THE Grasmere Sports and Lakeland Show will be returning during the August Bank Holiday weekend after a two-year absence due to Covid.

The show has announced it has been awarded the right to stage the prestigious Under-10s Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling World Championship and will be handing the best young exponent of this traditional sport both a world title and trophy. 

The competition for under-10 wrestlers will take place on August 28 and will feature both boys and girls in one mixed-gender competition. This contest will take place alongside others, which will crown their own Grasmere Sports champions in both male and female categories. 

Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling has been part of the cultural tradition of the Lake District for centuries and has been well-documented in newspapers and books for over two hundred years.  

All young wrestlers will need to abide by the specific rules governing Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling and understand the ins and outs of ‘backhold’ wrestling.  

They will also need to master the hipes (lifting throws),  ‘buttocks’ (twisting throws) and trips, including inside clicks, cross clicks, back heels and outside strokes, that make the sport such a spectacle. 

While the wearing of the traditional costume is encouraged, it does not have to be the full regalia of the Cumberland and Westmorland wrestler.  

Grasmere Sports likes to see competitors wearing a pair of socks long johns or tightly fitted leggings, an elasticated centrepiece around the waist and a singlet vest or tee-shirt. 

 Wrestling kit must not be muddy or torn prior to competing and can be of any colour.  Girls can wrestle in a kilt, shorts or tracksuit bottoms.