Let the bog snorkelling commence! 10 of the weirdest sporting events in the UK

From ferret racing to shinkicking, we round up some of the country’s most eccentric sporting events. Oddly, cricket isn’t among them …

All modern sports can seem faintly ridiculous to the non-affiliated. How on earth did anyone come up with cricket? Or two packs of eight sturdy warriors all hugging each other, crouching down and locking heads before a pointy ball is introduced among them? It always surprises me that one player, ears tattered from similar battles, doesn’t struggle loose and walk away, shouting: “I’m sorry, I can’t. This is too weird.”

Behind all the bizarre practices of our favourite sports, the offside rules, the silly points and forty-loves, it’s obvious that what we want from our sport is fun physical exercise and the chance to test ourselves against others. If this can be achieved in a beautiful place with the opportunity for a post-match debrief in an excellent pub, then all the better. So here we have the alternative sporting calendar: games and challenges that may seem a little bizarre at first but take place in great locations around Britain.