| Where: | Formerly at Beccles, Suffolk at The Locks Inn on Locks Lane at Geldeston, Beccles and Lowestoft) |
| When: | Formerly 1st Saturday in August) |
| Time: | Formerly from 12 noon |
The noble art of Thumb Wrestling was a highlight in Suffolk’s calendar and attracted entrants from far and wide. Each round was fought between a pair of combatants who clasped their hands together and then tried to pin down their opponents digit on the base of the ring long enough to recite ” 1-2-3-4 I-Win-a-Thumb-War!” with 3 tries per pair on a best of 3 basis. The victor of the round would then progress through further heats until the final. Thumb decoration was actively encouraged and competitors chose an appropriate name for the event. Thumb wrestling is believed to originate in the UK and as it requires no bulky specialist equipment it’s ideal for a pub setting. It was a growing sport and great fun – and anyone could take part, with classes for ladies, children and men. Winners got a hamper of goodies as well as the coveted trophy and the honour of being champion.
Helpful Hints
The last competition was held in 2019- it was a week earlier than usual at the end of July and 2020 & 2021 were cancelled. In 2023 it should have been on Saturday 2nd September- location in Norwich and other details were yet to be announced by the due date so I’m assuming it didn’t go ahead (these announcements are often made very near to the event date but usually in advance). Future location and dates are yet to be confirmed and currently the event appears to be lapsed- though there are signs that it may be on again in 2025. Will update when further details are announced.
Participants must register before 12pm. The excellent event website (see link below) gave details of all the rules, history and more.
Click here for the event website: http://www.thumbwrestling.co.uk/
and Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/WorldThumbWrestling/
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