大象传媒

Teams from all over England have competed at the Tug of War Association National Outdoor Tug of War Championships at Blandford Army Camp.

The event, jointly organised by the Tug of War Association and the armed forces, sees 82 teams and around 500 people in total competing in different weight categories.

There are six weight classes for senior men's teams, two for senior ladies' teams and two each for the under 18 junior ladies' and men's teams.

Training for the event began in March 2009 with tug of war competitions taking place every weekend, around the country.

Army Ladies team

A "fierce" competition

Alan Knott from the Tug of War Association explains that, by the weekend of the main event, competitors are at their "peak" of fitness.

He says: "There have been different winners in various weight categories and at this stage it's very difficult to guess who the clear winner will be in each weight class.

"But it's always a fierce and exciting competition."

The rules

Tug of war consists of two teams of eight, whose total mass does not exceed the maximum weight determined for the class. Teams align themselves at each end of a rope, which is usually about 10 centimetres in circumference.

The rope is marked with a "centre line" and two markings, four metres either side of that line.

The teams start with the rope's centre line directly above a line marked on the ground.

Once the competition begins each team attempts to pull the other team, so that the marking on the rope closest to their opponent crosses the centre line, or the opponents commit a foul like sitting down.

Dorset's teams

The Army tug of war squad based at Blandford in Dorset were among the teams competing for the top spot.

Army Ladies team (560 kilos) win silver

The Army Ladies teams won two bronze medals at the 2008 national championships, and this year they did even better, winning silver (ladies 560 team), and bronze听 (Ladies 520).

Tim Tatler is the assistant manager for the Army teams. He says: "The Army teams playing the non-Army teams is the equivalent of a village football team playing someone like Manchester United.

"Some of the teams we will be competing against have been together for over 20 years.

"The Army teams are constantly changing because of operations like Iraq."

The full list of winners from the event can be found on the Tug of War Association website:

"Extremely tough"

Tim explains that tug of war is an "extremely tough" sport.

He says: "Competitors need excellent core strength, actual strength and above all a good sense of humour.

"Tug of war is very painful and really takes its toll on the hands, legs and body, because the rope must be kept as tight as possible, at all times."

The winning teams of Tug of War Championships, from 11 categories, go on to represent England at the European Championships in the Netherlands in September.

Event spokesman Alan Knott says: "It is an honour and a privilege for the teams that win here to go on an represent their country, with world and European championships the highest level they can strive for at the moment.

"The sport was once a part of the Olympic Games, but it is hoped that some day the sport will be re-introduced into the Olympics."