By Staff Reporter

Last updated at 14:09, Tuesday, 28 August 2012

North Cumbrian athletes starred at the traditional Olympic Games of Lakeland, which took place at Grasmere Sports.

Among the competitors was MP Tim Farron

As it has done for 162 years since records began, this blue-riband event proved every bit as dynamic as this year’s London Olympics.

Fell runners ran, wrestlers wrestled, under-17s sprinted on the track in the famous arena, paraglider pilots soared and hound trailers watched their hounds dash uphill and down dale as Cumbrian rivals providing the pick of the crop.

Recent rain meant it was treacherous underfoot both up the slopes of Butter Crag and in the wrestling rings – when loss of traction could happen in a flash to contestants habitually clad in stockinged feet.

The racing for childreninitially re-introduced two years ago after a dearth of athletic events in the arena for many years was this year extended to include under-17s – a popular highlight for the 5,0000strong crowd.

So popular is the wrestling at Grasmere that two rings are set up in the arena.

Some cracking encounters ensued, as roars of jubilation and disappointment mixed in equal portions sounded from the crowd.

But it was the senior guides race that took the Blue Riband biscuit, the most thrilling there has been for many years – with celebrity entrants like Tim Farron, MP for Westmorland Lonsdale, and Andy Taylor, the co-manager of heavy metal group, Iron Maiden.

The main event saw two Yorkshire runners vying for first place, as they have through the years. Robert Hope finally overtook Rob Jebb near the finish in a thrilling end to a drama packed race – followed by Tom Addison of Kendal.

Ben Bardsley, the Threlkeld vet, notched fourth place after battling his way into contention – and won the veteran’s over-40 cup in this prestigious race.

Elsewhere, the Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling– as always – proved a highlight of the day.

It was not easy. The two rings became so trampled and muddy in the end they were combined so a square of clean grass could be used.

Roger Robson, Grasmere Sports’s wrestling manager, said the standard during the wrestling bouts had been extremely high, given the adverse conditions.

“An unusual feature of the day was that all the bouts were won by different wrestlers across the board, rather than ‘the usual suspects’ winning batches of them,” he said.

First published at 11:26, Tuesday, 28 August 2012
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk