2026: New names on the trophies
This year witnessed Tollymen first win of the main trophy.
Another thoroughly enjoyable tournament — this year marked by a real surprise package that came through to claim the main trophy. Tolleymen, long-time participants in the competition, stunned the field by winning the main team event. On their way to victory, they defeated previous winners such as 1st MC Erzgebirge and Black Dog Boozers - a truly well-deserved achievement. It was especially pleasing to see that even the defeated teams were genuinely happy for them. Notably, this marks their first win this century. Likewise, the Best Lady’s Championship saw a new winner this year — Melli from Germany. For much of the past 15 years, this trophy had largely been shared between Alison and Leila, so it is refreshing to see a new name added.
Good Friday (3rd April) came earlier this year. Despite uncertain forecasts, the weather turned out to be kind. We arrived around 9:30 am, registered the team, and began meeting fellow marbles enthusiasts; players, spectators, organisers, and friends alike. The usual annual catch-up followed. As in recent years, the organisers’ control gazebo was positioned near the main ring, which again seemed to support the smooth running of the various events and tracks.
Yorkshire Meds were knocked out of the main (team) event in the quarter-finals by the 49ers; a repeat of last year’s stage and opponent. The 49ers fielded some outstanding young talent this year, notably Louis, and the match ended in a nail-biting 25–22 finish.
Our players also took part in the various individual competitions, delivering solid performances, though without bringing home trophies this time. Halim competed in the Individual Trophy, while Halim, Karim, Leila, and Mourad all featured in Gardner’s Golden Oldies. Leila also represented the team in the Best Lady’s Championship, and Halim competed in the Coronation Challenge.
As in previous years, Yorkshire Meds were responsible for refereeing the Golden Oldies competition. Jamel and Mourad, with support from Karim, Ian Wells, and others, prepared the side ring — clearing, sanding, and levelling the surface — before laying out the marbles for play. This was followed by officiating each match, from the qualifying rounds through to the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final. Notably, Jamel refereed both semi-finals and the final this year.
In terms of preparation, the team held its usual training fixtures across three of the four weekends leading up to the tournament, with practice sessions at the Leeds training ring.
Team-wise, we faced a late challenge: Bob sustained an injury just 10 days before the tournament. Lydia stepped in admirably as our super-sub. We are fortunate to have strong depth on the bench, with experienced players such as Amalia, Lydia, Rose, and Aziz — all former players and past tournament winners.
The German contingent made a strong showing this year, arriving with five teams and an enthusiastic fan base. They also brought banners (see photo) that captured the spirit of the tournament — friendship, community, tradition, passion, and, of course, a touch of competition. In this photo, five Yorkshire Meds players are behind one of these banners.
Check out the usual links below for more:
- A comprehensive 2026 report from the British & World Marbles Championship (FaceBook)
- Some additional match commentaries and photos from the Crawley Marbles Appreciation group
- And of course, the historical context via the tournament's Wikipedia page
