Honorable Mention TOKYO-2019 Editorial / sports

Bottlekicking

  • Photographer
    Peter Mason
  • Agency / Studio
    Peter Mason Photography Ltd
  • Technical Info
    Nikon D810, 24mm 1.4 Shot At F5.6
  • Photo Date
    March 2018

There are virtually no rules to the ancient English sporting tradition of bottle-kicking, except that there is no eye-gouging, no strangling, and no use of weapons. Each team tries to move the bottles (wooden kegs of beer) on a best-of-three basis, across two streams one mile (1.6 km) apart, by any means possible. The contest is a rough one, with teams fighting to move the bottles over such obstacles as ditches, hedges, and barbed wire. Broken bones are not unheard-of and emergency services are always on standby.