Aunt Sally world championship 'more and more popular'

Forget the World Cup, closer to home this weekend, the world championships of a pub game which is almost exclusively played in Oxfordshire is taking place.

Each year, Charlbury Beer Festival plays host to the Aunt Sally world championships - a singles, knockout competition which normally features dozens of competitors.

Aunt Sally involves throwing sticks to knock a small wooden block, called a dolly, off a short metal pole - known as the iron.

Explaining Saturday's tournament, organiser Nick Millea said it was "FA Cup-style" that would be "a real test of nerve".

"It's getting more and more popular," Millea explained.

"We'll be incorporating a third row this year so that we can get through the competition more quickly because we're probably be looking at around 70 competitors."

Competitors will each take part in three legs, with individuals having six attempts each leg to knock the dolly from the iron - which is 30ft (9.1m) away.

Last year, the championship was won by Roger Goodall - who became its first four-time champion after winning back-to-back titles in 2024 and 2025.

"He [Goodall] really did have to dig deep last year, and it was an epic final which went to a penalty shootout," Millea said.

"It was an absolute epic and he clearly has the nerves of steel when required - so maybe it's three in a row for Roger this year."

The world championships were first held at the Charlbury Beer Festival in 2011 - when the tournament was officially opened by the then-Prime Minister, David Cameron.

"The first three world champions weren't from Oxfordshire, they were from Gloucestershire - which added to our international reach," Millea joked.

"Last year we did have competitors loosely connected with Finland, with Lithuania and with Canada, so we did feel quite international," he added.