THE Robert Dover Games, known locally at the Cotswold Olimpicks staged another day of quirky fun and extraordinary games.

The 2016 running of the games near on Dovers Hill, near Chipping Campden attracted big crowds to watch a bizarre array of activities from wheelbarrow racing with real wheelbarrows to shin-kicking contests.

At the lower arena there was a set of team games, Champion of the Hill competition, culminating in the Shin Kicking World Championship.

On the upper arena was spectator events including team arm wrestling, archery, sideshow stalls along with displays from medieval knights, magician Mark Trevesoni, lady flame throwers and Coventry Corps of Drums.

The event, which relies on sponsorship and ticket sales to continue, was sponsored by Fosseway Hire and Budget Skips.

The history of the Cotswold Olimpick Games is that it is an annual public celebration of games and sports, which began in 1622, and have continued on and off to the present day.

They were started by a local lawyer, Robert Dover, with the approval of King James.

Dover's motivation in organising the games may have been his belief that physical exercise was necessary for the defence of the realm, but he may also have been attempting to bring rich and poor together; the games were attended by all classes of society, including royalty on one occasion.

With the use of the buses from down in Chipping Campden, via car or walking up the hill the large crowd made its way up onto Dovers Hill ready for the games. With a new influx onto the hard working committee a few new items were added for the visitors with the team wrestling table a real hit, along with the balloon rides from Executive Balloon Hire.

After the pre event entertainment, a procession entered the arena, led by the Medieval Knights of Middle England, with the Scuttlebrook Wave Queen (Hannah Pritchard) and her attendants and Robert Dover.

The games were opened by Robert Dover (Father John Brennan) and Philip Smith, owner of the Campden House Estate.

The races included a sack race, wheelbarrow race, space hopper race and the water buckets and slippery surface finale, with all team members taking part on one leg. The Returning Heroes team won the trophy.

The Champion of the Hill took place with hammer throwing, shot putting, standing jump and spurning the barre. Visiting American Jake Johnson, who was over for a wedding and decided to stay on for the games, won.

The Shin Kicking world championship was won by Adam Miller.

The beacon was lit by the outgoing Scuttlebrook Queen Hannah Pritchard along with help from the lady flame throwers Laura McDyer, Coral Sutcliffe and Jasmin May.

Then after a great firework display, the crowd gathered with their lit torches, the procession was led down the hill by the Coventry Corps of Drums, into the square in Chipping Campden where local nine-piece funk band Kinky Farnham played.