Beccles, in eastern England played host to the annual World Thumb Wrestling Championships on Saturday, July 27th.

The unusual sport is played in rounds at the Lock's Inn pub in Beccles, Suffolk, on a wooden board that resembles a small wrestling ring.

The contest works in three-minute-long matches against each opponent, who usually never make eye contact but instead stare closely at each other's thumbs.

There is both a men's and women's championship, with the sixty-second matches beginning with a customary chant, and ending when an opponent is pinned for as long as it takes to say the words "One, two, three, four, I win the thumb war!"

The 11th World Thumb Wrestling Championships saw 24 adults and eight children clash in the thumb-to-thumb combat sport.

In the men's final the top spot was taken by Paul 'Under the Thumb' Browse for the fourth time in a row. He beat off stiff competition 'The Thumbertaker'.

Meanwhile in the women's competition Janet Coleman aka 'Nanny Thumb' beat 'Suzy Thumb'. Janet is also the mother-in-law of the world champion.

The championships will be held again next July.