HALDON Tug of War Club, who train in Newton Abbot and includes some members from the Crediton area, travelled to Carlisle in Cumbria to compete at the National Outdoor Tug of War Championships on Saturday, June 15.

This year the annual competition was hosted by the Cumberland Show, with teams from across England competing in the mens, ladies and mixed weight classes.

Teams consist of eight team members, who are required to weigh individually for their respected weight classes the day before the competition, and teams cannot exceed the weight otherwise they have to forfeit.

Around 250 competitors from 15 different tug of war clubs took part in the event over the course of the day, with hundreds of visitors attending the event from the surrounding areas to cheer the teams on as well as enjoying the other activities at the Show.

The Haldon ladies team, coached by Mark Hutchins from Widecombe, consisted of Emma Davie (captain), Kaye Wotton, Lucy Thomas, Georgina Davie, Rohanna Lang, Lauren Rich, Paige Mitchell, Charlotte Thornton and Talei Peters.

With a newly-formed team, Haldon Ladies fought off tough competition from Oxney Vines Cross Ladies (Sussex), Kilroe Ladies (Lancashire) and Upper Eden Ladies (Cumbria) but were defeated by Bedford Ladies in the finals of the 520kg, 540kg and 560kg weight categories.

Upper Eden picked up bronze in the 520kg whilst Oxney Vines picked up bronze in the 560kg category.

In the mixed 580kg competition, which involves four men and four ladies on each team, saw Haldon placed top of its group, but lost two ends to Upper Eden in the cross over.

The team pushed hard in the bronze medal pull off, beating York with two ends to Haldon.

The mixed weight category was won by Lincoln, with Upper Eden placed second.

Emma Davie, Captain of Haldon Ladies, said: “We had a brilliant day, the training and hard work paid off. There were lots of spectators which created a great atmosphere, and the competition was strong from all the competing teams in both the ladies, men and mixed competitions.”

The team would like to thank Upper Eden Tug of War Club for hosting the competition, and all the officials for their time and commitment to the sport.

The top teams from the National Championships will go on to represent England at the British and Irish Championships in Northern Ireland in August, where they will face teams from Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Republic of Ireland.

Haldon Ladies are fundraising for their trip to the British and Irish Tug of War Championships 2019 which are being held at the University of Ulster Coleraine from August 8 to 10. If you would like to support the club please contact Georgina on 07801 273 424 or email: [email protected] .