2012 SEASON NEWS

UPDATE

Fixtures - all of our area fixtures (outdoor and indoor) are now available on our area events page. There are some months where fixtures are limited in the area, however if you would like to organise a competition and would like further advice and assistance, then please contact Roger Beardsmore - E-mail: tugger@talktalk.net or phone 01952 510735

Area meetings take place regularly throughout the year. These meetings are a good opportunity for all clubs, officials and individual members to come along, share ideas, and get involved in the running and development of tug of war in the area, as well as pass on any comments, ideas and suggestions to our area representatives who can raise issues at TOWA committee meetings. All clubs should endeavor to send represenatives along to all area meetings.

For further information about area meetings, including 2012 meeting dates, please contact Roger Beardsmore - E-mail: tugger@talktalk.net or phone 01952 510735

2011 SEASON NEWS

NEXT EVENT IN THE MIDLAND AREA......

Weekly events for indoor tug of war are currently being held at the Harry Mitchell Leisure Centre, Broomfield, Smethwick, West Midlands. These events take place until the beginning of December with the national indoor championships taking place on Saturday 3rd December. All details are available on the fixtures page and also on the Tug of War Association web site at www.tugofwar.co.uk.

2011 EUROPEAN OUTDOOR TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS

Congratulations to Norton Tug of War Club from Staffordshire who represented England at the recent European Outdoor Tug of War Championships held in Minehead, Somerset between 22 and 25 September 2011. Norton won gold for England in the mens 560 kilos weight class, defeating Sweden in the final by 2 ends to 0. A full report from the event can be found on the news page of the TOWA web site.

Other clubs from the area that competed in the event were Holland Sports TOWC who competed in the open club competitions at 640 kilos, 680 kilos and 720 kilos in the mens competition, whilst they also competed in the mixed 600 kilos 4+4 competition. The team finished outside of the medals but gained good experience. Two of their ladies were involved in the England Ladies 520 kilos and 560 kilos squads who finished 4th in the ladies 560 kilos competition and later won bronze in the 520 kilos competition after defeating Switzerland.

Youth pullers from the area were also involved in the England Junior and Under 23 teams. The England Under 23 Team finished in 5th place overall, after just missing out on a place in the semi finals. The England Under 23 development team made up for that disappointment by winning a good bronze medal in the open club competition. The England Under 23 Team was managed/coached by Area 2 Member Dave Knott.

The England Junior team finished in 6th Place overall, in what was the most keenly contested youth tournament for many years.

Congratulations to all of the young men from the area who took part in the youth and under 23 championships. In you all, the area has a bright future.

YOUTH PULLERS FROM MIDLAND AREA COMPETE AT INTERNATIONAL YOUTH TUG OF WAR TOURNAMENT

Congratulations to LNR ACF TOW Club from Leicestershire who fielded four youth tug of war teams containing boys and girls at the recent GENSB youth international club tournament held in Switzerland. Their team received a glowing report from the Tug of War Association for their conduct throughout their trip, and they thoroughly enjoyed their experience, despite not finishing with a medal placing.

55 youth tug of war teams competed at this years event, and the GENSB competition is one of tug of war’s success stories.

The GENSB Youth International Club Tournament is open to teams with pullers (both male and female) between the ages of 12 and 18. Should any area team wish to field a youth team at future GENSB Tug of War Competition, then please visit www.gensb.eu.

The Midland Area organises youth competitions at all of its events, so please encourage your youth along to our competitions in 2012.

Aldersley High School Tug of War Event

Roger Beardsmore and Tony Henshaw recently attended and assisted with a tug of war event at Aldersley High School in the Midland Area. The overall event was a success, however the positive and negative aspects of the event are highlighted below as well as some recommendations of how to run such events better in the future.

Positive

Reception staff were excellent at all times and made us feel welcome and expected;
The training room projection facility ensured all could see the images in some detail;
Many students spoke as I walked from the car park to reception;
The venue and facilities were good and ready prior to the event.
Access to the sports hall was good;
The support given by Peter and Rachael was very good;
Student enthusiasm was a joy to see and requires nurturing.
Students had enthusiasm, determination to succeed and team spirit;
During the competition the vast majority of students conducted themselves with enthusiasm, care for others and a keen sense of fair play.
Several of the student coaches took the post seriously and are worthy of mention.
The competition provided an excellent platform for equality of opportunity to compete and do well.

For Consideration or change

Half the students missed the briefing session and went to the rope unsure of what to do.
Pre event training and competition suffered from some very tardy students. Twenty five minute briefing sessions became eleven and fifteen minutes.
The competition was late in starting.The end of the competition fell rather flat with no real provision for victory celebrations.
Some students’ dealings with the referees were clearly influenced by what had been witnessed on television.
Teams pulled at catchweight which often means the heaviest team wins.
Some teams attempted to use substitutes and to gain advantage.
Some students took risks with their uniforms by competing in blazers.
The late starts placed the officials under pressure to conclude on time.

Recommendations for Future Events.

Ensure students are changed and ready to pull at the start of the event.
Use a large scoreboard to inform the audience.
Alternatively, use a laptop and projector.
Create a medal presentation at the end of the competition.
Stop the students pulling in their school Uniform
Invite Rachel to run the microphone and score sheets.
Develop the coach’s sense of responsibility for the running of their team.
Prevent exceptionally heavy teams from being developed.
Place a unique stamp mark the back of each team member’s hand. This is normally done by the referees and will reassure students that cheating is not allowed.

R Beardsmore

19/06/2011 - YFC MIDLAND REGIONAL FINAL HELD AT THREE COUNTIES SHOW, MALVERN, WORCESTERSHIRE

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.

15/05/2011 - MIDLAND CHAMPIONSHIPS 2011 RESULTS

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

Eighteen tug of war clubs from across England and Wales enters sixty four teams making the Midland Championship hosted by the Shropshire County Show the best attended since 2000. This increase is attributable to the excellent location and draw of the County Show Ground. Local club Caradoc (Church Stretton) in only their second year of top level pulling pulled very well and were beaten semi finalists in the 600 and 620 kilo events. Photo: Caradoc

Thank you to the follwoing teams who supported the event - Mens Teams - 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: Bolver

08/05/2011 - DAVENTRY RESULTS

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 results were:

Catchweight - Winners - Felton Eccles - Runners Up - Lincoln

680 - Winners - Norton - Runners Up - Felton Eccles

640 - Winners - Norton - Runners Up - Sandhurst A

600 - Winners - Norton - Runners Up - Sandhurst A

580 - Winners - Oxney Vines Cross - Runners Up - Sandhurst A

Ladies 560 - Winners - Sheen Ladies - Runners Up - Bedford Ladies

Ladies 520 - Winners - Bedford Ladies - Runners Up - Sheen Ladies

Youth 560 - Winners - Eire OG - Runners Up - Glos/Som ACF A

Youth 520 - Winners - Eire OG - Runners Up - Glos/Som ACF A

27/03/2011 - MIDLAND EARLY PULL 2 - 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.

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

MIDLAND EARLY PULLS!!!!!

The Midland Early pulls take place on Sunday 20th March and Sunday 27th March. These are the first outdoor fixtures of the season in the area. All male, female, mixed and junior teams, young farmers teams and new teams of all abilities are encouraged and welcome to come along and take part in these friendly open events.

Please see the area events page for further details!!

UK INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS - FEBRUARY 2011

Congratualtions to Sheen and Raunds who both represented England at the UK Indoor championships in Perth, Scotland. Raunds (representing England B) finished 5th in the 600 kilos competition, and Sheen (representing England A) finished second in the 680 kilos competition.

Congratulations also to the 6 pullers from the area whp joined up with the England under 23 team to compete in the senior 600 kilos event. The team competed extremely well and earned valuable experience from taking part.

2010 SEASON NEWS

DECEMBER 2010

Congratualtions to Sheen and Norton tug of war clubs from Staffordshire who won 6 gold medals between them at the national indoor tug of war championships. Sheen won five gold medals, with Norton winning one gold medal. Norton also took a silver medal and a bronze medal. Congratulations also to Raunds who took two silver medals and a bronze medal.

INDOOR TUG OF WAR 2010-2011

WEEK 1

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 - Raunds

WEEK 2

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

INDOOR TUG OF WAR 2010-2011

Sunday 17th October will see the indoor tug of war season commence. All indoor competitions will take place at the Harry Mitchell Centre in Smethwick, West Midlands. The full address for the Harry Mitchell Centre is:

Harry Mitchell Centre, Broomfield, Smethwick, West Midlands, B67 7DL

There will be a charge of £2 per puller on the door each week to help cover the costs of hall hire. The £2 entry fee will include raffle tickets. All teams, pullers and spectators are welcome.

There will be 7 indoor competitions prior to the indoor national championships which take place on Saturday 4th December (also at the Harry Mitchell Centre). There will be team trophies presented at the end of the week 7 competition to the teams that collect the most points over the 7 competitions in each weight class. These annual trophies were donated to the TOWA by Len Hall of Area 2 in the 2009 season.

Championship Dates for the 2010-2011 Indoor Season are as follows:

AAA indoor championships – Sunday 14th November - Harry Mitchell Centre

National indoor championships – Saturday 4th December - Harry Mitchell Centre

NEXT AREA EVENT

Malvern Autumn Show

Sunday 26th Sept - Venue Three Counties Showground, Malvern

Weights – Men 600, 640, 680, catchweight, Ladies and Youth

Weigh In - 10am - 11am - First Pull - 11.15am

Free competitor entry tickets are to be requested from Roger Beardsmore - Somercotes, Sheinton Rd, Cressage, Shropshire, SY5 6DH. E-mail: tugger@talktalk.net or phone 01952510735 before the 19th of September 2010. Teams who pay on the gate will not be re-imbursed. Parking is close to the pulling arena. The Malvern Autumn show is an RHS garden festival with many attractions on the day. The show will recieve TV Coverage.

15-19 SEPTEMBER 2010 - WORLD OUTDOOR TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS - SOUTH AFRICA

Midland Area teams Norton and Holland tug of war clubs, both from Staffordshire competed at the World Outdoor Tug of War Championships, held in Pretoria, South Africa. Holland competed in the open club competition, with Norton taking part in the closed event.

Holland competed in the mens open 640 kilos and 700 kilos, and also competed in the 4+4 600 kilos. Holland did not progress from the group stage of the mens weight classes, but it was a different story in the mixed 4+4 600 kilos weight class, where the club made it all the way to the final, only to be defeated by Gaztedi from the Basque Country in the final, giving Holland tug of war club a world open silver medal.

Norton tug of war club represented England in the closed event at 580 kilos after winning this weight at the National Championships in June. After a difficult start, England progressed through the group stage to the semi final stage, having a tough three end match with Sweden, with England winning by 2 ends to 1 to progress to the final. England went on to meet the Netherlands in the final, but unfortunately were defeated by 2 ends to 0. After a tough start to the group stage of the competition, it was a great result. The Netherlands won all three of the mens weight classes at the World Championships to complete a dominant weekend for them.

Well done to both Norton and Holland for their achievements at this event.

05/09/2010 - TOWA NATIONAL LEAGUE FINALS - DAVENTRY

The TOWA national league finals again took place in Daventry, Northants, thanks to the continued organisation of the venue by Area Treasurer Len Hall.

Norton Tug of War Club from Staffordshire won the gold medal in all three national league weight classes at 600 kilos, 640 kilos, and 680 kilos, demonstrating good form and pulling over the course of the season.

Leicester and Northants ACF won two bronze medals in the Youth League at 520 kilos and 560 kilos, finishing behind silver medallists Gloucester and Somerset ACF, and Gold Medallists Sandhurst.

Sheen Ladies from Staffordshire also came away with 2 silver medals in the ladies league, finishing as runners up in the 520 kilos and 560 kilos to Bedford Ladies.

Well done to all of the Midland Area Teams who took part in the TOWA National League in 2010.

22/08/2010 - SHROPSHIRE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS - MADELEY - TELFORD

600 - Winners - Norton - Runners Up - Felton Eccles

640 - Winners - Norton - Runners Up - Felton Eccles

680 - Winners - Norton - Runners Up - Felton Eccles

C/W - Winners - Felton Eccles - Runners Up - Sandhurst

Well done and many thanks to all of the teams who took part.

13/14 AUGUST - UK OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS

Sheen men and ladies both travelled to Northern Ireland this weekend to represent England at the UK Outdoor Championships. At this event English teams faced representatives from Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

Sheen Ladies represented England in the ladies 540 kilos, however problems with their airline meant that one puller could not travel, and missed the competition, resulting in changes having to be made to their team. In spite of difficult circumstances, England won the bronze medal ahead of the Scotland B Team. Scotland A won the gold medal, with Wales A winning the silver.

Sheen men represented England A in the 680 kilos weight class. England A progressed to the semi final stage of the competition, defeating Scotland A in the semi final, before going on to lose to England B in the final.

The open competition took place following the international event, and Sheen Ladies with a full strength team after alternative travel arrangments were made, came away with a gold medal in the open 540 kilos event after defeating Ayrshire from Scotland in the final, who represented Scotland A the day before.

Well done to Sheen Men and Sheen Ladies on their achievements.

SATURDAY 19TH JUNE - NATIONAL OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS - WARSLOW - STAFFORDSHIRE MOORLANDS

The Midlands played host to yet another successful national championships this year, with Sheen Tug of War Club providing the venue for the championships. A good number of area teams took part, with a good number of local people coming along to watch the championships. Sheen Men and Ladies, Leek Men and Ladies, Holland, Hanging Bridge, Leicester and Northants ACF, and Norton were the area teams that took part in the event, with these teams coming away with 4 gold, 6 silver, and 4 bronze medals between them.

Sheen Men won the gold medals in the 680 kilos and catchweight event, and also won silver in the 700 kilos event.

Norton took the gold medals in the 580 kilos and 600 kilos event, and also added a silver in the 680 kilos event.

Sheen Ladies took two silver medals in the ladies 500 kilos and 540 kilos events.

Leek Ladies took two bronze medals in the ladies 500 kilos and 540 kilos events.

Leicester and Northants took the silver medal in the junior 520 kilos event and bronze in the 560 kilos event.

Well done to all of the area teams who took part, and well done to Sheen tug of war club who did a good job in organising the venue.

SUNDAY 16TH MAY - MIDLAND CHAMPIONSHIPS - MADELEY - TELFORD

This weekend, we hosted our annual Midland Championships at Madeley Court Leisure Centre. This is the first time for a few years that we have held a tug of war competition at this venue, following the centralisation of indoor tug of war at the Harry Mitchell Centre. The weather was warm, and the ground turned out to be very good. 10 mens teams and 3 ladies and youth teams took part in the event, including a number of local young farmers teams, who won many pulls against some of the more established teams.

The results were as follows:

Ladies and Youth 560 - winners - LNR ACF A - Runners Up - Sheen Ladies

Ladies and Youth 520 - winners - LNR ACF A - Runners Up - Sheen Ladies

Men catchweight - winners - Sheen - Runners Up - Felton Eccles

Men 580 - winners - Sandhurst - Runners Up - Bosley

Men 680 - winners - Norton - Runners Up - Felton Eccles

Men 600 - winners - Norton - Runners Up - Bosley

Men 640 - winners - Norton - Runners Up - Bosley

Many thanks to all the teams for supporting the event, and thanks to all the officials - Roger Beardsmore, Mick Selwood, Peter Craft, Mike Callaghan, and Julie Petit. Thanks to Betty Craft for undertaking the timekeeping and recording duties, and thanks to Len Hall for selling raffle tickets.

The next event in the Midlands will see the national championships taking place near Leek, Staffordshire on June 19th. Further details on that event are available at www.tugofwar.co.uk.

SUNDAY 9TH MAY - DAVENTRY, NORTHAMPTONSHIRE

This weekend was the annual Great Ormand Street Hospital Charity event, organised by area 2 treasurer Len Hall. This competition was very well supported with 16 mens teams, and 8 ladies and youth teams taking part, including a team from the Republic of Ireland. The competition was held in dry but cool weather conditions, and the competition at all levels was very goo, with some of the young farmers teams, giving the more established TOWA clubs a good run for their money. The results were:

Men catchweight - winners - Felton Eccles - Runners Up - Lincoln

Men 600 - Winners - Norton - Runners Up - Sandhurst

Men 680 - Winners - Norton - Runners Up - Felton Eccles

Men 580 - Winners - Hanging Bridge - Runners Up - Forge Lane

Men 640 - Winners - Norton - Runners Up - Hanging Bridge

Ladies and Youth 560 - Winners - Sandhurst - Runners Up - EIRE OG

Ladies and Youth 520 - Winners - Sandhurst - Runners Up - EIRE OG

SUNDAY 2ND MAY - HARBY, MELTON MOWBRAY

This event was organised by Lincoln TOWC, and was attended by Sheen, Felton Eccles (A and B), Bosley, Norton, Lincoln, Market Rasen, Southminster, Hanging Bridge, Bedford Ladies and Sheen Ladies. The results of this event were:

Men catchweight - Winners - Sheen - Runners Up - Felton Eccles

Men 640 - Winners - Norton - Runners Up - Lincoln

Men 600 - Winners - Norton - Runners Up - Bosley

Men 680 - Winners - Norton - Runners Up - Sheen

SATURDAY 1ST MAY - SHEEN LADIES TOWC OPEN COMPETITION

Sheen Ladies held a small competition at the Manifold Inn near Leek, and attracted 5 teamsto the event. The teams competing were Sheen Ladies, Sheen Men, Holland TOWC, Lutterworth, and Ashbourne. Unfortunately, no ladies competition took place, but the ladies pullers mixed in with the mens teams to get some pulling. The results were:

Men Catchweight - Winners - Sheen - Runners Up - Holland

Men 680 - Winners - Sheen - Runners Up - Holland

Men 640 - Winners - Sheen - Runners Up - Lutterworth

SUNDAY 28TH MARCH - MIDLAND EARLY PULL RESULTS

This weekend, the competition was held at Droitwich High School in Worcestershire. The past couple of seasons have seen a really well supported event at this venue, however, this year, there were not as many teams taking part. Holland tug of war club from Staffordshire fielded two teams in the senior weight classes, but it was great to see a good number of youth pullers competing at the event, with Leicester and Northants bringing a coach full of junior boys and girls pullers (both experienced and novice, with Gloucester and Somerset ACF also bringing along a good number of youth pullers who have never competed within the TOWA before. Holland A won all four of the senior mens weight classes on the day, winning the catchweight, 660, 640, and 620 weight classes, with their B team finishing as runners up. Cutnall Green YFC, as well as Leicester and Northants ACF and Gloucester ACF fielded teams in the mens weight classes to get extra competition and there was some great competitive pulling between these teams that was really good to watch. Photo: Gloucester and Somerset ACF Youth

Overall, the Midland Early Pulls were well worth hosting with 8 teams taking part over the two events. This was not quite as high as last year, but we do hope to run these events again in March next year. Our thanks go to Holland TOWC and Richard Lane for organising the venue in Staffordshire and Worcestershire respectively, and we would also like to thank Roger Beardsmore, Tony Henshaw and Julie Petit for undertaking the judging duties and Jill Thomas for undertaking the recorders duties. Well done to all who took part. Photo: LNR ACF in the Mens 620 kilos

SUNDAY 21ST MARCH - MIDLAND EARLY PULL RESULTS

6 teams competed at the first early pull competition held at Holland Sports Club, Barton-under-Needwood, Staffordshire. The competition was attended by host team Holland, who fielded A and B teams, in addition to Hanging Bridge. York TOWC and 3 Ways from Oadby, Leicestershire competed at a Midland area event for the first time. For a first competition of the season, both the competition and the weather was very good. Picture: Three Ways TOWC from Oadby, Leicestershire

Holland pulled well to take first place in all four of the mens weight categories. It was good to see Hanging Bridge field a team comprising of many new pullers, and they finished as runners up in both the 620 and 640 kilos weight classes.

York TOWC also competed well at the event finishing as runners up in the catchweight event, with 3 Ways (coached by former St Pats coach Steve Goss) finishing as runners up in the 660.

WORLD INDOOR TUG OF WAR CHAMPIONSHIPS - FEBRUARY 2010

Norton and Sheen tug of war clubs from Staffordshire, and Raunds tug of war club from Northamptonshire recently represented England at the World Indoor Tug of War Championships, held in Cesenatico, Italy. Norton represented England in the 560 kilos event, winning the silver medal after being defeated by Northern Ireland in the final. Sheen represented England in the 640 kilos event, winning gold by defeating Scotland in the final; but Raunds just missed out on a medal, finishing 4th while representing England in the 680 kilos event, after losing out to Ireland for the bronze.

Congratulations to these area teams for their achievements. We now look forward to a successful outdoor tug of war season at all levels of competition.

CHANGES OF VENUE & OTHER COMPETITION INFO

Change of Venue - The Midland Championships, scheduled to take place on Sunday 16th May will now be taking place at Madeley Court Sports Centre, Court Street, Madeley, Telford, TF7 5DZ. All other details remain the same. Please contact Roger Beardsmore for further information on 01952 510735.

Confirmation of Venue - The venue for the Shropshire Championships, sheduled to take place on Sunday 22nd August has also been confirmed and will take place at Madeley Court Sports Centre, Court Street, Madeley, Telford, TF7 5DZ. Weights are Men 600, 640, 680 and Catchweight. Please contact Roger Beardsmore for further information on 01952 510735

Additional Venue - Saturday 1st May - Sheen Ladies TOWC - Manifold Inn, Manifold, Hartington, Derbyshire, SK17 0EX - Weights - Ladies - 540, 560, 580, Men - 640, 680, Catchweight. Contact Rachel Craft for further information on 01283 215633

Area Events

Our Area Events Page has now been updated with all of the latest TOWA fixtures which will be taking place throughout 2010. All teams are welcome to any event taking place in the area. Please feel free to contact the event organisers for further details.

TOWA AWARD OF MERIT

Congratualtions to Mr Len Hall who recently recieved the Tug of War Association Award of Merit for lond and distinguished service to the sport. Len is currently active on the Area committee, serving as a representative for Northamptonshire, as well as serving as Area Treasurer. Len is always a willing volunteer, and there are few in the sport more deserving than Len to recieve this honour - well done. Photo - Len Hall (right) receiving the TOWA Award of Merit from TOWA President, Mr Tony Martin at the TOWA AGM held in Cannock, Staffordshire in January.

Coming Soon

In March the Midland Area will be hositing it's "Midland Early Pulls", which are open competitions open to all tug of war teams of all abilities in the Midlands and beyond.

There will be weight categories for mens teams, ladies teams, and junior teams.

Further information about these events will be available in due course.

If you wish to participate in any events hosted by the Midland Area, then please contact Area Secretary Roger Beardsmore - e-mail: tugger@talktalk.net or phone 01952 510735

2009 SEASON NEWS

INDOOR TUG OF WAR 2009/10

A very successful indoor tug of war season at the end of 2009 took place between October and December, with all competitions being hosted in the Birmingham Area. 2 competitions took place at the Haden Hill Leisure centre, with the remainder of the indoor competitions taking place at the Harry Mitchell Leisure Centre in Sandwell, including the indoor national championships and AAA championships.

Sheen from Staffordshire were once again the dominant team on the indoor circuit, winning the AAA indoor 640 and catchweight titles, as well as 5 national championship gold medals at 600, 640, 680, 720, and Catchweight.

Other notable achievements for area teams at the national championships came in the form of Norton from Staffordshire, who won the 560 kilos title, and also to Raunds who won silver at 680 kilos. Sheen, Norton and Raunds will now go forward to represent England at the forthcoming UK championships in Wrexham in January, and the World Indoor Championships in Italy in February. Good Luck to them.

Congratulations!

Congratualtions to Norton tug of war club from Staffordshire. They recently represented England at the European Championships in Assen the Netherlands at 600 kilos. Representing England, they took the gold medal after defeating Switzerland in the final.

Leciester and Northants ACF TOW club represented England in the junior 560 kilos event, finishing in 6th place after a credidable performance in the competition.

Congratulations to both teams on their achievements this season.

Next Area 2 Committee Meeting

Please note that our next committee meeting is set to take place on Monday 14th September at 8pm

Venue: The Bell Inn, Rood End Road, Oldbury, West Midlands B68 OSF

All club representatives and individual members are encouraged to attend.

Good Luck....

Good Luck to Area 2 teams Leicester and Northants ACF and Norton Tug of War Club who will be representing England at the European Champhips in Assen, Netherlands from 17th-20th September.

Norton will be representing England in the mens 600 kilos event, and Leicester and Northants ACF will be representing England in the Junior 560 kilos event, which is being staged as a world junior championships at this event.

National League Finals - Daventry - September 2009

One of the final remaining fixtures of the outdoor tug of war calendar took place at Daventry Rugby Club, Northamptonshire on Sunday 6th September. The event was well supported by male, female, and junior teams from around England. Photo - Norton competing in the 600 kilos event

Norton became 2009 league champions in the mens 600 and 640 kilos events, as well as picking up the runners up position in the 680 kilos event. Hanging Bridge also collected two bronze medals in the 600 kilos and 680 kilos competitions to follow up on a hard earned bronze medal won at the national championships earlier in the year. Photo - Leicester and Northants ACF youth TOW club

Leicester and Northants finished their domestic campaign by winning the 520 kilos and 560 kilos in the junior league. Photo - Hanging Bridge TOWC

Congratualtions to all of the Midland Area teams who have taken part throughout the outdoor season this year.

GENSB Tournament 2009

30 pullers from the Midland Area competed at the GENSB Junior open club competition held in Cornwall over the August bank holiday weekend. These pullers were from the Leicester, Northants and Rutland ACF Tug of War Club, who also put in a huge amount of work in organising and running the event at Penhale, just outside Newquay. The Leicester ACF team pulled very well to progress to the knock out stages of the competition, where they were knocked out by Mosnang from Switzerland - the eventual winners. Well done to all who took part.

UK Championships - August 2009

Congratulations to Norton and Sheen Ladies Tug of War Clubs who represented England at the UK Outdoor Championships held in Banff in Scotland. Norton won the gold medal in the mens 600 kilos event whilst representing England "A". They defeated England "B" in the final, with Wales "A" winning the bronze.

Sheen Ladies represented England "A" in the ladies 520 kilos event, where they won the silver medal in a narrow defeat by 2 ends to 1 in the final. Scotland "B" won the bronze.

Congratualtions to both teams on their achievement

World Games - July 2009

Congratulations to Sheen Ladies Tug of War Club from Staffordshire on winning the bronze medal at the World Games held in Kaoshiung in Chinese Taipei. Sheen Ladies were representing Great Britain at the event which takes place every year. Great Britain were amongst the top 6 tug of war teams in the World Competing at the event, winning the bronze medal by defeating Japan in the third place pull off. Chinese Taipei were the gold medallists with the Netherlands winning silver. Photo - Great Britain Ladies celebrate winning the bronze medal

Our congratualtions go to all of those who took part.

National Outdoor Championships

A number of Midland Area Clubs competed at the National Outdoor Championships, which were held in Blandford in Dorset. Norton, Sheen, Holland, and Hanging Bridge competed in the senior mens event, Leicester and Northants competed in the junior men and junior ladies weight classes, and Sheen Ladies competed in the ladies weight categories.

In total, Midland Area teams came away with 6 gold medals, 3 silver medals, and 3 bronze medals.

Norton won both the 560 and 600 kilos competitions, Sheen won gold in the catchweight event and silver in the 720 kilos event, Holland won two bronze medals in the 720 kilos and catchweight event, and Hanging Bridge won the bronze in the 560 kilos event.

Leicester and Northants had a good day of pulling with their girls and boys squad, with their junior girls winning both of the junior girls weight classes on the day, then their junior mens team won the junior 560 kilos event, and also finished as runners up in the junior 530 kilos event.

In the ladies events, Sheen Ladies won the silver medal in the ladies 520 kilos weight class, and bronze in the ladies 560 kilos weight class. Whilst they did not defend their titles from 2008, the Sheen Ladies team have been doing indoor training in preparation for the World Games on 18th/19th July, which take place in Chinese Taipei. Sheen Ladies will be representing Great Briatin at this event, and the TOWA Midland Area wish them the very best of luck.

24th May - Midland Championships, Birmingham

This event was another area event that was well supported, but there was no ladies and youth competition on the day. The weather was glorious and the ground was good, which all made for excellent competition. We hosted 5 weight classes on the day. Amongst the local teams acheiving success were Sheen who won the catchweight, Hanging Bridge who won the 560 kilos competition, and Norton, who won the 640 kilos competition. It was also good to see the Groundhogs competing at the event. They are a new team based in Evesham, and they competed at our early pulls in March. We wish them luck for the coming season, and we hope to see them out at more of our competitions in the future. Keep up the good work. Photo: The Groundhogs competing in the 560 kilos competition

A full report is available on the Tug of War Association web site at www.tugofwar.co.uk.

Thank you to the Portland Pavillion in Edgbaston for once again providing us with the venue, and to the judges Roger Beardsmore, Julie Petit, and Mick Selwood, and Timekeeper/Recorder Jill Thomas.

Results

Catchweight - Winners - Sheen (Staffs) - Runners Up - Felton Eccles (Somerset)

680 - Winners - Felton Eccles (Somerset) - Runners Up - Sandhurst A (Berkshire)

640 - Winners - Norton (Staffs) - Runners Up - Felton Eccles (Somerset)

600 - Winners - Sandhurst A (Berkshire) - Runners Up - Lincoln

560 - Winners - Hanging Bridge (Staffs) - Runners Up - Sandhurst A (Berkshire)

10th May - Great Ormond Street Charity Event

This competition took place in Daventry and attacted a fantastic amount of teams from all over the country. In the different mens weight classes, including the novice competition, 23 teams took part, with 7 teams taking part in the junior competition, three teams in the ladies competition, and 4 teams in the junior girls competition. Amongst the area teams in the medals, were Hanging Bridge, Norton, Sheen Ladies, and Leicester and Northants ACF. Norton were the winners of the 600 kilos and 640 kilos events, finishing ahead of Sandhurst from Berkshire in both weights, and Hanging Bridge finished as runners up in the 580 kilos event. Leicester and Northants ACF A finished as runners up in both of the junior boys weight classes behind the Irish national team, and the Leicester and Northants ACF A team won both of the junior girls weights. Sheen Ladies also finished as runners up in the ladies weight classes behind Bedford Ladies. Thanks to Len Hall (area treasurer) for all his hard work in organising the event.

26th April and 3rd May competition results

Sunday 3rd May saw a competition take place in the village of Harby near Melton Mowbray. Area 2 was represented at this event by Norton, Hanging Bridge, Sheen Farmers, and Leicester and Northants ACF in the senior weights, along with Sheen Ladies, Leicester and Northants ACF A and B junior men, and Leicester and Northants Junior Ladies in the ladies and youth weights. Photo: Norton in the 640 kilos event

Norton were the dominant team on the day, winning the 600, 640, and 680 weight classes. Sheen finished as runners up in the catchweight event, and Hanging Bridge finished in third place in the 600 kilos event. Felton Eccles from Somerset were the winners of the catchweight event, and they also finished as runners up in the 680 kilos event. Lincoln finished as runners up in the 600, and BAC from Surrey finished as runners up in the 640. Photo: Leicester and Northants ACF competing in the senior 600 kilos event

The ladies and youth events saw our area teams put in another good performance, with Leicester and Northants A winning the 520 kilos event, and finishing as runners up in the 560 kilos event, which was won by Bedford. Bedford also finished as runners up in the 520 kilos event. Photo: Hanging Bridge competing in the 600 kilos event

Sunday 26th May saw a competition take place in Hulme End, near Sheen on the Staffordshire border with the Peak District. It provided a nice setting for a tug of war competition, which was well supported by established local teams to the area, as well as young farmers clubs, which provided a good mix of pulling on the day.

The early weights provided some good lively pulling on what was endy ground at the start, before the ground cut up more. Bosley from Cheshire were the dominant team on the day, with their 'A' team winning the 640, 680 and catchweight events, and they finished as runners up in the 600 kilos event, which was won by Area 2 team Hanging Bridge, who also finished as runners up in the 640 kilos event. Ashover young farmers were the surprise package of the day, finishing as runners up in the 680 kilos and catcweight events. Photo: Ashover Young Farmers in action in the 680 kilos event

The ladies events were also well supported by young farmers teams from Ashbourne, Ashover, Waterhouses, Bakewell, as well as Bedford Ladies and Sheen Ladies. Bedford ladies won the three ladies weight classes on offer (520, 560, and 580). Thank you to Sheen Ladies and Ashbourne Young Farmers for organising a good competition in the area. Photo: Area Secretary Roger Beardsmore Officiating at the Event

The officials on the day were Tony Henshaw and Roger Beardsmore.

The teams participating were: Sheen Farmers, Hanging Bridge, Ashover Young Farmers, Waterhouses Young Farmers, Market Rasen Young Farmers, Lincoln, Wood Treatment Bosley (A and B) in the mens weights; and Ashbourne Young Farmers, Ashover Young Farmers, Waterhouses Young Farmers, Bakewell Young Farmers, Sheen Ladies, and Bedford Ladies taking part in the ladies weight classes.

Additional Venue

Sun 26th - Sheen Ladies & Ashbourne Young Farmers - Manifold Inn, Manifold Valley, Hulme End, Nr Sheen, SK17 0EX - Weigh In - 12 noon - First Pull - 1pm - Weights - Men 600, 640, 680, catchweight - Ladies - 520, 560 and 580 - Contact Duncan Craft for further information on 07972823639

Coming Up in April......

Midland Area Committee meeting - Monday 20th April at 8pm.

Venue: The Bell Inn, Rood End Road, Oldbury, West Midlands B68 OSF

If you are interested in attending this meeting, or wish to assist in organising tug of war in the area, please contact area secretary Roger Beardsmore - email: tugger@talktalk.net. Tel: 01952 510735

Sunday 29th March - Early Pull Results - Droitwich

Droitwich Spa High School provided the second venue for our Midland Early Pull, and was well supported by teams from the Midland Area.

Teams from Sheen, Holland Sports (who fielded A and B teams) Lutterworth Young Farmers, Leicester and Northants, Priors, Edgcott and Groundhogs competed in the senior mens competition, and teams from Leicester and Northants (who fielded A and B teams), Sheen, and Holland took part in the ladies and youth weights.

The competition across all of the weights was very lively and competitive. There was a good mix of new pullers and experienced teams which gave all of the teams some very good live pulling as they start the outdoor season. This gave us some very exciting pulls, with many going to three ends.

The first weight was the 620 kilos, and Holland A finished in first place, followed by Holland B in a six team group competition, which also contained Leicester and Northants A and B, Edgcott, Groundhogs, and Lutterworth. Photo: Leicester and Northants ACF

The 660 kilos competition gave everyone some really good training. There was some good three end pulls between Edgcott and Groundhogs, with Groundhogs taking the pull by 2 ends to 1, but the deciding pull came between Holland A and Sheen. Sheen took the first end after a long pull, but Holland beat Sheen on the drop to take the second end. Sheen won the toss and chose the winning end for the deciding pull and edged out Holland to finish in first place. Photo: Holland Ladies/Youth

The Ladies and Youth 560 kilos competition was then held with LNR ACF A taking first place, ahead of Sheen Ladies who finished second, and LNR ACF B finishing third, with a junior girls team. Well done to them. Photo: Groundhogs TOWC

The ladies and youth 520 kilos was then held. Sheen Ladies upped their game in this weight to finish in first place, ahead of Holland Ladies/Youth who finished second, with Leicester and Northants A finishing third. Photo: Edgcott TOWC

The third mens weight was the 640 kilos. The competition was just as competitive as the 660 kilos event, but this time it was Holland A who took first place, closely followed by Holland B and Sheen, with Lutterworth finishing 4th. Photo: Priors TOWC

The final weight of the day was the catchweight competition with the teams all eager again to get more competition practice from the event. Holland fielded two teams in this event again, and faced tough opposition from Sheen, Lutterworth, Priors and Groundhogs. Priors and Groundhogs (who are competing in their first full outdoor season) had a really good tussle in this weight, with Priors defeating Groundhogs by 2 ends to 1 in a really competitive match. Both of these clubs enjoyed the competition at the event, and we hope to see them at other Midland events in the future. The deciding pull came between Holland B and Sheen. The first end went to Holland in just over three minutes, and the second end was another strenuous pull. Sheen gradually inched some rope off Holland, but Holland managed to stop Sheen. Both teams exchanged some good lifts, but neither could get the upper hand to move the opposition. The end eventually went to Holland after Sheen were blown out for receiving three cautions. Photo: Sheen Farmers TOWC

The Tug of War Association Midland Area would like to thank all of the teams who supported the Midland Early Pulls this year, and we hope you all got some good training out of it in preparation for the season ahead. We hope that the teams enjoyed it as much as we did. We wish all of the active teams in the Midlands the very best of luck for the season ahead.

The area would also like to thank the officials for supporting these events – Roger Beardsmore and Tony Henshaw, and also Jill Thomas for being the timekeeper/recorder. We would also like to thank Holland TOWC and Richard Lane for their assistance with providing the venues for these early pull competitions. It is hoped to run these events again next year.

The next event to take place in the area is at Harby Village Hall, School Lane, Harby, near Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire. We hope to see as many of you as possible at this event.

Sunday 22nd March - Early Pull Results - Barton-under Needwood

Outdoor tug of war in the area kicked off with an 'early pull' competition at Holland Sports Club in Barton-under-Needwood, Staffordshire. The weather was dry, and the ground conditions firm, which made for some short and lively ends. The teams that turned out for this first training competition were Holland Sports (who fielded A and B teams in every weight class), Hanging Bridge, Lutterworth Young Farmers and Sheen Ladies.

The first weight was the catchweight, with the two Holland teams and Lutterworth taking part. Holland's A team won the competition without dropping any points, with their B team finishing ahead of Lutterworth. Photo: Holland TOWC

The 620 kilos was a good lively competition, particularly the pulling between Hanging Bridge and Holland A, which Holland managed to win by 2 ends to 1. Sheen Ladies also competed well in this weight class with no other ladies teams to compete against. Hanging Bridge gave them a good training pull, dropping to 7 pullers to give both teams more time on the rope. Holland A won the 620 kilos competition with Hanging Bridge finishing in second. Photo: Sheen Ladies TOWC

The 660 kilos was again won by Holland A. Lutterworth put in a good performance in this weight category as unlike in the catchweight, they were on weight, and gave all of the teams a good run for their money. Hollands second team again finished in the runner up spot. Photo: Lutterworth YFC TOWC

The final weight of the day was the 640 kilos competition. Again there was some more lively pulling between Haning Bridge, Lutterworth and the Holland A and B teams, and it was the Holland teams again which took the winners and runners up spots. Photo: Hanging Bridge TOWC

Well done to all of the teams who took part, and thank you to Holland tug of war club for providing the area with a venue. The officials on the day were Roger Beardsmore and Tony Henshaw, and thank you to Helen Jose for pfulfilling the timekeeper/recorder duties. This weekend we have another early pull competition at Droitwich High School. Details are below. We look forward to seeing you all there.

Midland Early Pulls

Tug of war in the Midlands Area will kick off on Sunday 22nd March and Sunday 29th March with the Midland Early Pulls. The venues will be as follows:

Sunday 22nd March - Holland Sports Club, Efflinch Lane, Barton-under-Needwood, Staffordshire, DE13 8ET

Sunday 29th March - Droitwich High School, Westlands Way, Droitwich, Worcestershire, WR9 0AA

Weights for both competitions will be men 620, 640, 660 and catchweight, Ladies and youth 520 and 560

The weigh in for each competition will take place at 10am, with the first pull starting at 11am.

All teams are welcome, and these events are particulalry aimed at clubs giving their more inexperienced pullers some comeptition. The area looks forward to seeing you all.

Further information about both events can be gained from Roger Beardsmore - email: tugger@talktalk.net. Tel: 01952 510735.

Area Commitee Meeting Dates

The area committee will meet on the following dates throughout 2009 to discuss the running of tug of war in the area throughout the season. Everyone is welcome to come along and have their say. The meetings will take place on the following dates:

Monday 20th April

Monday 6th July

Monday 14th September

Monday 2nd November - 2009 Midland Area AGM - This meeting will see elections take place for the area committee; and Area Representatives for 2010 will also be elected. Any resolutions which you wish to propose to the Tug of War Association AGM in January will also need to be proposed at this meeting.

These meetings will all take place at: The Bell Inn, Rood End Road, Oldbury, West Midlands B68 OSF

If you are interested in attending these meetings, or wish to assist in organising tug of war in the area, please contact area secretary Roger Beardsmore - email: tugger@talktalk.net. Tel: 01952 510735

Congratulations!!!!

Congratulations to Midland Area teams Sheen Farmers, Raunds Woodbine and Sheen Ladies tug of war clubs. These teams represented England at the UK indoor championships in Northern Ireland in February. The photo on the left is the Sheen mens squad which won the 680 kilos UK title for England as well as the 640 kilos and 680 kilos UK club titles.

Sheen Farmers represented England 'A' in the 680 kilos event, winning the gold medal ahead of Scotland 'A' who won silver. Raunds represented England 'B' at 680 kilos and won the bronze medal ahead of Northern Ireland 'A' who finished 4th. The photo on the left is of the Raunds 680 kilos open club team. Raunds won the 680 kilos bronze medal in the UK open club competition.

Sheen Ladies represented England 'A' in the ladies 520 kilos event, winning gold ahead of Northern Ireland 'A' and Scotland 'A'. Sheen Ladies this year have the honour of representing Great Britain at the World Games in Chinese Taipei in July in the ladies indoor 520 kilos event. This event will feature the top 6 ladies countries in the world. The area wishes Sheen Ladies the very best of luck in their preparations for the event.

2009 Fixtures

The 2009 TOWA fixtures which will be taking place in the area are now available on the fixtures page