Toe wrestling championship: Competitors put best foot forward

There have been some dirty toed tactics, flicking off is one of them, organizer Edward Allington said.

In rural England, Alan 'Nasty' Nash is exercising his toes before he gets into the fighting ring. Draped in a Union Jack flag, the competitor is preparing for the most brutal of bouts to retain his title -- World Toe Wrestling Champion.

Beside him, fellow contestants are having their bare feet massaged before their matches begin.

The Derbyshire village of Fenny Bentley in northern England hosted the World Championship for Toe Wrestling at the weekend in a competition that drew male and female fighters as well as spectators of all ages for some serious toe-tussling.

Toe wrestling traces its roots to 1976 when Staffordshire pub landlord George Burgess sought to find a new sport for Brits to dominate, according to the Bentley Brook Inn where the championship took place.

I just love the fact that this is the one sport that England always wins at, we get hammered at everything else, Nash said.

Nash beat Michael 'Grimbo' Grimmett to claim his 12th World Title. On the women's side, a competitor known as 'Tracy Tippy Toe' took the title.