Video & Gallery: Peashooters battle it out in world championships

PEASHOOTERS from across the globe flocked to the village of Witcham at the weekend to battle it out for the world championship. Competitors from as far afield as France and New Zealand, wielding all manor of 12 inch pea-shooters ranging from graphite to l

PEASHOOTERS from across the globe flocked to the village of Witcham at the weekend to battle it out for the world championship.

Competitors from as far afield as France and New Zealand, wielding all manor of 12 inch pea-shooters ranging from graphite to laser-sighted, lined up alongside dozens of seasoned veterans from local villages in a bid to take home the prestigious title.

Despite more than 100 competitors taking part from across the world however, it was Haddenham man Jim Collins who emerged victorious, fighting off friend and team-mate Ian Ashmeade in a nail-biting final that pitted the traditional hand-held shooter against an ultra modern laser sighted device.

Mr Collins, in his debut appearance at the championships, beat Ashmede with a shooter the latter had lent to him at the start of the day. He told the Ely Standard: "After the birth of my two daughters, my marriage, my degree, and a large number of other things, this is the greatest day of my life. It just goes t prove that you don't need a laser sight to be a champion."

The defending champion George Hollis, meanwhile, was knocked out in the second round by Ashmeade despite feverish anticipation. In the team championship it was the Haddenham based group Easy Riders, a team that included Ashmeade and Collins, who emerged the winners after beating local favourites White Horse Pub.

The championships themselves were held as a part of the annual Witcham Village Fair which is held to raise funds for the local church hall. The fair was set up by local headmaster John Tyson 39 years ago, as a way of channelling his pupils mischievous tendency to fire their pea-shooters at school into something useful for the village.