WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2013

COUNTY pride was up for grabs over the weekend when the

World Aunt Sally championships were held for its third year running.

Gloucestershire came away with the spoils and left Oxfordshire

players licking their wounds again after Steve McAteer from the

Churchill Arms in Paxford retained his title for the second year

running.

 

Aunt Sally started out as a traditional fairground game but is rarely

played in modern times outside Oxfordshire where it remains a

popular pub game.

 

It is similar to a coconut shy in that players aim to knock a ball off a metrehigh spike by throwing a stick. In order to score, the ball has to be hit directly as striking the spike first does not count.

 

It is the third year in a row that a Gloucestershire player has won the event, which is predominantly played in Oxfordshire, after Paxford’s Trevor Dyer won in 2011.

 

Mr McAteer, aged 59, beat Kidlington’s Roger Goodall 2-1 in the final but added: “The Oxfordshire lads gave me a good run for my money.”

 

The event was held at the Charlbury Beer Festival on Saturday where visitors were able to enjoy more than 500 beers and ales on offer, meaning there was plenty to lift the mood. The festival, in its 16th year, saw more than 1,000 people raise a glass at Charlbury Cricket Club, almost drinking the pumps dry.