STORY: The small English village of Witcham, in Cambridgeshire, hosted the 53rd World Pea Shooting Championship on Saturday (June 11) with competitors blowing dried peas at a targets.

The rules dictate the pea shooters must stand 12 feet (3.7 metres) away from a the target, which is coated in wet putty, and on which they blow five peas.

A bullseye scores five points, the middle ring three, and the outer ring one. Success depends on precision, accuracy, well-rounded peas, steady puffs and the wind.

This beloved, eccentric event featured two categories: the Traditional class, restricted to standard plastic pea shooters with no modifications, and the Open class, where competitors are free to use more sophisticated equipment, including customised pea shooters fitted with laser aiming aids.

Four-time champion Michelle Berry once again demonstrated her accuracy to claim victory in the Open competition, further cementing her status as one of the sport's most successful competitors.

In the Traditional final, 40-year-old Paul Gipp out-puffed all other competitors.

The Championships return in July next year.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

SHOWS: WITCHAM, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (JULY 11, 2026) (HUTC – No archive. No resales.)

1. PARTICIPANT SHOOTING PEAS BY BLOWING INTO A STRAW AT WORLD PEA SHOOTING CHAMPIONSHIP

2. PEAS LANDING ON DARTBOARD-STYLE TARGET

3. PARTICIPANT SHOOTING PEAS

4. PEAS LANDING ON TARGET

5. PARTICIPANT SHOOTING PEAS

6. (SOUNDBITE) (English) WORLD PEA SHOOTING CHAMPIONSHIP ORGANISER, IAN HAZELWOOD, SAYING:

“You've got to be able to see the target and shoot straight. I say shoot straight. They don't shoot straight. That's the problem. It's about compensating for, and actually seriously compensating, because the pea will go in an ark if it's (a) slightly odd shape it will go at an angle.”

7. PEOPLE STANDING AT COMPETITION

8. BACK OF A T-SHIRT READING “PEA SHOOTING CHAMPIONSHIPS, ANNUAL EVENT 2ND SATURDAY IN JULY” (English)

9. PARTICIPANT BLOWING PEAS WHILST SOMEONE GIVES RUNNING COMMENTARY

10. VARIOUS 2025 CHAMPIONSHIP WINNER ROBBIE NICHOLLS FIRING FROM HIS CUSTOMISED LEGO PEA SHOOTER READING 'Rob'

11. (SOUNDBITE) (English) 2025 WORLD PEA SHOOTING CHAMPIONSHIP WINNER, ROBBIE NICHOLLS, SAYING:

“It's quite windy today. Yeah. This is the windiest it's been in a long time. And it's hot, which, to be fair the heat don't matter so much, but the wind is quite off-putting.”

12. CLOSE-UP ON NICHOLLS’S CUSTOMISED LEGO SHOOTER READING PEA 23

13. (SOUNDBITE) (English) 2025 WORLD PEA SHOOTING CHAMPIONSHIP WINNER, ROBBIE NICHOLLS, SAYING:

“You've got to wait for the breezes. You've literally got to take your time and just wait for it to stop. Because if you don't, it just blows it everywhere. It really makes a huge difference.”

14. VARIOUS OF WORLD PEA SHOOTING CHAMPIONSHIP (OPEN CLASS) WINNER, PAUL GIPP SHOOTING PEAS

15. PEAS HITTING TARGET

16. (SOUNDBITE) (English) WORLD PEA SHOOTING CHAMPIONSHIP (OPEN CLASS) WINNER, PAUL GIPP, SAYING:

“I don't know really. Just picking your peas out that are good and just making sure you've got a good, good aim and you're on target, you know, so that's, yeah, just it's a good bit of fun, that's, that's what it's all about.”

17. VARIOUS OF PARTICIPANTS SHOOTING PEAS

18. PEAS LANDING ON TARGET

19. NICHOLLS SHOOTING PEAS

20. PEAS LANDING ON TARGET

21. PEOPLE WATCHING THE COMPETITION

22. PERSON WRITING ON A NOTEPAD

23. VARIOUS OF PARTICIPANTS SHOOTING PEAS

24. VARIOUS OF WORLD PEA SHOOTING CHAMPIONSHIP (TRADITIONAL CLASS) WINNER, MICHELLE BERRY SHOOTING PEAS

25. (SOUNDBITE) (English) WORLD PEA SHOOTING CHAMPIONSHIP (TRADITIONAL CLASS) WINNER, MICHELLE BERRY, SAYING:

“Oh, it's such an honour to be a champion. You have to select your peas very carefully, they need to be very round, and you have to hold your pea shooter very steadily. That is the secret.”

26. VARIOUS OF BERRY SHOOTING PEAS