silver medallists
The ladies 540 competition was another excellent
competition, with the team of Jing Mei from Chinese Taipei entering as
favourites having took the gold medal at the 2013 World Games in Columbia. They
started off against the An Steel team from China, and succumbed to a 2 ends to
0 defeat in a very good opening pull of the competition. English interest in
this event cam in the form of Sheen Ladies, who gave a number of new pullers
some international experience. The team started off with a 2 ends to 0 win over
the Irish Ladies, but unfortunately were unable to compete against the very
strong teams from China and Chinese Taipei. The team picked up wins against a
couple of the Basque ladies teams, but missed out on a spot in the semi finals
after defeats to Disa Ladies from South Africa and Monnickendam from the
Netherlands. Sheen Ladies finished in 6th position overall. Photo - An Steel from China in the ladies 540 kilos competition. 
Firstly, and most notably, Peter Craft, who has served as TOWA Honorary
General Secretary for 30 years has stood down. Prior to this, Peter was also a
committee member/area representative and served the TOWA in other positions
prior to becoming Honorary General Secretary. Peter has done a huge amount of work
for the Association over very many years and a few years ago was presented with
the TOWA Award of Merit for services to tug of war. Peter will continue to
serve the TOWA as an area representative on the General Committee for TOWA Area
Number 7, and will continue to attend competitions as a Grade 1 judge. The TOWA
would like to take this opportunity to thank Peter for all of his hard work
over the years, and we look forward to seeing him out on the circuit as a judge
and tug of war supporter. Photo: Outgoing TOWA Honorary General Secretary Peter Craft (right) being presented with an engraved Rose Bowl by TOWA Chariman Pete Dyer (left)
At the TOWA AGM, Peter was presented with an engraved crystal rose bowl as
special recognition of his long service to the TOWA. Peter’s wife, Betty, who
is also a TOWA timekeeper/recorder was also presented with a floral arrangement. Photo: Betty Craft (right) receiving a gift from TOWA Chairman Pete Dyer (left)
There were a few surprised
looks as the Cadets started their warm up exercises and a few comments were
passed that a youth team would have no chance against the Regular Services due
to their physical size, training and being a Cadet team. However these
concerned comments were turned into rapturous applauding and shouts of
admiration as the skill and discipline of the highly trained ACF team shone at
the rope under the guidance of Team manager and coach, Gloucestershire CEO,
Major Alec Masson. Photo: Gloucester ACF Indoor Squad
The first events involving the
Cadet Males were the 560Kg & 600Kg Classes. The male Cadet team came up
against some extremely strong and tall pullers, especially the Grenadier Guards
who towered over a foot above the Cadet Team. The regular Army team’s where
soon to find out that the Cadets were not there just to make up the numbers,
but to participate and by the end, the Cadets from the Male Gloucestershire ACF
Team went through both weight classes without losing a single end gaining 1st
place in both categories. Photo: Gloucester ACF Junior Ladies Team
From the start, the ladies from
19 RA weighing in more than 100kg heavier than the Cadet team and having a number
of the current Army Team in their team soon showed their experience and weight
advantage and were too strong for the young and up incoming Cadet team and won
both 520kg and 560kg weight classes 2-0. Photo: Gloucester ACF Junior Team
The competition started off
with an exciting pull between England B (Kilroe) and Northern Ireland A, the
first end being very competitive and lasting almost 5 minutes before Kilroe
eventually took the end. Northern Ireland A then bounced back to take the
second end. England A (represented by Norton) started off with a win against
Scotland B before going through the remainder of the group stages without
losing an end. England B joined England A in the semi finals along with
Scotland A and Northern Ireland A. In the semi finals, England A defeated
Northern Ireland A and Scotland A defeated England B. Photo: England A 600 kilos team represented by Norton 
In the bronze medal match,
England B faced Northern Ireland A again. This was yet another very competitive
pull, with both teams fighting very hard for the bronze medal. After a couple
of long competitive ends, Northern Ireland eventually took the bronze medal by
2 ends to 0. In the final, England A faced Scotland A. Both teams had performed
well during the group stages of the competition. England A looked strong and
determined and took two ends without reply to win the UK 600 kilos title. Photo: England B 600 kilos team represented by Kilroe
The 680 kilos closed
competition followed with the A and B teams from the respective home nations in
attendance competing. In the group stage, Scotland A came out on top, followed
by England A (Uppertown), England B (Raunds) and Northern Ireland A. In the
semi finals, Scotland A defeated Northern Ireland A, and England A and England
B had a good battle, with England A progressing by 2 ends to 0 to reach the
final. Photo: Scotland B 600 kilos team
The 600 kilos was first on, and again the competition was very
competitive as it was in the closed event. After some good pulling in the group
stages, Kilroe, Ayrshire, Norton and Country Club made it to the semi-finals.
In the semi-finals, Ayrshire defeated Country Club and Norton defeated Kilroe.
Norton got their open club campaign off to a winning start by defeating
Ayrshire by 2 ends to 0. Photo: England A 680 Kilos team represented by Uppertown
Bigger entries into the 640 competition followed, which turned out
to be another competitive weight. Norton were again dominant in the group
stages topping the group without losing an end, Tinto from Scotland being the
closest challengers. In the semi finals they were joined by Uppertown and
Ayrshire. Norton and Tinto progressed to the final, where again, Norton took
the gold medal by 2 ends to 0. Photo: England B 680 kilos team represented by Raunds
The final weight was the
680 kilos competition. After a tough day of pulling, there were some tired
bodies around, but further strong performances from Norton and Tinto saw the
two teams meet again in the final. Norton concluded the day in fine form to
take their 4th gold medal of the day. All of the UK teams now look
forward to competing at the World Championships in Ireland in February. Photo: the successful Norton squad who took four gold medals in the open and closed competition
The second weight class on the day was the 640 kilos competition. This
was a really competitive event with a number of teams in with a shout of
winning a medal or making the final. The group stages were hard fought and
Sheen topped the group without dropping an end. Norton finished in second place
in the group, followed by Uppertown and then Raunds, with all four of these
teams going forward to compete for a medal. Both Norton and Sheen progressed to
the final with Raunds and Uppertown going forward to compete for the bronze medal.
Uppertown put in a strong performance to take the bronze medal ahead of Raunds
by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Kilroe TOWC
Then came the final which turned out to be a superb and keenly
contested match up. Both Sheen and Norton gave everything asked of them, with
the first end lasting a few second short of five minutes. Sheen dropped in well
to take an advantage early on in the pull. Everytime Sheen went to move their
opponents, Norton looked to counter, doing so successfully before both teams
went to ground. Both teams came up well before Sheen eventually drew Norton
over the line. On the second end Sheen dropped in with purpose to take an early
advantage. The second end was not as long as the first end, and after a slip by
Norton, Sheen took full advantage to take the second end and their 10th
consecutive 640 kilos indoor title. Photo: Norton TOWC
The 720 kilos event followed, and like the 560 kilos competition there
was only a small entry of teams. The final was contested by Sheen and Kilroe in
what was a much tighter affair than the catchweight final. Kilroe put up a good
resistance to Sheen, but Sheen managed to keep control of the pull to take the
gold medal by 2 ends to 0 to take their third gold medal of the day. Photo: Uppertown TOWC
The 600 kilos competition followed and this again was a keenly
contested weight class. Norton and Sheen topped the group stages, with the
competition between Kilroe, Raunds, Sandhurst and Uppertown very close to make
the semi finals. In the semi finals Sheen and Norton were joined by Raunds and
Kilroe. In the semi finals, Norton defeated Kilroe and Sheen defeated Raunds.
In the bronze medal pull, Kilroe and Raunds had a great match up. Raunds won
the group stage pull by 2 ends to 0, however in the bronze medal match Kilroe
managed to turn the tables to win the bronze medal by 2 ends to 0. In the
final, Sheen and Norton met again to contest their third final of the day.
Sheen had won the 600 kilos title for the past 5 years, and were hoping to make
it 6 in a row. A tough day of competition was beginning to catch up with Sheen
and Norton took a second gold medal by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Sheen TOWC
The final mens weight of the day was the 680 kilos competition. After a
hard day of competition there were a few tired bodies on the mats, which made
the competition open and unpredicatable. No team went through the competition
without dropping an end. Unfortunately Sandhurst had to withdraw from the
competition half way through after one of the pullers picked up a serious ankle
injury. We wish him a speedy recovery. At the end of the group stage Sheen and
Uppertown finished on level points followed by Norton and the Raunds. The semi
finals saw Uppertown take on Raunds and Sheen take on Norton. Uppertown
defeated Raunds by 2 ends to 0 in their semi final, however Sheen and Norton
having another great pull with the first end being very close before the judge
awarded both teams three cautions and the pull was blown to the middle. On the
restart, both teams battled hard again and Norton went on to take the end. The
second end saw Norton eventually take the win to progress to the final. Photo: Sandhurst TOWC
The bronze medal pull saw Sheen take on Raunds, and despite missing out
on a place in the final, Sheen managed to take the bronze medal ahead of Raunds
by 2 ends to 0. The final saw Uppertown and Norton compete for the gold medal.
Uppertown had already defeated Norton in the group stage of the competition and
they made no mistake in the final to take the gold medal by 2 ends to 0 and
their first national title since 1996. Photo: Raunds TOWC
Photo: Norton TOWC - AAA Gold Medallists at 640 kilos and Catchweight
The first championship weight was the 640 kilos competition, pulled as a
straight group with the top two teams pulling again in the final. The
competition started off with some good pulls early on with Raunds
starting against Uppertown
and Sheen starting against Norton. Uppertown defeated Raunds by 2 ends
to 0 in the first round, and Norton took the two ends from Sheen,
although it did look as though Sheen were leaving something in the tank
for later on in the competition. As the group progressed,
Upperton, Raunds and Sandhurst were all defeated by Sheen and Norton
leaving Sheen and Norton to compete again in the final. In the final,
Sheen gave more than they did in the group stages, but Norton had more
about them today compared to the previous week
and Norton took the gold medal by 2 ends to 0.Photo: Kilroe TOWC
The second weight of the championship was the catchweight competition.
This was again pulled as a straight group with the top 2 teams going
through to the final. There was again some close pulling in this
competition. Raunds and Kilroe
had a very close pull first on with Kilroe eventually defeating Raunds
by 2 ends to 0, whilst Sheen defeated Sandurst by the same score. Norton
also entered the fray and won all of their group pulls by 2 ends to 0.
At the completion of the group stage of the
competition, Norton and Sheen progressed to the final. As with the 640
kilos competition, Norton took the gold medal by 2 ends to 0 to take
their second AAA gold of the day. Compared with the previous week of
competition taking two gold medals was somewhat
a surprise result, but it just goes to show how unpredictable this
indoor season is turning out to be. Photo: Raunds TOWC
The 600 kilos competition was split into two groups. Both Sheen and
Norton progressed to the final, with Norton taking their third win of
the day by 2 ends to 0. The 620 kilos competition was pulled as a
straight group, with Norton again
finishing as winners, with Sheen finishing as runners up. The 680 kilos
competition was the final weight class of the day, and was one of the
most competitive, with each team having to give everything to take the
ends. Uppertown competed strongly in this competition,
dropping just one end to Sheen. At the end of the competition Sheen and
Uppertown finished top of the group to progress to the final. The final
was a close and competitive affair with Uppertown winning the pull by 2
ends to 0 to take a hard earned win ahead
of Sheen to end another good day of tug of war. Photo: Sandhurst TOWC
This weekend the fourth week of the indoor season got under way with
teams from Kilroe, Norton, Sheen, Raunds, Uppertown and Sandhurst taking part
along with Sheen Ladies and Bedford Ladies. There was some good competition in
all weight classes, in particular in the 600 kilos and 680 kilos competitions.
This weekend, the third indoor tug of war
competition of the season took place at the Harry Mitchell Sports Centre in
Smethwick. The teams that attended were Sheen, Raunds (A and B), Norton,
Kilroe, Sandhurst, Uppertown, Sheen Ladies and Bedford Ladies. 5 weight classes
were held for the mens teams and one weight class for the ladies teams, who in
addition to their own weight, also formed teams in the men’s lightweight
competitions. Photo: Norton TOWC
Some pulling for the Under 23 pullers also took place
half way through the days competition, with Under 23 pullers from each
team that were available on the day pulling against some of the senior
teams as part of their preparations for the UK Indoor Championships.
Thanks to all of the clubs for their co-operation. Photo: The Under 23s getting some competition practice
The remaining weights were contested at 620 kilos, 640 kilos, 680 kilos,
and 720 kilos. Norton won the 620 kilos competition without losing an end ahead
of Sheen, and the 640 competition provided some more competitive pulling,
particularly in the final of the two-group competition with Norton overcoming
Sheen by 2 ends to 1 to win their third weight of the day. The 680 kilos
competition saw Uppertown put in a strong showing, but had to settle for second
place behind Sheen. The 720 kilos competition was the final weight of the
competition and was held after the 640 kilos competition. The first pull of the
competition took place between Kilroe and Raunds whilst Norton and Sheen were
completing the 640 kilos final. Kilroe won the pull by 2 ends to 0, but due to
time constraints with the hall, we were unable to complete the competition. Photo: Sheen Farmers TOWC
The men's weights started with the 600kg
competition which produced some really hard pulling for all the teams. In
the deciding pull Longridge YFC and York battled for what seemed like an age in
the first end. York eventually took the end and then the second, to win the
weight, with Longridge YFC finishing in second place. Photo: Longridge YFC Squad
The next weight was the 680kg. It's
often called the young farmers weight at this competition, as this is the
weight that they pull in the regional and national young farmers competitions
earlier in the year and its always a hotly contested weight. Upper Wharfedale
YFC entered the fray for the first time after staying on the sidelines for
the earlier weights. Again York took the lead, beating all that the young
farmers could throw at them, York finishing as overall winners and Upper
Wharfedale finishing in second place. Photo: York TOWC competing at Countryside Live in Harrogate
In the ladies 520 kilos competition, England were
represented by Holland Ladies. The England Ladies gave a really good
account of themselves, with Holland Ladies representing England for only
the second time. They pulled well in the group, picking up the points,
including a good 2 ends to 0 win over the 2012 World bronze medallists
Germany to progress to the semi finals along with Switzerland,
Netherlands and Sweden. In the semi finals, England met Sweden, and
succumbed to a 2 ends to 0 defeat, and went into the bronze medal match
against Switzerland, who were defeated in the semi finals by the
Netherlands. Unfortunately again for England, England were defeated by 2
ends to 0 by the Swiss to finish in 4th place. A creditable result for
the Holland Ladies representing England for only the second time. Final
result:
In the 720 kilos competition, England were represented
by Lincoln, who went into the event with high hopes after winning the
open club competition. England started off against the home nation,
being defeated by 2 ends to 0, and then defeated Ireland and Lithuania.
England went 1-1 with Latvia, and were defeated by Switzerland and
Sweden. Towards the end of the group stages, England were level on
points with Latvia, but Latvia managed to take an end out of the
Netherlands to finish ahead of England, which meant that Latvia
progressed to the last 4 at the expense of England, leaving England 5th
overall. Well done Lincoln - another great effort in this competition.
The final result was as follows:
Also taking place at the same time was the Under 23
600 kilos competition, which is run as an annual World Championship, as
is the Under 18 junior competition. The England under 23 development
team started off with a good 2 ends to 0 win against South Africa, and
also defeated Chinese Taipei and Belgium. The competition to get into
the top 4 was very close. Germany and Switzerland had a better run into
the top 4, but with England beating South Africa, Sweden beating England
and South Africa beating Sweden, this meant competition to fill the
remaining 2 places in the semi finals was going to be between 3 teams.
Both South Africa and Sweden picked up more cautions than England, so
England progressed in third place, followed by Sweden. In the semi
finals, England were defeated by Germany, and Switzerland defeated
Sweden. England met Sweden again for the bronze, but Sweden finished up
winning the bronze medal by 2 ends to 0. Well done to our under 23 team -
despite missing out on a medal, finishing in the top 4 in the World is
still a great achievement. The final result was as follows:
The 600kg competition saw England being represented by
the men and ladies of Holland TOWC. The team competed well in the group
stages to progress to the semi finals along with Spain, Sweden and the
Netherlands. England were drawn against defending champions Sweden and
succumbed to a 2 ends to 0 defeat, whilst in the second semi final, the
Netherlands defeated Spain. England met Spain in the bronze medal pull,
with the first end going for over 6 minutes. Eventually Spain took the
first end. England put in another solid performance on the second end,
but Spain took the end and the bronze medal. The final result was as
follows:
The
Junior 560kg competition (which is run as an annual World Championship
for junior teams) saw England being represented by Gloucester and
Somerset ACF. The team had some tough opposition in the group stages and
unfortunately did not make the cross over and the chance to compete for
a medal. Our junior team went on to finish 7th overall, and it was a
good learning experience for them. Hopefully they will come back
stronger next year. The final result was as follows:
The
mens 560 kilos competition saw England being represented by Norton.
England and our representative team Norton were defending champions in
this weight and going into this competition would have been one of the
favourites to win a medal. They couldn't have asked for a tougher start
in their title defence against World Champions Switzerland and Northern
Ireland. England lost both of these pulls by 2 ends 0, but got back on
track by picking up points against Sweden, Scotland and Belgium.
Unfortunately that was as good as it got, and England finished up in 7th
place. In many peoples eyes, this was a shock result, but it was an
uncharacteristic bad day at the office for England's representatives
Norton, but these things do happen from time to time. We are sure they
will be back to fight another day. The final result was as follows:
The ladies 560 kilos competition saw the England
ladies team being represented by Bedford Ladies. The team competed well
in the group stages, to finish in joint second place with Switzerland
and the Netherlands. Sweden topped the group, which meant that England
progressed to the semi finals. In the Semi finals, England were drawn
against Switzerland. Having gone 1 end each in the group stages with
Switzerland there was every chance that England could progress to the
final. Unfortunately Switzerland got the better of England and went to
the final winning in two straight ends. In the bronze medal match,
England met the Netherlands, and after a good battle, England
unfortunately had to settle for 4th place. Sweden finished up as
eventual gold medalists. The final result was as follows:
In the mens 680 kilos competition, England were
represented by Holland, who had many pullers in their team representing
England in a senior mens weight for the first time. The team started off
well, but succumbed to defeats to Ireland, Netherlands, Switzerland and
Sweden who all progressed to the final. England finished 7th overall,
but it was a good learning experience for the Holland team representing
England. The final result was as follows:
The mens 640kg competition and ladies 520kg
competition took place this afternoon. English interest in the 640kg
competition came from Team Army and Felton Eccles. Both teams competed
well in the competition that was split into 4 large groups. Out of the
two teams, Felton Eccles performed best, finishing 4th in their group
and missing out on a place in the knock out stages. Photo: Felton Eccles competing in the open 640 kilos competition. The final result was
as follows:
In the 720 kilos competition, English interested cam in the form of Lincoln TOWC and Team Army. Unfortunately Team Army did not progress through the group stages, but Lincoln TOWC put in an excellent performance to finish top of the group without losing an end. They progressed to the semi finals where they met the strong, and sometimes unpredictable team from Velkonis of Latvia. Lincoln took the first end in over 4 minutes, and then finished the job nicely in the second end to reach the final. In the final they met TTV Gelderswoude from the Netherlands who overcame TTV Koapman in their semi final. Lincoln again pulled well to win by 2 ends to 0 and take the gold medal, taking gold without dropping an end in the whole competition. Congratulations Lincoln - a fantastic achievement! Photo: Lincoln TOWC - Men 720 kilos European Club Champions - Final result:
In the mixed 600 4+4 English interest came in the form
of Team Army and Holland TOWC. The competition was split into two
groups, with both Holland and Team Army being drawn into the same group.
Unfortunately both teams did not progress to the knock out stages and
missed out on the chance to compete for a medal. Photo: Team Army 600 kilos 4+4 team. The final results were
as follows:
We are pleased to report that Bedford Ladies took the bronze medal in the ladies 560 kilos open club competition, defeating Gonten from Switzerland in the final. Well done! Team Army Ladies also competed in this event, but failed to progress from the group stages for the chance to compete for a medal.Photo: Bedford Ladies - European Club Bronze Medallists in the Ladies 560 kilos event
This weekend Bosley Tug of War Club held their annual
charity tug of war competition in aid of the East Cheshire Hospice. With the
European Championships just around the corner, a number of the representative
teams chose not to compete at the event in order to concentrate on their
preparations, but the competition was still supported by teams from Bosley,
Diesel Power (men and ladies, Longride YFC and the England under 23 team. As no
other ladies teams attended the competition, Diesel Power mixed their ladies
team in with their mens team in the various weight classes on offer on the day. Photo: Diesel Power TOWC
A total of 6 weight classes were contested on the day, with
all teams enjoying the competition. Bosley took the winners positions in the
640 kilos, 680 kilos, 720 kilos and catchweight competitions. The England Under
23 team took the runners up position in these weights, and also went on to win
the 580 kilos and 600 kilos competitions ahead of Bosley. Both Longridge and Diesel
Power put in some good performances on the day, and are looking forward to
competing in more tug of war competitions next year. Thank you to them for
supporting this event. Photo: Bosley TOWC
The officials on the day were Peter Craft and Tony Gray,
with Betty Craft doing the recording duties. Despite the lower than anticipated
turn out of teams, the event raised £300 to charity, so well done to all of the
teams for their efforts. Photo: Longridge YFC
Teams competing - Norton, Oxney Vines Cross, Felton Eccles, Sandhurst, Bosley, Lincoln, 19th Regiment (Highland Gunners), York, Holland, Bedford Ladies, Holland Ladies, Glos/Som ACF (A, B, and C), LNR ACF (A and B). Photo: Felton Eccles TOWC
Three weights at 600 kilos, 640 kilos and 680 kilos were held for mens teams, and two weights at 520 kilos and 560 kilos were held for ladies teams. All weights were pulled as a straight group with the top four teams having a semi final and final for extra training. Photo: 19 Regiment RA Highland Gunners
The 600 kilos competition was the first weight on pulled as
a straight group of 8. Norton, Sandhurst and Oxney emerged as the strongest
teams in the group which also contained Glos/Som ACF who entered this
competition to gain some match practice ahead of the World Junior Championships
which are being held alongside the European Championships in Assen. Norton finished
first in the group stage ahead of Oxney who finished as runners up. Sandhurst
finished the group in third place with Glos/Som ACF pulling well to finish 4th
ahead of York and then Felton. In the semi finals, Norton defeated Glos/Som ACF
and Oxney defeated Sandhurst. Norton and Oxney met again in the final, with
Norton going on to win the competition on the day by 2 ends to 0. When the
points across the whole season were added up, Oxney finished as gold medallists
in the 600 kilos weight class, with Norton finishing as silver medallists and
Sandhurst finishing as bronze medallists. Photo: Norton TOWC
The 640 kilos competition was again pulled as a straight
group of 8 with a different line up of clubs from those that entered the 600
kilos competition. There was some very competitive pulling in this group, but
again Norton were the dominant force, topping the group without dropping an
end. Oxney finished as group runners up, followed by Holland and Sandhurst. In
the semi finals Norton defeated Sandhurst and Oxney defeated Holland. Norton
then went on to win the final by 2 ends to 0. After the points over the course
of the national league season were added up, Norton finished as the gold
medallists ahead of Oxney who took silver and Holland who took bronze. Photo: Oxney Vines Cross TOWC
The final mens weight of the day was the 680 kilos
competition. This competition picked up where the 640 kilos competition left
off, with some great pulling. Sandhurst came very close to getting an end off
Norton before being blown out for receiving 3 cautions, and Holland and Lincoln
endured a very tough pull against each other, with their match going to one end
each. Norton finished the competition as group winners, and were joined in the
semi finals on the day by Oxney, Lincoln and Sandhurst. Norton met Sandhurst
again in the semi finals, with Norton going on to progress to the finals by 2
ends to 0. In the other semi final, Oxney defeated Lincoln to reach their third
final of the day. As with the other finals, Norton went on to win the final by
2 ends to 0. After all the points from the national league season were added up
for the 680 kilos competition, Norton finished up as the gold medallists, with
Oxney taking silver and Holland the bronze. Photo: The Leicester and Northants ACF Junior Mens and Ladies Squad
The national league finals also culminated in the final of
the ladies and youth league. Gloucester and Somerset retained their dominant
form throughout the season in to the final event, with Glos/Som A winning the
competition without losing an end. The final results in the ladies and youth
league saw Glos/Som ACF take the gold medals in the junior men 520 and 560
kilos competitions. Glos/Som ACF B finished as silver medallists, with
Leicester and Northants ACF A finishing as bronze medallists in both weights.
In the junior ladies competition, Gloucester and Somerset ACF finished as gold
medallists in both the junior ladies 520 kilos and 560 kilos events, with
Leicester and Northants ACF junior girls finishing as silver medallists. Photo: The Gloucester and Somerset ACF Junior Men and Ladies squad
Alcester in Warwickshire played host to a further round of the Tug of War Association National League on the towns Jubilee Pavilion Fields over the Bank Holiday Weekend. 
This year GENSB was hosted by Germany in Mohnesee beside
Lake Mohne. This year is also the 100th anniversary of the
inauguration of the Mohne Lake and Dam and the 70th anniversary of
the "Dambuster" raid. Photo: Glos/Som ACF "C"
In this now tranquil lakeside setting 36 teams (317
competitors) from eight countries competed for the GENSB trophy. Teams were
divided into four groups, with the top four in each group entering the knock
out stages. Photo: Glos/Som ACF "A"
Glos/Som “C” narrowly missed the knockout stage and finished
the competition in 18th place. Glos/Som “B” finished 29th,
Glos/Som “A” 35th and Europa Mix “2” 36th. All our young
pullers maintained their motivation in the face of stern opposition throughout
the day. The full results book can be downloaded from the GENSB web site at 
At the end of the competition trophies were awarded and the
GENSB flag was passed to England who will host the competition in 2014. Tug of
War Association Chairman Pete Dyer accepted the flag on behalf of England. Photo: Glos/Som ACF "B" team
On Sunday morning there was a trip to the Mohne Dam
immortalised by the bouncing bomb and 617 Squadron (The Dambusters). ACF
officers formed small groups of cadets and took them to the top of the dam
where they gave a talk about the history and significance of the Mohne
Dam. Photo: Pete Dyer (left) accepting the GENSB flag for the GENSB 2014 event which is being hosted by England.
The closed international competition started on Saturday
with a short opening ceremony, before the competitions commenced with the mens
600 kilos competition. The competition was pulled as a straight 8 with the top
4 teams progressing to the final. England A were represented by Oxney Vines
Cross, with a composite team representing England B. The composite team was
formed as a result of eligible teams either selecting another weight in which
to represent England at, or as a result of other teams not meeting the criteria
for selection. England also had a C team entered in this event, with the team
being formed entirely from under 23 pullers. England were the only country to
field an under 23 team in this weight. Photo: Northern Ireland A 600 kilos team
Both England A and England B met each other in the first
round of competition, with England B taking the first end, and England A taking
the second end. Both teams performed solidly throughout the competition,
progressing to the semi finals along with Northern Ireland. The battle for the
fourth qualifying place was very intense, particularly between the main
Scottish and Welsh teams, with Scotland taking the win needed against their
Welsh rivals to progress. Photo: England B 600 kilos team
In the semi finals, England A and England B were drawn
against each other for the second time in the competition. The first end
resulted in a stalemate for around 7 minutes, before England A capitalised to
take the first end. The second end was another tight end, with England A going
on to take the win to make the final. The other semi final saw Northern Ireland
A defeat Scotland A, and they had their semi final finished whilst the two
England teams were pulling their first end. Photo: England A 600 kilos team
The final between England A and Northern Ireland A was an
evenly matched contest. The first end was a stalemate for a good few minutes
before an unfortunate slip from England which led to Northern Ireland taking
the advantage and going on to take the first end. The second end was a much
more stern contest, with England A dropping in well to unsettle Northern
Ireland. Northern Ireland managed to eventually wrestle the rope back to take
the end and the gold medal for the first time in 9 years. Photo: England A Junior 560 kilos team
In the 520 kilos competition, England (represented by
Holland Ladies) had a gruelling first pull with Scotland B, losing out by 2
ends to 0. This gave England an uphill task to reach the final, and defeat to
the Scotland A team meant that they missed out on a place in the final, with
only the top two teams going through. The gold medal eventually went to
Scotland A, with Scotland B winning silver. Scotland A and B also took the gold
and silver medals respectively in the 560 kilos competition, with Wales A
finishing as bronze medallists. Photo: England B Junior 560 kilos team
This year saw a Junior 560 kilos competition take place at
the UK outdoor championships for the first time. England entered an A and B
team in this weight, and were up against A and B teams from Scotland. England A
were represented by Glos/Som ACF and England B were represented by a composite
team. Both teams performed excellently, with both teams beating the Scottish A
and B teams to finish first and second in the group stage. In the semi finals,
England A defeated Scotland B, and England B defeated Scotland A. Scotland A
then went on to defeat Scotland B for the bronze medal. In the final, England A
and England B met for the second time, with England A having already defeated
England B in the group stages. The final went to the form book set in the group
stages with England A winning the gold medal, and England B taking silver. Photo: Scotland A Junior 560 kilos team
Well done to all of the youth pullers who took part in this weight
class. It was great to see a junior competition take place at this years UK
championships. Hopefully it will continue, and hopefully Northern Ireland and
Wales will be able to enter teams in the event next year. Photo: Scotland B Junior 560 kilos team
The mens 680 kilos competition followed. With England A
being represented by Holland, and England B being represented by Felton Eccles.
This weight was certainly an eventful and unpredictable competition. England A
started off against Scotland A, who are not the easiest team to pull early on
in a competition. The pull went 1 end each. England A, however seemed to
struggle through the competition, dropping a number of ends, but so too were
other teams. England B also dropped the odd end, but carried on well picking up
the points. The competition saw some tough pulling all round, with Northern
Ireland and Wales A also putting themselves in contention. At the end of the
group stages, the top four places saw Scotland A, England B, Wales A, and
Northern Ireland A progress, leaving England A in 5th place and
missing out on a place in the semi finals. Photo: The England Junior squad
In the semi finals, England B met Northern Ireland A, with
the first end turning out to be the longest of the championship going over 11
minutes and being won by Northern Ireland A. The second and third ends were
much livelier, with England B taking both of them after a great effort. A real
crowd pleasing semi final. The other semi final saw Scotland A overcome Wales
A. Photo: England B 680 kilos team
In the bronze medal pull Wales A won the bronze medal by 2
ends to 0 against Northern Ireland A. The final was a very lively pull, with
Scotland A looking like they could end England’s 33 year stranglehold on the UK
680 kilos title. Despite a valiant effort from England B, Scotland had too much
in the tank on this occasion, taking the gold medal and their first ever gold
medal in a mens outdoor weight class at a UK championship. Photo: England B 600 kilos 4+4 team
The final weight of the international championship was the
4+4 600 kilos. England and Scotland both fielded A and B teams, with Wales A
being the 5th team in this weight class. The competition was tough,
with England B (represented by York) progressing in first place in the group,
followed by England A (represented by Holland). Wales A and Scotland A were the
other teams to progress. The two England teams won their respective semi finals
to set up an all England final, leaving Scotland A and Wales A to fight it out
for the bronze. Photo: Scotland A 600 kilos 4+4 team
The bronze medal pull, was a tough and crowd pleasing match
up, with Wales A putting in a gutsy performance to take the bronze medal ahead
of Scotland A. The final was certainly a very exciting contest between England
A and England B, with both teams giving everything to win the gold medal. The
first end was a stalemate for around 5 minutes, with England A taking the first
pull. The second end then went to England B to level the final. The third end
then began to take its toll on both teams, with the judge eventually declaring
a no pull after both teams had received three cautions for infringements. Both
teams then went for it again for the fourth end. Fatigue had well and truly
crept in to the pulling of both teams, with England A eventually bringing the
rope over the line to take the gold medal. Photo: Wales A 600 kilos 4+4 team
Well done to both of the England teams in this weight who
came away from the final knowing that they had left everything on the field.
You certainly cannot ask for any more than that. A special well done to York
for winning the silver medal for England in this weight, representing England
for the very first time. Photo: England A 600 kilos 4+4 team
The
crowds turned out in their hundreds this weekend for the hotly contested
National finals of the National Federation of Young Farmers Clubs (NFYFC) Tug
of War competition. The event is organised annually, with eliminator competitions
starting around May time. These start with each Young Farmers team in each
county competing at their county rally with the first and second placed teams
from each county going through to the regional eliminator. The top one or two
teams from each regional eliminator then progress through to the national
finals. 10 teams competed in each competition, held for mens teams, ladies
teams and junior teams (under GENSB rules). Photo: Bedfordshire YFC Youth Team. Third place in the junior competition
The Tug
of War Association provided the NFYFC with judges for the finals, with most of
the regional and county competitions also being officiated by TOWA judges. Photo: Devon men's team - third place in the mens competition
Over 300
Young Farmers took part in the finals which were held at the Tenbury
Countryside Show in Worcestershire – the perfect location for the eventual
winners of the Ladies Tug of War competition, local girls Tenbury Wells YFC.
The ladies team, defeated last year’s champions Derbyshire FYFC to the 2013
title. Photo: Essex YFC mens team - 4th place in the mens competition.
In the
men’s competition it was Staffordshire FYFC, runners up in last year’s
competition, who clinched the title in a thrilling final against Lancashire
FYFC, winning by 2 ends to 1. Photo: Staffordshire YFC Mens team - National Young Farmers Champions for 2013
This year
was also the first time NFYFC have run a Tug of War competition for its younger
members, with a mixed competition for members aged 12-17 in a GENSB rules style
competition. This time Lancashire FYFC proved their strength, beating
Leicestershire FYFC in the grand final. Photo: Somerset YFC junor team - 4th place in the junior competition.
The
ladies, mens and mixed under 17 finals all took place in the show’s Grand Ring,
drawing hundreds of spectators and supporters. Thank you to the National
Federation of Young Farmers Clubs for inviting us to officiate at this event
once again. It is always an enjoyable day of sport. Photo: Yorkshire YFC Ladies Team - 3rd place in the ladies competition
Felton Eccles Tug of War Club from Somerset represented Great Britain in the men's 700 kilos competition on Saturday, and were up against 5 of the other top 6 countries in the world at this weight class, which included Sweden, Switzerland, Netherlands, Latvia, and Ireland. In hot and humid weather conditions, Great Britain had a tough start against Ireland, with both nations winning one end each. Great Britain were defeated against the Netherlands and Switzerland, but again had to settle for a draw against both Sweden and then Latvia. As such, Great Britain missed out on a place in the semi finals and the chance to compete for a medal. The gold medal was won by the Netherlands, with Switzerland taking silver and Sweden taking the bronze. Photo: Great Britain take on the Netherlands in the 700 kilos competition
The second day of tug of war competition at the World Games saw the mens 640 kilos competition take place. Norton Tug of War Club from Staffordshire represented Great Britain in this weight and got off to a flying start by defeating Germany, Ireland and Sweden by 2 ends to 0. They were then defeated by Switzerland by 2 ends to 0, before defeating Belgium in their final match to finish second in the group. The top four teams then progressed to the semi finals to compete for the gold, silver and bronze medals. Photo: John Taylor, Martin Collins and Fred World competing for Great Britain in the men's 700 kilos competition
In the semi-finals, Great Britain were drawn against Germany and took another 2 ends to 0 win to reach the final. Switzerland defeated Ireland in the other semi-final to set up a Great Britain vs Switzerland final. After a very competitive and hard fought final, Switzerland took the gold medal, with Great Britain taking a well deserved silver medal. Germany finished as bronze medallists after defeating Ireland. Photo: Great Britain take on Switzerland in the men's 640 kilos competition
Congratulations to both Norton and Felton Eccles Tug of War Clubs for representing Great Britain in two very tough competitions. You have done yourselves, the Association and Great Britain proud! Photo: The silver medal won by the Great Britain 640 kilos team, represented by Norton Tug of War Club
This weekend, the south west open competition took place and was hosted by Felton Eccles Tug of War Club. Whilst many of their team members were away competing at the World Games in Cali, Columbia, their remaining members helped to stage the event, as well as fielding teams in all four weight classes on the day. The catchweight competition was first on, with some good competitive pulling. Lincoln and Llanboidy were in contention for the winners medal, with Lincoln edging out Llanboidy to take first place. Anstey from the Far Western Area competed really well to finish in third place. Photo: Kennford TOWC competing in the 600 kilos event
Congratulations to the boys and girls from Glos/Som ACF who represented the SW Region Cadet Forces won both the boy and girls weights at the National Army Cadet Force Championships which was held at York on Saturday 6th July 2013. There were a total of 20 teams participating with over 200 youth pullers taking part. The girls team under the watchful eye of Steve Smith only lost one end during the whole event, and the boys under Alec Masson and Tim Tatler went on to complete the double and in doing so never lost an end for the second year running. The Cadets from the SW Region have won both weight classes for the second year running. Photo: Glos/Som ACF boys team
There were some good pulling by some up and coming new Cadet teams, in the midlands, Derbyshire ACF, and in the NE, Humberside & Yorkshire, and the Scottish contingent of Glasgow and Lanarkshire ACF.Next years Championships will again be at York, on Sat 5th July 2014. Photo: Glos/Som ACF girls team
This years inter county tug of war championship took place in Sandhurst, Berkshire, and saw us return to the area following the national championships in June. The event also saw the national 4+4 championships take place as well as national league weights. The Inter County championships saw the following counties being represented – Berkshire, Sussex, Somerset, Devonshire, Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, Staffordshire (A and B). The 4+4 competition was entered by York, Team Army, Bedford, and Holland. The open weights saw the following teams competing – Bosley, Norton, Lincoln, York, Sandhurst, Holland, Team Army, Widecombe, 4 Regiment RA, Oxney Vines Cross, Totham Bull. In the ladies weights, Sheen Ladies, Holland Ladies, Bedford Ladies and Team Army Ladies took part. It was a busy day in very warm conditions. Photo: Staffordshire A 640 kilos team (represented by Norton)
The 640 kilos competition saw Berkshire (represented by Sandhurst) enter this years event as defending champions. A few teams looked to be contenders, however this year, the Berkshire team came up short and missed out on the chance to compete for a place in the final. The competition was close between the remaining counties, however the Staffordshire A team (represented by Norton) emerged as the strongest team, followed by Sussex (represented by Oxney). Both teams progressed to the final, and it was Staffordshire A who were on top of their game to take the inter county shield by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Sussex 640 kilos team (represented by Oxney Vines Cross)
The 680 kilos competition was again pulled as a straight group with the top two teams meeting in the final to compete for the gold medals. Both Staffordshire A (represented by Norton) and Staffordshire B (represented by Holland) looked to be the strongest teams in the early rounds, and that form continued throughout the competition. Despite challenges from the other counties, both the Staffordshire teams progressed to the final. Staffordshire B looked to have a strong line up in this weight and dropped in strongly on both ends against the Staffordshire A team. The Staffordshire A team held on to the Staffordshire B team well though to win the Inter County double. Photo: Holland 600 kilos 4+4 team
The 4+4 weight was next and was keenly contested. Holland looked to be the strongest team early on, with York looking as though they had the potential to challenge. Bedford are always challengers every year, which made for an interesting competition. At the end of the group stage, Holland finished on maximum points, followed by York who took a good win against Bedford who finished third ahead of the Army. This set up a Holland v York final. Holland continued their good form to take the gold medal. Well done to York TOWC who won their first ever national championship medal, taking silver. Bedford finished as bronze medallists ahead of the Army. Photo: York TOWC 600 Kilos 4+4 team
The open national league weights followed, which allowed teams to compete for points towards their national league totals. In the men’s weights, Oxney finished as the eventual winners ahead of Bosley who finished as runners up. The 640 kilos competition was split into two groups. Norton and Lincoln both progressed to the final, with Norton winning the final by 2 ends to 0. The 680 kilos competition saw Holland pull strongly again to finish in first place ahead of Bosley who finished as runners up. The catchweight competition was won by Norton who finished ahead of Holland. Photo: Bedford 600 kilos 4+4 Team
The 2013 Tug of War Association National Outdoor Tug of War Championships this year were hosted by Sandhurst Tug of War Club at Sandhurst Memorial Park. Despite some mixed weather on the day, the ground was dry and firm, and the pulling was very competitive. The teams competing were as follows: Photo: Holland Ladies TOWC
The day kicked off with an opening address from the Sandhurst Town Crier and the local MP for Bracknell Dr Phillip Lee before the pulling started with both the mens catchweight competition and the ladies 560 kilos competition. The mens catchweight competition had Two Dales, Thames Valley and Holland competing for the gold medal this year, and with Sheen not taking part at this years nationals, it meant that there would be a new name on the winners trophy. It was just a question of who. After a round robin competition, Holland and Two Dales went through to the final. The gold medal was decided in two ends, and this year the gold medal went to Holland who won their first national title in the senior mens weight division having won their first Tug of War Association national title in the 4+4 600 event in 2012. Photo: Thames Valley TOWC
The ladies 560 kilos competition was a very exciting and close fought competition this year, with the ladies championship being the most competitive that it has been for a number of years. In this competition the top two teams at the end of the group stage would progress to pull for the gold medal in a final and the team who finished third in the group stage would win the bronze medal. Holland and Sheen had a great battle first on with Sheen taking the win by 2 ends to 0. The final standings in the group saw Sheen and Bedford go through to the final. Holland finished ahead of Team Army to finish with the bronze medal. The final went to a crowd pleasing three ends with both teams giving everything. Sheen took the first end, and then Bedford levelled the final to take it to a third and deciding end. The third end went to Sheen Ladies who took their first gold medal of the day. Photo: Two Dales TOWC
The Men’s 640 kilos competition followed with the competition being split into two groups. Norton and Felton were the top seeds from the 2012 championships and they were placed into separate groups. Norton competed strongly in their group to finish ahead of Lincoln who finished as runners up. Other teams who competed in this group were Raunds, Widecombe and Team Army. Group 2 saw Felton finish as overall group winners ahead of Bosley, Two Dales, Holland, and Hanging Bridge. The semi finals saw Norton face Bosley and Lincoln face Felton Eccles. Both Norton and Felton won their respective semi finals by 2 ends to 0 to reach the final to set up a repeat of the 2012 final. The Bronze medal match was between Lincoln and Bosley. Bosley took the first end in around 4 minutes, and then went on to take the second end and the bronze medal. The final between Norton and Sandhurst saw Norton keep a good rope throughout both ends to take a well deserved gold medal by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Norton TOWC
The junior ladies national championship final this year was contested by Leicester and Northants ACF and Gloucester and Somerset ACF. The junior ladies weights were pulled at both 520 kilos and 560 kilos. This year, the Gloucester and Somerset ACF junior team held a good line and looked to have the best technique in both weight classes to take the gold medal in both finals by 2 ends to 0. Well done to both teams for taking part in this years Junior Ladies National Championship. We look forward to seeing more junior ladies championships taking place in the future with increased participation. Photo: Leicester and Northants ACF Junior Ladies
The mens 560 kilos competition follwed which was pulled as a straight group of 8 teams with the top four teams going through to the semi final stages. As ever, the 560 kilos competition is a very competitive and unforgiving competition, and this year was no exception. It was pleasing to see a number of newer teams coming through in this weight to give the established top teams a good run for their money. The top three teams in the group stages were the usual suspects with Norton, Sandhurst and Oxney progressing. The competition was close between the remaining teams for the final semi final spot, and this year it went to York who overcame some good teams including Felton and Kennford to make the cut. Photo: Gloucester and Somerset ACF Junior Ladies
In the semi finals, Norton overcame York by 2 ends to 0, and Sandhurst put in a good performance to overcome Oxney by 2 ends to 0 to also make the final. In the bronze medal pull off, York put in a great performance to keep Oxney at bay on the first end for a good amount of time before Oxney managed to haul York over the line. Oxney then took the second end to take the bronze medal leaving York to finish in a creditable fourth place. In the final, Norton and Sandhurst squared up to each other in the 560 kilos final for the 14th year in succession. The first end was a lengthy pull which eventually went to Norton. Norton then went on to take the second end and their second gold medal to win the light weight title for the sixth consecutive year. Photo: Kennford TOWC
The mens 720 kilos competition was contested between Thames Valley, Felton Eccles, Holland, and Lincoln. Lincoln started off by defeating Thames Valley and Holland were strong early on to defeat Felton Eccles by 2 ends to 0. Lincoln then defeated Holland by 2 ends to 0 to secure a place in the final. In the last round Holland defeated Thames Valley by 2 ends to 0 which meant that Felton did not progress to the final. The final was between Lincoln and Holland. Both teams have been competitive in the heavier weights this season and put on a good final. Holland gradually edged their way to the first end, but the second end was very close. Lincoln looked to have done the hard work in getting Holland close to the line but stopped and lost their shape with Holland taking advantage to take the second end and their second gold medal of the day. Photo: Team Army Men
The second ladies weight of the day was the 520 kilos competition. Like the 560 kilos competition, this was another very competitive weight class between the four ladies teams taking part. The groups stages this time saw Holland Ladies and Sheen Ladies progress to the final leaving Bedford in third place and with the bronze medal ahead of Team Army Ladies. The final was another three end match. Sheen Ladies took the first end and Holland Ladies took the second end. The final end was another great pull, which this time again went to Sheen Ladies who took their second gold medal of the day. Photo: Sandhurst TOWC
The Junior Mens weights were this year contested by Leicester and Northants ACF and Gloucester and Somerset ACF. Gloucester and Somerset ACF have been in good form this year winning most of the youth weights at weekly competitions. This year’s national championships for youth were held at 530 kilos and 560 kilos. The results in each final for each weight went to the form book with Gloucester and Somerset ACF winning the gold medal in both weight classes with Leicester and Northants ACF taking the silver medal in both weight classes. Photo: York TOWC
The mens 600 kilos competition was split into two groups, and again was one of the most competitive weight classes on the day. The seedings placed Norton and Bosley into group 1 and Sandhurst and Oxney into group 2. Felton, Kennford, Holland and Team Army also joined the teams in group 1, with Widecombe, Hanging Bridge, York and Raunds joining the teams in group 2. Norton finished top of group 1 with maximum points, however the pulling was close for second place. Bosley and Felton finished the group on level points. With the TWIF criteria applied, both teams took 1 ends each off each other and finished level on cautions. As such, the next criteria was weight, and Felton went through to the semi finals having weighed in 8 kilos lighter. Photo: Oxney Vines Cross TOWC
If the competition was close in group 1, it was certainly even closer in group 2. Oxney finished as the eventual winners of this group, but the surprise package in this group was Widecombe from Devon. They accumulated enough points to finish as group runners up against some good teams to reach the semi finals. In the semi finals Oxney met Felton and Norton met Widecombe. Oxney put in a good performance to defeat Felton by 2 ends to 0 and make the final. Norton also defeated Widecombe by 2 ends to 0 to reach the final. Photo: Lincoln TOWC
The bronze medal match was a tough three end match between Widecombe and Felton Eccles which went to three ends. Widecombe took the first end, but Felton dug deep to take the second end. The third end was equally tough for both teams with Felton eventually winning out. The final was between Oxney and Norton. Norton again performed extremely well against a promising Oxney team to take the gold medal by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Team Army Ladies
The final weight of the 2013 National Outdoor Championships was the mens 680 kilos competition. This weight was split into two groups and was the last chance for teams to pick up a medal. Norton and Holland met first on in their group with both teams winning one end each. Both of these teams won all of their remaining pulls to top the group and progress to the semi finals. The second group was equally competitive with Two Dales topping the group and progressing to the semi finals with Felton Eccles following behind. In the semi finals, Holland defeated Two Dales and Norton defeated Felton Eccles. Photo: Bedford Ladies
The bronze medal match was yet another medal pull on the day that went to three ends. Two Dales took the first end from Felton to take the advantage, but two more closely fought ends followed, both of which went to Felton who took a hard earned bronze medal. The final was between Holland and Norton. Holland were looking for their third gold medal of the day and Norton were looking for their fourth gold medal of the day. Holland tried to unsettle Norton on both ends to try and take an early advantage, but Norton managed to keep their composure to take both ends and the gold medal. This meant that Norton won four weights for the second year in succession. Photo: Leicester and Northants ACF Junior Mens Team
The Tug of War Association would like to take this opportunity to thank Geoff Hollyhead and all at Sandhurst Tug of War Club and all of their helpers/supporters for staging this years national outdoor tug of war championships. They did an excellent job creating a nice venue that was worthy of holding an International championship. It was a good day of sport and we hope that you all enjoyed the day. Well done to all of the teams who took part - it was nice to see some new teams reach the cross overs for the chance to pull for a medal - it just goes to show that the rewards will come if you never give up, and stick with it through thick and thin, even when things can be a struggle at times. Thank you also to all of the judges, recorders, marshalls and officials. Without the teams and officials we would have no sport. Photo: Gloucester and Somerset ACF Junior Mens Team
Good luck to all of the teams, wherever you compete for the remainder of the season, and good luck to those teams who will be invited to represent England at the forthcoming UK and European Championships - and of course to Norton and Felton who will be representing Great Britain at the World Games in July. We look forward to seeing teams on the circuit again soon, and we look forward to returning to Sandhurst in July for the combined National 4+4 Championships and Inter County Championships. Photo: Holland TOWC
Photo: Sheen Ladies TOWC
Photo: Felton Eccles TOWC
Photo: Bosley TOWC
Photo: Hanging Bridge TOWC
Photo: Raunds TOWC
Photo: Widecombe TOWC
The Event is held in the College Gardens in the palace of Westminster and is pulled on an indoor tug of war mat. Over the years, the event has helped to raise over £3million for Macmillan Cancer. The event (which is largely corporate) also includes matches between sponsors and forces regiments, etc as well as matches between high profile political journalists. Photo: the competition arena before the start of competition
Commentary at the event was carried out by BBC Deputy Political Editor James Landale. All of the matches were well supported by the guests that attended who all fully got behind the teams in support. Photo: Medals that were awarded to the teams taking part
The event highlight was of course between 8 members from the House of Lords, and 8 MPs from the House of Commons. This year the contest was extremely close, with the match going to three ends. This year the House of Commons team won by 2 ends to 1. For the first time also this year, the event included an Army Cadets pull, and our thanks go to Glocester and Somerset ACF and Leicester and Northants ACF who competed at the event. Photo: LNR ACF take on Glos/Som ACF
They were invited to each form a 4 + 4 team of junior pullers for the event and each end was warmly supported by those present. These two clubs will be competing in the junior competitions at the national championships this Saturday. Our thanks go to these clubs for representing our sport in a professional manner at this event. Photo: Glos/Som ACF taking part
The event was featured on the BBC and you can watch a short report from the event by 
In total, the tug of war event helped to raise £128,000 for Macmillan, which is a fantastic total and will go a long way towards supporting those around the country who a suffering from cancer. Photo: The winning MPs team from the House of Commons
Denbigh Army Surplus will be attending the outdoor national tug of war championships in Sandhurst on Saturday 15th June and will have a trade stand with a range of tug of war boots for sale. In addition, they will be selling laser cut steel heel plates in different sizes/profiles to fit different boots and will be selling them at £15.00/pair.
This weekend, the AAA championships got underway with the mens catchweight competition which was split into two groups. Felton Eccles finished as the winners of group 1 with Lincoln finishing as runners up ahead of Raunds and Sandhurst. Norton progressed from group 2, however it was a close call for second place with Bosley and Holland finishing on equal points. Holland then progressed from the group ahead of Bosley and Widecombe. In the semi finals, Norton defeated Lincoln by 2 ends to 0, and Felton defeated Holland by 2 ends to 0. The final was a lively and hard fought pull between Norton and Felton, with Felton making Norton work very hard for every bit of rope they took. At points it looked as though Felton may turn over Norton, but Norton had enough on both ends to take the gold medal by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Norton TOWC
The 640 kilos competition was again split into two groups. Norton progressed from group 1, although the competition was close again for second place in the group with Oxney and Sandhurst finishing level on points. Sandhurst progressed in second place having received fewer cautions, knocking Oxney into third place in the group ahead of Widecombe and Bosley. The second group saw Lincoln and Holland finishing on equal points at the top of the group followed by Felton Eccles and Hanging Bridge. In the semi finals, Norton defeated Lincoln and Sandhurst defeated Holland. The final was a little more straight forward for Norton in this weight than the catchweight event and they went on to defeat Sandhurst by 2 ends to 0 to take the AAA double. Photo: Felton Eccles TOWC
OWCThe mens 600 kilos competition was split into two groups with some good close competition. The top team from each group would progress straight to the final with Norton again putting in a strong performance to finish top of their group. The competition was close to get through the second group, particularly between Sandhurst and Oxney A. The teams took 1 end each off each other in the group, however Oxney collected fewer cautions so progressed to the final. Oxney gave a good account of themselves in the final, but Norton finished up as winners by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Raunds TOWC
The 680 kilos competition was another good competition that was split into two groups with the top team in each group progressing to the final. Norton finished top of their group yet again to set up a final against Lincoln, who themselves have got through to a number of finals at different competitions this year. Lincoln made a good fight of it on the day, but Norton again came away as 2 ends to 0 winners. Photo: Lincoln TOWC
The 580 kilos was split into two groups again. This competition was very close throughout. Norton and Oxney had a very close pull in their group which resulted in a 1-1 draw. Both clubs finished on level points in their group, however Norton picked up fewer cautions and progressed to the final where they met Sandhurst. Norton then went on to win the final by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Holland TOWC
The final mens weight of the day was the 640 kilos competition. Oxney A won the first group ahead of Holland, Oxney B, Raunds and Kennford, whilst Norton won the second group ahead of Felton, Bosley, Sandhurst and Widecombe. In the final, Norton again secured the win by 2 ends to 0 to complete an excellent clean sweep on the day. Photo: Widecombe TOWC 
This Sunday’s competition held at Daventry Rugby Club in Northamptonshire saw competitions take place for mens teams, ladies teams, mixed and junior teams. The competition was supported by teams from Felton Eccles, Sandhurst, Norton, Holland (A and B), Bosley, Lincoln, Hanging Bridge, Two Dales, Raunds, Kennford, Bedford Ladies, Sheen Ladies, Holland Ladies, LNR ACF, LNR ACF Junior Girls, Glos/Som ACF A and B and Glos/Som ACF Junior Girls. Photo: LNR ACF
The day started with the mens catchweight competition, which was pulled as a straight points competition. There was some good competition throughout, with Felton, Norton, Lincoln and Sandhurst looking like the main challengers early on. Lincoln and Norton overcame the threat from the other teams to emerge as contenders for the top two places, with Lincoln emerging as the overall winners after a strong performance on the day. Photo: Bedford Ladies TOWC
The ladies and youth competition at 560 kilos competition kicked off with 8 teams entered, and was a combined competition between all of the ladies teams, junior mens teams and junior ladies teams. There was some good pulling all around with all teams taking ends. Prizes were awarded to the first and second place teams for ladies, junior men and junior ladies. Holland Ladies won the ladies class with Sheen Ladies finishing as runners up. Glos/Som A won the junior men with Glos/Som B finishing as the runners up. Glos/Som Junior Ladies won the Junior Ladies gold medal and Leicester and Northants Junior Ladies finished in the runners up spot. Photo: Glos/Som ACF
The second mens weight of the day was the 600 kilos competition, which was split into two groups with the top team in each group going through to the final. Sandhurst emerged as the eventual winners of group 1 ahead of Bosley, Kennford and Two Dales, and Norton went through to the final as winners of group 2 ahead of Hanging Bridge, Holland and Felton Eccles. In the final, Norton ensured that the ends dropped in the catchweight competition were only a blip by defeating Sandhurst by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Bosley TOWC
The 680 kilos competition was again split into two groups with the top two teams of each group going through to a semi final. In group 1 Norton emerged as winners with Bosley finishing in second place. In group 2, Sandhurst emerged as group winners ahead of Holland. In the semi finals, Norton defeated Holland by 2 ends to 0, but things were not quite as straight forward in the second semi final between Bosley and Sandhurst. Sandhurst took a closely fought first end, before Bosley took the second end. The second end was again keenly contested with Sandhurst making it through to the final. In the final, Norton took their second win of the day by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Felton Eccles TOWC
The ladies and youth competition at 520 kilos again had 8 teams entered, and was run in the same format as the 560 kilos competition. There was some good pulling all around with all teams taking ends. Prizes were awarded to the first and second place teams for ladies, junior men and junior ladies. Holland Ladies won the ladies class with Sheen Ladies finishing as runners up. Glos/Som A won the junior men with Glos/Som B finishing as the runners up. Glos/Som Junior Ladies won the Junior Ladies gold medal and Leicester and Northants Junior Ladies finished in the runners up spot. Photo: Sandhurst TOWC
d TOWCThe final men's weight of the day was the 640 kilos competition which was split into two groups with the top two teams progressing through to the final. Holland were the winners of group 1 with Raunds progressing through in second place. Norton were the winners of group 2 ahead of Bosley. In the semi finals, Norton were drawn against Raunds and Bosley were drawn against Holland. Norton overcame Raunds by 2 ends to 0 whilst Holland and Bosley were involved in a tough semi final which Holland eventually won by 2 ends to 0. In the final Norton took their fourth gold medal of the day by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Kennford TOWC
This weekend’s competition was hosted by Lincoln TOWC at Harby Village Hall near Melton Mowbray. The weather was dry and the ground was surprisingly hard, which made for some very lively ends and good competition between all of the teams in both the men’s weights and the ladies and youth weights. The teams competing were Lincoln, Bosley, Norton, Hanging Bridge, Two Dales, Holland, and York with Coleshill YFC also appearing for the first time at a Tug of War Association event in order to gain additional experience in tug of war as they prepare for their YFC competitions. In the ladies and youth weights, Sheen Ladies, Holland Ladies, Bedford Ladies, and Leicester and Northants ACF (A and B) took part. Photo: Norton TOWC
The first weight of the day was the catchweight competition, which was pulled as a TWIF points competition, with the top two teams competing again in a final. 6 clubs took part in this weight class, with Norton finishing top of the group. The competition was close for second place in the group, in particular between host club Lincoln and Holland. Both teams shared the spoils in the group stage taking 1 end each off each other, however Lincoln progressed to the final after Holland had received more cautions through the competition. In the final Lincoln gave a good account of themselves against Norton, however Norton won through as 2 ends to 0 winners. Photo: Host Club Lincoln TOWC
The 600 kilos competition was pulled as one group again. Two Dales and Norton both had a great match first on in the competition with Norton eventually winning through by 2 ends to 0. Norton then progressed through the remainder of the competition to reach the final. There was again some very competitive pulling in this weight with York pulling very well to only be defeated by Norton so they went into the final to meet Norton again. York gave a good account of themselves in the final with the experience of Norton eventually winning through to take a 2 ends to 0 win. Photo: Sheen Ladies TOWC
The 680 kilos competition was again pulled as a straight points competition, however this time, the top four teams would progress to a semi final. Norton, Two Dales, Lincoln and Holland progressed to the semi finals. Norton won the first semi final by defeating Two Dales by 2 ends to 0, and Lincoln and Holland fought it out in the other semi final for a place in the final. This time Holland overcame Lincoln by 2 ends to 0 to reach the final. Norton then went on to win their third final of the day by 2 ends to 0 against Holland. Photo: York TOWC
The second ladies/youth weight of the day was the 520 kilos competition. As with the 560 kilos competition, this was another competitive weight. Bedford Ladies came closer to their rivals in this weight, however it was still Sheen Ladies and Holland Ladies that progressed to the final. Both teams again were part of another good battle with Sheen Ladies this time coming away with a hard earned win by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Holland TOWC
This weekend was the first week of the TOWA National League, which was hosted by Bedford Ladies at Kempston, Bedford, with weights taking place for men’s teams, ladies teams and junior teams. The national league weights for men were 600 kilos, 640 kilos and 680 kilos, and the ladies and youth league weights are held at 520 kilos and 560 kilos. An open catchweight competition also took place on the day. The teams that were competing in the senior mens weights were Thames Valley, Two Dales, Sandhurst, Oxney (A and B), Holland, Lincoln, Raunds, Norton, Bosley, York, and Glos/Som ACF. In the ladies and youth league weights, host club Bedford Ladies competed along with Sheen Ladies, Holland Ladies, Glos/Som ACF Youth (A and B), LNR ACF Youth (A and B), Glos/Som ACF Junior Ladies and LNR ACF Junior Ladies. Photo LNR ACF TOWC
The 680 kilos was held first, pulled in two groups. Holland and Two Dales progressed from group 1, with Norton progressing through from group 2. The runner up position in group 2 was fought out between Bosley, Oxney and Lincoln, with all teams taking points from each other, with Oxney pipping Lincoln for the place in the semi finals. In the semi finals, Norton defeated Two Dales, while Holland defeated Oxney. In the final, Holland followed on from the previous week of competition with a determined performance, however Norton maintained their form well to win the final by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Glos/Som ACF Junior Ladies
The Ladies/Youth 560 kilos competition took place at the same time as the senior 680 kilos competition, and this weight was a well supported competition with 9 teams competing in a straight group. The Glos/Som ACF Youth “A” team won the points competition without losing an end, with some close pulling to determine the runners up position. Holland Ladies finished as the eventual runners up. Photo: Holland Ladies
PhotoThe 600 kilos competition followed, which was another competition split into two groups. In this competition, the top team in each group progressed to the final. York started off with a good 2 ends to 0 win over Sandhurst, but they missed out on a place in the final after defeat to Oxney. Oxney progressed to the final where they met Norton who weighed in with a strong 7 man team. Oxney put in a great performance in the final however to win by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Bedford Ladies
The 640 kilos competition was another competitive event, again split into two groups, with many of the teams evenly matched. Holland progressed from their group, and went on to meet Norton in the final who had some tough pulls in their group, particularly against Oxney, with both teams winning one end each. In the final, Norton again had too much for Holland, and they went on to win the final by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Oxney Vines Cross TOWC
The Ladies/Youth 520 kilos competition was another competitive weight and a good advert for ladies and youth tug of war. Glos/Som ACF A again finished as the worthy winners without losing an end. Holland Ladies rounded off a good day for them with another runners up spot, with some good close pulling from the teams that followed behind them. Photo: Raunds TOWC
The final weight of the day was the men’s catchweight competition. Again, this competition was split into two groups, with the top team in each weight class progressing through to the final. Norton won the first group ahead of Oxney, Sandhurst and Holland, with Lincoln progressing from the second group ahead of Bosley and Raunds. Norton then went on to take their third weight of the day by winning the final by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Glos/Som ACF Youth TOWC
This weekend’s tug of war competition was hosted by Wood Treatment Bosley Tug of War Club in Chelford, Cheshire, and was supported by teams from Bosley, Norton, Lincoln, Hanging Bridge, Holland (A and B), York, Felton Eccles, Holland Ladies, and Sheen Ladies. The weather was dry and the ground cut up nicely to allow for some good competition. The competition was organised as a points competition run under TWIF rules, with the top two teams meeting again in a final. Photo: Norton TOWC 
The first weight of the day was the men’s catchweight competition with 5 teams entered. Norton went through the whole group stage without losing an end, with a close battle for the second place in the final between Bosley, Holland, and Lincoln. Holland defeated Lincoln earlier in the competition, and then drew 1-1 with Bosley, however Bosley dropped points against Lincoln, which meant that Holland progressed to the final. Norton then went on to defeat Holland by 2 ends to 0 to win the first weight of the day and the Norman Hyde Memorial Shield. Photo: Holland TOWC
The 640 kilos competition again saw Norton build on their strong start to the day by progressing through the group rounds without dropping an end. Lincoln, Hanging Bridge and Holland emerged as contenders to join Norton in the final, with Lincoln progressing through. Norton won the final by 2 ends to 0 to win the John Hollinshead Memorial Shield. Photo: Lincoln TOWC
The 720 kilos competition was another highly competitive weight class. Felton and Bosley had two tough and lengthy ends against each other early on, but again, Norton were strong to lead the points competition. Holland, Felton, Lincoln, and Bosley all strived to get through to the final, and after some close pulling, it was Lincoln who progressed to the final. Norton won their third weight of the day by defeating Lincoln by 2 ends to 0 in the final. Photo: Host Club Bosley
The 600 kilos competition was another lively weight, with some teams competing with 7 pullers to make the weight, which is allowed in open competitions. Norton again won the weight without losing an end, and Felton finished as worth runners up. There was a good battle for third place, with York overcoming Holland to take third place. Photo: York TOWC
The final weight of the day was the 680 kilos competition. The competition was a little more even in this weight with a lot of the teams taking part having competed in all of the weight categories on the day. Norton were looking to take their 5th weight of the day, and made it through to the final without losing an end. They were joined by Holland, who put in a determined performance in the final to gain some ground, but Norton took the final by 2 ends to 0 to round off a strong start to the season for them. Photo: Hanging Bridge TOWC
The 340 kilos team had more success competing in a group of seven teams. Winning five of their pulls Raunds advanced into the Semi -Finals where they met the Winners of the other group, TTV Horsman. Although Raunds kept their form they could not resist the powerful pushes of the Dutchman and lost 2-0. In the Bronze medal pull off Raunds Woodbine met Taf Lubrensis of Italy, who had taken to the 4 aside format very well, and again succumbed to a 2-0 defeat. Photo: Raunds in action
Raunds Woodbine had entered teams in the 640 & 680 kilos, but with only 9 competitors attending and having a lot of hard pulling the night before, that finished not much before midnight, the day was going to be a long one. The weights were run in tandem as there were so many being held on one day. First up was the 560 kilos and the 4x4 at 600 kilos. A lot of hard ends in these and the results were as follows: Photo: Host club TTV Lagerweij
Next up came the Men’s 640 Kilos with the Ladies 560 Kilos and the Youth weights being run alongside. There were two groups in the Men’s 640 Kilos with Raunds Woodbine being drawn in a group of six. First on the rope Raunds met a strong and determined Lagerweij A team. Raunds slowed Lagerweij down but could not prevent them winning in 2 straight ends. Recovering from this first pull Raunds went through the rest of the teams in their group without losing an end. Photo: winning Basque team Abadino
In the Semi Final they met Abadino who were in top form. Abadino powered Raunds out and Raunds could not slow them down at all in a 2-0 loss. In the Bronze Medal pull Raunds faced Deinum Britsum, (Netherlands 640Kg team at Perth 2012 World Indoor Championships), and had a good pull with them. In the end the Dutch side were that bit better on the day and managed to beat Raunds 2-0 after a competitive pull. Photo: winning youth team TTV De Berketrekkers from Belgium
The event got under way with a short opening ceremony, followed closely by the start of the mens 600 kilos competition. England A were represented by Sheen, and England B were represented by Kilroe. England A progressed through the group stages of the competition with relative ease, however it was a different story for England B, who were up against it this year. England B went into their last pull needing three points from Northern Ireland B to secure a place in the semi finals, and took a hard fought first end after Northern Ireland B took three cautions. The second end was equally as close, with both teams picking up the cautions. Both teams were on two cautions, however England B picked up their third caution despite looking as though they were gaining the momentum and the point went to Northern Ireland B, meaning that England B missed out on a semi final place. Photo: Scotland A 600 kilos team 
The semi finals saw England A take on Northern Ireland B, with England winning with ease by 2 ends to 0. In the second semi final, Northern Ireland A defeated a determined Scotland A team by 2 ends to 0 to make the final. The bronze medal was won by Scotland A before England A and Northern Ireland A took to the mats for the final. England A dropped in strong and got some early momentum before settling in to the pull. England A carried on pilling on the pressure and edged their way to the first end. The second end played in much the same way, and England A took the gold medal in convincing fashion. Photo: Northern Ireland B 600 kilos team. 
The 680 kilos competition followed and in this weight, England A were represented by Raunds. Following the withdrawal of Uppertown from representing at the championships, an England B team was formed with available pullers from both Sheen and Kilroe. Both teams we up against the A and B teams from Northern Ireland and Scotland, and both competed well to reach the semi finals. Both the England A and B teams met in the semi finals, with England B defeating England A to progress. In the second semi final, Northern Ireland A came away with a hard fought win over Scotland A to make the final. Photo: England A 600 kilos team
In the bronze medal pull, England A faced Scotland A, with Scotland A having defeated England A earlier in the competition. In a very close and hard fought pull, England A took the first end. England A then battled hard again on the second end to take a well deserved bronze medal. The final saw England B meet Northern Ireland A, the second final of the day to be contested by teams from England and Northern Ireland. England B dominated the final from start to finish, winning their second gold medal of the day by 2 ends to 0. Photo: England A 680 kilos team
Following the completion of the international competition, the open club competition took place with clubs from the home nations being joined by teams from the Republic of Ireland. The 560 kilos competition took place first, which was pulled as a straight points competition with no cross-overs. England were represented in this event by Kilroe who were defeated first on by both Ballyhagen and Country Club from Northern Ireland before winning their remaining pulls to take the bronze medal. Ballyhagen took the gold, followed very closely by Country Club. Photo: England B 680 kilos team
The 640 kilos competition followed. Raunds, Sheen, and Kilroe all entered teams into this weight which was pulled as a straight group of 9 teams, with the top two teams at the end of the competition contesting a final for the gold medal, and the third and fourth placed teams contesting a match for the bronze medal. There was some excellent competition in this weight with all teams fighting hard for the points. In the end, Raunds and Kilroe missed out on competing for the medals, however Sheen topped the group to go through to the final with Mountain View from Ireland. Clonmany B from Ireland and Tinto from Scotland competed for the bronze medal, with Clonmany B taking the bronze medal by 2 ends to 0. In the final Sheen met the strong Mountain View team from Ireland, but handled the occasion very well to win the gold medal by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Dame Mary Peters presenting the 600 kilos UK Championship trophy to England A 600 kilos coach Robin Smith
After the completion of the championship the presentation dinner took place, with the teams having the pleasure to be joined by Olympian Dame Mary Peters (Olympic Gold Medallist in 1972, and ambassador to the London 2012 Olympic Games). Dame Mary Peters presented the teams with their gold, silver and bronze medals and shared stories from her early days as an athlete and first seeing tug of war at an athletics meeting back in the 1960’s. She spoke very fondly about watching tug of war and is very much looking forward to the European Championships in 2015 when they take place in Belfast. She also highlighted her appreciation for the many volunteers who help to run our sport. Dame Mary was very accommodating with the pullers on the night and gave up a lot of time to talk to many of the competitors and have photos with the teams and competitors. Our thanks go to Northern Ireland for their hospitality at this years UK Indoor Championships. Photo: Dame Mary Peters presenting the 680 kilos winners trophy to England B 680 kilos coach Billy Reilly 
The mens catchweight competition and ladies 560 kilos competitions opened proceedings with Sheen winning the catchweight gold medal ahead of Kilroe who took the silver medal. It was the first time for a couple of years that we were able to stage a ladies championship, which was a big plus point on the day, with both Sheen Ladies and Bedford Ladies fighting it out for the gold medals. Sheen Ladies’ superior recent experience at indoor tug of war, having won medals at the World Games and World Indoor Championships, proved decisive as they went on to take the first ladies title of the day at 560 kilos, with Bedford taking the silver medal. Photo - Sheen
The 640 kilos saw Sheen competing as both national and world indoor champions at this weight class. Last years 640 kilos runners up Kilroe did not compete in the 640 kilos competition, so there was a chance for another team to get a spot in the final to challenge Sheen for the title. This was left to Uppertown and Raunds to fight it out for the final spot, with Uppertown edging out Raunds to make the final. In the final, Uppertown put up a decent showing, but it was Sheen who were the strongest on the day to take the gold medal by 2 ends to 0. Raunds finished in third place. Photo - Kilroe
The next weight class was the 560 kilos competition. Defending champions Norton were not competing on the indoor circuit this year as they chose to take a break from indoor tug of war over the winter in order to concentrate on their preparations for the World Games next year. This meant that there would be a new winner of this weight in 2012. The 560 kilos is always a lively competition, and again, this year was no exception. The group stages saw Sheen finish in first place, followed by Kilroe and Uppertown. Sheen and Kilroe progressed to the final, which turned out to be a good contest. Kilroe managed to keep Sheen out there long enough on the first end to cause some problems, and Kilroe took the first end after Sheen picked up three cautions. On the second end, Sheen worked from the drop, and had to work very hard to keep up the momentum, eventually taking the second end. The third end went much the same way, and Sheen went on to take the gold medal at 560 kilos for the first time since 1978. Photo - Sheen Ladies
The 720 kilos competition followed, and this competition went much the same way as the catchweight event with Sheen taking the gold medal, and Kilroe the silver. The ladies 540 kilos competition followed, and this was another match between Bedford Ladies and Sheen Ladies for the gold medal. Bedford put up another good fight against Sheen, but Sheen Ladies again proved to be superior opponents and took their second gold medal of the day. Photo: Bedford Ladies
The mens 600 kilos competition followed, which turned out to be a very close and lively competition, particularly the fight to get to the final. Sheen won the group stages without dropping an end, however the competition to determine the pulling order in the semi finals was very close between Uppertown, Kilroe and Raunds. Raunds ended up finishing as runners up in the group, followed by Kilroe and then Uppertown. The semi finals saw Sheen defeat Uppertown, however the pull between Kilroe and Raunds was very close, with Kilroe having to hold on for a long time to eventually overcome Raunds by 2 ends to 0. In the bronze medal match, Uppertown battled hard to take the bronze medal ahead of Raunds by 2 ends to 0. The final saw Sheen take the gold medal by 2 ends to 0 to secure their fifth gold medal of the day, and their 100th national indoor tug of war title. Photo - Uppertown 
The final mens weight class of the day was the 680 kilos competition, and defending champions Sheen were looking to win their final gold medal of the day to take a clean sweep and repeat the feat that they previously achieved in 1978. Sheen finished top in the group stages, followed by Uppertown, Kilroe, and Raunds. Sheen defeated Raunds in their semi final, and Uppertown defeated Kilroe in their semi final. The bronze medal match was again hard fought, with Kilroe taking their 5th medal of the day by defeating Raunds by 2 ends to 0. The final was certainly very close between a young and improving Uppertown squad and a dominant Sheen team. Uppertown worked hard on both ends, taking Sheen over half way on both ends before Sheen worked them back to take their 6th gold medal of the day. Photo - Raunds
Kessingland 2012 saw 7 Teams take part, two of these were from Northern Ireland. This made for some excellent competition with some really hard fought ends. The Kessingland weekend was organised as a joint event between the Tug of War Association and the Tug of War Federation and is a friendly end of outdoor season tug of war event. The 7 teams competing were Leo’s Boys (Northern Ireland), Garvagh (Northern Ireland), Holland, Raunds, York, Hadleigh and Thames 66 (a combination of pullers from both Thames Valley and 1066). Photo: Leo's Boys
Saturday saw four weight categories take place; 600, 640, 680 and mixed 600. The 600 had four teams entered, The winners were Garvagh with Holland finishing as runners up. Next up was the 640, pulled as a straight 7. There was some tough ends in this competition and it certainly made it a worth while competition to enter for all of the teams. The winners were Holland and Runners up were Garvagh. Photo: Garvagh
The final men’s weight was the 680, this was again 7 teams but split into two groups, a 4 and a 3. The winners were Leo’s Boys and Runners up Holland. The final competition of the day was the mixed 600 which had 3 teams. Winners were Holland and runners up Leo’s Boys. Photo: Holland
Next up was the 660, again a straight 7 with some good pulling and the eventual winners were Garvagh with runners up once again Holland. The final Men’s weight was the 720 with two groups, the rewards being all Northern Ireland with Leo’s Boys coming out winners and Garvagh runners up. The 660 mixed competition had three teams taking part with Holland taking the winners position and Thames 66 finished as runners up. Photo: Hadleigh
The Kessingland event will be running again in October 2013. Any teams or individual pullers wishing to take part next year should make sure they look out for the 2013 fixture list for further information, once it is published in January. Photo: Raunds
The 640 kilos competition took place in the afternoon and England were represented in this weight by Felton Eccles. England were drawn in a group with reigning European Champions Switzerland, as well as tough opponents from Germany. England pulled strongly through the group, only losing two ends to the home nation Switzerland. England progressed to the semi finals along with Switzerland, Ireland and Sweden, which meant that England were guaranteed a top four finish and a place representing Great Britain at the World Games in 2013. In the semi finals England met Ireland in what was a very close contest. England controlled the first end well to take the advantage however Ireland beat England to the drop on the second end to level the match. The third end was very close and England were within a couple of feet of taking the end. Ireland were on 2 cautions and England were on 1 caution. England then collected 2 more cautions which looked harsh to those watching the live streaming, and the place in the final was given to Ireland. Photo - England 640 kilos team on the podium
In the 700 kilos competition, England were represented by Lincoln who competed well in a tough group to finish third in the group, but missed out on a place in the semi finals. England then went into a 5th/6th place pull off with Latvia, defeating Latvia by 2 ends to 0 to finish 5th overall. A great result which means that England have qualified to represent Great Briatin in this weight class at the 2013 World Games in Cali, Columbia. Photo - England 700 kilos team
In the Ladies 540 kilos competition, England were represented by Holland Ladies, who were representing England for the very first time at a world championships. England acquitted themselves well in the competition to finish in 6th place overall. Sweden took the eventual gold medal with Chinese Taipei winning silver and the Netherlands taking bronze. Photo - England Ladies team in the 540 kilos competition
Englands best result of the day came in the 580 kilos competition, with England being represented by Norton who are no strangers to world class tug of war. England went all the way to the final of the competition to face the home nation, Switzerland. England went into the event as 560 kilos European Champions and were confident of getting a good result after a strong season. However, yet again for the Norton lads, the gold medal eluded them and the title was won by Switzerland by 2 ends to 0. Photo - England 580 Kilos team on the podium
The World Outdoor Championships opening ceremony took place in the evening of day 2 following the completion of the open club competition. The opening ceremony involved a parade of the teams with flags and a band through the streets of Appenzell. Residents of the town turned out in force to support the teams. A great experience for all involved and a great way of engaging people with the sport of tug of war. 
The 2012 National League Finals took place at Daventry with a small number of teams in attendance. The event commenced with the 600 kilos competition, and Oxney went into the competition as clear leaders in the league standings and favourites for the gold medal. Oxney went through the entire competition without losing an end and secured the national league gold medal. Sandhurst finished as eventual silver medallists and Norton finished up with the bronze medal. 
The points situation in the 640 kilos competition were close with Sandhurst, Norton and Oxney all in contention to take the gold medal. Sandhurst had a lead in the league of 4 points over Norton and 12 points over Oxney. Norton went through the weight unbeaten on the day to collect maximum points meaning that Sandhurst had to make sure that they defeated all of the other teams by two straight ends to be certain of winning the gold medal. Dropped ends against other teams through the competition meant that Norton finished as the gold medallists, with Sandhurst taking silver and Oxney the bronze. 
The 680 kilos competition was the final weight of the day. Norton went into the competition with a lead of 14 points, and for their nearest rivals Felton to overhaul them, it looked as though they would have to lose every pull in order to lose the gold medal. The 680 kilos competition was actually one of the more competitive weights of the day, and all teams that competed in this weight took points off each other. There was only 2 points separating second and fourth in the league, so the main fight was between Sandhurst, Oxney, and Felton Eccles for the silver medal. In the end, Felton Eccles took the most points out of the three to take the silver medal. Both Oxney and Sandhurst were level on points going into the competition, and Sandhurst took the extra points needed to take the bronze medal. Norton finished the 680 kilos national league competition as eventual gold medallists.
The young pullers of Europe plus South Africa met this year in Retie, Belgium to compete for the GENSB trophy. With 5 minutes to go before the opening ceremony the heavens opened. However, this did not dampen spirits and battle commenced with 35 teams competing in four groups. Photo: Glos/Som ACF C.
Unfortunately Glos/Som ACF “A” missed the cut coming fifth in group 3, behind TTV Powerrangers (Final Place 3rd);Ebersecken (Final Place 2nd);TTV Streefkerk (Final Place 10th); and, TTV Mertensmannen (Final Place13th). Photo: Glos/Som ACF B
Asking the cadets why GENSB was special, they seem to agree that it is a real test for them against the strength in depth within Europe. One young cadet summed up the challenge “We might be National Champions but we have a lot of hard work ahead before we compete again in GENSB in Germany 2013” Photo: Glos/Som ACF A
Following the excitement of competition there was a mood change the following day when the Glos/Som ACF teams visited Ypres. The visits were respectful and included the memorial to the Gloucestershire Regiment, Tyne Cot Cemetery and The Menin Gate. Photo: Sins (Switzerland) GENSB 2012 Winners
The event started with the opening parade of teams, and then the 600 kilos competition. Each of the four home nations fielded A and B teams, and England also fielded an Under 23 team. The competition was pulled as a straight group of 9 teams with the top four teams at the end of the group stage progressing to the semi finals. England A, represented by Norton finished top of the group without dropping any points, however the competition was close between the remaining teams for the other 3 semi final places. Scotland A, England B (represented by Sandhurst), and the two teams from Northern Ireland looked the most capable of progressing, but it was the two teams from Northern Ireland and England B who progressed.
Special mention should be made here of the England Under 23 development squad. At UK championships, each country is allowed to field an under 23 team in the UK 600 kilos championship. England this year were the only country to do so, and gave most teams a good run for their money, coming close to defeating both of the Welsh senior teams and taking ends from the Scotland B team. Well done to them for their effort and commitment. 
The semi finals saw the A and B teams from Northern Ireland and England fight it out for a place in the final. The draw resulted in an all England and all Northern Ireland semi final, so each country was guaranteed at least a silver medal. England A and B met in the semi final, with England A winning by 2 ends to 0. In the other semi final, the two Northern Ireland teams had a real go at each other, with both teams confident of earning a place in the final. The Northern Ireland A team won through by 2 ends to 0 to face England A. 
The bronze medal pull was between England B and Northern Ireland B. Northern Ireland B got off to a strong start, and managed to take England B a good way down the track, but in doing so, they began to pick up cautions for sitting. In the end, they picked up a third caution and the end was awarded to England B. The second end saw Northern Ireland B try hard again, but this time England B won through to take the bronze.
The ladies 520 kilos competition was pulled at the same time as the mens 600 kilos competition, and again, was very competitive. England A and B, Scotland A, and Wales A looked to be the strongest teams in the group stage, and it was those teams who progressed to the semi finals. England B (represented by Sheen Ladies) progressed to the semi finals without losing an end, followed by England A (represented by Bedford Ladies), Scotland A, and Wales A. In the semi finals, England B defeated Wales A, and England A defeated Scotland A. This set up an all England final.
Prior to the final taking place, the bronze medal match was fought out between Scotland A and Wales A. Scotland A were the stronger team on the day and took the bronze medal by 2 ends to 0. The final was another good encounter between England A (represented by Bedford) and England B (represented by Sheen Ladies). England B steadily took the first end to take the advantage in the final. They then elected to make a substitution to bring on a fresh pair of legs to try and make sure of the gold. England A however put up a very strong fight and after a couple of minutes both teams ended up on two cautions. England B, however, had the momentum and managed to take England A over the line to take the gold medal. 
The afternoon started with the mens 680 kilos competition with England, Wales and Scotland all fielding A and B teams, and Northern Ireland just fielding an A team. In this weight, England A were represented by Felton Eccles, and England B were represented by Brockhill, who were representing England for the very first time. In the group stages England A performed strongly to top the group without losing an end. England B had more of a fight on their hands, but progressed to the semi finals in third place level on points with Northern Ireland A. Wales A also progressed to the semi finals.
In the semi finals, England A comfortably dispatched Northern Ireland A to progress to the final. England B and Wales A had a great battle in the second semi final with England B coming very close to bringing Wales A over in the first end, however the strong team from Wales hung on to take the end. Wales A then went on to take the second end to reach the final. 
The bronze medal match was between England B and Northern Ireland A. The first end was a good fight between the two, but it was Northern Ireland A who prevailed to take the first end. The second end went much the same way, and England B missed out on a medal to Northern Ireland A
The final was between England A, represented by Felton Eccles, and the strong Wales A team represented by Llanboidy. These two teams have endured some great battles in recent UK competitions, and everyone looked forward to a competitive match with Wales having the home support behind them. Wales A looked to assert their authority on the first end, however England A hung on to take the first end and the advantage in the final. The second end went much the same way, and England A took the gold medal. 
The bronze medal match was between the A and B teams from Wales, and it was the Welsh A team that took the bronze medal by 2 ends to 0. The final turned out to be a real battle between England A and Scotland A. England A took the first end fairly comfortably, however Scotland A were not prepared to give up the gold medal that easily. On the second end, England A worked Scotland back around half way, only to be stopped by Scotland. Both teams were then battling hard, and both teams started to pick up cautions. After more competitive pulling, Scotland A took the second end to level the final. Scotland then won the toss for the choice of the end, whilst England chose to make a substitution, and both teams then went to battle again. The third end went much the same way, and Scotland went on to take a hard earned bronze medal. Well done to the Holland Ladies who were representing England for the very first time – a great silver medal on their first international appearance. 
The final weight of the closed competition was the mixed 600 kilos event. England, Scotland and Wales all fielded A and B teams in this weight. England A were represented by Holland, and England B were represented by Bedford. Both teams got off to winning starts, however it was England B who went through the group stages of the competition unbeaten, followed by England A who were only defeated by their B team. They both progressed to the semi finals along with The A teams from both Scotland and Wales. Both of the England teams won their semi finals to set up an all England final. 
Prior to the final taking place, the match for bronze took place between Scotland A and Wales A in which Scotland A went on to take the bronze medal. The final between England A and England B was set to be an interesting affair with both of the representative teams having faced each other at the national 4+4 championships earlier in the year. This time however it was England B represented by Bedford that took the gold medal ahead of England A represented by Holland, which meant that England came away from the championships with 4 gold medals, 3 silver medals and 1 bronze medal. Well done to all the teams who represented England at the 2012 UK championships!
As Olympic fever gripped the nation over the weekend, tug of war teams were taking part at the Tug of War Association Inter County Tug of War Championships and National 4+4 Championships held in Bristol on Sunday 29th July. The weather was wet to start with, but the sun later shone for the rest of the day. Photo: Holland 4+4 Team
The competition kicked off with the national 4+4 championships. Bedford went into the event as defending champions from 2011, and started off with a 2 ends to 0 win against York, whilst Holland took the points against Oxney. Bedford dropped an end to Oxney later on in the competition and then went on to defeat Holland by 2 ends to 0. York and Oxney also took one end each off each other. The semi finals saw Holland defeat Oxney, and York take the challenge to Bedford, taking them to within a foot off the line, only for Bedford to wrestle the rope back and take the end. Bedford then went on to take the second end. Photo - Bedford 4+4 team
After receiving an injury to their anchor, York were forced into making a substitution before their bronze medal match against Oxney. On this occasion, York couldn’t get the ends out of Oxney that they looked capable of in the group stages, and Oxney took the bronze medal by 2 ends to 0. Photo: York 4+4 team
The final turned out to be an excellent contest between Holland and Bedford. Bedford had won the group match, but when it comes to a final, group matches do not matter. In a very tough first end, Holland battled very hard to get Bedford moving. Despite looking as though they were going to run out of steam, Holland brought the pull over the line to take the first end. The second end saw Holland try and assert themselves from the drop, and they did enough to bring Bedford over the line and take their first ever Tug of War Association National Championship gold medal. Photo: Norton representing Staffordshire A
The Inter County Championships saw Staffordshire, represented by Norton, go into the event as defending champions in both the 640 kilos and 680 kilos championship weights. The 640 kilos competition was an interesting competition, with all teams competing well at the start. The semi finals saw the teams from Staffordshire, Berkshire, Somerset, and Sussex progress. Staffordshire met Sussex whilst Berkshire were up against Somerset. Berkshire defeated Somerset in two straight ends, but Staffordshire and Sussex had a great first end pull, with Staffordshire hanging on to Sussex to take it. The second end saw Staffordshire get a very fast drop ahead of Sussex and they took the end to reach the final. Photo: Oxney representing Sussex
The final was a great contest between Berkshire (represented by Sandhurst) and Staffordshire, the defending champions (represented by Norton). Both teams dropped in well, but the Berkshire team looked very resilient on this occasion and managed to get Staffordshire moving to take the first end. The second end was another good contest, and this time Staffordshire took the end to level the final. The third end was another good contest, and Berkshire did remarkably well to claim the third end and the Inter County 640 shield. Anstey representing Devon 
The 680 kilos competition followed, and Staffordshire A (represented by Norton) were again defending champions in this weight class. The competition was again pulled as a straight group, with the top four teams progressing to the semi finals. Staffordshire made no slip ups in the group stages and went through to the semi finals just losing one end to a very determined Devon A team represented by Widecombe. The competition between the other teams was very close. Devon A, Sussex, Berkshire, Staffordshire B, and Somerset all took points off each other, with Sussex, Staffordshire B and Somerset all progressing to the semi finals along with Staffordshire A. Photo: Devon A - represented by Widecombe
In the semi finals Staffordshire A defeated Sussex and Somerset defeated Staffordshire B. The final was between Staffordshire A and Somerset, and unlike the 640 kilos Inter County Competition Staffordshire A made no mistake in winning the final by 2 ends to 0 against Somerset who were represented by Felton Eccles. Photo: Somerset - represented by Felton Eccles
The 1904 Olympic Games, held in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, were dominated by teams from the United States, who entered 4 teams into the competition. The USA teams finished in the top four places at the event, followed by Greece and South Africa. The format of the competition at the 1904 Olympics saw the losing semi finalists pull each other for the right to pull the losing finalist team for the silver medal. The winner of the final of course won the gold medal, whilst the losing finalist had to pull the winner of the repechage in the silver medal match. The gold medal winning USA team were represented by members of the Milwaukee Athletics Club. Photo: the 1904 gold medal winning team from the USA - Represented by the Milwaukee Athletics Club
The 1908 Olympics held in London saw tug of war teams comprise 8 pulling members for the first time. As with the USA teams in 1904; 1908 saw the Great Britain teams dominate the proceedings, entering three teams, and winning the gold, silver and bronze medals. The team represented by the Liverpool Police won the bronze medal against Sweden, with the London Police Forces of the City of London Police and the Metropolitan Police both getting their teams to the final. The gold medal was won by the Great Britain team represented by the City of London Police, with the Metropolitan Police winning the silver medal for Great Britain. Photo: The City of London Police Tug of War Team of 1908 - Gold medallists for Great Britain at the 1908 London Olympic Games
At the 1908 Olympic Games, there was controversy over the footwear worn by Liverpool Police team who "... were wearing enormous shoes, so heavy in fact that it was only with great effort that they could lift their feet from the ground". Photo: Liverpool Police Team of 1908 - Bronze medallists for Great Britain at the 1908 London Games
The team from Liverpool insisted this was their regulation police footwear and, despite the rules banning ''prepared boots or shoes with any protruding nails'', an American protest in the first round was over-ruled and the Liverpool Police team won the pull easily. At the close of the competition, the Liverpool Police team offered to pull their American opponents in bare feet, however that offer was declined! Photo: The USA Tug of War team competing at the 1908 London Olympic Games
The 1912 Olympics were held in Stockholm, Sweden. A number of countries withdrew from the tug of war event at this Olympics and left Great Britain and Sweden to fight it out for the gold medal. Great Britain were again represented by the City of London Police, but on this occasion, they were unsuccessful in defending their Olympic crown, and the gold medal went to Sweden. Photo: Great Britain and Sweden fighting it our for the gold medal at the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm, Sweden
The outbreak of the first World War resulted in the non-staging of the Olympic Games in 1916. The Olympics were then held again in 1920 in Antwerp, Belgium. The City of London Police again represented Great Britain in the tug of war event, and after the disappointment of 1912, they bounced back to take the gold medal ahead of the Netherlands who won silver, and Belgium who won bronze. Photo: The Great Britain tug of war team of 1920 - winners of the last Olympic Gold Medal in Antwerp, 1920 - represented by the City of London Police. 
The organisers confirmed that tug of war continues to gain support throughout the town as an Olympic Sport "re-invented". Teams were fielded from the local community including the Alcester Youth Club (best newcomers) and the Alcester Pub Watch Members, including The Holly Bush, The Moat House, The Turks Head, The White Lion and The Royal Oak. After a heart stopping four rounds the Holly Bush Team took the Trophy. Photo: Alcester Youth Club in action
Pictured here are the people instrumental in organising the tug of war event - Richard Lane (left), Colin Harris (centre), and Jonny Mac (right). Richard Lane is a member of the Tug of War Association Midland Area, and Colin Harris was previously an anchor man with Alcester TOWC and Warwickshire Farmers when they fielded regular teams on the circuit. Jonny Mac also pulled with Warwickshire Farmers at number 1. Both Colin and Jonny have been training and guiding Alcester Youth Club, and it was Colin who suggested to the Alcester Olympic Committee to get tug of war included on the programme. Well done and thank you to these men for showcasing our sport at this event. 
The 2012 National Outdoor Tug of War Championships were this year held at Buxton Rugby Club in Derbyshire. The weather conditions on the day were damp, but fortunately the ground was well drained which ensured that the pulling conditions for all of the teams taking were reasonable. The event was reasonably well supported by spectators despite the weather, and the teams put on a good display for all present. Photo: Holland TOWC
The day started with the mens catchweight, ladies 540 kilos, Junior Men 530 kilos, and also the Junior Ladies 530 kilos and 480 kilos demonstration event. A small number of teams entered the mens catchweight competition. Holland gave Sheen a good run for their money in the first round, but ran out of steam later in the pull, and Sheen ended up winning the match by 2 ends to 0 and progressed through to the final. Bosley also managed to progress to the final to set up a repeat of the 2011 catchweight final. Sheen took the first end fairly comfortably, but on the second end, Bosley attacked to take some rope. Sheen managed to stand firm however and took the first gold medal of the day. Photo: Leciester, Northants and Rutland ACF Junior Ladies
The ladies 540 kilos competition saw teams looking to challenge last years ladies national champions Sheen Ladies. Holland Ladies and Bedford Ladies were the closest challengers followed by Team Army Ladies who all made the cross over. In the semi finals, Sheen Ladies defeated Team Army Ladies, and Bedford Ladies overcame Holland Ladies. Holland Ladies and Team Army Ladies fought it out for the bronze medal, and it was Holland Ladies who took bronze by 2 ends to 0. The final saw Sheen Ladies pull impressively well to defeat Bedford ladies by 2 ends to 0 to take the gold medal. Photo: Gloucester and Somerset ACF Junior Ladies 
The junior 530 kilos was contested between clubs from Lincolnshire ACF, Leicester, Northants, and Rutland ACF, and Gloucester and Somerset ACF. Gloucester and Somerset and Leicester and Northants both won their pulls against Lincoln, and then in the group stage, Gloucester and Somerset defeated Leicester and Northants. Both Gloucester and Somerset and Leicester and Northants met each other again in the final, with Gloucester and Somerset winning the gold medal by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Holland Ladies
For the second year running, the TOWA organised a junior ladies demonstration event, as we look to establish a regular championship for junior ladies in addition to junior men. This year, Gloucester and Somerset ACF and Leicester, Northants and Rutland ACF took part in the junior ladies demonstration event at both 480 kilos and 530 kilos. On this occasion, Gloucester and Somerset ACF won both weight classes after losing out to Leicester and Northants ACF in 2011. Photo: Sheen Ladies
Next up was the 640 kilos which was run in two groups. Felton Eccles were the defending champions in this weight, and were looking to reach their 17th consecutive final at 640 kilos. This year, they faced stiff opposition from a number of teams, including Norton who have not usually entered this weight class. A lot was at stake in this weight class as not only would the winning team be invited to represent England at the World Championships in September, but there was also a possibility that the winning team might be invited to represent Great Britain at 640 kilos at the 2013 World Games in Columbia, subject to England finishing in the top 6 at the World Championships in September as well as finishing ahead of the other UK countries in this weight class. Group 1 contained Felton, as well as other strong teams from Fulstow, Lincoln, Oxney, Sandhurst and Norton. Both Norton and Felton beat all of the other teams, which set up an intriguing group encounter. Norton took a tight first end after Felton received three cautions, and Felton then battled really hard to take the second end after Norton themselves received a third caution. This was seen as a potential for a good final if both teams overcame further group matches and their semi final pulls. Photo: Gloucester and Somerset ACF Junior Men
In group 2, Sheen and Two Dales managed to progress after some surprise defeats for Brockhill who looked like serious contenders at this weight in the build up to the event. In the semi finals, Norton defeated Two Dales by 2 ends to 0, however things were not quite as straight forward in the other semi final between Felton and Sheen. Felton won the pull by 2 ends to 0, but Sheen made Felton work very hard for their win. The bronze medal match saw Sheen and Two Dales meet to fight it out for the medal. Sheen won the pull between these two teams in the group stages, however history means nothing when pulling for a medal, and Two Dales turned the tables to take the bronze medal by 2 ends to 0. The final was between Norton and Felton Eccles, a final which everyone looked forward to after the previous group match between these two sides. On this occasion, Norton dropped in with more composure and once they got Felton moving they did not stop and went on to take the first end. The second end went much the same way, and it was Norton who took the gold medal – their first outdoor national title at 640 kilos. Photo: Wood Treatment Bosley 
The mens 580 kilos competition followed, which was pulled in a straight group as a points competition with the top four teams going through to the semi finals. Norton, Sandhurst, Oxney and Felton Eccles all progressed to the semi finals. In the first semi final, Norton defeated Felton Eccles by 2 ends to 0. In the second semi final, Sandhurst and Oxney met after both teams had taken an end each off each other in the group stages. This time, Sandhurst gave a more solid performance, winning a place in the final by 2 ends to 0. In the bronze medal pull, Felton pulled off a remarkable turnaround to beat Oxney to the bronze medal by 2 ends to 0 after Oxney had previously beaten Felton in the group stages. The final was yet another showcase between Norton and Sandhurst. These two teams have given us some memorable lightweight finals over the years, but there was no stopping Norton today, who despite Sandhurst’s best efforts, went on to secure a 2 ends to 0 win to take their second gold medal of the day. Photo: Lincolnshire ACF Junior Men
The middle of the days competition saw the mens 700 kilos competition take place, as well as the ladies 500 kilos competition and the junior men 560 kilos competition. In the mens 700 kilos competition, the weight was pulled as a straight group. There was some very close pulling in this weight, with all teams dropping ends. It was between Felton, Brockhill, Holland, Lincoln and Sheen to decide who would make it to the semi finals. Felton, Brockhill, Lincoln, and Brockhill all progressed. In the semi finals, Sheen defeated Brockhill, and Felton defeated Lincoln, both pulls being won by 2 ends to 0. In the bronze medal pull, Brockhill and Lincoln faced each other having won one end each against each other in the group. This time, Brockhill took the pull by 2 ends to 0 to take the bronze medal. In the final, Felton Eccles took on Sheen, with both teams having taken an end off each other in the group stages. On this occasion, despite a great effort from Felton, Sheen took the gold medal by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Leicester, Northants and Rutland ACF Junior Men
The junior 560 kilos competition was again contested between Gloucester and Somerset ACF, Lincoln ACF, and Leicester and Northants ACF. The competition went much the same way as the 530 kilos competition held earlier, with both Gloucester and Somerset and Leicester and Northants winning their matches against Lincoln. Glouchester and Somerset then beat Leicester and Northants in the group stage, before going on to defeat them again in the final by 2 ends to 0 to win their second gold medal of the day. Photo: Team Army Ladies
The ladies 500 kilos competition was another good ladies weight class that was very competitive. Bedford progressed through to the semi finals without losing an end, followed by Sheen Ladies, Holland Ladies and Team Army Ladies. In the semi finals, Bedford defeated Team Army Ladies, and Sheen Ladies defeated Holland Ladies. Holland Ladies again faced Team Army Ladies in the bronze medal match, with both teams fighting hard for the bronze medal. In the end, it was Holland Ladies who took their second bronze medal of the day by 2 ends to 0. The final was another showdown between Bedford Ladies and Sheen Ladies. Bedford went into the final with high hopes as they tend to always favour the lighter of the ladies weight classes, and they went on to secure a hard earned 2 ends to 0 win over Sheen Ladies to take the gold medal. Photo: Bedford Ladies
The mens 600 kilos competition was up next, and was pulled as one group with semi final cross overs. Oxney and Two Dales opened the competition with a tough battle, the pull going 1 end each. Norton, Bosley and Sandhurst all started with wins, and all three of these teams progressed through to the semi finals in addition to Oxney who just pipped Two Dales into the last four. In the semi finals, Sandhurst defeated Bosley and Norton defeated Oxney. In the bronze medal match, Bosley faced Oxney, with Bosley having already defeated Oxney by 2 ends to 0 on the group stage. Things were not that straight forward this time however, and Oxney went on to take a hard fought bronze medal by 2 ends to 0. The final was a repeat of the earlier 580 kilos final between Norton and Sandhurst. Again, Norton were very strong in this weight and they went on to take the gold medal by 2 ends to 0 to take their third gold medal of the day. Photo: Felton Eccles
The final weight of the 2012 National Outdoor Tug of War Championships was the 680 kilos competition, which was pulled in two groups. Both Felton and Norton progressed from their group ahead of Bosley, Sandhurst, Lincoln and Team Army, however things were very close in the second group containing Holland, Sheen, Oxney, Fulstow, Brockhill and Two Dales. Holland, Sheen, and Brockhill all took one end each off each other, whilst Oxney picked up a good number of ends throughout the competition to finish top of the group, including a 2 ends to 0 win over Sheen. This result sent the defending champions out of the competition, and Brockhill progressed at their expense having picked up one more point than Holland. In the semi finals, Norton defeated Brockhill and Felton defeated Oxney. The bronze medal pull was hard fought, with both teams looking to secure a second bronze medal for the day. On this occasion Brockhill took the bronze medal to cap off a decent day for them after a shaky start in the 640 kilos earlier in the day. The final was between Norton and Oxney. This was Norton’s third appearance in a 680 kilos national final in as many years, and they made it third time lucky by taking the gold medal away from Felton Eccles by 2 ends to 0. This was Norton’s fourth gold medal of the day, and they became only the second team in the history of the TOWA to win four gold medals at an outdoor national championship. Photo: Fulstow TOWC
The TOWA would like to congratulate all of the teams who took part on the day despite the poor weather conditions. The TOWA would also like to thank all of the officials, timekeepers and helpers for their work throughout the day. In addition, a big vote of thanks must be extended to Buxton Rugby Club and Sheen Tug of War Club for all of their efforts in helping to stage the event. Without the hard work of all officials, teams, volunteers and those at the venue we would have had no championship. A big thanks to all. Photo: Norton TOWC - Winners of four national championship gold medals. 
Photo: Two Dales TOWC
Photo: Sheen TOWC
Photo: Team Army TOWC
The 640 kilos competition was again keenly contested with many teams dropping ends throughout the competition with the exception of Norton. Bosley, Oxney, Sandhurst and Norton all made it through to the semi finals. In the semi finals, Norton defeated Oxney by 2 ends to 0, but things were not so straight forward again in the second semi final which went to three ends. Bosley took the first end off Sandhurst, however Sandhurst regrouped on the next 2 ends to make it to the final. The 640 kilos final was another test between Norton and Sandhurst, however it was Norton that came through with the 2 ends to 0 win to take the gold medal and complete the AAA double. Photo: Norton Coach John Webb (left) recieving the AAA catchweight trophy from new TOWA president Mr. Steve Bowler. 
The 680 kilos competition was again keenly contested with both Brockhill and Norton reaching the final, Norton taking their fourth win of the day with a 2 ends to 0 win in the final. The final weight of the day was the 640 kilos competition. Norton did not enter this weight class, so there was a chance for another team to take the winners medal. The competition was split into two groups which saw Sandhurst A, Bosley, Oxney and Holland progress to the semi finals. Sandhurst A and Oxney both progressed to the final, which was won by Sandhurst A by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Kennford
The first weight was the catchweight competition, pulled as a straight group, followed by semi finals and a final. Felton Eccles, Lincoln, Widecombe and Sandhurst all progressed to the semi finals. Felton Eccles defeated Widecombe in their semi final, with Lincoln and Sandhurst going to three ends in their semi final, with lincoln winning by 2 ends to 1. In the final, Felton Eccles defeated Lincoln by 2 ends to 0 to win the competition. Photo: Oxney Vines Cross
The second weight was the 640 kilos, which was split into two groups. There was some very close competition in this weight, with many teams dropping ends to each other. Norton, Sandhurst, Oxney and Lincoln all progressed to the semi finals. In the semi finals, Norton defeated Oxney and Sandhurst defeated Lincoln. Norton then went on to win the gold medal by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Felton Eccles
The 700 kilos competition was pulled as a straight group with the top four teams going through to a semi final. Felton Eccles and Norton both progressed through the final having both taken an end off each other in the group stages. In the final, Norton overcame Felton by 2 ends to 0 to take the gold medal. Photo: 40 Regiment RA
The final weights of the day were the 600 kilos and 680 kilos. Norton took both weights, with Oxney finishing as runners up in the 600 kilos competition, and Felton Eccles reached their third final of the day in the 680 kilos competition to take silver. Photo: Llanboidy
This weekend teams were competing at the Midland Championships held in Barton-under-Needwood. This was the first opportunity for some teams to get some competition for 2 weeks after the two previous competitions in some areas were cancelled due to waterlogged fields as a result of the persistent wet weather. This weekend, dry weather returned and the conditions were good for tug of war. Photo: Lincoln
The day started with the catchweight competition, which was a very close competition throughout, with no teams going through this weight class without losing an end. The competition was split into two groups with Bosley, Sheen, Felton Eccles and Norton all making the semi-final stages of the competition. Sheen were drawn against Felton Eccles in their semi final, and Norton and Bosley met in the second semi final. Sheen succumbed to a 2 ends to 0 defeat to Felton Eccles and Norton overcame Bosley to reach the final. Norton then had to overcome a tough pull against Felton Eccles and won the weight by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Sheen
The win in the catchweight competition then set Norton up for the rest of the day, where they went on to win all weight classes. In the 680 kilos, they defeated Brockhill from Leicestershire in the final, in the 640 kilos, they defeated Sandhurst in the final, in the 620 kilos they defeated Felton Eccles in the final, and in the 600 kilos, they defeated Lincoln in the final. Photo: Sandhurst
The ladies and youth competitions were also hotly contested, with 8 and 9 teams taking part, with a good mix of ladies, junior men, and junior ladies taking part. Glos/Som ACF’s “A” team won both weight classes on the day at 560 kilos and 520 kilos without losing any ends. They were closely following in the 560 kilos competition by Sheen Ladies who gave them a good run for their money. Photo: Norton
Well done to all of the teams who took part. The Tug of War Association Midland No. 2 Area would like to thank all of the teams who came along on the day to take part as well as the officials and recorders – Roger Beardsmore, Mick Grimston, Ernie Jones, Stuart Bell, Ray Fray-Smith, Dave Kitchener, Jill Thomas, and Wendy Dyer. Photo: Brockhill
Teams Competing - Men - Felton Eccles, Norton, Sheen, Lincoln, Brockhill, Oxney Vines Cross, Sandhurst (A and B), Holland (A and B), 1066 - Ladies and Youth - Holland, 1066, Sheen Ladies, Bedford Ladies, Glos/Som ACF (A and B), Leicester and Northants ACF (A and B). Photo: Felton Eccles and Norton competing in the catchweight competition.
A good number of teams turned out to support the East of England Championships, which were hosted by Bedford Ladies at Kempston near Bedford. Norton were again the dominant force on the day winning all four weight classes in the senior mens weights. The pulling was close for the other positions with 4 other teams taking runners up medals in the four mens weight categories. Photo: Glos/Som Junior Girls team
ieThe ladies and youth weights were also well supported, with both the Glos/Som ACF and LNR ACF clubs fielding junior boys and girls teams against the ladies teams of Holland, 1066, Sheen Ladies and Bedford Ladies. Glos/Som and Sheen Ladies won one weight each, with 1066 and Bedford Ladies taking runners up positions. Photo: 1066 competing in the ladies and youth competition.
Photo: Oxney Vines Cross TOWC competing in the 640 kilos competition. 
The event started with the catchweight competition. The ground was slightly endy, with all teams competing dropping ends throughout the competition . Felton Eccles and Lincoln accumulated the most points throughout the competition, with Felton Eccles finishing as the eventual winners with Lincoln finishing as runners up. At the end of the catchweight competition, a memorial shield was presented in memory of Norman Hyde who passed away last year. The presentation was made by Andrew Hyde (Norman’s son) who was present at the event with other members of Norman’s family. Photo: Andrew Hyde (left) presenting the Norman Hyde catchweight memorial shield to the coach of Felton Eccles. 
The ladies and youth competitions then followed, with only Sheen Ladies and Bedford Ladies taking part. Bedford Ladies had a full turnout of ladies pullers and defeated Sheen Ladies to win the first ladies competitions of the season. Photo: Sheen Ladies
In the remaining mens weight classes, Norton had another excellent weekend winning the 600, 640, 680, and 720 without losing an end. The competition for the runners up places was very competitive in those weight classes however. Lincoln finished as runners up in the 720 kilos weight class, and Bosley and Holland both finished on level points in the 680 kilos weight class, with Holland being declared runners up using the TWIF rules format. Bosley finished as runners up in the 640 kilos competition, and Hanging Bridge edged out Two Dales to finish as runners up in the 600 kilos competition. Photo: Bosley
At the end of the two early pulls, the winning teams were presented with a team trophy for each weight class, with Melbourne winning an award for the most improved team over the two competitions. Well done to them. Photo: The Melbourne Team at the presentation.
Richard Lane and the Inkberrow Bulls Tug of War Club from the Tug of War Association Midland Area recently organised a tug of war demonstration event in Alcester, Warwickshire. Richard was assisted by Area 2 officials Roger Beardsmore, Tony Henshaw and Len Hall. The event was being organised as a taster session as part of the Olympic celebrations, where Alcester will be organising their own Olympics later this year. 
The demonstration event involved Inkberrow Bulls, Glossom ACF, and Shires TOWC, and local school representatives and youth clubs were invited along to watch the demonstration pulling, and were then given the opportunity to have a go at tug of war. 
The first day of competition saw the mens 560 kilos and 640 kilos competitions take place, along with the ladies 540 kilos club competition and under 23 600 kilos competition. There was no involvement from English clubs in the mens 560 kilos, 640 kilos competitions or the ladies 540 kilos competition, however there was some closely fought competition in these weights, particularly the 560 kilos competition. The 560 kilos competition was won with a fine performance from the Country Club team from Northern Ireland who defeated Abadino A from the Basque region of Spain in the final by 2 ends to 0. Amaiur, also from the Basque region took the bronze ahead of Chinese Taipei. 
The under 23 competition was held at a world indoor championship for the first time. ETOWA entered an under 23 team and competed well in the group stage to progress to the semi finals, along with strong the A and B teams from Chinese Taipei, and a composite team from Ireland pulling as Cockhill. In the semi finals, ETOWA were defeated by Chinese Taipei B, and then went through into the bronze medal pull against Cockhill, who they had already defeated in the group stages. This pull was much different. Cockhill had made steady improvements as the competition wore on, and made a substitution mid-way through the competition which improved the balance of their team. ETOWA took over 3 of the 4 required metres off Cockhill on the first end, however the Irish team responded to take the first end. ETOWA pushed hard again on the second end, however the Irish team had the momentum and took ETOWA over the line to take the bronze medal. The final was won by Chinese Taipei A, who defeated Chinese Taipei B by 2 ends to 1 in the final in an excellent pull. Both teams had exceptional quality with Chinese Taipei A having to work very hard for their win.
In the 600 kilos competition, Kilroe were in fine form in their group, finishing in first position without losing an end and progressed to the semi finals along with St Pats from Ireland who finished as group runners up. Kilroe were joined in the semi finals by Mountain View from Ireland who also won their group in convincing fashion and Abadino A from the Basque region who progressed as runners up in that group. In the semi finals, Kilroe defeated Abadino A by 2 ends to 0, and Mountain View defeated St Pats by the same score. In the bronze medal pull, Abadino A secured a hard earned bronze medal by 2 ends to 0. The final between Kilroe and Mountain View was eagerly anticipated as both teams performed so strongly in the group phases. This was also to be a repeat of the 2011 UK Open Indoor Final where Mountain View took gold by 2 ends to 1. On this occasion, Kilroe performed strongly and had the upper hand on both ends to win the World Open Club title by 2 ends to 0. 
The ladies 500 kilos competition saw Sheen Ladies competing, and pulled well through the group stages to qualify for the semi finals along with Chinese Taipei, Badaiotz, and Ayrshire from Scotland. In the semi finals, Sheen Ladies were defeated by Basque team Badaiotz, so had to be content with going through to the bronze medal pull against Ayrshire who were defeated by Chinese Taipei. Sheen and Ayrshire were involved in a very hard fought contest with Sheen Ladies taking the first end. The second end was very close, with both teams eventually receiving three cautions. As such, the second end was declared a no pull, and both teams had to battle it out again. This time Sheen Ladies managed to battle Ayrshire all the way over the line to take the bronze medal. The final was a good contest between Badaiotz and Chinese Taipei. Chinese Taipei took the first end, but the Basque Ladies showed enough on the first end to suggest that they were not out of it. On the second end, Badaiotz managed to hang on to the Chinese Taipei Ladies, where weaknesses began to show, and Chinese Taipei were blown out for receiving three cautions for locking. The third end went the same way and the gold medal went to Badaiotz.
The world championships commenced on Saturday, with the championships opening ceremony taking place, with a Highland band, dancers, and opening speeches from Bill Meston (Scottish TOWA), Cathal McKeever (TWIF), and Shona Robertson (MSP and Sports/Commonwealth Games Minister for Scotland).
Controversy then struck. Chinese Taipei took the first end against Northern Ireland, but were then discovered cleaning their shoes with solvent in between ends. The chief judge then took the decision to disqualify Chinese Taipei. In the past, a number teams have been seen to use solvents to clean the soles of their shoes to enable optimum grip, however at the start of this years championship, the Chief Judge informed all teams/countries that no solvents were to be used. On this basis, the Chief Judge decided to disqualify Chinese Taipei from the 560 kilos competition. The Taipei team remained in the arena for the remainder of the competition whilst their own officials appealed the decision, however it was to no avail, and the team were disqualified. The team left the arena in tears after the completion of the group matches, bowing to the crowd in a gesture which later turned out to be their way of apologising to the supporters and officials for breaking the rules on the day. 
The ladies 540 kilos competition saw no involvement from the England Ladies, who elected to compete at 500 kilos as it was considered to be their strongest weight class. The competition for gold in the early stages looked to be between Chinese Taipei and China, however China were the second team to be disqualified on the day after using solvents to clean their footwear. The eventual teams to progress to the semi finals were Switzerland, South Africa, Netherlands, and Chinese Taipei. In the semi finals, the Netherlands defeated South Africa, and Chinese Taipei defeated Switzerland. The bronze medal match was hard fought, and it was South Africa’s ladies who took the bronze medal to win their first ever medal at a world indoor championships. The final was another demonstration of power and poise by the Chinese Taipei Ladies as they outlasted the Netherlands Ladies to win gold by 2 ends to 0. 
The afternoon competition saw the 640 kilos weight class take place, with England being represented by Sheen. England were current defending champions from 2010 in this weight class, and went into the event with high hopes of defending their crown. England started the competition well, and continued their good form to progress to the semi finals without losing an end. In the semi finals, England defeated the ever improving team from China, and then went through to the final to meet host nation Scotland who defeated Ireland in their semi final. England took a tight first end in just under 2 minutes, but on the second end, England dropped in with conviction to win the second end in just over 30 seconds to take the gold medal at 640 kilos and retain the title. Ireland finished as bronze medallists after defeating China.
The second day of competition was certainly very lively, with yet more hard fought competition. The day kicked off with the 600 kilos competition, and England’s representatives in this weight class were Kilroe. The competition started with Japan taking a surprise first end off Scotland, however Scotland regrouped to take the second. England started off by defeating the Netherlands and Ireland, and Chinese Taipei and Northern Ireland started off with a 1-1 draw. England made steady progress early on, however had to endure a tough match against Japan with their alternative pulling technique. England took a tough first end, but on the second end, the lifting and slack rope of the Japanese resulted in both teams picking up warnings. Both teams picked up two cautions, before England got up and started taking Japan back only for the judge to declare the pull a no pull. England then took the second end, but it took a lot out of the team. England then started to drop ends, but had done enough early on to secure progress to the semi finals.
During the mens 600 kilos competition, the ladies 500 kilos competition took place, with England being represented by Sheen Ladies. England in this weight competed strongly, only losing ends to Chinese Taipei. England progressed to the semi finals along with Chinese Taipei, Scotland and South Africa. In the semi finals, England comfortably defeated South Africa by 2 ends to 0 to go forward and compete against Chinese Taipei in the final. Before the final, the bronze medal pull took place, with Scotland defeating South Africa by 2 ends to 0. In the final, the England Ladies acquitted themselves well, attacking Chinese Taipei from the drop and taking them over half way towards the line. However, the well drilled ladies from Taipei held firm and worked England back to take the first end. The second end went much the same way, and gold went to Chinese Taipei, but it was another good silver medal for the England ladies on the day.
The mens 680 kilos competition saw England being represented by Uppertown, who were back representing England on the world stage for the first time in a number of years. England competed well to pick up enough points to qualify for the semi finals along with Scotland, Ireland and the Netherlands. In the semi finals, England were up against a strong team from Ireland and succumbed to a 2 ends to 0 defeat, whilst the Netherlands defeated defending champions Scotland in the other semi final. This meant that England would face Scotland for the bronze. England competed well to take the first end, however Scotland rallied and managed to stop England from working them out on the second end and Scotland levelled the pull. The third end went much the same way, and Scotland took the bronze, with England finishing in fourth place. This was a great performance from Uppertown as England representatives. The team contained many young faces who have not been taking part on the indoor circuit for very long, so 4th place in the world is still a very good achievement. The final was not quite as close as the bronze medal pull, and it was Ireland who secured a comfortable 2 ends to 0 win over the Netherlands to win their first world indoor title since 1997.
The final event of the championships was the mixed 4+4 event, and England were represented in this weight by Sheen Ladies and Sheen Men. England competed strongly in the group to progress to the semi finals along with Chinese Taipei, Scotland, and China. In the semi finals, England defeated China and Chinese Taipei defeated Scotland. The bronze medal match was very close indeed with Scotland taking the bronze medal by 2 ends to 1. England went into the final against Chinese Taipei with high hopes, and England got off to a good start on the first end by taking Chinese Taipei over half way. Chinese Taipei managed to hang on and worked England back to take the first end. The second end went exactly the same way, and it was Taipei who took the gold medal.
We can now look forward to the world championships in Perth and will be competing in the U23s open championships as ETOWA and will be pulling Taipei in a demonstration event as England. Unfortunately three of our pullers will not be attending due to work commitments but we still have nine members of our squad able to compete.
The first weight was the 600 kilos competition. Scotland A started off by defeated England B, and England A defeated Scotland B. England’s under 23 team competed in the event as England C, and acquitted themselves well against Northern Ireland A first on, but succumbed to a 2 ends to 0 defeat. As the group progressed, England A won all of their pulls by 2 ends to 0, including a 2 ends to 0 win over defending champions Scotland A. England A finished off the competition by defeating Northern Ireland A by 2 ends to 0, who also defeated Scotland A in the group stage. The A teams from England, Scotland and Northern Ireland all progressed to the semi finals, with England B and Scotland B left to fight it out for the last place in the semi finals. The final place in the semi-finals went to Scotland B.
In the bronze medal match, Northern Ireland A had to endure another three ends of tug of war against Scotland B, but this time prevailed by 2 ends to 1 to take a well deserved bronze medal. In the final, England A faced up to Scotland A who had won this event for the past 5 years. A big surprise was how England A steadily pushed Scotland A over the line in under 2 minutes on both ends to take the gold medal. 
In the 680 kilos event, Scotland A again went into the competition as defending champions. England A started off with a win against Northern Ireland A, and England B started off with a defeat to Scotland A. England B then got their momentum going in the competition by defeating Scotland B and Northern Ireland A, but lost out to England A who progressed to the semi finals without dropping an end after defeating Scotland A.
In the semi finals, England A defeated Northern Ireland A, and England B gave a good account of themselves against Scotland A, but missed out on a spot in the final after a 2 ends to 0 defeat. In the bronze medal pull, England B performed strongly to take the bronze medal by 2 ends to 0 against Northern Ireland A.
In the final, England A and Scotland A faced each other for the second time. England took a tight first end, and looked to be in good form to take the second end, but both teams then started to make mistakes. A costly slip by England saw Scotland take full advantage and level the score in the final. The third end saw both teams retain their composure before England edged their way over the line to take the gold medal by 2 ends to 1.
In the mixed 600 kilos 4+4 event, England A and B were represented by the combined teams from Sheen and Sheen Ladies. Both teams performed strongly, with England A progressing through the group stage with relative ease. England B also gave a good account of themselves to progress as group runners up after a tough 2 ends to 0 win over Scotland A. In the semi finals, England A and B were joined by Scotland A and B. England A defeated Scotland A, and England B defeated Scotland B. In the bronze medal pull, Scotland A took the medal from their B counterparts. In the final, England A maintained their superior form and took the gold medal by 2 ends to 0.
Following the completion of the closed weight classes, the open 640 kilos competition took place. The semi finalists were Kilroe, Ayrshire, Ballyhagen and the ETOWA Under 23s. In the semi finals, Kilroe defeated the Under 23s, and Ayrshire defeated Ballyhagen. Ballyhagen took the bronze medal by 2 ends to 0 ahead of a highly spirited and committed display by our under 23s. Well done to them.
This years national indoor tug of war championships were again held at the Harry Mitchell Centre in Smethwick, West Midlands, with a small number of teams entering this years event. The teams competing were Sheen, Norton, Raunds, Kilroe, Sandhurst and Uppertown. Unfortunately, only Sheen Ladies registered to take part in the ladies weight categories, so we were not able to run a ladies indoor championships this year. This years championships also included a 600 kilos 4+4 event. Photo: Raunds
The 640 kilos competition followed, and was keenly contested. Sheen finished at the top of the group in the round robin stage without losing any points. Kilroe edged out Raunds to finish in second position, with Uppertown joining Sheen, Kilroe and Raunds in the semi finals. In the semi finals, Sheen defeated Uppertown by 2 ends to 0, and Kilroe and Raunds had another tight pull, which Kilroe won by 2 ends to 0 to reach the final. The bronze medal match was a good exciting pull between Raunds and Uppertown, with Raunds going into the match having beaten Uppertown in the group stage. Uppertown this time turned it around to win the match by 2 ends to 0 to take a good bronze medal. To watch the first end, please 
The 560 kilos weight class followed, and as always, was an eagerly anticipated weight class. Norton and Kilroe both started out with wins against Sheen, before both teams met again in the final. Norton took a tight first end (
PhotoThe 600 kilos event was the next weight class, and was the most fiercely contested competition of the day. There was some very close competition in this weight class, particularly between Sheen, Norton, and Kilroe. Sheen and Norton were first to pull, and in an evenly contested first end (
The next pull saw Norton meet Kilroe, and again, they had to endure three ends of tough pulling. This time Norton took the first end (
The final weight of the day was the 680 kilos competition. The group stages were again dominated by Sheen who progressed to the semi finals without losing an end. They were joined by Kilroe, Raunds and Uppertown who made up the other semi finalists. In the semi finals, Kilroe defeated Uppertown and Sheen defeated Raunds. Uppertown and Raunds were involved in another exciting pull for the bronze medal, with Uppertown again edging out Raunds to take their second bronze medal of the day. To watch the first end, please 
The 640 kilos competition was keenly contested, with no-one considered to be a favourite before the start of the competition. In the group stages Sheen started off with a good 2 ends to 0 win over Kilroe, and went through the remainder of the group stage of the competition without losing an end. Kilroe got over their first round defeat to get through to the semi finals, and they were joined by Raunds and Norton. In the semi finals, Sheen met Raunds and Norton met Kilroe. Sheen defeated Raunds by 2 ends to 0, but it was a good second semi-final between Kilroe and Norton, with Kilroe edging out Norton by 2 ends to 0. Kilroe and Sheen met for the second time in the final, and again Sheen pulled strongly to take a well deserved gold medal by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Norton
The open weights contested were at 580 kilos, 600 kilos, 620 kilos and 680 kilos. Kilroe won the 580 kilos competition ahead of Uppertown who finished as runners up. The 680 kilos competition followed with Sheen A taking the winners position with Kilroe A finishing as runners up. Photo: Kilroe
The 600 kilos was keenly contested with all of the teams getting some good competition. Kilroe and Norton were the two teams who came out ahead of the rest of the teams competing, with Norton winning the competition after they defeated Kilroe by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Raunds
We must firstly mention that ETOWA 2 had a Mammoth task only weighing 560 kilos in this 600k competition but, each and everyone of you must be congratulated on your efforts - you were outstanding and fought all the way. We know that had you been up on weight you would be contending the top places. ETOWA 1 had a superb day and, to everyone’s delight, won our first ever open medal - a brilliant bronze!
A tough corner on endy ground was the order of the day - the same for all teams but spoiling the competition somewhat. We performed well but, due to the ground conditions, drew too many matches and two harsh blowbacks to the middle cost us a place in the last four finally finishing fifth overall. That's tug of war and we will live to fight another day. We congratulate all the medal winning teams well done to all of you you are a credit to myself, Stuart and our Association.
The comments we have received about our squads’ performance from our Association, members and individuals have been extremely positive and very encouraging and our supporters second to none.We have a sound base to build upon for the coming years with all our young pullers and we know we can further improve our placing's at future world championships with the quality of the pullers we now have available to us. We would like to thank all our clubs for allowing our squad to use their facilities and young pullers to form our successful squad.
The first two days of the championships saw the European Open Club Championships take place with 85 tug of war clubs from Europe, as well as teams from South Africa and Chinese Taipei taking part. A full list of teams competing can be found by visiting the European Championships web site at 
In terms of the teams from England who took part, the English clubs competing were: Felton Eccles, Sandhurst (A and B), Glos/Som (A and B), Tavistock, Kennford, Holland, Two Dales, ETOWA (1 and 2), Oxney Vines Cross, Bedford Ladies and Team Army. Sheen Men, Sheen Ladies, and Norton were also at the European Championships, representing England in different weight classes, but did not compete in the open club competition. 
The first two days of the open club competition saw four weight categories for mens teams (560 kilos, 640 kilos, 680 kilos, and 720 kilos), a mixed gender weight class at 600 kilos, two ladies weight classes (at 520 kilos and 560 kilos), a junior weight class at 560 kilos, and an under 23 weight class at 600 kilos take place.
In the open club competition, Felton Eccles, Sandhurst A and B, Tavistock, Kennford, Oxney Vines Cross and Team Army all competed in the mens 560 kilos weight class. The only team to make it to the knock-out of this weight class were Felton Eccles, who were knocked out by the eventual fourth placed team Bancran from Northern Ireland. The eventual winners of this weight class were Gaztedi from the Basque region of Spain, with Ebersecken from Switzerland finishing as runners up, with Mosnang from Switzerland winning bronze in a fiercely competitive weight class. 
In the open 640 kilos event, Felton Eccles, Sandhurst A and B, Tavistock, Kennford, Holland, Oxney Vines Cross, and Team Army were the English teams that took part. Felton Eccles and Oxney Vines Cross both made it to the knock out stages, with Oxney being knocked out by the eventual bronze medallists Boley from Ireland, and Felton Eccles were knocked out by Gaztedi. The eventual winners of this weight class were Engelberg from Switzerland, with Eibergen from Holland finishing as silver medallists. 
In the open 680 kilos weight class, Felton Eccles, Two Dales, Kennford, and Holland all took part. Felton Eccles were the only English team to progress to the knock-out stages of the competition, and progressed all the way to the final, only to be defeated by Engelberg from Switzerland in the final. TTV Vorden from the Netherlands won the bronze medal.
In the open 720 kilos weight class, the English teams competing were from Holland and Kennford. Both teams competed well, but neither reached the knock-out stage of the competition. This competition was won by TTV Heure from the Netherlands, with PTC from South Africa winning the silver medal, and Koapman from the Netherlands winning the bronze medal.
The junior 560 kilos competition took place with Gloucester and Somerset ACF team fielding two teams. The B team failed to make an impact on the final standings in their group, however the A team competed very well, losing only to the eventual winners Drostdy A from South Africa. Glos/Som A finished in third place in their group overall, missing out on the semi final places to Simonswald from Germany. The eventual winners were Drostdy A from South Africa, with Simonswald from Germany winning the silver, and the Chinese Taipei youth team winning the bronze medal.
The under 23 600 kilos open competition saw the England under 23 development squad field two teams, which was a great showing for our Association. The two teams (ETOWA 1 and ETOWA 2) competed very well, with the second team being almost 40 kilos under weight. The first team however competed exceptionally, finishing top of the group at the end of the group phase of the competition, having only dropped two ends to Swiss opposition. In the semi finals, the team met Ebersecken from Switzerland and suffered their first defeat of the competition. ETOWA 1 went into the bronze medal match with Paarl from South Africa, and took a well deserved bronze medal by 2 ends to 0. The eventual gold medallists were Ebersecken from Switzerland with Mosnang, also from Switzerland, finishing as silver medallists.
The mixed 600 kilos competition saw English teams Team Army and World Open 4+4 silver medallists from 2010 Holland take part in the competition, but neither team progressed to the knock-out stage of the competition, which was eventually won by Wallby from Sweden. Touwtje from the Netherlands won the silver medal, with Gaztedi taking the bronze – their clubs third medal of the tournament.
The opening ceremony for the European Championships and World Under 23 Championships took place on the Friday evening after the open competitions had been completed with a parade of teams, performances from the Minehead Spotlight Dance Academy, and opening speeches from TOWA president Mr. Tony Martin, and TWIF president Mr. Cathal McKeever. England’s representatives in the opening parade were Mick Grimston, Zak Baker, Diane Mcdonald, Matt Frost and Tom Knott. 
The closed event saw England field teams in all weight classes. The first event was the 680 kilos, with the England team being represented by Two Dales from Derbyshire, who were representing England for the very first time. The team acquitted themselves well to the competition, however defeats to the medal winning teams, and a couple of other dropped ends meant that they missed out both the cross-over and fifth place, with England finishing in 6th place in this competition overall. A good result from the England representatives, who would have learned a lot from their experience.
The world junior 560 kilos event was next up, with England being represented by the Gloucester and Somerset ACF team, who as a club, were also representing England for the first time. This year, we saw one of the most competitive youth competitions take place for many years, with no team progressing to the knock-out stages without losing any ends. The England team competed exceptionally well, and were only defeated by the eventual finalists Sweden and Switzerland, however to many draws with some of the teams, meant that they missed out on a place in the cross over, and finished in joint 5th position with Chinese Taipei, dropping to 6th place overall once the cautions were taken into account. A great performance from the England juniors nonetheless and a good learning experience for them. The gold medal eventually went to Sweden, with Switzerland winning the silver medal, and South Africa the bronze.
The ladies 560 kilos event saw Sheen Ladies representing England. England competed strongly and progressed to the semi finals along with Switzerland, Netherlands and Sweden. In the semi finals, England were defeated by 2 ends to 0 to the Netherlands, and went on to meet Switzerland to pull for the bronze medal. In the bronze medal pull off, England had a good battle with Switzerland, and did well to start taking rope on the first end, but the Swiss hung on and managed to turn England over to take the first end. On the second end, Switzerland again pulled strongly to take the end, and deny England the bronze medal. The gold medal was won by Sweden who defeated the Netherlands in the final by 2 ends to 0.
The mens 560 kilos event saw Norton representing England. Norton went into the event on the back of a good domestic season, and having also won the 2009 European Championships at 600 kilos and reaching the final of the World Championships last year. England started off their challenge against current World 580 kilos champions the Netherlands and competed well to secure a 2 ends to 0 win to get their campaign off to a good start. England defeated all of their other opponents in the group stage, only dropping one end to Switzerland. England progressed to the semi finals along with Sweden, Switzerland and Ireland. In the semi final, England defeated Ireland, whilst Sweden pulled off a good win against Switzerland. England progressed to the final to meet Sweden, with the first end lasting just over 4 minutes before England drove strongly to take Sweden over the line. On the second end, England got Sweden under pressure from the drop, and took just over a minute and a half to take the second end and the gold medal. The bronze medal went to Switzerland with Ireland finishing 4th.
The second day of competition started with the mens 720 kilos event. England were represented by Sheen in this weight class, who were representing England at an outdoor European Championships for the first time since 1993. England started off with a defeat to Sweden, but got back into the competition to progress to the semi finals along with the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland. In the semi finals, England were drawn against Sweden, and suffered another defeat, meaning that they would go through to pull off for the bronze medal against Switzerland, who had been defeated by the Netherlands. England performed well in the bronze medal pull off to defeat Switzerland by 2 ends to 0 to take bronze. The gold medal was won by the Netherlands, with Sweden winning the silver medal.
The world under 23 competition was a fiercely contested weight class this year, and England were again represented by a composite team selected from different TOWA clubs. The corner where the teams were competing turned out to be a little endy, which resulted in some 1-1 draws, and England competed well through the group, but had two bruising encounters with South Africa and Sweden, both of which involved no pulls. In the final round of pulls, England were level on points with South Africa, needing to win by 2 ends to 0 against Wales in their last match to have a chance of qualifying. England surprising lost the first end, but won the second end, and with South Africa defeating Chinese Taipei in their last match, they progressed to the semi finals at the expense of England. The gold medal was won by Switzerland, with Germany taking silver and South Africa the bronze.
The Ladies 520 kilos competition again saw England Ladies being represented by Sheen Ladies after Bedford Ladies withdrew from the event having suffered injuries and withdrawals from their team. As with the 560 kilos competition the previous day, England progressed to the semi finals along with Switzerland, Sweden and the Netherlands. As with the previous day of competition, England were drawn to face the Netherlands and were defeated by 2 ends to 0. England went into the bronze medal match to face Switzerland, and made up for the disappointment of the 560 kilos competition the previous day, taking the bronze medal by 2 ends to 0. The gold medal was won by Sweden, with the Netherlands taking the silver medal.
The final weight of the competition was the mens 640 kilos competition. England were represented by Felton Eccles in this weight class, who were representing England at 640 kilos for the 17th consecutive season at an outdoor European or World Championships. England faced current European Champions Switzerland early on, and came close to taking the first end, only to be blown out for receiving three cautions. England progressed through the group well, but then hit three hard teams in a row – Sweden, Netherlands and Germany, narrowly losing out to Holland, defeating Sweden, and losing to Germany. In the final pull of the round, England faced Ireland, only needing 1 end to guarantee a place in the semi final. Ireland also needed at least an end to guarantee qualification as they were level with Sweden going into the last match. England took a keenly contested first end, and then took the second equally tough end to make it through to the semi finals. In the semi finals, England met the Netherlands where they were defeated by 2 ends to 0. England went through to the bronze medal pull off against Sweden, and comfortably took the first end. On the second end, Sweden had to drop to 7 pullers after one of their team members had picked up an injury. Sweden had no option but to carry on with 7, as they had already used their substitute. England sportingly dropped to 7 pullers, but still took the second end to secure the bronze medal. The gold medal was won by Switzerland with Netherlands taking silver.
The England U23 development squad would like to thank Sandhurst Tug of War Club for their assistance in our training for the World U23 Championships in Minehead we are eternally grateful for all your help time and advice shown by all involved at Sandhurst when our squad has held training sessions with you. 
The national league finals was this year again held at Daventry and was reasonably well supported. The event started with the 600 kilos competition, which was split into two groups. Norton were well ahead in the points standings going into the event, so would require a disastrous performance to deny them the gold medal. However, Norton continued their consistent form shown throughout the season, and won their group, however did drop an end to the England Under 23 development team who looked very smart in their new strip to be worn in the European Club Competition in Minehead. Norton progressed to the cross over of their group ahead of Sandhurst A. Photo: Glos/Som ACF
The second group contained Caradoc, Two Dales, Glos/Som A and Inkberrow, and Sandhurst B with both Two Dales and Caradoc progressing through to the cross over. There was some good performances in this group from Glos/Som A and Inkberrow with both teams holding their own and winning some good ends. The semi finals saw Norton and Sandhurst A both progress to the final, with Two Dales and Caradoc left to contest third place. This pull went to three ends, with Two Dales competing really well to win by 2 ends to 1 to secure third place. The final saw Norton and Sandhurst A line up against each other, with Norton taking both ends to win the competition on the day and secure national league gold. Photo: Norton - 2011 national league champions at 600, 640, and 680
The 640 kilos was the next weight to be contested, again split into two groups. Norton again won their group without losing an end and despite being pushed hard by Oxney. Caradoc again progressed to the semi finals along with Felton Eccles. In the semi finals, Norton defeated Caradoc and Felton Eccles defeated Oxney to make the final. Oxney won the third place pull by 2 ends to 0, and Norton defeated Felton Eccles to take their second win on the day, and again, secured the national league gold medal. Photo: Inkberrow TOWC
The final weight of the national league was the 680 kilos event. Again, this weight was split into two groups. Norton and Felton Eccles yet again proved to be the strongest in this weight class and both progressed to the final. Norton again stood firm to round off another strong season with a 2 ends to 0 win to win the competition on the day, and secure the overall gold medal in the 680 kilos national league. Photo: LNR ACF TOWC 
At the end of the competition, a training competition was held at 600 kilos for the England Under 23 squad. We did have members of the squad missing due to work etc, but nonetheless all squad members present looked the business in their new shirts. In hindsight we wished we had entered two teams in the 600 kilos league finals as there were a few tired legs by the end of the day as a result of squad members pulling in the other weights. Both our teams pulled very well and many thanks to all the teams who helped us out to enable us to compete - we appreciate your help. Photo: Bedford Ladies
The ladies and youth league finals were contested with 7 teams taking part. Gloucester and Somerset ACF continued their winning streak, with their A team winning both the 520 kilos and 560 kilos weight classes. Sheen Ladies finished as runners up in the 560 kilos weight class on the day ahead of the Glos/Som B and C teams, Bedford Ladies, and the Leicester and Northants ACF A and B teams. In the 520 kilos event, Bedford Ladies finished as runners up on the day ahead of Sheen Ladies, Leicester and Northants ACF and the Glos/Som B and C teams. In overall youth league, Gloucester and Somerset ACF finished as overall winners of both the 520 kilos and 560 kilos, with Leicester and Northants finishing as runners up. In the ladies league, Sheen Ladies finished as overall winners of the 560 kilos and 520 kilos events, with Bedford Ladies finishing as runners up. Photo: Sheen Ladies
54 teams entered the competition from 10 different countries. The founder members of GENSB entered the following number of teams, Germany (7 teams), England (8 teams), Netherlands (10 teams), Switzerland (11 teams) and Belgium (6 teams) and in addition teams were entered from Sweden (3 teams), South Africa (1 team), Lithuania (4 teams), Ireland (2 teams) and Latvia (1 team). The 54th team was a mixed nationality team under the banner of “Europa”, made up of spare pullers to give everyone attending a chance to compete. Photo: Glossom ACF
The competition commenced at 10 am in very warm conditions. Following the officials the 54 teams progressed into the arena and lined up for the opening ceremony. The penultimate team and last years winners Mosnang (Switzerland) entered the arena carrying the GENSB trophy, which they then handed to a member of the organising committee to mark the end of their reign as champions. The last team to enter the arena were our hosts Nottwil carrying the GENSB flag. There was a short speech by the GENSB chairman Vic Ludkin and the competition was ready to commence. Photo: LNR ACF
The teams from England gained valuable experience from the competition. They learnt much about themselves, their competitors and the standard they must aim to achieve to be successful. Defeat can be hard and in tug of war often brutal, but all sides conducted themselves in a mature manner and maintained the high standards of our sport. Well done to all who took part. Photo: 2011 GENSB Champions Streefkerk
England A started off Strongly with a win against Wales A, before comfortably beating the rest of the field, including the England B team represented by Oxney from Sussex. England B and England C started first on, but there was no upset here as England B defeated the under 23 team by 2 ends to 0. The England C team competed well throughout the day, but failed to take any ends off the opposition, despite running the Welsh teams close.
In the semi finals, England A met Wales A in the semi finals, going on to secure a comfortable 2 ends to 0 win to meet England B who defeated Northern Ireland A in their semi final by 2 ends to 1 in a good match. England A. represented by Norton again proved to be very strong and overcame the England B team by 2 ends to 0 to win the gold medal without dropping any points. The bronze medal was won by Northern Ireland A who had a good 2 ends to 0 win over Wales A in the bronze medal play off. 
Whilst it was a great performance by England A, England B (represented by Oxney) did a great job throughout the competition, with many young new faces in their team representing England for the first time. When they join up with the England Under 23 team, they should help to make a strong England under 23 team for the world under 23 championships which are taking place alongside the European Championships in Minehead in September. 
The ladies weight classes were the next weights to be contested, and in the absence of Scotland, four teams competed in each weight class – England A and B, and Wales A and B. England A and B were represented by Sheen Ladies and Bedford Ladies, With Sheen Ladies representing England A in the 560 kilos and England B in the 520 kilos, and Bedford Ladies representing England A in the 520 kilos and England B in the 560 kilos.
In both of the ladies weight classes Sheen Ladies, took gold for England, and on the hard ground proved to be formidable opponents to all before them, and were rarely troubled by any other the other teams from the UK nations, including the England B team represented by Bedford Ladies. Sheen Ladies took gold as England A in the 560, and gold as England B in the 520 kilos. Bedford Ladies, were worthy winners of the silver medals as England representatives in both weight classes. In the 520 kilos, Wales B defeated Wales A to take the bronze, and Wales A took the bronze in the 560 kilos event. 
England A started off strongly by defeating Wales B, before beating all the other teams in the group, including England B, represented by 2010 UK champions Felton Eccles without losing an end. It wasn’t quite as straight forward for England B as they dropped an end to the strong Wales A side, however they progressed to the semi finals in second place in the group. In the semi finals, England A again defeated Wales B.
Again, England B, represented by Felton Eccles had to endure a tough three end pull with the Wales A side, and managed to overcome Wales by 2 ends to 1. In the final, England A were up against England B. England A took the first end fairly comfortably, however on the second end, England B raised their game to try and level the score. After a gruelling pull that lasted almost four minutes, and with both teams on 2 cautions, England A brought England B over the line to take the UK 680 kilos outdoor title. This was the first time that Sheen have won the 680 kilos weight class at an outdoor UK championships.
The final weight class of the closed event was the mixed 600 kilos 4+4. In this weight class, England A were represented by Bedford, and England B were represented by Oxney. Both England A and England B progressed to the semi finals along with Wales A and Wales B. In the semi finals, England A defeated Wales B, and England B defeated Wales A. Wales A took the bronze medal, and England A took the gold medal ahead of England B who won silver as runners up to cap off a good weekend for the England teams in which gold and silver medals were won in each weight class. 
The Tug of War Association would like to make special thanks to Dave and Marion Kitchener and all associated with Bedford Ladies Tug of War Club for organising this years United Kingdom Tug of War Championships on behalf of the Tug of War Association. It was very well received by all who took part and supported the event over the weekend. A good job well done. 
This years Inter County and National Open 4+4 Championships were held at Cranleigh Agricultural Show in Surrey. The event was supported by Norton (Staffordshire), Felton Eccles (Somerset), Sandhurst (Berkshire), Oxney Vines Cross (Susses), 1066 (Sussex), Totham Bull (Essex), Leek (Staffordshire), and Woodton (Nortfolk). Photo: Staffordshire, represented by Norton
The championships were not quite as well supported as last year with some teams competing abroad or being unable to travel to the event, however the competition was good, and teams had the opportunity of trying out the new ropes that are to be used at the European Outdoor Championships in Minehead in September. Photo: Sussex, Represented by Oxney Vines Cross
All weight categories were pulled under TWIF Rules with the top four teams in each weight class progressing to the semi finals and finals. The two inter county weights at 640 kilos and 680 kilos were won well by Staffordshire who were represented by Norton. The runners up in the 640 kilos weight class were Sussex represented by Oxney Vines Cross. The runners up in the 680 kilos weight class were Somerset, Represented by Felton Eccles. Photo: Bedford - National 4+4 Champions
The national 4+4 competition was supported by five teams. Bedford Ladies finished up as the overall winners to defend their title from 2010. The runners up this year were Leek, with Oxney winning the bronze medal. Well done to all of the teams who took part in this event. Photo: Leek TOWC - National 4+4 silver medallists
This weekend’s East Cheshire Hospice fundraiser brought with it good weather and excellent competition in all weight classes contested on the day in both the mens weights and ladies and youth weights. Sheen Ladies won all of the ladies and youth weights, only dropping the odd end at 500 kilos, 520 kilos, 540 kilos and 560 kilos ahead of Penistone Ladies in the 500 kilos, 520 kilos and 540 kilos, with the Leicester and Northants ACF A team finishing as runners up in the 560 kilos competition. Photo: Penistone Ladies
The mens weight classes were well contested. Sheen and Felton had some great battles in the 720 kilos and catchweight events, with Sheen winning the gruelling ends in both the group stages and the finals of both of those weight categories. Felton were in the mix again in the 680 kilos competition, this time, having to battle it out with Norton for the gold medal. Felton managed to overcome Norton by 2 ends to 0 in the final to take a hard fought win, with Norton succumbing to a rare defeat. Photo: Felton Eccles
Norton however pulled successfully in the 600 kilos, 620 kilos, and 640 kilos events, winning all three of those weight classes, despite being pushed harder this week by the likes of Bosley, Sandhurst and Bakewell. Norton defeated Sandhurst by 2 ends to 0 in the final of the 640 kilos event, Bosley in the final of the 620 kilos event, and Bakewell in the final of the 600 kilos event. Photo: Sheen Ladies
The organisers, on behalf of the East Cheshire Hospice would like to thank all of the teams and supporters for coming along and supporting the event again this year. Unfortunately we had no novice 6 a side teams competing like we have had in previous years, but it was still a good day nonetheless. Photo: Bosley 
The joint event at Ahbourne Highland Gathering was well supported by teams from both the Tug of War Association and The Tug of War Federation. 7 weight categories took place on the day, including two mixed weight classes. The day started off without too much rain, although later on conditions deteriorated with the ground becoming wet, but it made it a good leveller. The event was held under Federation rules, with pulls being decided as a best of 3 ends. Photo: Lincoln
m 10 teams competed in the 600 kilos event, being split into two groups. Lincoln and Totham Bull progressed through group 1 ahead of Church House, Whittlesey and Melbourne, and Norton and Two Dales progressed through group 2 ahead of York, Woodton and Triple F. The semi finals saw Norton defeat Totham Bull, and Lincoln defeat Two Dales. Norton went on to defeat Lincoln by 2 ends to 0 in the final.Photo: Totham Bull
The 680 kilos event was again entered by 11 teams split into two groups. Norton progressed from group 1 along with Bosley ahead of Two Dales, York, and Whittlesey, whilst Sheen and Lincoln progressed from group 2 ahead of Holland, Lutterworth, Totham Bull and Leek. Norton defeated Lincoln in their semi final, and Sheen defeated Bosley. Norton then won their second weight of the day with a 2 ends to 0 win over Sheen. Photo: Sheen
:The 640 kilos competition followed, and at this stage of the day, there was a heavy downpour. 12 teams entered the 640 kilos event, and to speed up the proceedings, the competition was split into four groups of three, with the top team in each group progressing to the final. Lutterworth, Norton, Whittlesey and Bosley all progressed, with Bosley being defeated by Lutterworth and Norton defeating Whittlesey. Norton and Lutterworth went into the final, and Norton took their third win of the day by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Holland
A tug of war demonstration was recently held as part of the Evesham Festival of Sport. Assistance was provided by Richard Lane and Mick Copper of the Tug of War Association Midland Area, with the assistance also from officials of the Tug of War Federation. Pullers from Inkerberrow YFC and Shires Tug of War club formed teams to take part in the demonstration.
Many ends were pulled to help inform spectators on the day about the sport of tug of war and how they can get involved. Well done to those who took part to help us promote tug of war. 
This years national outdoor tug of war championships were held in Lincoln at the Sabroan Barracks. The event was organised with the assistance and support of Captain Rob Holland and the Lincolnshire Army Cadet Force. The venue was good, and despite the dry weather experienced in this area, the ground cut up nicely allowing for some good competitive pulling. The weather remained largely dry for most of the day with only one heavy downpour during the 560 kilos event. Photo: Championships Officials
The championships opened with the mens catchweight and ladies 560 kilos events. Four teams competed in the catchweight competition, which was pulled under TWIF rules, meaning that each team pulled each other, before a semi-final cross over. Sheen started strongly with a 2 ends to 0 win over Sandhurst, whilst Bosley and Holland drew 1-1. Sheen then defeated Bosley, and Holland defeated Sandhurst. Bosley then defeated Sandhurst by 2 ends to 0, and Sheen defeated Holland. Photo: Holland Ladies
The semi finals saw the top team pull the fourth placed team, and the second placed team pull the third placed team. Sheen defeated Sandhurst by 2 ends to 0, and Bosley earned a hard fought 2 ends to 0 win over Holland to make the final. Sandhurst and Holland were left to fight it out for the bronze medal. Despite being very light in this weight, Sandhurst held their own very well, however Holland proved to be that bit stronger on the day, and won through by 2 ends to 0. Sheen and Bosley met again in the final, but Sheen again proved to very strong in this weight and went on to win the gold medal by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Woodton Ladies
The ladies 560 kilos event was contested by four teams this year – Bedford, Sheen Ladies, Holland Ladies and Woodton Ladies. The competition was very good, and like the catchweight competition, the teams pulled each other in a group points competition before contesting semi-finals and finals. Sheen and Bedford both beat Holland and Woodton by 2 ends to 0 each going into their head to head at the end of the group stage. Holland defeated Woodton by 2 ends to 0 in a good group match, whilst Sheen Ladies edged out Bedford Ladies by 2 ends to 0 to finish top of the group. Photo: Sheen Ladies
In the cross over Sheen defeated Woodton by 2 ends to 0 and Bedford defeated Holland by 2 ends to 0. Holland and Woodton contested the bronze medal match, which was won by Holland Ladies by 2 ends to 0. The final was a keenly contested match between Sheen and Bedford. Sheen took the advantage on the first end by beating Bedford to the drop. Bedford worked hard to get themselves back into the pull, however Sheen maintained their advantage to take the first end. He second end again saw Sheen try and take the early advantage, but Bedford tried hard to fight back and get some lifts in against Sheen. As Bedford looked to be getting themselves into it, Sheen got their momentum going again and went on to take the second end and the gold medal. Photo: Lincoln TOWC
The 640 kilos event followed, which was a competition split into two groups. Home team Lincoln were looking to get to the final again on home soil, having finished second in the event last year, and Felton Eccles were looking for their fifteenth 640 kilos title in 16 years. Felton progressed to the semi-final after finishing top of their group ahead of Sheen who finished second. Alford finished third in this group after some excellent pulling, taking the scalps of Sandhurst and Holland on the way. Group 2 was keenly contested, with Bosley eventually finishing top of the group ahead of Two Dales. Lincoln missed out on a spot in the semi finals after being defeated by Two Dales first on, and drawing 1-1 with Bosley. Tavistock finished fourth in this group ahead of Team Army. Photo: Wood Treatment Bosley
The semi finals saw Felton Eccles defeat Two Dales in a very fierce pull by 2 ends to 0, and Sheen defeated Bosley by 2 ends to 0. The bronze medal pull off was a close pull, and saw some very determined pulling by Two Dales which resulted in them taking the bronze medal ahead of Bosley by 2 ends to 0. The final saw Felton Eccles take on Sheen. Felton had already defeated Sheen in the group, however the incentive of a gold medal always ensures that a final is not so straight forward. Felton however managed to stand firm on the first end to take the advantage. On the second end, Felton started to take advantage, with Sheen then starting to throw in some big lifts in return, however Felton managed to keep taking the rope to secure their 15th 640 kilos gold medal in 16 years. Photo: Two Dales
During the 640 kilos weight class the junior weight classes were held. Defending champions Sandhurst were unable to field a team at the event this year, which meant that their would be new youth champions for 2011. Leicester and Northants ACF sprung the first surprise of the day by taking the gold medal in the junior 530 kilos weight class ahead of Gloucester and Somerset ACF, who had been winning most of the junior weight classes in the run up to the national championships. Photo: Holland TOWC
The junior 560 kilos weight class was another keenly contested youth weight class. Gloucester and Somerset ACF won all of their group matches ahead of Leicester and Northants ACF and Lincoln ACF without losing an end. A final was then contested between Leicester and Northants ACF and Gloucester and Somerset ACF. Gloucester and Somerset ACF took the advantage on the first end and moved Leicester and Northants ACF over the line to take their first step towards their first ever gold medal. Gloucester and Somerset then took the second end off a very determined Leicester and Northants ACF to take the junior 560 kilos title. Photo: Felton Eccles TOWC 
A tug of war demonstration event took place for the junior ladies teams with Gloucester and Somerset ACF and Leicester and Northants ACF taking part. Leicester and Northants have had an established team set up over the past couple of years for junior ladies, having fielded junior ladies teams at past GENSB tournaments. This previous experience showed as they managed to beat Gloucester and Somerset ACF in both the 520 kilos and 560 kilos weight classes. We are hoping to run weight classes for junior ladies teams in future events, so anyone interested in setting up junior ladies teams are encouraged to do so. Photo: Alford TOWC
The mens 560 kilos event followed, which was again split into two groups. Norton finished as winners of group 1 ahead of Oxney, and Sandhurst finished as winners of group 2 ahead of Forge Lane. In the semi finals, Norton defeated Forge Lane by 2 ends to 0, and Sandhurst won a very keenly contested semi final against Oxney by 2 ends to 0 with Oxney making a couple of costly slips which Sandhurst did well to take full advantage of. The bronze medal match was a good battle between the two Sussex teams of Oxney Vines Cross and Forge Lane. Despite a great effort from Forge Lane, where on many occasions they put in some good lists against Oxney, Oxney stood firm to take a well earned Bronze medal by 2 ends to 0. The final was yet another showpiece between Norton and Sandhurst. Norton held their angles well to take a long first end off Sandhurst. For the second end, Sandhurst opted to make a substitution to add a fresh pair of legs to their team to try and get back into the final. Again after another long end, and a resilient effort by Sandhurst, Norton took the win and the gold medal. Photo: Gloucester and Somerset ACF
The mens 720 kilos event followed, and like the catchweight competition, four teams entered. This time however, Bosley and Sandhurst did not enter, but Two Dales and Felton Eccles were entered in their place. Sheen put in another strong performance to finish top of the group without losing an end. Felton finished in second place in the group stage, followed by Holland and Two Dales. In the semi finals, Sheen defeated Two Dales and Felton Eccles defeated Holland. The bronze medal match was a very tense affair between Holland and Two Dales. Holland won the group match between these two teams in a very close pull, however Two Dales took a very close first end in the bronze medal match. The second end was equally as tight, and with Holland on two cautions and Two Dales on one caution, Holland picked up their third caution and the bronze medal was won by Two Dales. The final was contested between Sheen and Felton Eccles. Both teams have been competing in many finals against each other at catchweight and 680 kilos throughout the season, and despite defeat to Felton in the 640 kilos event, Sheen went on to take the gold medal in this weight class strongly by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Leicester and Northants ACF
The Ladies 520 kilos weight class was contested alongside the mens 720 kilos event. Three teams contested this weight class – Holland, Sheen, and Bedford. Both Bedford and Sheen defeated Holland in the group rounds, meaning that both clubs would pull each other again in the final. The final this time was much closer than the final of the 560 kilos event with both teams favouring this weight class as their strongest weight. The final was close between these two very experienced ladies teams, however this time, Sheen Ladies made it two gold medals on the day to take the ladies national championships title off Bedford. Well done to all of the ladies teams who took part on the day, making a good advert for ladies tug of war. Photo: Forge Lane
The mens 600 kilos weight class was the next weight to be contested. Again, split into two groups, the competition started with a bang. Group 1 saw Fleton Eccles and Sandhurst battle it out to a 1-1 draw, and Lincoln defeated Oxney in group 2 by 2 ends to 0 in very hard fought battle. Norton went through as winners of group 1, with Felton Eccles finishing as eventual runner up after receiving less cautions than Sandhurst. In group 2, and despite defeat to Lincoln, Oxney finished as winners, with Bosley coming through as runners up after losing to Oxney in their final pull of the group. Norton defeated Bosley in the first semi final with Felton Eccles defeating Oxney in the other semi final to make the final. The bronze medal pull off saw Oxney and Bosley meet for the second time. This time, Bosley took the first end by catching Oxney off guard from the drop. On the second end, Bosley got Oxney moving again, and then stopped, allowing Oxney back into the pull to take the second end. The same thing happened again on the third end, and Oxney took a hard fought bronze medal. The final saw Norton pull strongly again as they have done all year and they took the gold medal ahead of Felton by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Norton TOWC
The final weight of the day was the 680 kilos weight class. This weight can sometimes throw up a few surprises, being the last weight class of the day, with most clubs entering a team for their last chance of winning a medal. Like most of the weight classes on the day, this competition was again split into two groups. Sheen were the winners of group 1, ahead of Two Dales who finished as the eventual runners up. Norton were the winners of group 2 ahead of Felton Eccles who finished as group runners up. In the semi finals, Sheen defeated Felton Eccles and Norton defeated Two Dales. The bronze medal match was a good battle between Felton Eccles and Two Dales. Two Dales managed to lift Felton to their toes on more than one occasion, however the experience and determination of the Felton team enabled them to hang on and take the bronze medal by 2 ends to 0. The final between Sheen and Norton was a tense affair. Norton opted to try and outlast Sheen on the first end, however Sheen started to work Norton out of shape, and a good battle unfolded with Sheen taking the first end. The second end saw both teams battle hard again, but Sheen proved to be that little bit stronger on the day, and they took their third gold medal of the championship. Photo: Sandhurst TOWC
At the end of the championships, the presentations took place, firstly with the ladies weight classes. The medals were presented in memory of Lynsey Chipperfield, with presentations being made by her parents Stafford and Lynsey. Fittingly, the gold, silver and bronze medals were presented to clubs with whom she had previously been actively involved with – Sheen Ladies, Bedford Ladies, and Holland (with whom her fiancé Gavin is also a member). The presentations for the mens weight classes were made by the TOWA chairman Pete Dyer in the absence of the TOWA president Tony Martin who was unable to attend the championships as his wife Sue has recently undergone an operation. We wish Sue a speedy recovery. A presentation was also made to the chief judge, Mr. Vic Ludkin. The Tug of War Association would like to thank all of the teams and supporters for coming along and making the day a success, and we would also like to thank all of the officials, recorders, and marshals for helping the event run smoothly. We would also like to place on record our thanks to Rob Holland and the Lincolnshire ACF for helping to stage the championships. Photo: Duncan Craft (Sheen Ladies Coach) receiving the winners medals from Stafford and Lesley Chipperfield.
PGood luck to all of the teams for the remainder of the outdoor season with the European Championships to look forward to in Minehead, Somerset. There is both the international event and open club competition taking place at this event. Any club team may take part in the open competition, so we look forward to seeing many English clubs at the event. Accommodation bookings, accreditation and weight entries are currently being taken, and early booking of accommodation is recommended. Please visit 
Photo: Oxney Vines Cross
Photo: Team Army 
Photo: Tavistock TOWC
Photo: Sheen TOWC
The mens competition saw Sheen win the catchweight competition by defeating Lincoln in the final by 2 ends to 0. The 620 kilos followed and was a keenly contested weight class with the top two teams of the group stage progressing to the final. Norton defeated Sheen by 2 ends to 0 in their first pull, with Bosley and Two dales going one end each. Norton progressed to the final without losing an end, and it was close between Sheen and Bosley as to who would go through. In that match, Bosley took the first end, but Sheen almost took Bosley over the line on the second end to take the end they needed to get to the final, however Bosley stopped Sheen within inches of the line to bring the rope back and take the second end. In the final, Bosley put up a good fight against Norton, but it was Norton who took the win by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Norton
The 680 kilos competition was pulled as a group of 6, again there was some very close pulling in this weight as a result of the ground conditions. Norton progressed through to the cross over along with Sheen, Two Dales and Lincoln. Norton defeated Two Dales, however there was a very close semi final between Sheen and Lincoln. Sheen took the first end, but Lincoln made a real fight of it on the second end, however Sheen dug deep to take Lincoln back over the line. In the final, Sheen started well, however Norton kept their composure to take the final by 2 ends to 0. Photo: host club Sheen Ladies
The 600 kilos was contested between Sheen, Two Dales and Melbourne. Melbourne put in a spirited performance on the day but did not finish in the top two. After the group stage the top two teams pulled again. Two Dales had defeated Sheen by 2 ends to 0 in the group, however the final was much closer and went to three ends. Sheen took the first end, and Two Dales took the second end. Two Dales won the toss, but Sheen held on to take the win. Photo: Two Dales
The 2011 AAA championships were this year hosted by Felton Eccles TOWC at The Bungalow Inn, Felton near Bristol. This year it was decided to hold the AAA championships prior to the national championships to increase support. This year 11 teams supported the closed AAA weights, a vast improvement on the attendance of the 2010 event. The first weight of the day was the 640 kilos event, pulled as a straight group under TWIF rules with the top four progressing to the semi-finals. Norton, Sandhurst, Bosley and Lincoln all progressed, with Norton defeating Bosley by 2 ends to 0 in their semi final, and Sandhurst edging Lincoln out in the other semi final by 2 ends to 0. In the final, reigning champions Norton conceded little ground and took a well deserved 2 ends to 0 win to take the gold medal with Sandhurst earning a well deserved silver. Photo: Norton competing against Sandhurst
The catchweight event followed. Again, this was pulled as a straight group with the top four progressing to the semi final. Sheen, Felton, Lincoln and Tavistock all progressed ahead of Sandhurst, Widecombe and Kennford. In the semi finals, Sheen defeated Tavistock by 2 ends to 0 and Felton defeated Lincoln by 2 ends to 0 in a hard fought pull. In the final, Sheen went out to look to win their first AAA outdoor title since 1980 with reigning champions Felton Eccles standing in their way. Sheen pulled strongly against Felton and gave the host team little opportunity to get themselves back into the pull. Sheen went on to win the gold by 2 ends to 0 to secure their first AAA outdoor title for over 30 years. Photo: Sheen - AAA Catchweight winning team
The open national league weights followed, the first being the 600 kilos event, being pulled as two groups of 7. Norton progressed as winners of group 1 along with Oxney who progressed as group runners up. Sandhurst progressed as winners of group 2 with Tavistock finishing as group runners up. In the semi final, Norton defeated Tavistock by 2 ends to 0. Sandhurst and Oxney had a very close pull in the second semi-final with the match going to three ends. Sandhurst took the first end and Oxney the second. Sandhurst then took the third end to make the final. Norton then went on to take the win in the final by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Kennford TOWC
The 680 kilos competition was another competition split into two groups of 7. Llanboidy from Wales progressed as winners of group 1 ahead of Bosley, whilst Sheen progressed as winners of group 2 ahead of Norton. In the semi final, Norton defeated Llanboidy by 2 ends to 0, whilst Sheen defeated Bosley by 2 ends to 0. Sheen and Norton met in the final for their second match in this weight having drawn 1 end each in the group. Norton took a very close first end and then took the second end to take their third gold medal of the day. Photo: Tavistock TOWC
The 580 kilos competition was pulled as a straight group of 5 with no cross over. Teams therefore had to win the group outright to win the competition. Oxney pulled strongly in this weight to win the competition without losing an end. Tavistock and Kennford both put in strong performances to defeat Felton and Sandhurst to put themselves both in contention of the silver medal. Tavistock won the resulting decider by 2 ends to 0 to take the runners up spot. Photo: Widecombe TOWC
There was a great turnout for this weekends Midland Area Championships held at the Shropshire County Show in Shrewsbury, the venue for the 2008 national outdoor championships. Many teams from England and some from over the border in Wales took part. The teams competing were: Norton, Felton, Holland, Sheen, Bosley, Two Dales, Lincoln, Sandhurst (A and B), Caradoc, Haye on Wye, Bolver, Cupids Hill, Rushock. The ladies and youth competitions were also well supported with Sheen Ladies, Bedford Ladies, Gloucester and Somerset ACF (A, B, C), Leicester and Northants ACF (A, B, C) taking part. Photo: Caradoc
In the mens weight classes, Norton were again in top form, winning the bottom four weight classes on the day at 600, 620, 640 and 680 kilos. Norton defeated Sandhurst A in the final of both the 620 kilos and 640 kilos competitions by 2 ends to 0, and also won the 600 kilos and 680 kilos competitions by defeating Sheen in the finals by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Bolver
Sheen won the catchweight event, coming out of their group ahead of Felton Eccles, Holland and Bolver. Sheen defeated Two Dales in the semi final with Felton Eccles defeating Lincoln. Sheen then went on to defeat Felton Eccles in the final by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Sandhurst A
The ladies and youth events were again very well supported. Gloucester and Somerset ACF A were the winners of both the 520 kilos and 560 kilos events. Sheen Ladies were strong in finishing as runners up in the 560 kilos event, with Bedford Ladies finishing as runners up in the 520 kilos event. Photo: Sheen
The first weight was the catchweight, which was pulled as a straight group with a top four cross-over. Felton Eccles met Killyloughey from Ireland whilst Sandhurst A and Lincoln met in the other semi-final. Felton defeated Killyloughy by 2 ends to 0 to be the first team to make the final, however it was a very close pull between Lincoln and Sandhurst to make the final, with Lincoln managing to overcome Sandhurst by 2 ends to 0. Felton defeated Lincoln by 2 ends to 0 to win the catchweight final. Photo: Caradoc TOWC.
At the same time as the catchweight event, the ladies 560 kilos and youth 560 kilos also took place as separate weight classes, with 5 teams competing in each weight class, both of which included teams from the Republic of Ireland. The youth competition was pulled with teams having best out of 5 end matches to give them all more pulling. Both Leicester and Northants ACF and Gloucester and Somerset ACF fielded two teams in the junior 560 kilos competition, with the Eire OG team from Ireland taking part. The deciding pull in this weight came between Gloucester and Somerset ACF A and Eire OG. Eire OG took the first end, with Gloucester coming very close to taking the second end, only to be stopped close to the line and taken all the way back. Eire OG then took the third and final end to confirm first place. Photo: Boyneside Ladies from Ireland
The ladies 560 competition was pulled in a straight group of 5 teams. There were some good performances from the Gloucester and Somerset ACF and Leicester and Northants ACF junior ladies teams, in addition to a good performance from the Irish Boyneside team, however it was the pull between the experience Sheen and Bedford Ladies teams which decided first place. Sheen continued their strong start to the ladies tug of war season by defeating Bedford Ladies by 2 ends to 0 to take first place. Photo: Forge Lane
The second mens weight of the day was the 600 kilos. This competition was split into two groups with the top two teams in each group progressing to the semi-finals. Norton finished as winners of the first group ahead of Oxney, with Sandhurst finishing as winners of group 2 ahead of Forge Lane. Norton defeated Forge Lane in their semi final, with Oxney and Sandhurst having a great pull in their semi-final with Sandhurst defeating Oxney by 2 ends to 0 in two very hard fought ends. Norton continued their dominant streak by winning the final by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Oxney Vines Cross
The 680 kilos event followed and it was another weight split into two groups. Norton were the winners of the first group ahead of Bosley, and Felton Eccles were the winners of the second group ahead of Sandhurst. Norton defeated Sandhurst in their semi final, but Felton and Bosley had a good battle for the other place in the final. Felton took the first end, but Bosley came very close to taking the second end only to stop a few inches short of the line with Felton managing to bring them back over to make the final. Norton then took their second win of the day by defeating Felton by 2 ends to 0 in the final. Photo: Eire OG Youth from Ireland
Both the ladies and youth 520 kilos events were the next weights to be pulled alongside the 680 kilos competition. The youth 520 kilos competition was again won by the Eire OG team without losing an end. Gloucester and Somerset A came a close second, but were given a challenge by the Leciester and Northants A team who managed to take an end of the Gloucester team, but it wasn’t quite enough to take second place. Photo: Leicester and Northants ACF A youth team.
The ladies 520 kilos event was another good competition with all teams giving a good account of themselves. Boyneside got themselves into the competition in this weight, giving Sheen Ladies a good pull, but Sheen held on for the 2 ends to 0 win. The deciding pull was between Sheen and Bedford, with Bedford this time winning the final by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Leicester and Northants ACF Junior Ladies team.
The mens 580 kilos event followed pulled as a straight group with a cross over of the top four teams. Forge Lane, Oxney, Sandhurst and Bosley all made the cross-over with Oxney defeating Bosley and Sandhurst defeating Forge Lane. Both Sandhurst and Oxney gave it their all in the final, with Oxney this time getting the better of Sandhurst to win the final by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Killyloughey from Ireland
The 640 kilos was the final mens weight of the day, again split into two groups. Felton Eccles were the winners of group 1 ahead of Oxney whilst Norton were the winners of group 2. The battle for the last semi-final place was between Bosley and Sandhurst A. Bosley were travelling back nicely with Sandhurst on the first end only to be blown out for receiving three cautions, and then Sandhurst A went on to take the second end to make it to the semi-finals. In the semi final Norton defeated Oxney whilst Sandhurst A defeated Felton. Norton went on to take their third win of the day by defeating Sandhurst A by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Gloucester and Somerset ACF Junior men and ladies squad 
The first weight of the day was the catchweight event, split into two groups. Sheen and Felton had a tough battle first on in their group, with Felton coming away with a hard fought 2 ends to 0 win. This pull took a bit out of Felton as they went on to drop an end in their next pull to Two Dales, however they still progressed as group winners to the semi finals along with Sheen. In the other group, Holland and Lincoln had a good pull first on, but it was Holland who came away as 2 ends to 0 winners. Lincoln edged Bosley and Market Raisen out into second place in their group to progress to semi finals along with Holland. Sheen defeated Holland and Felton defeated Lincoln to make the final. This time in the final however, Sheen had altered their line up and went on to defeat Felton by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Bosley
The second weight of the day was the 600 kilos competition, which was pulled as a straight group of 6 with the top four teams progressing to the semi finals. The surprise package in this event was Alford who were competing in their first TOWA event. Alford made the cross-over along with Norton, Two Dales and Sheen. Alford went on to be defeated by Norton in the semi final despite a good effort and Sheen defeated Two Dales. Norton then went on to defeat Sheen in the final by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Sheen
The 680 kilos event was the third weight of the day, again split into two groups. Norton were the winners of group one ahead of Bosley, Market Raisen, and Lincoln. The pulling in group 2 was very keenly contested, particularly between Felton, Holland and Two Dales. In the end, it was Two Dales who progressed to the semi finals in second place behind Sheen. Norton proved to be too strong for Two Dales in their semi final, and Sheen and Bosley had a good pull in their semi final, with Sheen edging Bosley out to progress to the final. Norton continued their winning form by defeated Sheen by 2 ends to 0 in the final. Photo: Host club Lincoln
The final weight of the day was the 640 kilos event. Again split into two groups, Norton progressed from their group as group winners ahead of Bosley, Lincoln, Market Raisen and Sheen. Two Dales finished winners of group 2, closely followed by Holland, Alford and Felton. Norton defeated Holland in their semi-final by 2 ends to 0, and Two Dales and Bosley had a close fought battle in the second semi final. Bosley took the first end, but Two Dales were very close to taking the second end only for Bosley to draw the rope back to take the second end. Norton again proved to be ahead of the game in the final by defeating Bosley by 2 ends to 0 to win their third end of the day. Photo: Felton Eccles
There were only two ladies/youth teams present at this competition – Sheen Ladies and Bedford Ladies, competing at 520 kilos and 560 kilos. The ladies teams were given more pulling by going around three times in each weight class, with Sheen proving to be worthy winners of both weight classes. Bedford competed well whilst fielding two new ladies pullers in their team. Photo: Holland 
The Tug of War Association has recently developed a "basic skills" manual for use by schools/youth groups in running basic tug of war sessions/competitions as part of a PE lesson or sports day. The manual covers the basics of tug of war and how to set up a pulling area.
This weekend there was a small turnout for ther easter sunday competition at Thames Valley, held at Reading Abbey Rugby Club near Reading. The weather was warm and sunny and the ground very hard. The teams competing were Oxney, Sandhurst, Forge Lane, Felton Eccles and Bosley, with Bedford Ladies and Gloucester and Somerset ACF (A, B, and C) all taking part. Photo: Glos/Som A in the 520 kilos event
The hard ground conditions again meant that there weren't any really long ends, however it made the pulling very competitive and lively. There were some close battles between Sandhurst and Oxney, particularly in the lighter weight classes, with both teams coming away with first and second place position between them in the 580 kilos, 600 kilos and 640 kilos events. Felton Eccles pulled well to win both the 680 kilos and catchweight events. The enxt national league fixture is at Daventry on Sunday 8th May. With many teams expected to attend as in previous years, this will provide a good opportunity for teams to accumulate a good number of national league points. Photo: Sandhurst competing in the 580 kilos event. 
Photo: Bosley competing in the 580 kilos event
John was invited by TWIF to give a presentation to 160 delegates attending the event from China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Macau, Poland and other Asian countries, teaching the basics of judging, indoor tug of war and outdoor tug of war at the Beijing Language and Culture University. Photo: John teaching the basics of outdoor tug of war in Beijing
Photo: John teaching the basics of indoor tug of war
“It was a very proud moment for me to represent the English Tug of War Association on the world stage, and assist the International Federation in promoting tug of war worldwide. The sport appear to be growing in popularity around the Asian region, so hopefully by educating more countries in tug of war, we will see more countries participating at international events in the future, which will hopefully help the sport reach its goal of returning to the Olympic Games some day” Photo: John receiving a gift from the Macau delegation in recognition of his attendance at the course. 
Tug of War Association think that it is fantastic that a coach of one of our teams has been recognised by the Tug of War International Federation in this way. John has given a lot to both the sport, and the teams he has coached over the years, and we are very proud of his dedication and achievements in tug of war. Photo: John Webb (fourth from right) with TWIF secretary general Glen Johnson (fourth from left) and the rest of the Chinese delegation.
The first weight of the day was the catchweight event, which was very lively, with many pulls going to three ends. Felton Eccles finished as the eventual winners, with Lincoln overcoming Sheen and Holland in two very close pulls to finish as eventual runners up. Bosley and Altrincham had good pulls in this weight too, with both teams taking ends throughout the competition. Photo: Gloucester and Somerset ACF "B" Team
The 640 kilos was another good contest, with some good close pulling. The fight for first place came between Norton, Sandhurst and Bosley. Norton and Bosley met first out of the three, with Bosley setting out to try and take the pull to Norton. Norton held firm however to take the pull by 2 ends to 0. The same was the case when Sandhurst took on Norton, but again, Norton took the pull by 2 ends to 0. Bosley and Sandhurst fought each other for second place, with Sandhurst keeping their shape better to win the pull by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Bedford Ladies
The 720 kilos was a five team competition, again with some exciting pulling. Holland, Two Dales and Lincoln missed out on the battle for second spot, with all three teams giving a good account of themselves, however the key battle for first place was between Norton and Felton Eccles. This was a great pull between the two teams, with Felton being taken very close to the line on the first end, only for Norton to be blown out for receiving three cautions. The second end was another good contest, with Felton managing to draw Norton over the line to take first place. Photo: Leicester and Northants ACF "A" team
The final weight of the day was the 680 kilos competition. There were certainly a few tired bodies on the field, however Norton ran out as eventual winners without losing an end, with Sandhurst finishing as worthy runners up. Photo: Norton competing in the 720 kilos competition
The ladies and youth league competition was well supported this week with 7 teams taking part in each weight category. There were many new pullers on the field this week, which was very encouraging. Both the 520 kilos and 560 kilos weight classes were won by the Gloucester and Somerset ACF “A” team, but they were pushed all the way by the “A” team of Leicester and Northants, and also Bedford Ladies and Sheen Ladies. Photo: Lincoln - Runners Up in the catchweight event 
A cold day ensured the second round of the Early Pulls moved at a pace. The venue was good and the ground even. The six teams who attended enjoyed good pulling in an air of cooperation and friendship. Medals were presented to first and second in each weight based upon the grand score over the two weeks. York Youth received the Best Youth Cup and Melbourne the Most Improved Team Cup. Lea Hall Welfare Club was very happy with the event and wish us to return next year. Rodger Beardsmore, Julie Pettit and Tony Henshaw maintained a very high standard of judging and Jill Thomas kept efficient control of the results and proceedings. The teams that competed over the two weeks were Holland, Barton, York, Melbourne, Triple F, York Youth, Luutterworth and Diesel Power. Well done and thank you to all of the teams for taking part. Photo - Diesel Power on the Rope
Photo - York TOWC
In the 600, some of England’s youngsters had the chance to shine as they were invited to represent the England Under 23 team in the senior 600 kilos event. As part of the 600 kilos competition, each of the home nations were invited to field under 23 teams for the first time. England were the only country that took on the challenge and competed as England C. Although the under 23 team did not finish in a final medal position, the team competed extremely well, winning many plaudits along the way and providing much encouragement for the future. The England C (under 23) team were mainly made up of pullers from Sheen, Kilroe and Uppertown. Well done to them.
When it came to the top four stage of the competition, England B represented by Raunds missed out on a spot in the last four after losing out to Northern Ireland A in a good tussle. England A, represented by Kilroe, progressed to the semi finals behind Scotland A, and ahead of Scotland B and Northern Ireland A. England A won through their semi final to meet Scotland A in the final. Scotland A took a close first end, but the second end went right down to the wire. Scotland picked up two early cautions for locking, however England were also given two cautions before the bull was brought back to the middle for the re-start. On the re-start, England missed the drop completely, and Scotland took full advantage, inching England over the line to take victory. Scotland B took the bronze medal after defeating Northern Ireland. 
The second weight of the day was the 680 kilos competition. England only fielded one side in this event, and were represented by Sheen. England progressed to the semi-finals as a top two team, level on points with Scotland A. Scotland B and Northern Ireland A were the other teams to progress. England defeated Scotland B in the semi-finals before going on to meet Scotland A again in the final. Both countries fielded much changed teams from the very close 2010 final, however it was Scotland A who looked stronger this time around, and took the gold medal by 2 ends to 0.
England fielded two teams in the mixed 600 kilos event. These teams were made up from pullers from Sheen Men and Sheen Ladies. This weight class provided a much happier ending for England, with England A winning the competition without losing an end, and defeating Scotland A comfortably in the final to win a well deserved gold medal. England B finished in fourth position behind Scotland B after being narrowly defeated by 2 ends to 1. 
There was no ladies competition in the closed event this year, however a club event was held at 540 kilos, with Sheen Ladies finishing in first place ahead of Ayrshire. The Saturday competition also saw the first of two open 640 kilos competitions take place. The final was between Ayrshire of Scotland and Mountain View of Ireland, with Ayrshire winning a thrilling final by 2 ends to 1. 
The second day of the UK championships saw the open club competition take place. In addition to the home countries a number of teams from the Republic of Ireland, Italy and also the Basque region of Spain took part. It was another good day of competition with Sheen winning the 640 kilos after defeating Mountain View from Ireland in the final with a well deserved 2 ends to 0 win, and Sheen Ladies also won the ladies 540 kilos event. Sheen Men and Ladies also joined forces again to form a mixed team, and again won that 600 kilos 4+4 event in style, defeating Ayrshire from Scotland in the final by 2 ends to 0. 
Kilroe enjoyed success too by winning the mens 560 kilos event, defeating Mountain View from Ireland in the final, but lost the final of the 600 kilos event by 2 ends to 1 to Mountain View in another great final. Raunds and the Under 23 team also competed in the open 600 kilos event, competing very well again on the day, but missing out on a place in the last four.
The day started with an emotional tribute to Lynsey Chipperfield, who sadly passed away on 28th November. The event was attended by her parents, Stafford and Lesley, brother Andrew, and Fiance Gavin. Tributes were paid to Lynsey by TOWA President Tony Martin, and TOWA Chairman Mike Callaghan at the start of the event, prior to a moments silence being held in Lynsey’s memory. Thank you to everyone for the support and respect shown to Lynsey and her family during this difficult time. Photo: Lynsey Chipperfield whilst representing England at the European Outdoor Tug of War Championships in Minehead, 2007.
The tug of war competitions started with the catchweight event. Sheen took the gold medal in this weight ahead of Raunds who finished as close runners up. The 640 kilos event followed the catchweight competition, with world indoor 640 kilos champions Sheen looking to defend their national title. This years strong contenders came in the form of Norton, who had earlier defeated Sheen in the AAA 640 kilos championships in November. These two teams met in their first pull, which was a good close match, with the first end going to almost 6 minutes of pulling before Sheen took the end. The second end was not as long and Sheen took the end required to defeat Norton by 2 ends to 0. Sheen went on to take the gold medal without losing any ends, Norton taking the silver, and Raunds the bronze. Photo: Norton
The 560 kilos competition had a small entry of teams, but it was the pull between Kilroe and Norton that would determine the gold and silver medals. Norton were the defending champions, and after another long first end, Norton this time took the upper hand. The second end was another close pull, put the gold medal never really looked in doubt for Norton. Uppertown finished in the bronze medal position. Photo: Uppertown
The 720 kilos, was again between Sheen and Raunds, with Sheen taking their third gold medal of the day. The 600 kilos event followed, which was another close run competition. Sheen defeated Kilroe first on, and then defeated Uppertown and Raunds to go into their final pull against Norton needing the win to take the gold medal. Norton went into that pull on the back of a 2 ends to 0 defeat to Kilroe, needing a 2 ends to 0 win against Sheen to get back into the running for the gold medal. Despite giving Sheen a good pull, Sheen went on to take the two ends they needed to secure their fourth gold medal of the day. Photo: Raunds
The final weight of the day was the 680 kilos competition. No-one was capable of matching Sheen’s dominance in this weight, and they went on to take their fifth gold medal of the day for the third year running. The challenge for silver and bronze was much closer between Norton, Raunds, and Kilroe. Kilroe and Norton both defeated Raunds in close matches, which left Kilroe and Norton to battle it out for the silver. Norton took the first end, but Kilroe turned it around in another long end to level the match. The third end was another close battle, but this time it went to Norton, giving them the silver medal. Photo: Kilroe
The medals were presented to the winning teams on the day by TOWA President Tony Martin, and all the teams and officials were thanked for their efforts on the day. The officials on the day were Peter Craft, Mike Callaghan, Vic Ludkin, Ray Fray-Smith, Mike Selwood, Julie Petit, Betty Craft, Wendy Dyer, Jill Thomas and Pete Dyer. Our thanks also go out to Paul Richards and Tony Henshaw of Area 2 who have taken care of hall hire and making sure that ropes and mats are available at the venue. Photo: Sheen
Five weight categories took place at Catchweight, 680 kilos, 640 kilos, 620 kilos and 600 kilos. The catchweight competition was a lively weight first on, with Sheen fielding two evenly weighted teams against Raunds, Kilroe, and Hedge End. Raunds came out on top, winning the competition without losing an end, with Sheen A finishing as runners up. Photo: Hedge End TOWC
The lightweight competitions provided more lively pulling, particularly in the 600 kilos and 620 kilos weight categories. Sheen A won the 600 kilos weight class, with Sheen B finishing as eventual runners up ahead of Kilroe, Uppertown, BAC and Raunds. The 620 kilos was also another good competition, with Norton finishing as the winners, however Uppertown, Sheen A and Kilroe all finished on level points in second place after all teams took ends off each other. Photo: Raunds TOWC
Sheen completed another dominant display on the day, winning the 640 kilos and 680 kilos weight classes, with Norton finishing as runners up in the 680 kilos weight class, and Kilroe finishing as runners up in the 640 kilos weight class. Photo: Kilroe TOWC
Only a small number of teams attended the first week of the indoor league, but each team that did attend fielded a side in most of the weight classes. Sheen, Raunds, Kilroe and Sheen ladies attended the competition. Sheen ladies competed with 9 pullers against the mens teams which made for some good competition in the lighter weight classes. Photo: Sheen Ladies
Sheen men won 3 of the five weight classes on offer on the day, with Kilroe and Raunds also winning a weight class each. The first week of indoor competition is always low on numbers, and it is hoped that we will see a few more teams in attendance next week. Photo: Sheen Men
The second competition was the 640 Kilos with 11 teams in two groups of 6 and 5 with Leo’s Boys once again coming out on top with Raunds finishing a very credible second. The third competition was the 600 4+4 which was one group of 6 and was a very strongly contested competition. Holland came out winners with second place being decided on the last pull between York and Woodton, with the winners taking second place. York took the honours. Photo: Leo's Boys TOWC from Northern Ireland
The final competition for Saturday was the 680 Kilos which again was one group of 6 with Holland coming out as winners and Raunds as runners up. Photo: Wymondham TOWC
The Sunday saw another day of good competitions starting with the 620 with 9 teams in a group of 5 and 4. Under Federation rules where there are two groups they always have the crossover to give semi-finals. The winners of group 1 were Holland with Triple F second and in group 2 the winners were Leo’s Boys with Leek second. The semi-finals were then Holland v. Leek and Leo’s Boys v. Triple F. Holland and Leo’s Boys made it through to the final with Leo’s Boys coming out on top in an excellent final. Photo: Hadleigh TOWC
The second competition on the Sunday was the 660 Kilos again with 9 teams in a group of 5 and 4 with Raunds winning group 1 and 1066 taking second spot. Group 2 saw Holland in first place with Leo’s Boys coming second. The semi-finals were Raunds v. Leos Boys and Holland v. 1066. The final was a repeat of the 620 but this time Holland took first place with Leo’s Boys runners up. Photo: Woodton TOWC
Next up was the 660 4+4 in one group of 6. Once again there was some very good battles between the teams with Holland taking the spoils and it was great to 1066 taking the runners up spot. Photo: St Ouens TOWC from Jersey
The final competition was the 720 Kilos with 6 teams in 1 group. Holland once again came out winners with Raunds being a very credible second. Photo: Working together - Officials from both the Tug of War Association and the Tug of War Federation
The first day of the 2010 World Outdoor Championships saw teams competing in the 580 kilos and 700 kilos weight classes for senior men, 540 kilos for senior women, and 560 kilos for junior men. A non TWIF junior ladies 480 kilos club competition also took place on the day for South African teams. Photo: Holland TOWC competing in the open 700 kilos competition.
The day started with the mens 700 kilos competition. English interest in this competition came in the form of Felton Eccles from Somerset, and Holland from Staffordshire. Both teams got off to a good start, with Holland defeating Vechtlust from the Netherlands. Felton Eccles also got off to a good start with a very good 2 ends to 0 win over Latvian team Velkonis. Both Holland and Felton competed in the same group, with the competition split into two groups. The two English sides met half way through the group stage of the competition, having a good pull, with both teams taking a share of the spoils, winning one end each. Despite both teams getting some good wins over tough opposition, defeats and dropped ends to Lakehill from Ireland, Shongau from Switzerland, and Valsbaii from South Africa meant that neither side progressed to the semi finals. Photo: Felton Eccles competing in the open 700 kilos competition
The semi finals was between Veenseboys from the Netherlands who won group 1, and Shongau from Switzerland as runners up of group 2. Lakehill from Ireland faced Eibergen from the Netherlands in the second semi final. Veenseboys comfortably dispatched of Shongau by 2 ends to 0 to maker the final, with Eibergen getting a hard earned win over Lakehill to set up an all Dutch final. The bronze match between Lakehill and Shongau saw Lakehill dictate the pull from start to finish and they took the bronze medal by 2 ends to 0. The final saw Veenseboys from the Netherlands put on an impressive display of power pulling by defeating current European Club 640 champions Eibergen by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Seigelau - winners of the junior 560 kilos club competition
The Junior 560 kilos event was contested at the same time as the mens 700 kilos event, and was pulled as a straight group. There were many good South African teams in the event, joined by teams from Germany, Chinese Taipei and the Basque country. The group stage was dominated by Drosty from South Africa, and Dream Team Seigelau from Germany. Both teams progressed to the semi final stage with relative ease, followed by two other South African teams from Drackenstien and Oakdale A. The team from Chinese Taipei finished in 5th place to miss out on the semi finals after a good display for their first world championships. Like with the indoor, they pull a good style, and are certainly ones to watch on the outdoor in the future. Photo: Lakehill - 700 kilos bronze medallists
The semi finals were again dominated by Seigalau and Drosty who won their respective matches in impressive style to leave Oakdale and Drackenstien to fight it out for the bronze. Both teams fought very hard for the bronze medal, but in the end, it was Drackenstien who took the bronze medal. The final was yet again another clash between a German and a South African youth team. The final saw Drosty dominate the early exchanges, but the German team hung on to take a hard fought first end. The second end saw the Germans assert a little more control, and they took the second end to take the gold. Photo: Team Army competing in the open 580 kilos competition
The mens 580 kilos in the afternoon was pulled as two groups. With many good teams competing. English involvement in this event came in the form of Team Army. Despite all their efforts, they faled to make the semi finals in a group containing world class opposition, including Engelberg from Switzerland, and Boley from Ireland. It was those two teams who progressed from their group, with Engelberg going through in first place, Boley in second. The second group was won by Veenseboys from the Netherlands who were chasing their second gold medal of the day, however the pulling was very close to decide second place, with Gortletteragh from Ireland, Derryogue from Northern Ireland, Mosnang and Ebersecken from Switzerland, and Goiherri from the Basque country all with a good chance of finishing second. It was the Basque team that ended up pipping Mosnang to second place overall, and they progressed through to the semi finals. Chinese Taipei - ladies 540 kilos open club silver medallists
The semi finals saw Veenseboys defeat a determined Boley by 2 ends to 0, with Engelberg having a tough task in overcoming Goiherri by 2 ends to 0 to reach the final. The bronze medal match saw Goiherrie pull very well to hold there positions against Boley to take a hard earned bronze medal by 2 ends to 0. The final between Veenseboys and Engelberg was a case of seeing how long Engelberg could hold onto the strong Dutch team to try and find any weaknesses. The first end saw Veenseboys win in impressive style. On the second end, Engelberg threw everything at the Dutch side, drawing back any rope they lost, however they were picking up cautions on the way, before the Dutchmen drew the rope back to haul Engelberg over the line to claim their second gold medal of the day. Photo: Veenseboys - 580 kilos open club champions
The ladies 540 kilos weight class was pulled as a straight group, with some good teams from the Netherlands, South Africa, Lithuania, USA, the Basque Country, Japan, and Chinese Taipei. The surprise team was certainly the Chinese Taipei ladies team, having not competed at many World Outdoor Championships. They made it through the the semi finals, along with Koapman and Vechtlust from the Netherlands, and the South African team. The Chinese Taipei team pulled off a great 2 ends to 0 win over the South Africans to make it to the final, where they met Vechtlust, leaving Koapman and the South African team to fight it out for the bronze. The South Africans pulled very strongly in the bronze pull off to win by 2 ends to 0. The final between Chinese Taipei and Vechtlust was a good contest, with Chinese Taipei pulling a good level rope, just like what they are renowned for on the indoor. They got a good drive early on, but the Dutch held firm to take the first end. On the second end Chinese Taipei managed to unsettle the Dutch, but were a couple of lifts short of bringing them over, with Vechtlust taking the gold medal. It was a good performance from the Taipei team to take their first ever outdoor world medal. They certainly look like they can be as good on the outdoor as they are currently at indoor tug of war. Photo: Vechtlust - ladies 540 kilos open club competition
The second day of the open club competition started with the mixed 4+4 600 kilos event. This competition was pulled as a straight group of 11, with English interest coming in the form of Holland TOWC. Holland made a strong start, winning their first two pulls two straight, before going on to pull well in the remainder of their group matches, only losing to Gaztedi of the Basque country. Holland progressed to the semi finals along with Gaztedi, Jaersrust from the Netherlands, and Koapman, also from the Netherlands. In the semi-finals, Holland comfortably defeated Kopaman by 2 ends to 0 to reach their first ever final at a TWIF world championships. They would alter meet Gaztedi who overcame Jargersrust in a tough semi final pull. The bronze medal match went to three ends with Jagersrust taking the bronze by 2 ends to 1. The final between Holland and Gaztedi was a good pull, with Holland taking an early advantage, before Gaztedi got themselves back into the pull to take the first end. The second end saw Holland again take some early rope, but Gaztedi seized the advantage to take the gold medal by 2 ends to 0, giving Holland the silver. Photo: Goldschuere - winners of the open under 23 championship
The under 23 600 kilos competition also took place alongside the 600 4+4 competition and was pulled as a straight group. Along with strong teams from South Africa, clubs from Switzerland, Germany, Chinese Taipei, USA, and Belgium also took part. There was some close pulling at the start of the event with all teams dropping ends. The team from Chinese Taipei again gave another strong showing taking ends from Mosnang and Goldscheure early on. Goudini were also strong in defeating Mosnang and taking points from Goldscheure. Most of the other teams also acquitted themselves well, including DJs from the USA, who were competing in the under 23 category for the first time. Goudini, Goldscheure, Mosnang, and Chinese Taipei all progressed to the semi finals. Mosnang defeated Chinese Taipei, with Goldscheure defeating Goudini. The bronze medal match was a real tough encounter between two very strong teams, but it was Goudini who managed to break down Chinese Taipei to bring home the bronze medal. The final was between the German team of Goldscheure, and the Swiss team of Mosnang. Golscheure kept better body angles on the hard ground to defeat Mosnang by 2 ends to 0 to take a well deserved gold medal. Photo: Holland TOWC pulling in the 4+4 event
The afternoon saw the 640 kilos and ladies 540 kilos competitions take place. England teams in the 640 kilos competition were from Felton Eccles, Team Army, and Holland. The competition was split into four groups. Felton Eccles battled through their group to finish in first place ahead of Goudini from South Africa who progressed in second place. Holland and Team Army were both placed in the same group, but despite some good performances, neither side progressed through to the knock out stages. Their group was won by Boley from Ireland, with Goiherri from the Basque country progressing through in second place. Photo: Holland TOWC 4+4 team after winning the silver 
The quarter finals saw Boley defeat Lakehill, Eibergen defeat Goudini, Felton Eccles defeat Veenseboys B, and Veenseboys A defeat Fam. Janssens from Belgium. The semi finals saw Eibergen win well against Boley to earn a place in the final, with Veenseboys A defeating Felton Eccles. Felton Eccles went into the bronze medal match where they faced Boley from Ireland. Felton pulled strongly in this match and managed to contain Boley’s counter attacks really well to take Boley over the line to take the bronze medal by 2 ends to 0 to win a well deserved bronze medal. The final was the second of the weekend between Veenseboys and Eibergen, both of the Netherlands. Eibergen, current European Champions had a point to prove after defeat in the 700 kilos on the previous day and they pulled strongly early on, putting Veenseboys under some real pressure for the first time in the whole of the open club competition. Veenseboys however had a good long counter lift, which Eibergen on a couple of occasions did well to contain, but no-one was going to deny the Veenseboys their third gold medal of the competition and they took the 640 gold by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Team Army Squad
Bedford competed in the ladies 500 kilos competition, pulled as a straight group of 11. The teams from the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland all kept a low profile in this weight, but there were still strong teams from Germany, Chinese Taipei, USA, and Belgium all taking part. Bedford met Chinese Taipei. Fam. Janssens and Dietenbach from Germany in their first three pulls coming away with two points from the first three matches, however, the team settled down, and they went on to win all the remaining pulls in their group to reach the semi final. Chinese Taipei finished as overall group winners, with Bedford, Fam. Janssens and Dietenbach all finishing on level points. Dietenbach finished in second place after cautions and weight were taken into consideration. Leaving the draw to be decided on the toss of a coin. Bedford were drawn against Chinese Taipei, with the Chinese Taipei team winning by 2 ends to 0 to reach there second final of the weekend. Dietenbach won the second semi final by 2 ends to 0 to reach the final. Bedford went into the bronze medal match with high hopes, but came undone at the last hurdle, with Fam. Janssens getting Bedford moving early on. Beedford looked as though they were going to stop them, but it was too close to the line before they could get the rope back, and it was the team from Belgium that ended up taking the bronze medal. The final turned out to be a great performance from the Chinese Taipei team, and they were too strong for Dietenbach, taking their first ever outdoor gold medal by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Bedford Ladies 500 kilos - 4th place in the open competition.
The evening saw the opening ceremony for the closed world championships take place, with traditional African dancing, as well as a speech from TWIF president Cathal McKeever to mark the 50th anniversary of the Tug of War International Federation. England’s representatives in the opening ceremony were Diane McDonald of Bedford Ladies, and Emmett Power and Ryan Tommins of Sandhurst Youth. Photo: Felton Eccles - world 640 kilos bronze medallists
The closed competition started with the mens 700 kilos competition, later followed by the junior mens competition at 560 kilos. England did not enter a team in the mens 700 kilos competition, so it was a chance to watch some of the other countries in action. 9 teams competed in the competition, with the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and Ireland making the semi finals. The Netherlands defeated Sweden to reach the final, whilst Switzerland defeated Ireland. The bronze medal match went to three ends with Sweden taking the first end against Ireland, before Ireland took the next two ends to take the bronze. The final was another three end match, with the Swiss taking the first end. On the second end, Switzerland were unable to contain the big Dutch lifts and they took the second end to level the match. The Dutch won the toss to choose the winning end and they went on to secure the gold medal. Photo: England Youth Team
England entered a team in the junior 560 kilos competition, this year being represented by Sandhurst Youth, with most of their team representing England for the first time. It was a tough competition with no easy teams to pull against at youth international level. England started against Chinese Taipei, who sent very strong sides to the World Championships this time in the ladies and youth weights. On top of the ground they were not an easy team to pull, and despite both teams trying to get momentum, Chinese Taipei got England moving and they took the first pull by 2 ends to 0. It was to be a tough day all round for the England youth with defeats to Switzerland, South Africa, Sweden and Germany, which meant that they missed out on a place in the semi finals. Despite not winning any ends it was a good performance, and a good learning experience for our youth. There will be an opportunity for a youth team to represent on home soil again next year at the European Championships in Minehead. Photo: Switzerland Youth Team on the podium
Switzerland, Sweden and South Africa all made it to the semi finals, but Germany and Chinese Taipei finished on level points. Germany picked up less cautions in the competition, and they progressed to the semi finals. Switzerland defeated Germany in their semi final, and Sweden managed to overcome South Africa by 2 ends to 1 to reach the final. The bronze pull off was an exciting battle between the home nation and Germany. Germany took the first end, but South Africa levelled the pull to take the match to three ends. Germany managed to hang on to take a hard earned bronze medal. The final was between Switzerland and Sweden. Switzerland had much more left in the tank than Sweden and they earned a good 2 ends to 0 win to win the youth gold medal. Photo: England 580 kilos team
The mens 580 kilos competition followed in the afternoon and England were represented by current European Champions Norton. England went into the event with high hopes of getting a medal, but the early stage of the competition proved to be a stern test. The 580 kilos competition this year was fiercely competitive, with 5 or 6 teams out of the 11 looking like they were capable of reaching the final. England started off with a tough pull against Germany first on, securing a 2 ends to 0 win. England then met the other early favourites – Netherlands and Sweden – losing to both teams by 2 ends to 0 to put England under some early pressure. England then had Northern Ireland, taking the first end, but losing their balance on the second end to drop points to Northern Ireland. England then pulled off a good 2 ends to 0 win over Ireland to get themselves back into the competition, rounding off the competition without dropping any more points, including a good 2 ends to 0 win over Switzerland. Photo: Netherlands 580 kilos winning team
England qualified for the semi finals along with Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland, and were drawn against Sweden who had earlier defeated them in the group. The ground had cut up more now which gave both teams a sound footing. Sweden took the first end after England were harshly blown out for receiving three cautions. England then assumed control for the next two ends to take a good win into the final. England met the Netherlands who defeated Switzerland in the other semi final. The Netherlands were the hot favourites going into the final, having only lost one end in the group. England gave a good account of themselves on the first end, but could not quite tie down the big lift and row style of the Dutch team. The second end went the same way and the Netherlands secured their second gold medal of the championship. It was a great result for England after a terrible start, and the pullers came off the field happy that they won a silver medal when earlier in the competition it looked as though they could have finished out of the medals. Switzerland secured the bronze medal by defeating Sweden by 2 ends to 0. Photo: England 580 kilos team on the podium with their silver medals
The ladies 540 kilos competition took place at the same time as the mens 580 kilos competition. England did not have a team entered in this weight class, but the event was won by Sweden, with the Netherlands winning silver, South Africa the bronze and Chinese Taipei finished in fourth place. Photo: Sweden ladies winning the ladies 540 kilos title
Day four started with the 600 4+4 competition. England were not entered in this weight class, but 7 countries entered the event. Switzerland, Netherlands, South Africa and Sweden made the cross over with the Netherlands and Sweden both progressing to the final. South Africa and Switzerland both fought it out for the bronze medal, with Switzerland taking a hard fought pull by 2 ends to 0 to take the bronze medal. The final was between Sweden and the Netherlands. Sweden dropped in with good angles to start with and started to inch the Dutch team over. The Dutch tried to get some big lifts through but Sweden managed to contain them to take the first end. The second end went much the same way and Sweden took the first TWIF international 4+4 title. Photo: Sweden 4+4 Team
The under 23 600 kilos competition was fought out by 9 countries. There was some competitive pulling in this weight with Germany, Switzerland, South Africa and Sweden all progressing through to the semi finals. Germany defeated South Africa and Switzerland defeated Sweden, both in two straight ends. The bronze medal pull off saw Sweden defeated a spirited South Africa team by 2 ends to 0. The final saw Switzerland dominate Germany by 2 ends to 0 to secure the Under 23 title for the second year running. Photo: Switzerland Under 23 Team
The afternoon saw the men 640 kilos and ladies 500 kilos competitions take place. England were represented in the ladies 500 kilos competition by Bedford Ladies. England started off with a good 2 ends to 0 win over former world champions USA, in a tough field. England failed to make the cross-over in what was a very competitive weight class, with all teams pulling at a high standard. The teams that made the cross over were Germany, Chinese Taipei, Sweden and the Netherlands. Sweden defeated the Netherlands, and Chinese Taipei defeated Germany. Netherlands and Germany fought it out for the bronze medal, and it was Germany who took the two ends to earn the bronze medal. The final between Sweden and Chinese Taipei was between a team who was not been defeated for a few years in ladies tug of war, and another team who are an emerging force. It was Chinese Taipei who caused the biggest upset of the whole tournament by defeating Sweden by 2 ends to 0 to win their first ever outdoor world title. Photo: England Ladies 500 team
The 640 kilos competition saw England being represented by Felton Eccles. This was another great competition. England made a good start by defeating Germany by 2 ends to 0, and progressed through the competition, only dropping ends to Sweden, Switzerland and the Netherlands, as well as getting a good 2 ends to 0 win over Ireland early on in the group stages. England progressed to the semi finals in second place in the overall group ahead of Ireland and Switzerland, with the Netherlands finishing in first place in the group. In the semi finals, England were drawn against defending world champions Switzerland. England dropped in well on both ends, not allowing Switzerland to get into the pull, driving Switzerland out in two straight ends. The Netherlands won their semi final against Ireland to reach their third final of the mens weight categories, leaving Ireland and Switzerland to fight it out for the bronze. Despite losing to Switzerland in the group stages Ireland put in a good performance take the bronze medal by 2 ends to 0. England went into the final looking to inflict defeat on the Dutch mens team for the first time in the championships. Despite dropping in well against the Dutch on both ends, the long lifts and rows of the Netherlands proved to be effective yet again, and they went on to take the gold medal by 2 ends to 0 to finish off a fine weekend of pulling for them. Photo: England 640 kilos team
Well done to all the England teams and clubs who travelled to the event to take part. It took a lot of commitment by everyone to travel and compete at the event, and to come away with two medals in the open competition, and two medals in the closed competition is a great achievement considering we did not have the large contingent of pullers travelling to the event like we have done in previous years. England TWIF judges were Ray-Fray Smith and Mike Callaghan. Wendy Dyer was chief recorder, and Pete Dyer was assistant chief marshall. Alan Ludkin was commentator and liaison officer. Photo: Netherlands 640 kilos team
Next year, we host the European Outdoor Championships and World Junior and Under 23 Championships in Minehead, England. We look forward to competing in that event, and we look forward to welcoming everyone from Europe and the world. Photo: England 640 kilos team with their silver medals
Mick Grimston of Area 5 has recently passed his judges course. Mick had to take his course later than other candidates and completed the practical course at competitions held during April. Mick was presented with his certificate for passing the course at the weekend. Mick is a former puller and was a member of Lincoln, St Pats and Congleton Tug of War Clubs. Photo: Mick Grimston (left) is pictured recieving his judges certificate from TOWA president Tony Martin (right) 
Three mens weights took place, all run as points competitions at 600 kilos, 640 kilo and 680 kilos. The first weight was the 600 kilos. Norton had a healthy lead of 21 points going into the event, and were almost certain of taking the final gold medal on the day unless they had a disastrous competition. Norton pulled strongly throughout the weight without dropping an end to confirm the gold medal. The competition was much closer for the silver and bronze medals however, as Sandhurst, Felton Eccles, and Oxney were most likely to take the two remaining medals. Oxney competed well throughout the competition to only lose to Norton to secure the silver medal, and Felton Eccles overtook Sandhurst to take the bronze. Photo: Norton
The 640 kilos was again won by Norton, but was not quite as straight forward, having dropped an end to Oxney during the competition. Norton had an unassailable 33 point lead in this weight going into the event so losing ends did not matter. They again finished top of the pile, with Felton Eccles finishing as silver medallists on this occasion, having been two points behind Sandhurst at the start of the competition. Sandhurst took a well deserved bronze medal. Photo: Felton Eccles
The 680 kilos was the final mens weight of the day. Norton had achieved a small lead going into the final event, and it was most possible in this weight that teams behind them could catch up, provided that a few teams could take points off them. Felton Eccles pulled strongly, and were the only team to achieve this feat, beating Norton in a hard pull by 2 ends to 0 on the day. Both teams won all of their other pulls, which meant that Norton took their third gold, with Felton Eccles taking the silver. The fight for the bronze ended up between Bosley, Sandhurst and Oxney. Bosley were ahead of the other teams by 11 points, so needed to win a few points to secure the medal. Despite a few defeats, Bosley got enough points on the board to take the bronze medal. Photo: Bedford Ladies 
The ladies and youth league competition was well supported, with some good pulling in both the 520 kilos and 560 kilos weight class. Sandhurst Youth had a tough day with many pullers competing in both the senior and junior weights. They had a tough battle first on in the 520 kilos event with Gloucester and Somerset giving them a hard time, with Sandhurst eventually winning the pull by 2 ends to 1, and later went on to win the competition, finishing two points ahead of Gloucester and Somerset in the overall youth league for this weight class. Leicester and Northants finished as bronze medallists. Bedford Ladies took the gold medal in the ladies 520 kilos weight class, with Sheen Ladies finishing as runners up. Photo: Sandhurst Youth
The 560 kilos weight class was dominated by Sandhurst, and they won the competition on the day to secure the overall league title, again followed by Gloucester and Somerset, with Leicester and Northants winning the bronze. Bedford Ladies again won the ladies league, having a good battle with Sheen Ladies to win by 2 ends to 1 on the day. Sheen Ladies finished as overall runners up. Photo: Gloucester and Somerset ACF Squad
City and North East London ACF TOW club competing at GENSB 2010
Leicester and Northants ACF TOW Club competing at GENSB 2010
Gloucester and Somerset ACF TOW Club competing at GENSB 2010
The 2010 UK outdoor championships were this year hosted by the Northern Ireland Tug of War Association, with the event taking place in Enniskillen. Sheen Men, Felton Eccles, Wood Treatment Bosley, Oxney Vines Cross and Sheen Ladies all represented England in the closed event, with Lincoln TOWC also competing in the open event. The closed competition took place on the Friday afternoon, and started with a short opening ceremony, before the competition got underway with the mens 600 kilos competition. Photo - England B 600 kilos team - represented by Oxney Vines Cross
In the mens 600 kilos competition England A were represented by Bosley, and England B were represented by Oxney. England B started off with the toughest test first, going 1 end each with a very strong and lively Scotland A team. England A started off by defeating Northern Ireland B by 2 ends to 0, but then went on to be beaten by 2 ends to 0 to Northern Ireland A. Both teams had tough battles throughout the remainder of the group stage with England A defeating Scotland A, but dropped ends to Wales A. England A then made a substitution to bring on a fresh pair of legs for their remaining pulls. England B also dropped ends to Wales A. Both England A and England B met in the last pull of the group, with both teams in need of points to ensure that they progressed to the last four. England A needed one point, and England B needed three points and also relied upon Northern Ireland B dropping an end in their final match. Photo - England A 600 kilos squad - represented by Wood Treatment Bosley - 600 kilos gold medallists
England B took a hard first end against England A, but the second end saw England B take England A to within 3 feet of the line. With England A on two cautions it looked as though England A might go out, but England B stopped and England A managed to work the rope all the way back without picking up any more cautions to get the end they needed to secure a place in the semi final. Northern Ireland B won their final group pull by 2 ends to 0 to secure their place in the semi-finals, which meant that England B missed out. In the semi-final, England A came out strongly to defeat Northern Ireland A by 2 ends to 0 in a tough match. Northern Ireland B defeated Wales A to qualify for the final. Northern Ireland A secured the bronze medal with a good win over Wales A. Photo - England B 680 kilos team - represented by Felton Eccles - 680 kilos gold medallists
The final was between England A and Northern Ireland B, two teams who really had to battle hard to make it through to the semi-finals. The first end was very close, with Northern Ireland B starting off strong trying to work England A over the line. Northern Ireland B had England A on two cautions early on, but England A held on to break Northern Ireland B down, and they soon started to pick up cautions, eventually receiving their third which gave the end to England A. Both teams battled hard on the second end, but England A got the momentum this time, taking Northern Ireland B all the way over the line to take a hard earned gold medal. This was a landmark moment for representative club Wood Treatment Bosley, who won their first championship title below 640 kilos. Photo - England A 680 kilos team - represented by Sheen - 680 kilos silver medallists
In the ladies 540 kilos competition, England were represented by Sheen Ladies. Due to travel problems at the airport, England had one of their main pulling members missing for this competition as they could not travel to the event until later in the day, meaning that England had to change the team. England started off with a defeat to Wales A first on, but defeated Scotland B and went one end each with Scotland A which meant that they qualified for the semi-finals. England were defeated by Wales A in the semi-final, and had to settle for a pull against Scotland B for the bronze medal. England were too strong for the Scottish B team, and ran out as 2 ends to 0 winners to take the bronze medal for England. Photo - England Ladies 540 kilos team - represented by Sheen Ladies - 540 kilos bronze medallists
The closed event finished with the mens 680 kilos competition. England A were represented by Sheen in this weight, with England B being represented by Felton Eccles. England B started off with another tough test against Scotland A going to a 1 ends each draw, but recovered well to progress to semi finals, only dropping ends to Wales A and England A. England A, also endured relatively straight forward qualification for the semi finals, only dropping ends to the very strong Wales A side represented by Llanboidy. Photo - Lincoln TOWC competing in the open 600 kilos event
In the semi finals, England A were drawn to pull against Scotland A, with England B having a tough test against Wales A. England A pulled strongly in the semi final to defeat Scotland A, but England B really had to dig deep against Wales A to grind out a 2 ends to 0 win to make it to the final. The bronze medal pull off was between Scotland A and Wales A, which was a very good contest which went to three ends. Both teams have very strong lifts, and it was Scotland A who took the first end. Wales A however dug deep and took the next two ends to secure the bronze medal. Photo - Sheen Ladies team - ladies 540 kilos UK open champions
The Inter County Championships this year, were much better supported than the previous few Inter County Championships, and this was further boosted by the first mixed pulling event hosted by the Tug of War Association. It was pleasing to see a good turnout of teams, and a good turn out of both Association and Federation teams, all pulling in the same arena. Photo - Norton representing Staffordshire - winners of the 640 kilos Inter County Championship
Teams competing - Norton, Sheen, Felton Eccles, Lincoln, Sandhurst, Wood Treatment Bosley, Holland, Hanging Bridge, Totham Bull, 1066, Woodton, Forge Lane, Oxney Vines Cross, Bedford Ladies, 1066 Ladies, Sheen Ladies. Photo - Sheen Men
The Inter County Championships kicked off with the 640 kilos competition and the battle for the coveted 640 kilos shield. The defending champions were Staffordshire (represented by Norton). This event was keenly contested, and was split into two groups. Staffordshire started off their defence with a hard fought win over Somerset (Felton Eccles) before defeating Berkshire (Sandhurst), Lincolnshire (Lincoln), and Essex (Totham Bull). Group 2 (which had loads of pulls which went to three ends) was won by Sussex A (Oxney), with Derbyshire (Hanging Bridge) finishing as runners up, ahead of Cheshire (Bosley), Staffordshire B (Holland) and Sussex B (Forge Lane). The semi finals saw Staffordshire A defeat Derbyshire, and Sussex go through a tough 3 end pull with Somerset to reach the final. Despite a strong performance by Sussex, Staffordshire held their shape well to take the 640 kilos inter county shield by 2 ends to 0. Photo - Holland TOWC 4+4
The second Inter Counties weight was the 680 kilos weight class. Staffordshire A (Norton) were again the defending champions. Staffordshire A started off with a difficult two ends to nil win over Lincolnshire (Staffordshire A were 60 kilos light), before going on to defeat Staffordshire B (Sheen) by 2 ends to 1. Derbyshire (Hanging Bridge) then took another end out of Staffordshire A, but it was Somerset (Felton Eccles) who pulled strongly throughout the competition to win the 680 kilos shield without losing an end. Staffordshire A (Norton) finished as runners up. Photo - Woodton TOWC 4+4
The national open 4+4 championship at 600 kilos was then contested. This was a first for the Tug of War Association, with 7 teams taking part. As this was a first event for the Association and to get it off the ground, teams were allowed to borrow up to four pullers from another club to enter the weight class on the day. The teams that competed were Woodton, Bedford, Oxney, Sheen, Totham Bull, Holland, and 1006. Sheen started with a hard fought win over Holland first on, and there was a good pull between Holland and Woodton, with Woodton taking Holland close to the line on the first end, only to run out of steam. The eventual winners were Bedford, with Oxney finishing in silver medal position and Sheen finished as bronze medallists. For a first event, this competition was a success. Photo - Totham Bull TOWC 4+4
The open weights were contested in the ladies 500 kilos and 540 kilos, and men 600 kilos, 640 kilos and 700 kilos. Bedford Ladies won both of the ladies weight classes, with Sheen Ladies finishing as runners up in the 540 kilos weight class, and 1066 finished as runners up in the 500 kilos weight class. Norton won the 700 kilos weight class, with Felton finishing as runners up. Norton also won the 640 kilos weight class, with Felton Eccles finishing as runners up again. Oxney finished as winners of the 600 kilos weight class, with Hanging Bridge finishing as runners up. Photo - Oxney Vines Cross 4+4
The TOWA would like to congratulate all of the teams who took part in the Inter County Championships and Open 4+4 Championships and made it a good day of tug of war. Officials on the day were Ray-Fray Smith, Peter Tuckwell, Ray Wells, Peter Craft, and Julie Petit, with Betty Craft and Wendy Dyer undertaking the timekeeping and recording duties. Photo - 1066 TOWC Ladies team 
Tug of war returned to Congleton Carnival this year, an event that runs every two years. Only a small number of teams turned out, but they put on a good show for the large amount of spectators in attendance. Three weights were contested at 600 kilos, 640 kilos and 680 kilos. Hanging Bridge won all three weight classes on the day, with Bosley finishing as runners up in the 640 kilos and 680 kilos weight classes. Stretton finished as runners up in the 600 kilos event, and finished in third place in both the 640 kilos and 680 kilos event. The competition was officiated by Roger Beardsmore, and the event organisers expressed their gratitude to all of those who tokk part. They hope to have a few more teams taking part at the event when it is organised in 2012. Photo: Hanging Bridge competing against Stretton
Stretton YFC Tug of War competing at Congleton Carnival. Stretton are the current Cheshire county young farmers tug of war champions.
The 1947 Wimpey Tug of War Team
“In the 1950’s and early 1960’s Dad was well known in the Essex District of Debden, Loughton and Buckhurst Hill as an accomplished darts player, winning many league and cup titles, including the individual championships (he still has many darts cups and medals). My father was 90 last December and is still a fit powerful man for his age. The second photograph (left) was taken at his 90th Birthday lunch and shows him with two of his three adored grandaughters”.
The teams competing on the day were: Sheen, Holland, Norton, Wood Treatment Bosley, Hanging Bridge, Leek, Lincoln, Felton Eccles, Sandhurst, Oxney Vines Cross, Forge Lane, BAC, Tavistock, Widecombe, Team Army, 17 Port and Maritime Regiment in the mens weight classes. Bedford, Sheen and Leek took part in the ladies weight classes, and Sandhurst, Gloucester and Somerset ACF and Leicester and Northants ACF took part in the junior weight classes. Photo: Leek Ladies in the 540 kilos event
The day started with the catchweight event, although this year, there was only two teams taking part due to the lack of heavy teams around on the circuit this year. Those two clubs were Sheen and Holland, both from Staffordshire. Sheen performed strongly despite a huge effort from Holland to take the catchweight title by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Widecombe competing in the 640 kilos event
The ladies 540 kilos took place next with Sheen Ladies and Bedford Ladies having a good three end pull first on. Sheen took the first end, but Bedford took the second end to level the pull, before taking the third end to move ahead in the competition. Both Sheen and Bedford Ladies defeated Leek Ladies by 2 ends to 0, to ensure that Bedford finished with the gold medal and Sheen Ladies came away with the silver. Photo - Sandhurst youth competing in the junior 530 kilos event
The second mens weight was the 640 kilos event, which was pulled as a straight points competition. Felton started the defence of their title with a hard fought 2 ends to 0 win over Lincoln, whilst Bosley earned a hard fought 2 ends to 1 win over Sheen. Both teams then went on to lose their next pull, but started to pick up points again elsewhere. Oxney and Hanging Bridge were in contention of medals half way through the competition, but then started to fade away, leaving Felton, Lincoln, and Bosley in contention. Bosley defeated Lincoln by 2 ends to 1 to move within a point of them in second and third place, which meant that Bosley had to take two ends off Felton to take the silver. Felton had already earned enough points to secure gold, but Bosley gave them a real fight, but Felton had just enough to take the two ends to secure the gold medal without losing an end, with Lincoln taking the silver, and Bosley the bronze. Photo: Felton Eccles in the 640 kilos event
The first junior weight class of the day was the junior 530 kilos competition. Sandhurst started off by defeating Leicester and Northants ACF by 2 ends to 0, and Leicester and Northants went on to defeat Gloucester and Somerset ACF by 2 ends to 0. Sandhurst then beat Gloucester and Somerset to secure the gold medal, with Leicester and Northants taking silver. Photo: Norton in the 580 kilos event
The 580 kilos competition saw a large entry of teams and the competition was split into two groups. Norton and Forge Lane progressed from Group 1 ahead of Felton, Bosley, BAC, and Widecombe, with Sandhurst and Oxney progressing ahead of Team Army, Hanging Bridge, Tavistock, Hanging Bridge, Leek, and 17 Port and Maritime Regiment. In the cross over, Norton defeated Oxney by 2 ends to 0, and Sandhurst defeated Forge Lane. That left the two teams from Sussex to battle it out for the bronze medal, with Oxney taking the bronze medal against Forge Lane, who have made massive improvements over the past couple of seasons. The final was between Norton and Sandhurst, and was a repeat line up of the 560 kilos finals we have had for the past few seasons. Norton have had a strong and consistent season so far, and nothing was going to stop them again on this occasion as they defeated a spirited Sandhurst team by 2 ends to 0 to become the first team to take the new national 580 kilos title. Photo - Sandhurst in the 580 kilos event
The next mens weight was the 700 kilos weight class. Four teams entered this weight class – Sheen, Felton, Holland, and Leek. Sheen started off against Holland in their first pull, with Holland throwing everything at Sheen, before Sheen took the pull by 2 ends to 0. Holland and Leek then had a good pull second on which went very close before Holland took that pull by 2 ends to 0. Felton and Sheen meanwhile had another excellent battle, with Felton really having to hand on to Sheen on the first end before eventually pulling them over the line. Felton then took the second end, and went on to defeat Holland by 2 ends to 0 to take the gold medal, with Sheen taking silver and Holland the bronze. Photo: Holland in the 700 kilos event
The ladies 500 kilos weight class was a lively contest. Bedford defeated Sheen by 2 ends to 0 first on, but the best pull of the competition came second on between Leek and Sheen. Leek took a hard fought first end, before Sheen had to battle really hard to level the pull. The third end was equally as exciting, but Sheen had enough left in the tank to bring Leek over the line. Bedford secured the gold medal with a 2 ends to 0 win over Leek, with Sheen finishing as silver medallists. Photo - Bedford Ladies in the 500 kilos event
The 600 kilos event then saw another large entry of teams, and the competition was split into two groups. Bosley were the winners of group 1 ahead of Oxney, Felton Eccles, Hanging Bridge, Forge Lane, Team Army and Tavistock, with Norton finishing as winners of group 2 head of Sandhurst, Lincoln, Leek, 17 Port and Maritime Regiment, Widecombe, and BAC. Norton went on to again defeat Oxney in a semi final, whilst Bosley took a hard earned semi final win against Sandhurst to make the final. Oxney pulled strongly in the bronze medal pull to defeat Sandhurst by 2 ends to 0, and Norton gave another strong performance in the final, to win their second gold medal of the day by beating Bosley by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Sheen Ladies in the 500 kilos event
The junior 560 kilos event, again saw Sandhurst, Gloucester and Somerset ACF, and Leicester and Northants ACF fighting it out for the medals. Sandhurst won the competition without losing an end to take a well deserved gold medal, with Gloucester and Somerset taking a good silver medal, by beating the 2009 winners Leicester and Northants ACF by 2 ends to 0. Well done to all of the youth teams who took part. Photo - Leek in the 700 kilos event
The final weight of the day was the 680 kilos weight class. This weight is always usually wide open as the last weight of the day, with most teams having competed in many other weight classes. The competition was split into two groups. Felton edged through as winners of group 1, despite a very hard battle against Holland in this weight who went through in second place ahead of Hanging Bridge, Tavistock, Sandhurst and Team Army. Sheen progressed as winners of group 2 ahead of Norton who finished as group runners up, Lincoln, Bosley, Widecombe, and Oxney. Sheen defeated Holland in their semi final, and Norton came away with a good 2 ends to 0 win over Felton Eccles. Felton Eccles then went on to secure the bronze medal against Holland, whilst Sheen beat an underweight Norton team in the final by 2 ends to 0 to take their second gold medal of the day. Photo: LNR ACF in the Junior 560 kilos
At the end of the day, the gold silver and bronze medals were presented to the teams by TOWA president Tony Martin. The Tug of War Association would like to thank Sheen TOWC and Manifold County Primary School for providing the venue and hosting the event on our behalf. We would also like to thank all of the teams for coming along to the event as well as thanking all of the local people who turned out in force to support the teams. Photo: Gloucester and Somerset ACF in the Junior 560 kilos
We would also like to thank the officials for attending the event. As with the teams, without them, we would not be able to have a championship. They were: Peter Craft (Controller), Nick Major (Chief Judge), George Ferrett (Referee), Betty Craft (Chief Recorder), Wendy Dyer (recorder), Yvonne Ludkin (recorder), Roger Beardsmore, Matt Cowlard, Ernie Jones, Vic Ludkin, Adrian Willis, Ray Fray-Smith, Mike Callaghan, Mick Grimston, Julie Petit and Pete Dyer (Chief Marshall). We would also like to thank Alan Ludkin for providing the commentary on the days events. Photo - Bosley in the 600 kilos event
BAC competing in the 600 kilos event
Team Army competing in the 600 kilos event
Lincoln competing in the 680 kilos event
Sheen competing in the 680 kilos event
The 580 kilos event was split into two groups, with the lighter weight classes seeing large entries in recent weeks, the competition was again very close. Norton put in another fine performance in this weight to finish top of their group ahead of Bosley, Sandhurst, Lincoln, Hailsham, and Felton Eccles A, with Oxney coming through as winners of their group ahead of Felton Eccles B, Forge Lane (after a close 2 ends to 1 pull), Gloucester and Somerset ACF, and Team Army. Norton went into the final to record a good 2 ends to 0 win over Oxney. Photo: Sheen in the 680 kilos
The 680 kilos was again split into two groups. Sheen continued their strong performance in the catchweight event to edge out Lincoln to finish top of their group to go on to meet Felton Eccles in the final. Now that the ground had cut up, Felton had the opportunity to get behind the holes in the ground to try and stop Sheen’s power. Felton managed to do this to take a well deserved win in this weight. Photo: Felton Eccles competing with Sheen in the final of the 680 kilos event
The 600 kilos competition was by far the most keenly fought weight class on the day. The competition was split into two groups, with a good spread of teams across the draw. The first group saw Sandhurst come through as winners, to come through on top after a tough three end win over Oxney, however there was even more excitement in the second group, with close pulls between Sheen, Bosley, Forge Lane and Lincoln. Bosley defeated Sheen by 2 ends to 0 in a very hard pull, but were then defeated by Forge Lane by the same score. Sheen then came through to defeat Forge Lane by 2 ends to 0, but Bosley’s loss against Lincoln meant that Forge Lane and Sheen would have to pull again to see who would go through to the final. This was another great pull, with Forge Lane just edging it by 2 ends to 1. Forge Lane then went on to meet Sandhurst in the final. Both teams had had tough pulling in the group, but those extra ends for Forge Lane took a lot out of them, and it was Sandhurst who came through as worthy winners by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Forge Lane competing in the 600 kilos event. 
The event started with the 700 kilos event, which was pulled as a straight group. Felton Eccles performed strongly in this weight to win the competition without losing an end, followed by Lincoln who finished as runners up after a hard fought 2 ends to 1 win over Oxney first on. North Wiltshire started with a good performance to finish fourth overall in this weight. Photo - Oxney Vines Cross
The 580 kilos event followed, and this was again pulled as a straight group. Oxney and BAC had a good pull first on, and competition between Oxney, Sandhurst and Bosley was close to determine who would finish in first place. Oxney firstly defeated Sandhurst by 2 ends to 0, then Bosley followed suit to beat Sandhurst by 2 ends to 0. The final and deciding pull was between Bosley and Oxney, with Bosley coming away with a hard fought 2 ends to 0 win over Oxney. Photo - North Wiltshire TOWC 
The 680 kilos event was split into two groups. Oxney were the winners of group 1 ahead of Widecombe, Whimple and Broadclyst, and North Wiltshire, whilst Felton Eccles came through as winners of group 2 ahead of Lincoln, Bosley, Sandhurst A and Felton B. In the final of this weight, Oxney and Felton Eccles fought it out. Oxney gave a good battling performance, but Felton Eccles maintained their composure to work their way to a well deserved 2 ends to 0 win. Photo - Whimple and Broadclyst TOWC
The day started with the 600 kilos event, which was pulled in two groups. Norton were the winners of group A, ahead of Oxney who finished as runners up, and Lincoln won group B with Felton Eccles finishing as group runners up. There was also some very close competition between the other teams in this weight class. Their were many notable performances from Tavistock, Widecombe, Gloucester and Somerset, Kennford, and 17 Port and Maritime Regiment who had to endure many three end pulls. The final was between Norton, and Lincoln, and it was a good performance by Norton who won strongly by 2 ends to 0 to win the 600 kilos event for their fourth successive week. Photo: Widecombe in the 600 kilos event
petiThe 680 kilos was the second weight of the day, and was again split into two large groups. Norton were the winners of group 1, beating Bosley into first place to make the final, with Felton Eccles winning the second group ahead of Forge Lane. The final was a good battle between Norton and Felton Eccles, with the first end running very close, with Norton having to battle very hard to take Felton over the line. Norton asserted a little more control on the second end to contain the early surge from Felton, and went on to take a hard fought two ends to nil win against Felton, which was applauded by all around the field. Photo: Host club Felton Eccles competing in the 600 kilos event. 
The 580 kilos event followed, which was split into two groups. Forge Lane pulled very strongly in their group to make the final ahead of Oxney Vines Cross, with both teams having a good tussle to see who would come out of the group to make the final. Bosley were the winners of group two, which was another competitive group, finishing ahead of Tavistock and Felton who were also both in contention to reach the final. In the final, Forge Lane had the upper hand from the drop on both ends to take a well earned win in the 580 kilos weight class. Photo: BAC competing in the 600 kilos event
The 640 kilos event followed, again split into two groups. At this stage of the day, given the very warm weather, and hard pulling already endured, some teams started to fatigue, but it did not stop Norton from progressing to their third final of the day ahead of Oxney, Sheen, Bosley, Kennford, Widecombe, and Sandhurst B, where they met Sandhurst A in the final, who overcame Lincoln in a good three end pull, BAC, Felton A, Tavistock, and Felton B. Norton again dominated the proceedings against Sandhurst in the final, by going on to win by 2 ends to 0, although Sanhurst will be pleased with their efforts having come through some hard pulling in the group with two youth pullers in their team. Photo: Tavistock competing in the 600 kilos event
The final weight of the day was the catchweight event. There was a smaller entry of teams in this weight so it was pulled as a straight group. Sheen and Felton had to battle it out first on, with Sheen going on to win by 2 ends to 0. Sheen went on to win the competition, with Felton finishing as runners up. Photo: Kennford, who have recently reformed, taking the strain in the 600 kilos event. 
The 2010 Midland Championships started with the mens catchweight event, run as a single group points competition. The event included a few young farmers teams, who acquitted themselves well to the competition, despite being up against more experienced clubs. The competition between most clubs was close, but not as close as the deciding pull between Felton and Sheen which went to three ends. Felton took the first end, but Sheen took the second in with a hard battled win. The third end was equally as close, and just as Felton looked to be getting themselves back into the pull, Sheen managed to moved Felton over the line to win the pull and the catchweight competition.
The second weight of the day was the 580 kilos competition, again run as a straigh points competition. The pulling was again tight, with Bosley and Hanging Bridge having a three end match firs on with Bosley beating Hanging Bridge by 2 ends to 1. There were many other close pulls, but it was Sandhurst who won the competition without losing an end, with Bosley finishing as runners up.
The 680 kilos competition was split into two groups. Norton were the winners of group 1 ahead of Bosley, Sandhurst, Hanging Bridge and Haye-on-Wye, With Felton Eccles finishing ahead of Lincoln, Sheen and Rushock in their group. Norton went into the final with a light team, but pulled a good tight rope throughout to hold off the challenge from Felton to win the competition by 2 ends to 0.
The 600 kilos event followed, and again was pulled as a straight group. Norton were again very strong and won the competition without losing an end. Bosley finished as worthy runners up, but there was some good pulling between all of the other teams - Haye-on-Wye, Hanging Bridge, Sheen, Lincoln, and Caradoc, with many of those pulls going to three ends. 
The final mens weight of the day was the 640 kilos which was split into two groups. Norton were the winners of group 1 ahead of Lincoln, Felton Eccles, and Sheen, with Bosley winning group 2 ahead of Hanging Bridge, Haye-on-Wye, Caradoc, and Rushock. Norton and Bosley met again for the third time in a deciding pull in the final, and despite a battling effort, Norton came through as winners once again to take their third win of the day.
There was again a well supported ladies and youth competition, with Leicester and Northants ACF (A, B and C), Glouscester and Somerset ACF (A and B), Sandhurst Youth, and Bedford all taking part. This competition also welcomed the Eire OG team from Ireland, who have become regular visitors to Daventry over the years. Photo: Leciester and Northants ACF Youth.
The 680 kilos was another good competition, split into two groups. The teams from Southminster, Colchester, and Market Rasen gave some excellent battling performances in this weight, but Norton went through to the final as winners of group 1, with Felton Eccles also coming out of a tough group to reach the final. Norton put on a strong performance in the final for a hard earned win by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Cornwall ACF Youth
The 580 kilos competition was another interesting weight class, with Hanging Bridge coming through as winners of their group ahead of Sandhurst A, Bosley, Lincoln, Oxney and 17 Port and Maritime Regiment. Forge Lane came through as worthy winners of group 2 by defeating Felton Eccles, BAC, Sandhurst B, and Team Army. Forge Lane put up a good fight against Hanging Bridge in the final, but Hanging Bridge just edged out Forge Lane to finish in first place. Photo: Forge Lane 
The final mens weight of the day was the 640 kilos weight class, split into two groups. Group 1 was won by Norton, who defeated Sandhurst A, Felton Eccles, Oxney, Team Army, and Forge Lane. Group 2 was won by Hanging Bridge, who came through a competitive group ahead of Bosley, BAC, Lincoln, Sandhurst B, and Colchester. The pulling in this group was particularly good, with Colchester defeating Sandhurst B and BAC, and also taking an end out of Bosley. The final saw Norton face Hanging Bridge, who threw everything at Norton, but Norton held off the challenge to take their third win of the day. Photo: 17 Port and Maritime Regiment
The ladies and youth weights were contested at 560 kilos and 520 kilos. The 560 kilos was the first weight, which provided some good exciting pulls. The ground was a little bit greasy on top at the start, resulting in a couple of endy pulls to start with. Gloucester and Somerset had a good pull with the Eire OG team first on, narrowly being defeated by 2 ends to 1, before Sandhurst youth went on to win by 2 ends to 1 against the Eire OG team. Sandhurst went on to win this weight without losing an end. Leicester and Northants ACF fielded three teams in this weight, fielding teams with a mix of both junior boys and girls pullers. Cornwall ACF also competed well, along with Bedford Ladies who had no other ladies teams to pull on the day. Photo: Hanging Bridge
The 520 kilos competition was later won by Sandhurst Youth, with Eire OG finsishing as worthy runners up ahead of Gloucester and Somerset ACF A. Photo: Colchester YFC
This week was the first competition of the Tug of War Association National League, which took place in Kempston, Bedford. The event was well supported with senior mens teams from Southminster, Triple F, Sheen, Norton, Felton Eccles, Sandhurst (A and B), Lincoln, Oxney Vines Cross, Wood Treatment Bosley, Gloucester and Somerset ACF, BAC, Hanging Bridge taking part. The ladies and youth competition also saw seven teams competing from Bedford, Sheen, Leicester and Northants ACF (A, B and C), Gloucester and Somerset ACF (A and B). The dry weather conditions meant that the ground was hard, and this factor, combined with the warm weather made the competition in all weight classes very competitive. Photo: Sheen Ladies in the Ladies and Youth 560 kilos
PhThe day started with the catchweight event, split into two groups. Norton won group one ahead of Felton Eccles, Bosley and Southminster, with Lincoln finishing as worthy winners of group two, finishing ahead of Sheen, Sandhurst A, Hanging Bridge, and Oxney Vines Cross. Lincoln and Norton met in the final as winners of their respective groups to decide who would finish first and second. Norton pulled strongly to take a 2 ends to 0 win over Lincoln. Photo: Bedford in the ladies and youth 560 kilos
The second weight of the day was the 600 kilos event, which was a good competitive weight class split into two groups. Sheen were the surprise package in this weight, winning their group ahead of Triple F, Felton Eccles, Bosley and Sandhurst B. BAC came through as winners of the second group ahead of Sandhurst A, Oxney Vines Cross, and Hanging Bridge, with whom BAC finished level on points. BAC and Hanging Bridge then had to pull again to decide who would go through to the final, and it was BAC who won through to meet Sheen. The extra pulling took its toll on BAC, and it was Sheen who came through to win the final by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Southminster in the catchweight event.
The 680 kilos was another points competition split into two groups. Norton were the winners of group one ahead of Oxney Vines Cross, Lincoln, Hanging Bridge and Sandhurst A. Felton Eccles won group two ahead of Bosley, Triple F, Sandhurst B and Sheen. Norton and Felton Eccles met in the final, with Felton giving an aggressive performance against Norton. Despite all their efforts, Norton kept their composure on both ends to take the win by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Felton Eccles in the catchweight event.
Alongside the mens 680 kilos competition, the ladies and youth 520 kilos competition took place. Like the Ladies 560 kilos competition earlier, the competition was again very very close, with some close pulling between all the teams. Bedford again were worthy winners, with Gloucester and Somerset ACF A finishing as runners up. Photo: Gloucester and Somerset ACF "A" team in the ladies and youth 560 kilos event.
The final weight of the day was the 640 kilos. This was again a points competition, split into two groups. Norton again pulled strongly to win their group ahead of Hanging Bridge, Bosley, Felton Eccles and Gloucester and Somerset ACF. Sandhurst A were the winners of group two ahead of Lincoln, BAC, Sandhurst B and Triple F. Norton were again a strong team in the 640, and went on to win the final by 2 ends to 0. Photo: Lincoln in the catchweight event
The competitions held on the day were all run as points competitions so all the teams got plenty of pulling. The ground cut up well, which made for good competitive pulling. The day started with the catchweight event, with Felton Eccles taking first place in this weight class, which they normally dominate at this time of year. Sheen took the runners up spot in their first outing since winning the gold medal at World Indoor Championships in February. Photo: Wood Treatment Bosley in the 600 kilos event
Following the catchweight competition, the 640 kilos competition took place. This again was run as a full group. Norton have again come back at the start of the season with a good level of fitness and won the competition without losing an end. Hanging Bridge were the worthy runners up, just finishing ahead of Bosley who finished third. Photo: Sandhurst TOWC competing in the 620 kilos event
After the 640 kilos competition, a memorial shield in memory of John was presented by his family to the winners of the 640 kilos event, and this award was received by Norton from Stuart Hollinshead who presented the award on behalf of the family. All of the pullers and spectators who attended the event then gave three cheers in tribute to John. Photo: Sturat Hollinshead (right), son of former Wood Treatment Bosley Coach John Hollinshead presenting Dave Calcutt (left)of Norton TOWC (640 kilos winners) with the John Hollinshead Memorial Shield 
The competition at the Guildford Easter Show in Surrey was held on Easter Monday. The recent wet weather had made the ground soft, but Monday remained dry and windy and the ground dried out as the day progressed. The surface was a bit slippery to start with, but as the ground broke up some decent holes soon developed, and the spectators were treated to some good pulling. The number of clubs taking part was down on last year, which is a shame because the Tug of War at this show is always popular with the spectators, and there were quite a few ‘old pullers’ in the crowd. Photo: BAC TOWC
The first weight was the Men’s 600 with BAC, Sandhurst A, Sandhurst B, Sandhurst Youth, Holland, Oxney A, Forge Lane and Bedford Ladies taking part in an eight team points competition. Sandhurst A won the weight, losing only one end to worthy runners up Forge Lane. Sandhurst Youth and Bedford Ladies took part in the Men’s 600 and, in accordance with the new rule, some of the men’s teams dropped pullers when they met these teams. Unfortunately one of the Bedford pullers sustained an injury near the end of this weight, and the team then withdrew from the competition. The injured puller was treated on the field by the St John Ambulance and we wish her a speedy recovery. Photo: Bedford Ladies TOWC
The first two days of the event were the open club competitions. There was little involvement by English clubs in this weight, although Raunds entered a team in the 640 kilos, and Kilroe entered a team in the 600 kilos. Neither team reached the semi finals, with both teams concentrating on representing England at the weekend. Abadino from the Basque region of Spain pulled very well to win the Open Competition at both 560 kilos and 600 kilos, with Bremore from Ireland winning the 640 kilos event, and Heidenskip from the Netherlands winning the 680 kilos event. Photo: Abadino in the Men 560
In the ladies open competition, the ladies teams from Chinese Taipei won both the ladies 500 kilos and ladies 540 kilos competitions. It was a different team to what we have seen dominate ladies indoor tug of war for the past 4 or 5 years, but this new team were technically just as good as their predecessors, and they won both finals against Basque team Badiotz. Photo - Chinese Taipei in the open 540 kilos
The closed competition started with the opening ceremony on the Friday evening, with pulling starting on Saturday with the mens 560 kilos competition. 10 countries fielded a team in this weight class, which turned out to be a very stern test for all teams taking part. England were represented by Norton in this weight, who progressed through the group finishing in first place, having lost one end to Scotland in the group. England progressed along with the Netherlands, Scotland, and 2008 winners Northern Ireland. With the quality of the teams in the last 4, the semi final draw would have a big impact on the final result. England were drawn against Scotland, with Northern Ireland apparently having the easier draw against the Netherlands. Northern Ireland progressed to the final, with a hard fought 2 ends to 1 win over the Netherlands, but all eyes were on the thrilling battle between England and Scotland. England eventually won by 2 ends to 1, however not before the final end was blown back to the middle twice after both teams received cautions for infringements. It really was a close semi-final which took a lot out of both teams. Photo - England 560 kilos team
There was a break before the final to allow the bronze medal pull off for both the mens 560 and the ladies 540 to take place, with Scotland taking a hard earned bronze medal by defeating the Netherlands by 2 ends to 1. The final came along with England looking to win the 560 kilos title last won in 2006. Northern Ireland made the better start, taking the first end. The second end saw England taking rope of the Northern Ireland team before both teams started picking up cautions. The second end was then blown back to the middle for a re-start, and both teams went to battle again. Again, England took rope, but both teams were picking up the cautions, and the second end was again blown back to the middle. The pull commenced again, and with both teams having to dig deep, England picked up the extra cautions which gave Northern Ireland a second 560 kilos world title. Despite the defeat, it was a great performance by England to compete like they did in the final after a tough semi-final against Scotland. Photo - England 560 team on the podium
England started the competition well, defeating Serbia, China and the Netherlands, before they met Scotland in the next round. England took both ends, although Scotland were no showing their hand at this point. England progressed to the semi finals along with Scotland, the Netherlands, and the Republic of Ireland, and were drawn against the Netherlands in the semi-final. England controlled this match well to make it to the final with a 2 ends to 0, where they again met Scotland. Photo: England 640 team celebrate winning gold
The final was very close, with Scotland taking 3 metres of rope from England before both teams hit the floor. Having received cautions, it was important for both teams to keep clean. England managed to come up off the floor quickest, and started to take Scotland back before Scotland received their third caution for sitting. The second end was an equally stern test for England, and went much the same as the first end, with England having to battle really hard to take Scotland over the line and secure the gold medal. England last won the 640 kilos title in 2002, and it was the first World Championship gold medal for a representative Sheen team since 1993. Photo - England 640 team on the podium
In the semi-finals, England were drawn against the Republic of Ireland, with Scotland being drawn against Northern Ireland. England quickly dispatched of Ireland by 2 ends to 0 in their semi final, with Scotland defeating a strong Northern Ireland team in their semi-final. Northern Ireland went on to secure the bronze medal against the Republic of Ireland. The final was another battle between England and Scotland. Both teams were strong, but Scotland got the upper hand on the first end after a slip from the England team. Scotland then went on to take the first end after England received three cautions. The second end was a much closer contest with both teams taking rope. Both teams then started to pick up the cautions, and with both teams on two cautions, they both hit the floor. The judge then awarded the pull to Scotland after giving England their third caution, which gave Scotland their first gold of the tournament. Photo - England 600 kilos squad
The ladies 500 kilos event was another small competition in comparison to recent indoor championships. Japan secured their second bronze medal of the tournament by defeating Switzerland, but there was a good final between Chinese Taipei and China, with both countries fielding strong teams. There was to be no repeat of the previous days final however as China went on to defeat Chinese Taipei by 2 ends to 0 to take a first ever TWIF World Championship tug of war gold medal for China. Photo - China Ladies Team
The final day of competition concluded with the mens 680 kilos competition, with England being represented by Raunds. Having had a good first half of the season, Raunds lost several pullers from their squad, and utilised pullers from Sheen to strengthen their squad for this weight. England made a good start, going one end each with the defending champions from the Netherlands. England also dropped ends to Scotland and Ireland, but beat all the other nations competing to earn a place in the semi finals, along with Scotland, the Netherlands, and Ireland. Photo - England 680 team