British and World Marbles Championship

This ancient event takes place each year on Good Friday and has been played annually in its current format, since 1932 at the Greyhound public house in Tinsley Green, West Sussex,^[1] is a team event, where teams of six players participate in a knock-out tournament to win the title and a silver trophy. The event is open to anyone of any age or nationality and over the years teams from Algeria, France, Germany, Netherlands, Estonia, Japan, USA and Australia ^{[2] [3]} have participated alongside the British teams.

History

The Greyhound Inn Tinsley Green, West Sussex, venue for the Annual World Marbles Championships.

The tournament dates back over four century's to 1588 during the reign of Elizabeth I, when marbles was chosen to be the deciding game of a legendary sporting encounter between two young suitors, Giles and Hodge, over the hand of a Tinsley Green milk maiden.^[4] Every popular sport of the day were contested, in an Olympic style contest lasting one week. Hodge had been victorious at single-stick, back-sword, quarter-staff, cudgel-play wrestling and cock throwing, while Giles was successful in winning the archery, cricket-a-wicket, tilting at quintain (jousting targets), Turk’s head, stoolball and tipcat. Good Friday was the date chosen for the final and marbles chosen by the girl to be the deciding game, and Giles defeated Hodge.^[5]

Rules of the game

The championships are organised by the British Marbles Board of Control (BMBC)^[6] and the version of marbles played is "Ring Taw", known in USA as "Ringer" and in Germany as "Englisches Ringspiel". Forty-nine target marbles are grouped closely together on raised concrete ring measuring 6 ft (2 m) in diameter. The playing surface of the ring is approximately 3 inches above the level of the ground and is covered in sharp sand at the start each game. Each of the target marbles is a glass or ceramic sphere having a diameter of approximately half an inch. Two teams of six players take turns to drive marbles off the ring by aiming a larger "shooter", also known as a "taw" or "tolley".^[7] A Tolley is a glass or ceramic sphere having a diameter no more than three-quarters of an inch. A player's knuckle has to be in touch with the ground when he or she shoots, which is called "knuckling down". Only the thumb can be used to direct the tolley. Moving the tolley closer to the target marbles is banned and known as "cabbaging" which is cheating. Any forward or other advantageous movement of a players shooting hand during shooting constitutes a foul known as "fudging". Any intentional or persistent contact between a player or his or her clothing and a marble, another player's tolley or his own tolley while it is motion constitutes a foul known as "blocking". No score results from a foul shot, which automatically terminates the turn of the offending player, but he or she retains any score achieved in that turn, prior to the foul shot. Any player who makes three foul shots during a game is automatically eliminated and takes no further part in that game. The first team to knock out 25 marbles from the ring is the winner.^[8]

A Brief Historical Time-Line

• 1588 - Giles defeated Hodge to win the deciding event "marbles", to claim his prize of the hand of a local young maiden of Tinsley Green.
• 1932 – The Black Horse from Hookwood, were the first winners of the modern event in which five teams competed for the trophy.^[9]
• 1942 to 1945 – No tournaments took place due to the war.
• March 1951 – The coldest recorded conditions for tournament which was won by the Tinsley Green Tigers beating Arundel Mullets in the final.
• April 1962 - Glass marbles were used for the first time in place of older clay ones.
• March 1970 – Controversially the British Marbles Board of Control (BMBC), banned women from the main tournament because of the wearing of mini-skirts. A separate event was held for women and children. This was later to be retracted and indeed ladies and children do now take part.^[10]
• March 1972 – Of the nine teams to enter, two were all-female, the Prima Donnas from Crawley and the Kernockers, who were the wives of the Blue Beats, policemen from London. It was said that the ladies took too long to take their shots, even the referee had to apply the time limit to the games they played.
• April 1973 - Len Smith sets the standard by winning his 12th individual title.
• March 1975 - The weather was so cold, the snow had to swept from the ring before play commenced.^[11]
• April 1977 - One faction attempted to revolutionize the sport, by introducing Astroturf and electronic scoreboards, and moving the tournament to Crawley Leisure Centre. The BMBC refused to move the event from the Greyhound and held a rival event with two teams of Morris Men. The Greyhound as a venue proved to be more popular venue and carried on the tradition from then on.
• April 1987 – A Trophy was introduced for "the women's best individual player" and won by Jackie Hodge.
• 1989 and 1991 – Highest number of teams ever entered, 28 teams of six totalling 168 players competing.
• March 1992 – The TennKy Sharpshooters from Tennessee and Kentucky, USA are the first overseas team to win the trophy.
• April 2000 – Team USA won the title with a team made up almost entirely of shooters under the age of 18.
• April 2002 – Saxonia Globe Snippers become the first German team to win the tournament.
• March 2008 the Mayor of Crawley, Councillor Sally Blake, unveiled a blue heritage plaque from Crawley Arts Council, commemorating the continuing importance of the Greyhound and the Marbles tournament to local history.
• September 2008 the Greyhound Pub, in Tinsley Green closed. The British and World Marbles Championship faced an uncertain future, but the pub was soon open again in time for the next tournament.
• October 2010 – The tournament has its own article in Wikipedia.
• July 2011 - Greyhound Marbles website launched by Sam McCarthy-Fox of the BMBC^[12]
• March 2013 – Crawley-based Black Dog Boozers win the tournament for a record 13th time, passing the record of 12 set by Toucon Terribles between 1964 and 1975^[13]
• April 2014 – The Handcross 49ers equal the Johnson Jets record of both being eight times runners up. Both teams have won the tournament on just a single occasion.^[14]

Championship results (1932 to 2014)

Year	Date	Teams	Team Winner	Runners Up	Individual Winner	Best Lady	Weather
1932	24 March	5	Black Horse	-	-	-	-
1933	14 April	-	-	-	-	-	-
1934	29 March	7	-	-	Jack Arnold	-	-
1935	19 April	4	Tinsley Green	-	Big Bert Botting	-	-
1936	10 April	4	Crawley Busmen	Southern Railways	F.S.'Champ'Harding
1937	26 April	6	Tinsley Green	Rustington Rambles	George Burberry
1938	15 April	5	Copthorne	Crawley Busmen	Tom Weekes
1939	21 April	8	Old Comrades	Crawley Busmen	Fred Rowe	-	Sunny
1940 (A)	25 March	10	Copthorne Sharpshooters	Old Comrades	Fred Rowe
1940 (B)	22 March	2	Crawley Busmen	The Army	F.S.'Champ'Harding
1941	11 April	7	Copthorne Spitfires	Crawley Busmen	Jack Carman
1942	3 April	no games
1943	23 April	no games
1944	7 April	no games
1945	30 March	no games
1946	19 April	7	Copthorne Sharpshooters	Copthorne Spitfires	Harry Langridge
1946	4 April	4	Copthorne Sharpshooters	Crawley Tools	Harry Langridge	-	Rain
1948	26 March	5	Copthorne Spitfires	Copthorne Sharpshooters	Harry Langridge	-	Fine
1949	15 April	6	Tinsley Green Tigers	Arundel Mullets	Harry Langridge	-	Sunny
1950	7 April	8	Arundel Mullets	Tinsley Green Tigers	Wee Willie Wright	-	Sunny
1951	23 March	4	Tinsley Green Tigers	Arundel Mullets	Big Bernard Wilcock	-	Very Cold
1952	11 April	6	Tinsley Green Tigers	Handcross Bulldogs	Cyril Wilcock	-	Best weather for years
1953	3 April	6	Tinsley Green Tigers	Copthorne Spitfires	Cyril Wilcock	-	-
1954	16 April	5	Tinsley Green Tigers	Arundel Mullets	Aurthur Chamberlain	-	Sunny and Cold
1955	8 April	8	Tinsley Green Tigers	Rebels	Wee Willie Wright	-	Fine
1956	30 March	6	The Casuals	Tinsley Green Tigers	Wee Willie Wright	-	Cold and Dry
1957	19 April	7	Telcon Terribles	Rebels	Wee Willie Wright	-	Dry
1958	4 April	6	Telcon Terribles	Tinsley Tigers	Len Smith	-	Sunny and cold
1959	27 March	5	Telcon Terribles	Tinsley Tigers	Wee Willie Wright	-	Drizzley
1960	15 April	9	Telcon Terribles	Tinsley Tigers	Len Smith	-	-
1961	31 March	5	Telcon Terribles	Tinsley Tigers	Len Smith	-	-
1962	20 April	6	Telcon Terribles	Rulslip Rat Pack	Len Smith	-	Cold and windy
1963	12 April	7	Telcon Terribles	Tolley Flickers	Alan Smith	-	Dull and Cold
1964	27 March	6	Toucon Terribles	Tolley Flickers	Len Smith	-	-
1965	16 April	4	Toucon Terribles	Johnson Jets	Len Smith	-	-
1966	8 April	8	Toucon Terribles	Us	Alan Smith	-	-
1967	24 March	8	Toucon Terribles	Boys of County Armagh	Alan Smith	-	-
1968	12 April	6	Toucon Terribles	Johnson Jets	Len Smith	-	-
1969	4 April	8	Toucon Terribles	Johnson Jets	Len Smith	-	-
1970	27 March	10	Toucon Terribles	Johnson Jets	Len Smith	-	-
1971	9 April	7	Toucon Terribles	Johnson Jets	Len Smith	-	-
1972	31 March	9	Toucon Terribles	Johnson Jets	Len Smith	-	-
1973	20 April	12	Toucon Terribles	Pernod Rams	Len Smith	-	-
1974	12 April	12	Toucon Terribles	Pernod Rams	Alan Smith	-	Rained Off
1975	28 March	-	Toucon Terribles	Johnson Jets	Alan Smith	-	Cold/Snow
1976	16 April	-	Pernod Rams	Toucon Terribles	-	-	-
1977	8 April	9	Handcross Rebels	Wessex Wottsits	Jim Lay	-	Fine
1978	24 March	12	Brewery Shades	Ifield Musketeers	Bob Watts	-	Fine
1979	13 April	9	Handcross Rebels	Talbots Tolleys	Barry Ray	-	Fine
1980	4 April	12	Black Dog Boozers	Bow Street Fudgers	Barry Ray	-	Sunny
1981	17 April	16	Black Dog Boozers	Bow Street Fudgers	Paddy Graham	-	Fine
1982	9 April	13	Bow Street Fudgers	Addington Alcos	Barry Ray	-	Sunny
1983	9 April	13	Bow Street Fudgers	Handcross Rebels	Barry Ray	-	Cold/Wet
1984	17 April	19	Bow Street Fudgers	Black Dog Boozers	Paddy Graham	-	Fine
1985	5 April	17	Black Dog Boozers	Bow Street Fudgers	Terry Gant	-	Wet
1986	28 March	22	Black Dog Boozers	Bow Street Fudgers	Ian Gardner	-	Fine
1987	17 April	25	Black Dog Boozers	Punters	Paddy Graham	Jackie Hodge	Sunny
1988	1 April	26	Black Dog Boozers	Bow Street Fudgers	Colin Gardner	Jen LeBon	Fine
1989	24 March	28	Black Dog Boozers	Handcross Rebels	Paddy Graham	Eve Vine	Fine
1990	13 April	22	Black Dog Boozers	Moonshiners	Tony Jones	Jackie Staples	Wet
1991	29 March	28	Moonshiners	Black Dog Boozers	Darren Ray	Jen LeBon	Fine
1992	17 April	22	TennKy Sharpshooters	Lions De Lyon	Darren Ray	Eve Vine	Wet
1993	9 April	17	Moonshiners	Handcross Rebels	Darren Ray	Jen LeBon	Wet
1994	1 April	20	Black Dog Boozers	Handcross Rebels	Paddy Graham	Alison Ray	Wet
1995	14 April	15	Barrel Scrapers	Black Dog Boozers	Paul Smith	Jen LeBon	Sunny
1996	5 April	20	Black Dog Boozers	Moonshiners	Darren Ray	Alison Ray	Dry
1997	28 March	21	Handcross 49ers	Black Dog Boozers	Colin Gardner	Jen LeBon	Sunny but windy
1998	10 April	17	Black Dog Boozers	Barrel Scrapers	Simon Monahan	Jen LeBon	Wet
1999	2 April	21	Black Dog Boozers	Handcross Rebels	Simon Monahan	Jen LeBon	Fine/Sunny
2000	21 April	20	Team USA	Barrel Scrapers	Simon Monahan	Jen LeBon	Fine/Sunny
2001	13 April	19	Johnson Jets	Handcross 49ers	Mark Parsons	Alison Reimer	Fine/Sunny
2002	29 March	22	Saxonia Globe Snippers	Black Dog Boozers	Benny Mehnert	Jen McGowan	Fine/Sunny
2003	18 April	20	Saxonia Globe Snippers	1st MC Erzgebirge	Chris Pampel	Jen McGowan	Fine/Sunny
2004	9 April	27	Saxonia Globe Snippers	1st MC Erzgebirge	Chris Pampel	Jen McGowan	Fine/Sunny
2005	25 March	23	Barrel Scrapers	Handcross 49ers	Simon Monahan	Susi Joswich	Fine/Sunny
2006	14 April	23	1st MC Erzgebirge	Handcross 49ers	Darren Ray	Gabi Mühlisch	Rain then fine/sunny
2007	6 April	23	1st MC Erzgebirge	1st MC Erzgebirge II	Darren Ray	Alison Reimer	Sunny and warm
2008	21 March	21	Yorkshire Meds	1st MC Erzgebirge	Halim Tata	Leila Kara	Sunny but cold, rain later
2009	10 April	16	Yorkshire Meds	Handcross 49ers	Halim Tata	Alison Reimer	Wet
2010	2 April	19	1st MC Erzgebirge	Handcross 49ers	Ian Gardner	Jen McGowan	Wet
2011	22 April	19	Yorkshire Meds	Handcross 49ers	Chris Pampel	Leila Kara	Sunny
2012	6 April	16	1st MC Erzgebirge	Handcross 49ers	Chris Pampel	Alison Reimer	Cold
2013	29 March	13	Black Dog Boozers	Johnson Jets	Chris Pampel	Alison Reimer	Very cold
2014	18 April	14	1st MC Erzgebirge	Handcross 49ers	Paul Smith	Leila Kara	Sunny
2015	3 April	19	1st MC Erzgebirge	Johnson Jets	Colin Gardener	Alison Reimer	Cold/Rainy [3]
2016	25 March

Video History (Championships from 2008 to 2015)

• British and World Marbles championship video 2008 by YouTube
• British and World Marbles championship video 2010 Sky News Intro
• British and World Marbles championship video 2011 by ITN
• British and World Marbles championship video 2011 by YouTube
• British and World Marbles championship video 2013 by YouTube
• British and World Marbles championship video 2013 by 3news NZ
• British and World Marbles championship video 2014 by Sky News on YouTube
• British and World Marbles championship video 2015 by BYN TV News on YouTube

External links

• Greyhound Marbles Website by Sam McCarthy-Fox of the BMBC

References