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World Eel Throwing Competition

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  • BRITAIN
May 05 2011

Who’d have thought a whole day could be spent celebrating eels, well in Ely that’s exactly what they do on their annual Eel Day, which took place on Saturday. The day kicks off with a procession from the cathedral, along part of the city’s Eel Heritage Trail Walk and down to the Waterside, where a whole host of eel related activities are held, including, most importantly, the World Eel Throwing Competition. Now, don’t go throwing your hands up in horror, real eels are in no way harmed during this event, they’ve been replaced with very realistic stunt double stuffed toys. […]

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The British Open Crabbing Championship

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  • BRITAIN
Aug 02 2010

There were over 900 entries in the 30th British Open Crabbing Championship held in Walberswick on Sunday. Using a single line and bait of your choice (bacon being strangely popular), the person landing the single heaviest crab during the 90 minutes of competition wins… wins a trophy, medal and £50. It cost just £1 to enter with buckets, baits and lines on sale for those who didn’t come prepared, no nets or hooks allowed. For crab rights activists, don’t worry, as all these crabs were safely returned to the water after weighing, though somewhere they aren’t so lucky as everyone […]

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Swamp Soccer New World Championships

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  • BRITAIN
Jun 23 2008

Forget the European Championships. Far more exciting and entertaining was the footy being played in Strachur on the Cowal peninsula in Scotland over the weekend. Three playing areas, slightly larger than a five-a-side pitch, were marked out across the swamp using little more than white tape. On the sidelines, a ragtag collection of men and women comprising the 42 wannabe cup-winning teams, from around the world. The rules are similar to regular football, with a few key exceptions. There’s no offside, no definite penalty box and while each team consists of six players, unlimited substitutions can be made at any […]

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Rubik’s UK Open Championship

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  • BRITAIN
Nov 13 2007

Almost 30 years on, professor Erno Rubik’s cube that took the world by storm during the early 80’s is back. It’s having such a great revival, it’s estimated 12 million cubes will have been sold worldwide in this year alone! I can only remember the 3x3x3 from my childhood, but there are now 2x2x2, 4x4x4, and 5x5x5 cubes to solve, not to mention the Clock and Megaminx! There was some huge talent at the event in Birmingham on Saturday. Matyas Kuti, a 14 year old from Hungary, in particular, did brilliantly winning most events, though British hopefuls Dan Harris and […]

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World Conker Championships

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  • BRITAIN
Oct 15 2007

Around 400 competitors gathered to have a crack at each other’s nuts on Sunday at the World Conker Championships in Ashton, Peterborough. Perhaps someone had cast a spell over the French this weekend? Adding insult to injury after the rugby defeat, Ady Hurrell was crowned the King of Conkers by defeating runner-up John Ingram, who led the French team! The rules are simple. Each player is given a “Competition-standard” conker attached to a piece of lace and takes turns in trying to break their opponent’s nut using a swinging motion. The world tournament came about after a group of local […]

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BMGA British Masters Minigolf Championship

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  • BRITAIN
Apr 30 2007

It might have been held at Peter Pan’s Adventure Island at Southend’s pleasure pier, but this weekend saw the serious business of finding a new champion to take home the coveted British Minigolf ‘Masters Jacket’ and trophy. The rules seem fair and uncomplicated. Basically the competition is held over 36 holes, and the winner is the player who gets round with the fewest strokes. Another competitor has to keep your score, you’re allowed to remove debris (eg leaves or perhaps the propeller of a plane) from the intended path of the ball before taking a shot, and the ball may […]

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About this blog

The vast majority of posts in this blog are about quirky & eccentric competitions & festivals. I started it in 2006 in France with a competition I’ll never forget. Where contestants battle it out to become the World Champion Pig Squeeler, or ‘Cri du Cochon’. I had little knowledge back then of quite how far my pursuit of these kind of events would lead me. I’ve travelled all over Britain (and occasionally further afield) to capture our curiosities and quirks. There’s nothing uniquely eccentric about the British, you’ll find people all over the world up to all sorts of weird and wonderful activities, but we do have a remarkable capacity to embrace the madness. ‘A Brit Different’ is the book that was born from it, my labour of love! So what next? There’s always something interesting going on, so watch this space, only time will tell!

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