A TUG OF WAR team from Ryedale have qualified for a national competition.

Ryedale Tug of War men’s senior team have qualified for the National Tug of War competition in Tenbury Wells, Worcestershire, on August 6 where they will be competing as Northern Area A.

The team, consisting of Ryedale Young Farmers, competed in Darlington last weekend at the Northern Area Championships, where they won two 'best of three' finals at 2-0, where they were representing Yorkshire.

11 teams competed in the Northern Area finals including teams from Cumbria, Lancashire, Northumberland, County Durham and the Isle of Man.

Ryedale's ‘mini league’ at the competition seen the team face sides from the Isle of Man, Durham, Penrith and Lancashire.

The Ryedale team topped the group stage by winning every pull.

This set them up to play Northumberland, who Ryedale beat to progress to the final against tournament favourites, Chipping.

A spokesperson for the Ryedale Tug of War team said: “(These were) two very hard ends, but Ryedale gave everything and won the best of three finals at 2-0 to go to nationals as the unbeaten Northern Area champions.”

The team had been regularly training for the event.

Ryedale’s team spokesperson explained that the team train once a week from January to April and then twice a week from April to August as they near competition dates.

Training sessions are held in the garden of the coach, Robin Wilkinson, father’s home at Keldholme, Kirkbymoorside.

The spokesperson for the team said: “We recruited well last winter and trained even harder, so we were well up for it going in to (the national competition).” 

The tug of war team from Ryedale was set up four years ago and is now in its third year of competing.

They competed in Darlington’s Northern Area Championships after placing top in the Tug of War County Finals at Thirsk last month.

At Darlington, the Ryedale team also competed in a 4x4 team tug of war competition, with teams consisting of four women and four men.

The 4x4 team did not take home any silverware, but a spokesperson for the team said the competition was a “real success” given that it was the first time they have competed in an event of this kind.

Ryedale’s men’s senior team consists of James Dunn, James Earp, Josh Butler, Neil Adams, James Kellett, Tom Smith, Joseph Atkinson, Grouse Myers, Lyes Berkache, Henry Wainright, George Turnbull, and are coached by Robin Wilkinson. 

Ryedale Tug of War’s 4x4 team consisted of Emma Cockerill, Katie Cockerill, Katie Cockshott, Poppy Creaser, James Dunn, Grouse Myers, Josh Butler, and James Earp.