Taking it very seriously......

These young Cumberland wrestlers certainly take the sport very seriously. They also enjoy the fact that there are cash prizes for the winners.

I was at the Northumberland show today, hoping particularly for some images for my movement project. I have never approved of boxing or wrestling, but I have to admit that Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling is different. I found myself standing in the same spot beside the ring for about 2 hours and completely lost track of time.

The show was massive this year, with all sorts of different displays and competitions. The procession of all the champion animals towards the end of the afternoon was a great sight.

Now all I have to do is process the show jumping images and see if there is a decent movement one in there. (The horse that was best in focus was also the one that refused to jump the fence - hope my tripod didn't put it off.

PS I should explain that the wrestlers hold each other as shown, and each one tries to put his opponent on the floor. They must not lose the grip or they are eliminated. There is a lot of tussling for position and some clever leg work. The correct "uniform" consists of white vest, white long johns and a pair of velvet underpants worn over the longjohns.......