AN Oxfordshire village has been able to claim bragging rights for a third year running after beating its Buckinghamshire neighbours in a tug o’ war.

The annual event, now in its 61st year, pits the Oxfordshire village of Tiddington, near Thame, against nearby Ickford.

The contest is held across the River Thame – the boundary between the two counties – with the losers being pulled into the river.

Daniel Brownsill, 32, a member of Tiddington’s winning team, said: “It was a brutal pull, but we have got a good team at the moment. Hopefully we can keep the same people for next time.”

The event was watched by about 200 people on each side of the river, which Mr Brownsill said added to the pressure.

He said: “The crowds are getting bigger every year as people in the village tell all of their friends.

“But the bigger the crowd the more nervous we are. We always feel under pressure when we have people coming to watch us.

“The people who have done it before understand that anything can happen across the river. It has not happened in my lifetime, but one slip and you’re done. You have only got one go at it.”

He added: “We started training three months ago. People started talking about it then, and will still be talking about it at Christmas.”

The Tiddington team won the battle in just four minutes and 40 seconds, smashing last year’s time of just under eight minutes

Mr Brownsill said: “We had the aim of destroying them in the first 60 seconds, so they had no reply to us really.”

Tiddington’s victory means the village is just one year away from matching its previous achievement of four successive wins, from 2006 to 2009.

However, Tiddington still lags behind its rival overall, having won 29 events to Ickford’s 32.

Eight people on each team take part in the traditional battle, with the winning side jumping into the river to join the losers afterwards.

The event was started 61 years ago by two farmers to celebrate the Queen accedingto the throne. It has taken place every year since. Mr Brownsill has been taking part for 18 years.

His father Richard was also in the village team, as were relatives of many current competitors.

He said: “It is a good village tradition that we want to keep going.”

Tiddington juniors andwomen proved less lucky, however, both losing out to their Bucks rivals.