Nevermind the Olympics, one of the world’s most keenly fought over and eccentric world championships has just been held in an English village.
The world hen racing contest has been staged in the Derbyshire village of Bonsall for more than 100 years.
Over 600 supporters lined the street on Saturday to cheer on their feathered favourites as the battled for the highest honour in hen running.
Speaking about the hotly fought contest, organiser Collete Dewhurst said: “It was such a brilliant day and everyone there had a great time.
“In one of the qualifying races one hen stopped off for a dust bath mid-race, but still managed to take first place.”
The race was held, as it has been for the last 25 years, in the village of Bonsall, Derbs.
Hen racing in the area goes back well over a century, when local villages competed against each other in the summer for fun.
Chickens are raced over a track of approximately 15 metres, and are given three minutes in each heat to cross the finish line.
It is fast and furious, although any fighting between hens is strictly forbidden and can result in disqualification.
Last year’s winner and world record holder, ‘Cooked It’ maintained and managed to beat her personal best, finishing in 3.7 seconds over the ten-yard course.
Trained by eight-year-old Jack Allsop, thought by many to to be the best in the business, there are high hopes for the fast fowl for next year.
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