Worm charming festival fails to catch a single specimen

Crowds who attended a worm charming festival were left disappointed after contestants failed to tempt a single creature out of the ground.

By Murray Wardrop
Published: 8:30AM BST 07 Aug 2010

Dozens of competitors converged on a field in Lincolnshire for the sport which involves trying to lure as many worms as possible out of the earth within a 30-minute period.

But while the world record stands at 567, not one of the entrants at the Woodhall Worm Charming Festival managed to persuade a single invertebrate to vacate its underground lair.

The dismal performance was not matched by the enthusiasm of those taking part. While many traditionalists used the tried and tested method of “twanging” – whereby a four-pronged garden fork is inserted into the ground and vibrated by hand – others played instruments and experimented with homemade contraptions.

One contestant repeatedly honked his patch of grass with a vuvuzela, while another wheeled a spiked roller called “the worminator” across the ground. One team even used an electric back massager to coax out their prey.

At the close of the contest, one entrant said: “I feel wormthless.” Another added: “No worms, but we think they were just under the surface.”

With no clear winner, organisers were forced to modify the judging criteria and awarded the trophy to Team Green for being the Most Enthusiastic Charmers of the event.

The dire result follows the World Worm Charming Championships in Nantwich, Cheshire, earlier this summer which regularly sees entrants luring hundreds of creatures to the surface.

Event organiser Toni Franck said: “I can’t believe it because in Cheshire, even in their worst year, the winner took 40 worms – the best was more than 500. But we didn’t see a single worm here.”

Rules stipulate that contestants are not allowed to use water or dig worms out of the ground.

The event raised more than £200 for the Woodhall Spa Twinning Association.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/7931029/PLEASE-PIC-AND-PUBLISH-Worm-charming-festival-fails-to-catch-a-single-specimen.html