National News
Click on the tabs below for news and results from competitions taking place throughout the season, as well as other news items from the TOWA!
Covid-19 - July 2021 Update
Following the Governments lifting of mandatory restrictions on July 19th that had been put in place due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the TOWA Executive Committee have held a conference call to discuss the best way forward that the TOWA should proceed.
Covid-19 has not gone away overnight and there are still risks of people catching Covid-19.
We are mindful of the safety of not only our Teams, but also our Officials and the spectators that attend our Competitions. We are sure you must have seen other organisations that are still encouraging people to follow the use of face masks and sanitizing of hands, making sure indoor spaces are appropriately ventilated, making use of free testing, etc.
As such the Executive Group have decided for now it is prudent to carry on following the Competition & Training Procedure the TOWA have been using since Team training was allowed by the Government at the end of March 2021. The only exception from this procedure is the Executive Group don't believe it is necessary for Teams to submit the weekly check sheet into the TOWA O&R Secretary at the end of each week. Teams should still carry out the checks at training and sign their attendance forms to aid with any Test & Trace that maybe required if any of their Team contract Covid-19.
Any Teams attending our Competitions will be expected to follow the same procedures that the TOWA have been using since April and failure to do so will mean they will not be allowed to compete at our Competitions.
We all hope that we will be able to revert to our normal method of Training and Competitions in the future, but the TOWA Executive Committee feel now is not the time to stop taking precautions.
Our Covid-19 Guidance is available to view on our Covid-19 Page.
The Tug of War Association is sad to announce the passing of Tony Mitchell on Friday 14th January 2022. Tony pulled anchor for the successful West Pinchbeck side in the 1970’s.
As a birthday treat Tony and family travelled to Finchingfield, Essex for the National League Finals in August 2021.
His granddaughter Toni has written her personal thanks to all those at the event.
“We thank you, and the others that we met in August, for making him feel so special and allowing him to share his memories of the sport he loves to dearly. He has said ever since that it was the best birthday he has ever had and always spoke of it fondly since that day”.
Our thoughts are with Tony’s family and friends at this sad time.
Please see below the communication from TWIF confirming the cancellation of the 2022 World Indoor Tug of War Championships due to be held in the Netherlands.
The 2022 Prohibited List published by WADA is now in force.
Please make sure you check any medication or supplements for banned substances before taking them.
https://www.ukad.org.uk/athletes/whats-banned-sport-prohibited-listhttps://www.ukad.org.uk/athletes/100-mehttps://www.ukad.org.uk/checking-medicationshttps://www.ukad.org.uk/supplements-hubIn due course, TOWA membership renewal forms for 2022 will be sent out to the Membership. Please note the following membership fees for 2022 which were recently reviewed by the General Committee:
- Club Membership - £150 per club
- Associate Club Membership - £30 per club
- Individual Members - £40 per person
- Husband/Wife Membership - £45 per couple
In addition to the above, the annual puller registration fee will be increased to £10 per puller.
The reason for the increase in fees this year for club membership, associate club membership and puller registration fees is that at the 2020 AGM it was proposed and passed by the Membership Vote that Doping Tests should be carried out at the TOWA National Championships. It was discussed at the time how this should be paid for, but nothing was agreed.
Doping Tests were carried out at the 2021 Outdoor and Indoor National Championships.
Going forward the Drug Testing costs do need to be covered and it was decided at the 2021 November General Committee Meeting the best way to do this was to raise the Clubs Annual Registration fee and the annual puller registration fee.
The TOWA Registration forms for the 2022 Season are in the process of being posted out and we have not had time to order new forms, so if your TOWA Registration Club form still states £100 please understand that it should now be £150 for Full Member Clubs and £30 for Associate Clubs.
Individual Membership will remain at £40 Annually and Couples Membership will remain at £45 Annually.
Please note in addition, that whilst it is always intended for the TOWA AGM to be held as an in person event, owing to the current uncertainty regarding the pandemic, it may be necessary to hold the AGM as either a hybrid or online event, so when you receive your membership renewal forms, please ensure that they are returned promptly, complete with up to date contact details and payment is made before 22 January 2022 at the latest, should the logistics of the TOWA AGM need to change to an online event and to ensure that clubs and individual members are eligible to vote online.
The TOWA has been informed of an old Team having a set of 15 new TOW Shirts for sale, which we understand are still in their original packaging.
The Team was Harvey Plant and the shirts are White with blue collars and blue cuffs.
They mentioned a cost of £15 per shirt.
They also have some used shirts for sale.
They said if somebody purchased all of the new shirts they would throw in the used shirts free of charge.
If your club would like to purchase these shirts, please contact Lloyd Quittenton - Mobile number: 07933 536554 - e-mail address: quittenton@talktalk.net
Click here for the results, photos and videos from the 2021 National Indoor Tug of War Championships!
Click here for the results of the fifth and final indoor open competition of the 2021 Indoor Tug of War season ahead of the 2021 National Indoor Tug of War Championships, which take place on Saturday 4 December in Bakewell.
Click here for the results of the fourth competition of the 2021 Indoor Tug of War season.
Click here for the results of the AAA indoor tug of war championships
Click here for the results of the second week of indoor competition held at Bakewell showground.
Click here for the results of the first weekend of indoor tug of war competition of the 2021 indoor tug of war season at Bakewell Showground.
TOWA Area 5 once again hosted their annual autumn tug of war weekend in Kessingland.
The Area were pleased to see that four clubs entered (Essex, Hadleigh, Sandhurst and Raunds), with one club (Sandhurst) managing to field 3 teams in a number of weight classes.
Again, we were lucky with the weather and everyone enjoyed the pulling. For some pullers this was their first competition and it was pleasing to see a good number of ladies pulling.
We were also pleased to welcome a puller from Switzerland, who has informed us that he will return next year as he enjoyed it so much.
Results:
600kg - Winners - Sandhurst A - Runners Up - Essex
640kg - Winners - Raunds - Runners Up - Sandhurst A
680kg - Winners - Essex - Runners Up - Sandhurst A
600kg mixed - winners - Sandurst A - Runners Up - Essex
620kg - Winners - Sandhurst A - Runners Up - Essex
660kg - Winners - Sandhurst A - Runners Up - Essex
720kg - Winners - Essex - Runners Up - Sandhurst
660kg mixed - Winners - Sandhurst A - Runners Up - Essex
We held a catchweight competition in memory of our Former Area President David Ling and the Trophy was kindly donated by his family. This was won by Essex and runners up were Raunds..
The 2021 Indoor Tug of War Season will start on Sunday 24 October.
This years events will all be staged in the hall at Bakewell Showground as the sports hall we usually use at the Harry Mitchel Leisure Centre is not available this year.
Please click here for all the details.
The Tug of war Association is in the process of putting together the fixture list for 2022.
If your club / show / event wishes to stage an event in 2022, then please contact the TOWA secretary to confirm details about your venue, weight classes, weigh in and start times and contact details so that these details can be included in the 2022 fixture list. If possible, it would assist if event organisers could put forward more than one date where an event could be staged, in the event that more than one event organiser applies for the same date and to ensure that we can spread events around as much as we can and ensure as many clubs as possible have the opportunity to compete locally/within their own region on some weekends without the need for excessive travel.
If you weren’t scheduled to hold a competition in 2021, but would like to hold a competition in 2022, then please use the 2021 fixture list as a guide to find a potential date to hold your event, and send in the proposed details for your event to the TOWA secretary, using the permit application form, along with a permit fee.
Please ensure that competition permit applications are submitted to the TOWA Secretary before Thursday 25 November at the very latest so that fixtures can be discussed at the TOWA committee meeting on Saturday 27 November.
For further details on hosting an event in 2022 and the general requirements for a venue, please click here
On the weekend of Friday 29 April - Sunday 01 May 2022, Felton Eccles TOWC will be hosting an international open club tournement.
The event will include mens, ladies, junior and mixed competitions.
For further details, please download the flyer below:
Visit the international news page of this web site for the results from the 2021 World Championships held in Getxo on 16 - 19 September
England tug of war teams will be competing in Getxo in the Basque Country this week.
Click here to see who our representatives are, programme of events and live streaming info!
Below is an announcement on TWIF regarding the recent rule changes on the wearing of belts / protective clothing. A pdf copy of the ruling is also available to download below.
Click here for a feature about Essex TOWC on ITV Anglia talking about their preparations for the forthcoming World Championships in Getxo. The feature includes a video of the news bulletin. The footage was taken at the TOWA national league finals.
On 21-22 August 2021, the British and Irish Tug of War Championships took place in Northern Ireland with both an international competition and an open club competition. It was a great weekend for English teams with a number of gold, silver and bronze medals being won.
Click here for the results, some photos, videos and some social media reaction from the clubs taking part.
The 2021 National League Finals were this year hosted by Essex TOWC. A shorter league season took place this year due to a later start to the season.
Our thanks to go Essex TOWC for hosting the league finals, and to all of the teams who took part throughout the season.
The final standings in the National League can be found on the National League page.
The Tug of War Association are looking for venues / shows / public events to host the Tug of War Association National Tug of War Championships in 2022 and beyond.
If you have a venue and you are interested in staging the event, then please click here for further details about what is required.
Please can anyone wishing to put forward a championships venue for 2022 ensure that they are submitted to the TOWA Championships Secretary as early as possible so that the relevant venue can be visited and assessed for its suitability.
Over the weekend of 01 August, Bosley TOWC hosted the Inter County Tug of War Championships in Cheshire
Click here for the competition report, photos, and videos!
The 2021 Tug of War Association National Outdoor Tug of War Championships took place at the Grove RUFC on Saturday, with teams taking part in the mens, ladies and mixed weight classes.
Following a return to competition earlier this year, following a hiatus of over 12 months, it was great to be able to organise a national championship, and it was fantastic to see a good number of teams supporting the event, despite all of the uncertainty around. It was particularly pleasing to see an increase in the number of ladies teams and pullers. Of course, there were some teams who took part in 2019 that were not competing this season, but we hope to see them all get back together and be back out on the circuit in the future.
If the Olympic Games had taken place in 2020, it would have been 100 years after Tug of War was on the program for the last time.
The TWIF Monthly Focus newsletter can be downloaded below.
Over the weekend of 27 June, the TOWA Area 7 Championships took place
This was the final event before the national championships take place on 10 July.
Click here for the competition report, photos, and club reaction on social media!
Over the weekend of 20 June, Felton Eccles TOWC hosted the AAA Outdoor Tug of War Championships alongside their annual open tug of war competition.
It was great to see a much better supported AAA Championships this year compared to previous years.
Click here for the competition report, photos, and club reaction on social media!
Over the weekend of 13 June, Bedford Ladies TOWC hosted their annual open tug of war competition.
It was great to see lots of teams out competing once again, and in glorious sunshine too.
Click here for the competition report, photos, and club reaction on social media!
Click the link below to visit the Silk FM web site to download / listen to their podcast about tug of war, featuring their local club, Bosley
https://www.silk1069.com/on-air/podcasts/silk-sports-club-of-the-week/episode/bosley-tug-of-war/
Over the weekend of 6 June, Sandhurst TOWC hosted their annual open tug of war competition.
It was great to see lots of teams out competing once again, and in glorious sunshine too.
Click here for the competition report, photos, and club reaction on social media!
Please see below for the latest update from TWIF on the preparations for the World Championships in September. At the moment, the intention is still for the event to go ahead and further updates will be provided in due course as the situation evolves.
Over the weekend, the TOWA returned to Cressage for the annual Shropshire Open Tug of War Championships organised by the TOWA Midland Area No.2.
It was great to see teams out competing once again, and in glorious sunshine too.
Click here for the competition report, photos, videos, and club reaction on social media!
Over the week of 24-28 May, UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) organised their annual "Clean Sport Week" campaign. A number of useful resources were published, including:
UK Anti-Doping’s 100% me Clean Sport App, which allows athletes to stay up to date with essential anti doping information, as well as being able to keep track of any medication. These can be downloaded from the following sources:
iOS - https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/clean sport/id842611826
Google Play - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ukad.cleansporttoolkit&hl=en&gl=US
In addition, you can Complete the free Coach Clean or Clean Sport Advisor course on UKADs Clean Sport Hub to brush up on your anti doping knowledge.
https://bit.ly/3tIILWv
The latest TWIF monthly focus newsletter for May has now been published and can be downloaded as a pdf document via the link below.
UK Anti-Doping's Clean Sport Week webinar: “Sport and its post pandemic landscape” with Nick Pontefract from Sport England next week on Wednesday 26 May at 1pm You can register for the webinar here:
https://bit.ly/3tIILWv
The second competition of the 2021 outdoor season took place over the weekend, hosted by Essex TOWC. Click here for the results.
Tug of war is back! It was great to finally get tug of war competitions going with the first event of the 2021 season taking place in Shropshire over the weekend. It was great to see some new clubs taking part at the event too! Click here for the results and photos!
www.tugofwararchive.com
The TWIF magazine is to be featured as a "guest publication" on this week's BBC Have I Got News for You on Friday (30 April) at 9pm.
It may not make the final edit for the 30 minute programme on Friday (it is a two hour shoot edited down to 30 minutes), and in the event that it is not, it will hopefully be featured on the extended version of the programme (Have I Got a Bit More News for You) on BBC 2 next Tuesday.
The Tug of War Association are very proud to announce that we have been successful in our bid to host the 2025 TWIF European Tug of War Championships, along with the World Junior and Under 23 Championships!
The venue for this event will be Nottingham University. We will be sharing more details in due course, but this is wonderful news!
The online Congress has finished. The whole meeting went very smoothly, so we are getting used to online meetings, but...
Posted by TWIF on Saturday, April 17, 2021
As TWIF and the Tug of War Association follow WADA Anti-doping rules, there are some useful seminars for pullers and coaches to attend.
Click the link below for further info.
https://www.theworldgames.org/news/The-World-Games-17/WADA-live-webinar-schedule-2119?
This months TWIF Focus newsletter, is now out, with a focus on youth, and includes interviews with young pullers from different countries, including Jacob Hudson of York TOWC.
The newsletter can be downloaded via the link below. Please share with your pullers / youngsters and use it to inspire more people to get involved in tug of war!
Watch the video below for a few memories from over the years.
The Tug of War Association would like to thank all clubs and individual members for your continued support and for renewing your memberships for 2021.
We are optimistic that competitions will be able to resume in some form in the spring, so if you have yet to renew your membership, please make sure you do so so that we have up to date contact details for you and we can keep you up to date with any new updates when more details about any "unlock" are announced by the Government in due course.
If you would like to join the TOWA as a club, associate or individual member, then please contact the treasurer or the secretary for a membership form.
Further details about joining the TOWA can be found by clicking here.
We hope to be able to see you all on the circuit soon.
The latest edition of the TWIF Magazine can be downloaded via the link below:
Click here to read about everything that happened at the 2011 European Championships and to see lots of photos and videos of all of the finals and some of the bronze medal matches from the event!
http://www.moette.co.uk/oc1/England-Tug-of-War-Facemaskhttp://www.moette.co.uk/oc1/Tug-of-War-Association-Facemask-Texthttp://www.moette.co.uk/oc1/Tug-of-War-Association-Facemask
Badges are £8.50 plus delivery.
In normal times, September would have seen TWIF celebrating its 60th Anniversary at the 2020 World Outdoor Tug of War Championships which were this year due to be held in the Basque Country. The World Championships have been postponed until next year. The Tug of War Association are otherwise proud to have been founder members of TWIF.
In the meantime, TWIF have published a 60th Anniversary Magazine, which can be downloaded below.
17-19 August 2020 marks 100 years since tug of war was last contested at the Olympic Games in Antwerp, Belgium in 1920 with Great Britain winning the gold medal.
The Tug of War Association would like to see our sport return in the future.
Of course, getting the sport back into the Olympics is a huge task, and we therefore remain humble and realistic and accept that we have some very hard work ahead to reach our ultimate dream of getting our sport back onto one of the worlds biggest sporting platforms.
Click here to read our press release about why we think tug of war should return to the Olympic Games.
If you want to get involved in tug of war by joining an existing club or starting your own team, then please contact us!
Click here to read about the 2010 TWIF 50th Anniverdary World Outdoor Tug of War Championships held in Pretoria, South Africa. The article also includes a highlight video.
Click here to read back on what happened at the 2010 outdoor national tug of war championships held in Warslow, Peak District.
The TOWA is sad to announce the passing of Ernie Cook.
Ernie was a stalwart member of Curzon & Rainham tug of war clubs, where he was the anchorman for many years. He was a great clubman missing very few competitions and will be remembered for his great sense of humour as well as his competitive spirit.
Our thoughts are with his family, friends and team mates at this sad time.
Click here to read back about the 2010 World Indoor Tug of War Championships held in Cesanatico, Italy where England won 1 gold and 2 silver medals.
Last week, UK Anti-Doping’s ‘Clean in Quarantine’ campaign was launched as part of Clean Sport Week 2020.
The campaign, now in its fourth year, is being supported by a range of National Governing Bodies (NGBs), sports organisations and UK sports stars, who are taking part in several online activities focusing on anti-doping education throughout the week, 18-24 May 2020.
Based on research conducted by UK Anti-Doping (UKAD), Clean Sport Week is encouraging those in sport to celebrate clean sport and continue expanding their anti-doping knowledge. Furthermore, UKAD is calling for athletes to adopt practices into their day-to-day lives that will reduce the risk of violating anti-doping rules.
Through a number of online events, the ‘Clean in Quarantine’ campaign for Clean Sport Week, will promote UKAD’s online education programmes including Coach Clean, which is now available free online.
Clean Sport Week is a partnership campaign between UK Anti-Doping (UKAD), National Governing Bodies (NGBs) and the wider British sporting family, which provides a platform to celebrate clean sport.
From promoting UKAD’s Coach Clean course and other free online education programmes, to sharing videos featuring elite athletes and coaches, and hosting an anti-doping webinar, the ‘Clean in Quarantine’ campaign is focusing on online events and activities amidst the Covid-19 lockdown.
Click here to register for the free anti-doping education programmes and for more details on the campaign. Join in the conversation on social media using #CleanInQuarantine.
UK Anti-Doping
UK Anti-Doping is responsible for ensuring sports bodies in the UK are compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code through implementation and management of the UK’s National Anti-Doping Policy.
UK Anti-Doping’s functions include an education and information programme, athlete testing across more than 40 Olympic, Paralympic and professional sports, intelligence management and exclusive results management authority for the determination of anti-doping rule violations.
For more information on what UKAD do, please click here.
We’re delighted to inform you that through UK Coaching, you can access the online course ‘Mental Health Awareness for Sport & Physical Activity’ – usually £18 – for free!
As part of last week's Mental Health Awareness Week, UK Coaching, their awarding body 1st4sport and course partners – Mind and Sport England – have released it to the wider coaching community.
All you need to do is head to www.ukcoaching.org where you will be able to purchase the course for free.
The mental health of the population is being challenged during this isolating time.
Equipping you with the knowledge, skills and confidence to better understand and support people living with mental health problems, as well as with ways to support your own mental health, is crucial both now and going forward.
We would encourage anyone acting in a coaching / support / welfare capacity role within tug of war to take part in this online course. The course is available free of charge until 31 August.
Please can all of our members / clubs share this information.
Click here for a report, photos and videos from the 2007 European Outdoor Tug of War Championships which were hosted by the Tug of War Association.
The event was hugely successful in terms of teams competing, medals won by the England teams, and of course the royal visit by HRH Princess Anne!
Click here for a report and photos from the 2007 National Outdoor Tug of War Championships held at the Three Counties Show, Malvern Worcester
Please see the post below from TWIF confirming the postponement of the 2020 World Outdoor Championships until 2021. The 2021 European Championships will now be held in 2022 and the 2022 World Championships in Switzerland will be held in 2023. Click the post to expand the notice further.
Click here for the report / results from the 2006 National Outdoor Tug of War Championships held at the Three Counties, Show, Malvern, Worcester in addition, two presentations of the TOWA Award of Merit were made at this event.
Click here to read the report / results from the 2005 European Outdoor Tug of War Championships held in Cento, Italy
Click here to read the report / results from the 2004 World Indoor Tug of War Championships held at the Kelvin Hall, Glasgow, Scotland
Click here to read about everything that happened at the 2003 European Championships held in Assen, Netherlands!
Click the link below to download the Spring 2020 edition of the TWIF Magazine
Whilst the ongoing social distancing measures are in place to tackle Covid-19, it is very important whilst all competitions and training are suspended that all clubs, pullers (past and present) and all individuals / tug of war supporters do what they can to promote tug of war. We therefore ask all clubs and pullers, past and present to do the following in the coming weeks:
- publish regular posts on you club social media pages / channels from previous events
- encourage all of your members to share the above posts
- consider publishing videos of some of the individual training you are doing ready for such time that competitions can resume
- if you are a retired puller, get your photos/videos out from the archives and share them on social media
The above will help us to promote tug of war during this time and keep our sport at the forefront of peoples minds as well as help people to stay connected.
Every day at 5pm, we are posting photos and videos on our Facebook Page for everyone to view and share.
For those who don't use Facebook, some of the videos we have posted are available to view on our press and media page.
The Tug of War Association is saddened to learn of the passing of former Bosley puller Clem Ekin. Click here to read more.
Prior to the suspension of events, Essex TOWC held an open competition. Click here to see the results and photos of the event courtesy of Gavin Corden.
Prior to the suspension of events, the second event of the Dorset Training League took place. Click here to see the results and photos from the event courtesy of Nick Major
The 2020 National Tug of War Championships takes place on Saturday 20 June at the Grove and Wantage Extravaganza in Oxfordshire.
All teams are encouraged to register and take part. Clubs and pullers need to be registered with the TOWA by Wednesday 20 May 2020 at the very latest, ideally sooner (please note that the deadline to register for the AAA Championships is 19th April 2020). Remember - there are no pre-qualification events. It is only teams that wish to be eligible to represent England that are required to attend a set number of events throughout the season.
For further details about how to register your teams and pullers to take part, please visit the National Championships 2020 page of this web site. Puller registration forms are available to download on the National Championships page in excel and pdf format.
Applications are open to all male and female pullers under the age of 23 to put themselves forward to the England Under 23 Development Squads for 2020.
Further information about what is involved / expected is available on the Under 23 Tug of War page of our web site.
Please can all club secretaries / coaches please ensure that any under 23 pullers that you have who are interested in taking part complete and return an application form to the relevant team manager as early as possible. Forms are available on the under 23 page.
Please note that we can only consider/include pullers if they make themselves known to us and complete a form. There have been several instances previously where pullers have approached the team managers on the day of a championship asking to take part, which is of course too late. So please ensure that all eligible pullers complete and return an application form.
Over the weekend of 22-23 February, England took a small squad of pullers to the World Indoor Championships with Uppertown representing England in the 680kg, and England also competing in the 640kg competition with a composite teamed formed of pullers from Raunds, Uppertown, Bosley and Kilroe.
Click here to read about what happened.
This weekend, the England tug of war squad will be competing at the TWIF World Indoor Tug of War Championships which are taking place in Letterkenny, Ireland. Click here to read more.
Click the video below to watch a slide show of some of our favourite memories from over the years.
Remember - if you use social medial, please share our video and otherwise post your own photos / tug of war memories online and encourage people to get involved in tug of war!
On Saturday and Sunday 14 / 15 March the TOWA will be running a Coaches, Judges and Recorders Course in Abingdon, Oxfordshire.
The coaches and judges course will be a two day course.
The recorders course will be a half day course taking place on Saturday 14 March.
Please click here for further information and to download an application form.
Click here to read about everything that happened at the British and Irish Indoor Tug of War Championships over the weekend and to see some photos and videos from the event!
Click here to read about proposed rule changes that were voted in at the 2020 AGM for the coming year.
Click here to find contact details for personnel who make up the TOWA General Committee for 2020
The TOWA has now published and updated Safeguarding Statement
The policy and procedures set out in the TOWA safeguarding statement are mandatory for everyone involved in the Tug of War Association. Failure by anyone to comply with the policy and procedures set out in the document will be addressed without delay and may ultimately result in dismissal/exclusion from the TOWA.
The latest document was resolved to be adopted by the General Committee in November 2019. The safeguarding statement can be downloaded via the link below. A copy of the statement is also available to download on our rules page.
The Tug of War Association is saddened to have learned of the passing of Harold Sercombe recently.
Harold was a former member and coach of Kennford Tug of War Club in Devon, who haven't been out on the circuit in recent years, but have been trying to re-establish a team.
Harold's funeral will take place on Friday 20th December at 12.30pm at Exeter and Devon Crematorium, Topsham Road, Exeter, EX2 6EU.
Our thoughts are with Harold's family, friends and team mates at this difficult time.
Click here for the results of the 2019 National Indoor Tug of War Championships!
The Tug of War Association is saddened to learn of the passing of Dave Ling.
Dave was the chairman of TOWA Area 5 and was involved in tug of war firstly as a puller, then a coach and organiser for many years. In more recent years, Dave was heavily involved in organising and encouraging teams along to the Kessingland Autumn Tug of War weekend, including this year’s event in October.
As a puller, Dave was a member of the Reedham Vikings team for many years until the club disbanded, and after that, Dave carried on as a puller with Totham Bull and a puller/coach with Woodton.
Dave was a very friendly and helpful person on the tug of war circuit and he will be missed by many.
Our thoughts and sympathies are with Dave’s wife Pat, his family, friends and team mates.
The funeral will take place on January 10th 2020 at 1pm at Magdalen Crematorium, Oriel Avenue, Gorleston, Great Yarmouth, NR31 7JJ.
Family flowers only please.
Any donations to the Royal British legion, either at Jarys on Northgate street, Great Yarmouth or a collection box at the service.
Click here for the results of the final indoor open competition of the season before this weekend's National Indoor Tug of War Championships!
Click here for the results of the fourth weekend of the 2019 Indoor Tug of War Season
Click here for the results, photos and videos from the 2019 AAA indoor tug of war championships.
Click here for the results of the second week of indoor competition held at the Harry Mitchell Centre on Sunday 10 November.
The Tug of War Association is sad to learn of the passing of Patsy Murphy, former puller of Garry Owen, Albright and Wilson, St Pats and Felton Eccles. Click here for a tribute from his former coach at St Pats, Steve Goss and funeral details.
English clubs and the England national teams came away with a number of medals from the recent European Championships held in Castlebar, Republic of Ireland!
Click here to read more!
From Thursday 5 to Sunday 8 September 2019, the TWIF European Outdoor Tug of War Championships will be taking place in Castlebar, Republic of Ireland and teams from England will be taking part in the event!
It is certain to be a tough but exciting competition and we would like to wish all of the teams from England that are taking part the very best of luck!
You can read more about the teams representing England this week by clicking here!
2019 saw England host the annual GENSB junior international tournament in Folkestone, Kent over the August Bank Holiday Weekend. It was a very hot day and the teams taking part enjoyed an excellent day of tug of war!
Click here for a report, photos and videos from the event!
The TOWA National League concluded at the weekend with some very competitive pulling and some close results. Click here for a full report!
Steve Phillips
Steve Phillips of St.Clarets and Thames Valley TOWC's sadly passed away on Friday 9th August. Steve had been fighting Cancer for some while and was recently at the Area 7 Open Championships at Sandhurst in July. Steve had seemed in good spirits and was looking forward to keeping in touch with his Tug of War friends, but this was sadly not to be.
Steve's Funeral will be on Wednesday 28th August at 1am ATGrange Park Baptists Church, 217 Lansbury Drive, Hayes, Middlesex, UB4 8RS. The service will be followed by the burial at 12.30pm at Northwood Cemetery, HA6 1HU. The wake will be held at Hayes & Harrington Community Centre, Albert Road Hayes, UB3 4HR
Nick Skelton
Nick Skelton of Cotswold Farmers and recently Coach of Ansty YFC TOW Club has also recently passed away following his fight against Cancer.
Nick was a well known competitor in the South West and competed at both Outdoor and Indoor Tug of War with Cotswold Farmers.
Nick has been Coaching Ansty YFC in recent years and as well as competing in the TOWA National Championships, Ansty YFC won the YFC Championships in 2017, and most recently this year even though Nick was too ill to attend.
Our thoughts are with Steve and Nick's family, friends and team mates at this difficult time.
Well done to all of the teams who travelled to the British and Irish Tug of War Championships in Northern Ireland over the weekend. It was a fantastic event which saw England come away with a number of medals! Click here for a report from the event!
The Tug of War Association is sad to learn that ex TOWA judge Martin Thorpe passed away on 31 July.
The Funeral will take place 28 August at 1pm at North Herts Memorial Park and Crematorium.
Followed by tea at Mount Pleasant Golf Course, Lower Stondon.
If anyone would like to attend, write a tribute and/or make a tribute then you are asked to please contact Kirsty Thorpe by email. If you would like to make contact, then please drop us a message and we can provide you with the email address by return.
The family are asking for all gents to wear bright coloured or character ties and brighly coloured ties. Family flowers only and donations if you wish will be splite between Diabetes UK and the British Heart Foundation.
This weekend the 2019 British and Irish Tug of War Championships take place in Northern Ireland, with the closed international competition taking place on Friday 9 August and the open club competition taking place on Saturday 10 August.
The Tug of War Association would like to wish all of those teams travelling to the event the very best of luck.
You can find out more about the teams that are representing England by clicking here.
Click here for the results of the 2019 Cheshire Open Tug of War Championships held at the Cheshire Game and Angling Fair at Peover Hall near Knutsford over the weekend!
Well done and thank you to everyone who attended the TOWA training and development day on Sunday 28 July at Holland Sports Club.
The day went well despite the weather and we hope that everyone who attended learned something new and got plenty from the day.
As ever, if you have any constructive feedback from the day, positive or negative, then please contact us with your comments and suggestions as to how we can improve future training and development days.
The Tug of War Association is sad to learn of the passing of Nigel Slade.
Nigel Slade started his career with Byfords/Southend ToWC before joining Rainham/St. George in 1992. With the Club he was a regular member in the teams that achieved a Silver and 5 Bronzes at the outdoor national championships. When he joined Tonbridge in 2004 he was in the 640kg National bronze medalist side.
He achieved greater success on the Indoor circuit with BAC being part of numerous Gold medal winning teams and also represented England.
A good bloke all round and great competitor.
Our thoughts are with his family, friends and team mates.
The Funeral of Nigel Slade will take place on Tuesday 13th August 2019 at St. Andrews Church, Rochford, Essex, SS4 1NW at 12.00pm.
The burial will be at The Lawn Cemetary, Rochford, Essex, SS4 1PA at 1pm.
Every will be welcome to come back to the house after for tea/coffee and food.
Click here for the results of the Inter County Championships hosted by the TOWA South West Area Number 3.
On Sunay 28 July 2019, the TOWA will be holding a recorders course in conjunction with the TOWA Training and Development Day
TOWA recorders provide a very important role in the running of tug of war competitions, in particular assisting with the draw, recording the scores and recording cautions received by each team.
Becoming a TOWA recorder offers those who enjoy coming along to support events with an opportunity to participate and assist with the running of such events. There are few limitations to becoming a TOWA recorder and everyone is encouraged to put themselves forward.
This is an ideal opportunity for anyone that wishes to help out with recording at their local club events.
Please click here for further information
Click here for a link to an article featured on "Around the Rings" for an interview with TWIF President Anton Rabe discussing the prospects and challenges for the future of including tug of war in the Olympic Games.
If you are a Facebook or Twitter user, please click the links below and share the article with your friends / followers to help promote the ethos and values of our sport.
Tug of War Pulls for Olympic Returnhttps://t.co/sb2QA7oe2L pic.twitter.com/xsPb2NKxZG
— Around the Rings (@AroundTheRings) July 15, 2019
Click here for the results of Bedford Ladies TOWC's annual open tug of war competition held at Kempston, Bedford on Sunday!
Click here for the results of the Far Western Area Championships held at Launceston, Cornwall on Saturday night.
Click here for the results of the Devon County Championships held at Ansty on Friday night!
The Tug of War Association is saddened to learn of the passing of long standing TOWA Member and judge Ernie Jones. Click here for more.
Click here for a full roundup, photos and videos from a fantastic national tug of war championships held at the Cumberland Show on Saturday 15 June 2019.
Two England Under 23 Ladies Tug of War training days have been arranged to take place on Sunday 23 June and Sunday 30 June 2019.
For further details, please click here.
All ladies under the age of 23 are encouraged to apply and trial for the England under 23 ladies team and otherwise come along for some training and experience.
Click here to read about what happened at York's annual open competition!
Click here for the results of the 2019 Shropshire Open Championships!
The Tug of War Association is saddened to learn of the passing of James Myatt, former puller of Leek, Sheen and Bosley. Click here for more.
A busy weekend of tug of war culminated in the well organised annual open competition hosted by Felton Eccles TOWC. Click here to see the results from this event!
Click here for the results of the tug of war competition held at Otley Show in Yorkshire!
Click here for the results of the tug of war competition held at Devon County Show!
Click here for the results of the AAA tug of war championships and Midland Area Open Competition!
Click here for the results of the tug of war event held in conjunction with North Somerset Show.
Click here to read about the Charity Truck Pull event organised by the Lancashire Association of Boys and Girls Clubs that the Tug of War Association helped to organise!
Click here for the results of the 2019 Daventry Open Tug of War Competition.
Click here for the results of the 2019 Sheen / Waterhouses YFC Open Competition
Click here for the results of the 2019 Lincoln TOWC Open Competition.
Click here to read about everything that happened at the 20