With much media coverage taking place in the build up to the the third ever UK Thumb Wrestling Championships there was a good degree of tension in the air as challengers from as far as Scotland, Northen Ireland, Birmingham, Luton, Exeter, London and many from East Anglia came to try and wrestle Jed ‘The Thumbertakers’ Men’s title & Jenny ‘Thumberlina’ ladies title respectfully.

Before the championship started the competitors were huddled in corners, stretching hand muscles, taking last minute advice from their coaches before the draw was made ready for thumbs off.

All competitors, thumb stage names were then taken, with many great names such as; Obi Thumb Kenobi, Leith Lightning, Thumberstein, Ninja Thumb, Snack Ryder, Thumb-ed, Thumb of the Dead, Thumb-ra, Fancy-a-Thumble, Deta von Thumb to name but a few.

The first match involved eventual winner Luke ‘The Cobra’ Sears from London vs Thumb Wrestling veteran Jah Thumb. The cobra soon struck with venomous aggression and quickly finished off his opponent with a straight rounds victory and was therefore able to conserve energy for the more challenging later rounds.

On the other side of the draw Colin “Just Colin [JC]” was looking dangerous and was being tipped as a potential champion as he made his way through the early rounds with aplomb. He was performing so well that people were suggesting that UKTWC Organisers may need to take a urine sample to ensure that no performance enhancing elements had been taken. Everybody, really knew that this chap meant business and that his 6 month training programme was in fact the reason for his ruthlessness in the ring.

Another dark horse was “Obi Thumb Kanobi” who was thumb wrestling to such a degree that it was felt that he did have the force with him as he guided himself through the opening rounds with a beautiful style of thumb wrestling as can be seen in the image above.

The 2009 champion Gareth “Thumberbird1″ Newman from Lowestoft went crashing out in the early round smuch to the disapointment of his fans and likewise the Lowestoft based 2010 champion Jed “The Thumbertaker” Bellis also went out in the early rounds citing an injury picked up from the European Masters as well a new born baby interupting his training as reasons for failing to live up to his title as the ‘Best Thumb Wrestler in the UK’.

This meant that a new UK Men’s champion was certain and after some really gruelling rounds, where thumbs were broken, stages smashed, buckets of sweat poured we came down to the final between the aforementioned “Cobra” from London and one of Scotlands most talented thumb wrestlers Graeme “Flash” Cunningham.

The two competitors styles could not be different. With The Cobra always on the front foot, tongue out, taking the game to his opponent. Flash, who’s most known trait is that he prefers to wrestle with his eyes closed at all times [as he has trained his thumb to react to vibration and movement] as he feels that sight is not important in thumb wrestling.

The first round went to The Cobra, with a late reverse pin with just 4 seconds on the clock. The second round ended in a stalemate, which meant that Flash had to take the game to his opponent in the final round. With 15 seconds left on the clock, flash performed a fake shimmy and had The Cobra in a pin that looked like the final would be resolved with a game of scissors, paper, stone. However, The Cobra, who was the class performer throughout the tournament, managed to slither out of the pin to claim the Men’s 2011 UK Thumb Wrestling Championship, the kudos, £100 goodie pack & the trophy.

After the winners ceremony The Cobra was heard saying “I had never lost a thumb wrestling match in my life. I wanted to enter the championships to see if my unbeaten non-professional Thumb Wrestling record could match that of the competitors from the whole of the UK. I am glad I entered as it is clear that I was born to thumb wrestle and will be looking forward to coming back up to Lowestoft in 2012 to defend my title”.

The Ladies UK Thumb Wrestling Championships also saw entries from all over the UK, making for a very interesting championship with a lot of talent on display.

The semi-finals saw “Nine Lives” from Luton challenge the much fancied Manchie “Fancy-a-Thumble” Kendall from Shipmeadow in Suffolk. The battle was hard fought and went the full distance, however, “Fancy-a-Thumble” got a last minute pin on “Nine Lives”, who will certainly learn from this year and come back stronger for next years championship.

In the other ladies semi-final, 2010 winner Jenny “Thumberlina” Cripps from Norwich had to try and see off, Dali “Deta von Thumb”, which she did manage to do, but only after 1 round win each and a draw which meant the tie was decided by scissors, paper, stone. With a double stone first time and then Thumberlina repeated the stone and Deta von Thumb went for a scissors.

That made for a fantastic final with the hotly tipped “Fancy-a-Thumble” taking on the experienced “Thumberlina”. The match was again very tight and only decided in the last few seconds of the final round with “Thumberlina” going for a pin, then slipped which allowed “Fancy-a-Thumble” to take advantage and claim the Ladies 2011 UK Thumb Wrestling Title.

Jenny “Thumberlina” Cripps was sad to lose her title as it had been an amzing year since she experiecned the glory of being lasts years winner. She was very gracious in defeat, wishing her opponent “all the best. She deserved it in the end. I am disappointed, but i intend to bring the title back to Norwich next year again”.

Manchie “Fancy-a-Thumble” Kendall was clearly overjoyed to have won. She said after collecting here trophy and prize from The Random Shop “I must admit that i have been training for the championships. I have put the work in and now i can reap the rewards. Hopefully i can put Shipmeadow on the map as a hotbed for thumb wrestling talent. I can wait for all the media, PR & Charity day appearances that come with being the champion as i want to use this win as a platform to launch myself as a celebrity”

The UKTWC would like to thank all those who took part, help support the event and arrange the event. Special thanks go to TheRandomShop.co.uk & The Triangle Tavern.

Media Contacts:
Rory van Bellis: UKTWC Main Man: 08452 712825

Luke Sears (The Cobra): 07799413383
Graeme Cunningham (Flash): 07824341287

Manchie Kendall (Fancy a Thumble): 07920030177
Jenny Cripps (Thumberlina): 07825001653

Mens Champion, Thumbderbird1 |Left| Squeezes through his Quarter Final Defeat of Turkey Thumb Stick, under the watching eye of the Media & Crowd @ UK Thumb Wrestling Championships

We have lift off! Thumbderbird1 Triumphs to Men’s UKTW Championship

“Thumderbird1″ AKA Gareth Newman, Lowestoft, Suffolk, conquered all that came before him to become the Men’s UK Thumb Wrestling Champion 2009. Thumbderbird1 battled through each match, with nearly each of his rounds going the full distance. But after a long afternoon’s Thumb Wrestling, Thumbderbird1 was certainly a deserved winner.

Mr Newman, would only class himself as a semi-professional thumb wrestler, but he had his younger brothers putting him through some gruelling training schedules in the weeks prior to the championship, and all that hard work and commitment certainly paid off for Thumbderbird1. The defeated Thumbertaker [aka Jed Bellis], was glowing in his admiration for his defeater, “I thought i had him on several occasion, but he kept wriggling out of my pin-moves, eventually i tired and he got me on 2 reverse pins. He was a worthy winner and I wish him all the luck in the future.”

Thumbderbird1, walked away with a load of love & kudos from the crowd, the Winners Trophy as well as a £100 goodie pack from event sponsors www.TheRandomShop.co.uk

I am so happy to have won the Men’s UK Thumb Wrestling Championships. My brothers have been putting me through my paces these last few weeks so i am glad that all that hard work has pulled off”, “I am already looking to being the figurehead of Mens Thumb Wrestling in the UK & i am looking forward to the challenge of defending my title in the 2010 championships and possibly getting involve on the American thumb wrestling circuit too ” – Thumbderbird1

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