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British and World Marbles Championship

The British and World Marbles Championship is a marbles knock-out tournament that takes place annually on Good Friday and dates back to 1588. It is held at the Greyhound public house in Tinsley Green, West Sussex. Teams of six players participate to win the title and a silver trophy. The event is open to anyone of any age or nationality. Over the years, players from Australia, Belgium, Canada, Estonia, Ireland, France, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, Wales and the United States have participated alongside English teams.

History
The tournament dates back to 1588 Every popular sport of the day was played in an Olympic style contest lasting one week. Hodge had been victorious at singlestick, backsword, quarter staff, cudgel play, wrestling and cock throwing, while Giles had won at archery, cricket-a-wicket, tilting at quintain (jousting targets), Turk's head, stoolball and tipcat. With the score level at 6–6, Good Friday was the date chosen for the final event. Marbles was chosen by the girl to be the deciding game, and Giles defeated Hodge. The 2020 and 2021 events were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The championship resumed in 2022. == Rules, marble "jargon" and tactics==
Rules, marble "jargon" and tactics
The championships are organized by the British Marbles Board of Control (BMBC) raised concrete ring covered with sand, each of the target marbles being a coloured glass or ceramic sphere having a diameter of approximately 12mm (half an inch). take turns using the tip of the finger to aim and project the "tolley", a larger marble (commonly referred to as the "shooter" or "taw"), which is a glass or ceramic sphere of 18mm diameter (three-quarters of an inch), deploying top spin, back spin and side spin, to drive other marbles out of the ring. The first team to knock out 25 marbles from the ring is the winner. == Historical timeline ==
Historical timeline
• 1588 – Giles defeated Hodge at marbles to claim the hand of a local young maiden of Tinsley Green. • 1932 – The Black Horse from Hookwood, were the first winners of the modern event. • 1938 - British Marbles Championship renamed as the "British and World Marbles Championship". • April 1953 - First ever international match at Tinsley Green, 'Governor Gobs' played a team of players from Sussex teams. • March 1972 – Teams of women played in the main event for the first time, the Prima Donnas from Crawley, and the Kernockers from London. • April 1973 - Len Smith Interview for BBC Nationwide Sport - 12 April, 1973 He wins 12th individual title. The "Terribles" win a record 19th title. • April 1977 – The tournament was moved to the Crawley Leisure Centre for one single time. • 14 Sept 1987 - Black Dog boozers enter Guinness World Records for ring clearance (2 mins 56 seconds) for BBC's Record Breakers. • 1989 and 1991 – Highest number of teams ever entered, 28 teams of six totalling 168 players competing. • March 1992 – The TennKy Sharpshooters are the first overseas team to win the trophy. • March 1994 – Blue target marbles were used for the first and only time. • April 2000 – Team USA won the international Fen Cup with a team made up almost entirely of shooters under the age of 18. • April 2002 – Golden Oldies tournament added for competitors aged 50 over, first one won by Barry Ray. • September 2008 - the Greyhound Pub closed, only re-opening shortly before the next tournament. • April 2010 – Jen McGowan (formerly Jen LeBon) wins a twelfth ladies individual title. just 6 off the record of 19 set in 1975. • July 2021 - Sad loss of Sam McCarthy-Fox, long time organiser of the event and ambassador of the game of marbles for over forty years. • 15 April 2022 - The event returned to The Greyhound after three years, organised by Julia McCarthy-Fox. • 7 April 2023 - The longest streak of different winning teams in history, with 5 different teams having won the last five tournaments. • 18 April 2025 - Alison Reimer(Ray) sets the all time most wins: 13 in the individual ladies == Championship results==
Celebrity involvement
• 1937 – Stanelli – Irish-born British musician, composer and comic entertainer and radio presenter • 1948 – Jack Warner (actor) – English film and television actor (Dixon of Dock Green) • 1974 – Tricia Ingrams – TV news presenter (Capital Radio/ITN/Thames News) • 2008 - Mayor of Crawley Councillor Sally Blake, unveiled a blue heritage plaque from Crawley Arts Council. • 2009 – Paddy McGuinness – Comedian and TV presenter of Take Me Out (UK game show) • 2023 - Henry Smith - Mayor of, and MP for Crawley. • 2026 - The event was motioned in the Parliament of the United Kingdom, having been put forward by Crawley MP Peter Lamb, and was supported by a further 4 MPs. ==Other marble tournaments==
Other marble tournaments
National Marbles Tournament (United States) == References ==
External video links
• 1938 British and World Marbles championship video preview by British Pathé • 1941 British and World Marbles championship video preview by British Pathé • 1962 British and World Marbles championship video preview by British Pathé • 2008 British and World Marbles championship video by YouTube • 2011 British and World Marbles championship video by YouTube • 2013 British and World Marbles championship video by YouTube • 2015 British and World Marbles championship video by BYN TV News on YouTube • 2015 British and World Marbles championship video by World Wide weird on YouTube • 2016 British and World Marbles championship video by Britclip on YouTube • 2017 British and World Marbles championship video by Trans World Sport on YouTube • 2018 British and World Marbles championship video by Britclip on YouTube • 2019 British and World Marbles championship video by Britclip on YouTube • 2022 British and World Marbles championship video by Britclip on YouTube • 2023 British and World Marbles championship video by Britclip on YouTube • 2024 British and World Marbles championship video by Britclip on YouTube • 2026 British and World Marbles championship video by France24 on YouTube
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