Contrary Life

Contrary Life is a website covering quirky events across the UK.

  • Home
  • About
  • Events by region
    • North East
    • North West
    • Yorkshire
    • East Midlands
    • West Midlands
    • East
    • London
    • South East
    • South West
    • Scotland
    • Northern Ireland
    • Wales
Home > Alternative Sport > Hit the target at the World Pea Shooting Championship

Hit the target at the World Pea Shooting Championship

By Caroline King - July 7, 2014Posted in : Alternative Sport, Fair

World Pea Shooting Championships at Witcham (photo Richard Marsden)

The World Pea Shooting Championship at Witcham (photo Richard Marsden)

When: 12th July 2014, from 12pm

Where: The Village Green, Witcham, Near Ely, Cambridgeshire

£: To enter the championship costs £4 for adults and £2 for children and £10 for teams.

What is it?

The 44th World Pea Shooting Championship & Village Fair will take place on the Green at Witcham in Cambridgeshire on Saturday 12th July.  The fair begins at 12pm with the competition itself starting at around 1pm.

The World Pea Shooting Championship has been held in Witcham since 1971.  Witcham is a small village in Cambridgeshire and the original championship was invented as a way to raise funds for the village hall.

The contest is said to have been invented after the village schoolmaster, Mr Tyson, caught some mischievous pupils amusing themselves by pinging their unfortunate schoolmates with peas.  At the time the village had identified a need for a village hall and they were seeking ways to raise funds.  Mr Tyson came up with the idea of a World Pea Shooting Championship and it was an instant success.

World Pea Shooting Championships at Witcham (photo Richard Marsden)

Competitors get into the fun mood of the event (photo Richard Marsden).

Today the event is so popular it attracts visitors from the USA, Scandinavia, France, Spain, New Zealand and Holland.  The World Pea Shooting Championship still raises money for the village hall.

Registration to take part in this year’s event will take place at 12 noon on the day of the championship.  Anyone, young or old can take part.  The maple peas and all-important shooters can be bought at the fair.

If you haven’t tried it before, then don’t worry, it is very simple to master and there is a practice area available to everyone.  The target consists of three circles of putty.  The inner circle scores 5 points, the middle circle 3 points and the outer circle 1 point.

There will be plenty of other entertainment at the village fair including a bouncy castle, novelty games, face painting, bric-a-brac, books, plants, ice cream, a lunch-time barbecue, and cream teas served in the village hall.  There will also be a licensed bar in the hall with the aptly named ‘To Pea Or Not To Pea’ cask ale on sale.

More info: www.witcham.org.uk

Related Posts

  • Catch sight of the infamous Straw Bear in Whittlesey
  • Rooftop theatre opens up in Cambridge
  • Slug it out in Norfolk at the World Snail Racing Championships
  • Competitors all set to crack the 9th World Egg Throwing Championships
  • Everyone is going flippin' crazy for pancakes this Shrove Tuesday
  • Hay-ho, it's off to the Whittlesea Straw Bear Festival we go

Tagged With: Cambridgeshire events, East, World Pea Shooting Championships

Curiosity of the Week

Woodhenge, Stonehenge’s lesser-known neighbour
Woodhenge - ©English Heritage, Historic England Photo Library

You have heard of Stonehenge in Wiltshire, but have you heard of its lesser known neighbour, Woodhenge? Find out more in our latest Curiosity of the Week…

Top Story

Make some noise for Whitby’s Krampus Run
Whitby Krampus Run 2018 - photo by Cassandra Sutton

As Father Christmas makes his annual visit to towns across the UK this weekend, there’s another, much darker character making his way to Whitby in North Yorkshire…

What are you looking for today?

  • Alternative Sport
  • Art
  • Cabaret and Circus
  • Cinema
  • Classes, Workshops & Talks
  • Club Night
  • Comedy
  • Dance
  • Exhibitions and Installations
  • Fairs and Markets
  • Festival
  • Food & Drink
  • Heritage and History
  • Interview
  • Literature
  • Museum
  • Music
  • Nature and Outdoors
  • Review
  • Science and Technology
  • Theatre
  • Walks and Tours

Sign up to our Newsletter

Copyright © 2023 · Contrary Life