Well the Stoke V Combe Tug of war was an amazing success. A great build up, as Combe arrived on the tractor trailer, looking very ready for a fight. Decked out in their outrageous pink tops, the Combe lads got straight down to a good warm up routine. The Stoke team, dressed in smart black tops and sponsored by Mercedes Benz South West, and Orestone Wealth Management huddled round and prepared mentally for the coming struggle.

A large crowd from both villages gathered on the hillside to watch the battle.
Combe won the toss and chose the far end. After a short time setting up, they were ready to pull. PULL!!. Combe took Stoke by surprise and within 30 seconds, it was all over. The Combe Tuggers had lived up to their name and pulled the Stoke team clean across the line.

So one down, best of three pulls to decide the winner.

They changed ends and took their positions. The crowd was really fired up now. Drums hammered away a thumping tribal beat, and cries of STOKE STOKE STOKE filled the valleys COMBE COMBE echoed back in the opposite direction.
Was the first pull a fluke, or was there method to the pink tuggers muscle?

PULL!! Shouted the referee. Both teams strained and the little pink ribbon that marked the team’s progress slid steadily towards the Combe end.. Come on Stoke!! Come on Combe went the cries.

It didn’t take long. The Might of the Combe Tuggers was all to obvious and it was over in under a minute.

Combe had won. No contest. The best team won by a mile. The Stoke team were gutted. Their faces said it all.
There was one pull left, pointless, as the result was in, but due process had to be completed.

The third pull lasted the longest, and there was even a moment when Stoke took the advantage. But the writing was on the wall. Combe showed their mettle and the pull was theirs.

Well done to Combe for a fantastic effort. Commiserations to the Stoke boys who pulled their hearts out.

Nothing to do now but get the beers and the barbecue burgers in, and tell the stories of how they were robbed, and how it might have been. Wait till next year.. It will be very different then…

In the Hall, the Out of Tunas kept everyone amused with sea shanties, as the bar kept up with the massive thirst of the crowd, who eagerly awaited the Chillie eating contest.

With twelve contestants, sitting like victims awaiting sentence, Matt Prowse dealt out the first chillie. It was too hot for two contestants who bailed as the heat flooded their faces. Second chilli, an evil green little beast removed two more contestants in a ring of fire.

After three more rounds, only two remained, the California Reaper took it’s toll, and after a brief trip outside to “Clear his head” the winner returned to take his fiery crown, and the prize of an excellent bottle of single malt whisky.

All in all, an amazing event, cementing friendships and sparking rivalries between two fabulous villages.

Here’s till next year!!!