Cumberland & Westmorland Wrestling World Champion to be Crowned in Grasmere

The 171st Grasmere Sports event will be staged on Sunday August 27 and celebrated with not only the World Championship in the All Weights division of the Cumberland and Westmorland Wrestling competition but also the return of vibrant Breton, Icelandic and Scottish wrestlers, who have not been seen since the pandemic.

The Grasmere title is the ‘one to win’ in many back-hold wrestlers eyes but whether it will be staying on home soil or won by an overseas competitor is yet to be seen.

The Breton wrestlers will bring an inimitable European twist to the bouts, whilst the huge, bulky Icelanders will again have people questioning the roots of the Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling tradition.  Some believe it was practised by the Celts – the reason back-hold wrestling has its own hold in Brittany.  Others feel it was a Viking sport – with the Icelanders following in the footholds of those who went before.  

With Cumberland and Westmorland back-hold wrestling having taken place in Grasmere since 1852 – even prior to the show’s foundation - and having attracted pro-wrestler, George Steadman in the early 20th century, it is easy to see why many feel Grasmere is its spiritual home. 

The backdrop also helps, with the stunning Lakeland auditorium being an impressive place in which to boast any sporting achievement, especially a wrestling triumph in the grassed and hallowed Grasmere arena.

Here in the UK, the sport was in evidence in the early and mid-18th centuries.  In the publication, Wrestliana, by W Litt (1823), he talks of its popularity in the north and the fact that wrestlers would compete for a belt, although silver cups, leather breeches “and other things of considerable value”, could also be thrown into the prize pot, along with that much-prized belt.

Around the sport, there also grew a tradition of embroidery, with many rural families talking pride in sending their men folk out to compete in highly decorated vests and breeches.  The tradition still exists today but most wrestle in plainer garb, leaving their decorated costumes for the costume competition that Grasmere Sports also runs.

The Breton wrestlers bring a special skill, according to Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling expert, Chris Bland. In a sport in which the aim is to get the opponent to the ground, using a variety of methods called ‘chips’, the Bretons have a particular knack of deploying their method of eliciting a fall until very late in the day, catching an opponent by surprise and leaving them with no means of countering.

Having this injection of foreign flavour is probably vital at this moment in time. Chris estimates there will be a maximum of 150 people currently engaged in the sport, to a larger or lesser extent, across the county of Cumbria. There are four clubs, which operate in winter time.  Of their membership, the majority are children – both boys and girls - with adult wrestlers (around 30) not attending the clubs.  Sadly, not all of the children attend the summer events.  There is also a noted drop-off in the sport, at around the age of 18, even amongst males, who tend to stick at a sporting interest a little longer than women.

This is a big regret for enthusiasts like Chris, whose father was a Cumberland and Westmorland wrestler back in the 1920s and 1930s.  Both Chris and his brothers followed suit and Chris has done much to try to keep the tradition alive, by being the President of the Cumberland and Westmorland Wrestling Association (CWWA).

The fact that the sport is for men and women alike is a huge positive and there are some women wrestlers who have been very successful.  In the younger age categories at Grasmere, girls will compete against boys – and typically get a huge roar from the crowd if they bring their opponent to the ground.  Girls from the crowd will also often get up and have a go, there clearly being something about this form of combat sport that appeals.

Chris says it is not difficult to grasp the basics, if there is someone to learn from. From there, it is just a matter of practising.  The sport is not the fake wrestling seen on TV and not the type of wrestling seen in the Olympics.  Back-hold wrestling is very different and comes with some charming traditions, such as the handshake before the bout

The arrival of the Breton and Icelandic wrestlers will evoke impressions of the Gauguin painting of Breton boys wrestling, and perhaps thoughts of Britain’s Strongest Man, given the size and strength of the Icelanders.  It may also help draw in crowds on August Bank Holiday Sunday and exposure is what the sport needs.  Should the weather be unkind, much of that could be lost, with the wrestlers fighting on but the crowds not sticking around to see the buttocks, hipes, cross clicks, back heels and outside strokes that usually accompany a winning bout.

Hopefully, that will not be the case and the sport can perhaps enjoy a renaissance in the near future, getting back to a time in which each competitive class at Grasmere Sports would attract 100 entrants.  Cultural change and perhaps a desire for more monetary gain from other sports have eroded those numbers.  However, with the support of events like Grasmere Sports and more exposure for the sport, the hope is that the fightback can begin. 

Anyone wishing to see Cumberland and Westmorland wrestlers in action, can head to Grasmere Lakeland Sports and Show, on Sunday August 27, at Stock Lane, Grasmere.  The wrestling action will be accompanied by the other traditional Lakeland sports of fell running and hound trailing (dogs following an aniseed trail across the fell).

Crowds will also be gripped regarding the fell running Senior Guides race, with a long-standing 1978 record again in the spotlight, as fell runners seek to better the time of many-time champion in Grasmere, Fred Reeves.  

Tickets can be purchased online at www.grasmeresports.com in advance and cost £12 for an adult, £5 for a child or £28 for a family (two adults and two children).  Adult and children’s tickets will be available on the day, for £15 and £5 respectively.  

Wrestling action will be available for most of the day, between the show’s opening at 10am and its closure at 5pm.

Notes to Editors

1. Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling is a backhold wrestling sport which involves hipes (lifting throws), buttocks (twisting throws) and the infliction of nifty trips, including clicks, cross clicks, back heels and outside strokes.  The bout starts with a handshake and is best of three rounds.  A competitor secures a ‘win’ when any part of their opponent’s body, other than the soles of their feet, touches the ground. 

2. The sport has relaxed is costume requirements over the past 10 years or so, with the highly decorated ceremonial wrestling gear of white singlet, white leggings and heavily embroidered pants, typically only seen in the costume competition, rather than the wrestling arena. However, competitors are encouraged to wear a pair of socks, long johns or tightly fitted leggings, an elasticated centrepiece around the waist and a singlet vest or tee-shirt.  Girls can wrestle in a kilt, shorts or tracksuit bottoms.

Ends

Editors notes

Grasmere Lakeland Sports and Show is an iconic event taking place in the heart of the English Lake District on the August Bank Holiday weekend. Its long historic roots date back to 1868 and it is renowned for its fell running, hound trails and Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling competitions, as well as being a fantastic family day out.