World Marbles Championship

The World Marbles Championship takes place every year at Tinsley Green in West Sussex. You may have indulged in the pastime yourself, but don't be fooled into thinking that this is the childhood sport you innocently enjoyed in the playground. This is a game in which a dozen players furiously battle over a six foot concrete ring. The game has its own rules, rituals and vocabulary. In order to play you need to know all about the nose drop, knuckling down, fudging and cabbaging.

The game has been played in Sussex for centuries and the current championships started at the Greyhound Inn in 1932. Four times world champion Barry Ray played here as a boy in 1952. "Thousands of people used to come," says Barry. "Perhaps because the championships took place on Good Friday when there was almost nothing else to do apart from go to church!"

The Forty nine marbles are placed in a ring. Players get a point for each marble their Tolley - a shooting marble, knocks out of the ring. The first team to reach 25 points wins. Sounds simple, but don't be fooled. The sport is highly competitive. As the championships grew so the concept of adults flicking glass balls turned into an international sport.

This year the campionship will take place in March. Don't forget to take a look at the Marble Museum.