The 12th World Aunt Sally Singles Championship take place in Oxford today
The world championship will take place during the annual Charlbury Beer Festival at Charlbury Cricket Club in Oxfordshire from 12 noon
This year will see Rob Bradford defending his title, aiming to become the first-ever triple World Champion, having won the title in both 2022 and 2023.
The first prize is £100 in cash, plus an impressive replica trophy to take away.
The second prize is £50 and the winner will have their name engraved on the main trophy, the Finings Cup, which will be retained by Charlbury Beer Festival a now a well-established annual competition.
Many of the World’s best players have already signed-up to compete in the 2024 event, with the Oxford born game stemming back decades.
For people not familiar with Aunt Sally it's an outdoor throwing game played in pubs during the summer months.
The Aunt Sally was originally a figurine head of an old woman with a clay pipe in her mouth, or subsequently a ball on a stick.
There are other traditions that say the sticks were thrown at a live chicken mounted on a pole until the chicken expired.
During the Civil War when Oxford was held by the Royalists and under siege from the Parliamentarian forces, the cavaliers got so bored they came up with the idea of throwing sticks at a small mounted figure, which although not confirmed to be true could be the true source of the game.