Carpenters Arms claims victory in 2018 Haxey Hood

Regulars from the Westwoodside pub saw off the challenge of drinkers from The Loco and Duke William in Haxey for a reasonably straightforward win in the rugby scrum style game which dates from 1359.

This year's contest was only contested between the three pubs after the closure of The King's Arms in Haxey, last year's winner.

Thousands of people turned out for the annual mudbath which sees drinkers attempt to slowly sway the Hood - a cylindrical tube of leather - towards their favoured watering hole.

Right from the off, Westwoodside were determined to seize the initiative and despite some early resistance from Haxey, the Hood was quickly at the edge of the field.

Despite occasional pockets of resistance along the way, once the Hood was onto the road, it was a reasonably straightforward run down to the Carpenters in around two hours with regulars cheering as the prized trophy swept over the pub's step.

The event attracted its biggest crowd for years with visitors from as far afield as Australia watching the muddy madness unfold.

Always held on January 6, the game dates from the 14th century, when Lady de Mowbray, wife of an Isle landowner, John De Mowbray, was out riding towards Westwoodside on the hill that separates it from Haxey.

As she went over the hill her silk riding hood was blown away by the wind.

Thirteen farm workers in the field rushed to help and chased the hood all over the field. It was finally caught by one of the farm workers, but being too shy to hand it back to the lady, he gave it to one of the others to hand back to her.

She thanked the farm worker who had returned the hood and said that he had acted like a Lord, whereas the worker who had actually caught the hood was a Fool.

So amused was she by this act of chivalry and the resulting chase, that she donated 13 acres of land on condition that the chase for the hood would be re-enacted each year.