Grasmere Sports Appeals to First-time Cumberland and Westmorland Wrestling Spectators and Competitors

Grasmere Lakeland Sports and Show is reaching out to potential visitors across the UK, having discovered, through an independently commissioned survey, that only 5% of Brits have ever seen the centuries-old sport of Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling in action.

With 19 out of 20 people yet to experience this hugely entertaining form of combat sport, the Show, which is older than the modern Olympics, believes its event could be a huge draw.  

That draw is not just for more mature visitors, as you might imagine, although it is 50 years since their have-a-go hero and Blue Peter presenter, John Noakes, entered both the 11-stone and 12-stone men’s Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling categories at Grasmere Sports.  

Whilst you might think that was the time at which the sport was most popular, you are probably wrong.  Sixty years ago, back in 1965, it was actually noted that there was a real decline in Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling.  

Fast forward to 2025 and this sport is now attracting record numbers of youngsters who want to take up its unique form of back-hold wrestling.  Its popularity is also as strong amongst girls as it is amongst boys.

Various clubs around the county of Cumbria are having youngsters join and train all year round.  The most promising then are regularly found travelling to overseas tournaments in locations such as Brittany in France, Iceland and Spain, as they pursue their sporting interest.

In those countries, the same sort of resurgence in their forms of back-hold wrestling is being witnessed amongst a younger generation, as representatives of back-hold wrestling in those countries affirmed during a podcast for Grasmere Lakeland Sports and Show last year.  

One thing that may be assisting the growth of the sport is its similarity to judo, now an Olympic sport.  A number of Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling champions originally started life as judo exponents and that same pattern exists in the Celtic-community countries in which back-hold wrestling is practised.

In terms of practicalities, another reason why it may be popular is that parents do not have to invest in a load of expensive sports kit for their kids.  All they need is a vest or T-shirt, a pair of shorts and socks.  Beyond that, it is all down to skill.

It is also relatively easy to achieve success fast, if you put in the training and are committed to learning the ropes.  From nowhere to champion can literally be a one-year journey, as youngster Albert Hague proved.

This naturally brings a lot of young enthusiasm to the wrestling arena at Grasmere Lakeland Sports and Show and that is very much seen as the place to be and the ring in which to be crowned a champion, as the prestige event in the calendar.

That gives the spectator some instant joy, as they witness the sheer energy of the younger generation.  From there, the whole thing just becomes really absorbing, as you watch a competitor progress through their ‘heats’ and then compete in their final.  

Grasmere Lakeland Sports and Show’s chairman, John Hibbert, says, “The novelty of this sport can become completely mesmerising for those who have never seen Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling, with the moves very different from those of other types of wrestling.  The fact all takes place on hard grass, and outdoors, is even more impressive.  With the backdrop of the glorious Grasmere fells all around, many people will never leave the wrestling arena once they arrive, despite the plethora of other things going on.”

Grasmere Lakeland Sports and Show highlights how visitors can not only put things right by watching the wrestling action on August 24, but by also competing. Instructions are provided by the wrestling bout organisers and there is often a reward for a first-timer who progresses in their weight category, beyond round one.

On the 50th anniversary of John Noakes’ attempts to do just that, perhaps there is an incentive to try to do better than he did. The record books note that in the 11 stones men’s category, he was picked up, spun around three times and felled, something he described as “like being on a roundabout.”  He achieved nothing more in the 12-stone weight category either, so there is little to beat, if anyone fancies chancing their arm – and their grip.

To be there, to either watch or compete,  head to www.grasmeresports.com Tickets are currently available online at a cost of £9 for an adult, £5 for a child aged 5-18 and £20 for a family ticket for two adults and two children.

Notes:

Survey of 1000 adults conducted in late April 2025, by Censuswide, on behalf of Grasmere Lakeland Sports and Show and through Catapult Public Relations Limited.

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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.