06/08/12…Tug-of-war dunking for Bucks village

THE burly men of the village of Ickford in Buckinghamshire, took a dunking in front of hundreds of people of Friday, after a tug-of-war lasting over seven minutes against their Oxfordshire rivals from Tiddington.

This was the second year in row, of the two villages’ 60 annual battles across the River Thame, in which Tiddington have been the victors.

Ickford however, won the Junior’s contest, so future Tiddington ‘pullers’ had better watch out, and the Ickford ladies and veterans also won their contests.

The tug-of-war tradition apparently started as a challenge between two farmers back in the 1950s and has taken place every year since.

The current score is Ickford, 32 wins against Tiddington’s 28.