Clash of Knights - Beeston Castle

[Brettus]

My wife and I went to a demonstration at Beeston Castle at the weekend, I hadn't really read anything more than the title and it sounded interesting enough.

It was a team based sport, 4 teams competing but two on the "pitch" at any one time (until the afternoon when all 4 were in a big melee apparently but we didn't stay for that) the two teams face each other over the length of the pitch, one player in each team has a dragon crest magnetically attached to their helmet, the aim is for your team to charge the opposition with clubs and shields and topple the dragon of the opposition whilst making sure they don't do the same to yours. In essence it was Rugby with bludgeoning weapons.

Sounds simple eh? each bout lasted 10-40 seconds and was REALLY tricky to pick a winner or know where to look as there were two parts to the action at any one point. Linesmen were used to try and work out which fell first.

The whole set is here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/97383585@N06/sets/72157635042305638/

I'll post some highlights here, I've overly processed quite a few of the images to try and focus the attention and such, let me know if I failed, succeeded or just confused the matter :)

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2841/9495499252_e18c8e3518_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/97383585@N06/9495499252/)
IMG_1807.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/97383585@N06/9495499252/) by iBrettnet (http://www.flickr.com/people/97383585@N06/), on Flickr

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5347/9492703301_4be3b77f4f_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/97383585@N06/9492703301/)
IMG_1837.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/97383585@N06/9492703301/) by iBrettnet (http://www.flickr.com/people/97383585@N06/), on Flickr

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3756/9492707911_58831cda5b_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/97383585@N06/9492707911/)
IMG_1856.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/97383585@N06/9492707911/) by iBrettnet (http://www.flickr.com/people/97383585@N06/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7360/9495509762_77fe46e21a_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/97383585@N06/9495509762/)
IMG_1883.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/97383585@N06/9495509762/) by iBrettnet (http://www.flickr.com/people/97383585@N06/), on Flickr

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5530/9492715941_acdc91d0bd_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/97383585@N06/9492715941/)
IMG_1897.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/97383585@N06/9492715941/) by iBrettnet (http://www.flickr.com/people/97383585@N06/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7397/9495518992_e6ffc360a1_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/97383585@N06/9495518992/)
IMG_1922.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/97383585@N06/9495518992/) by iBrettnet (http://www.flickr.com/people/97383585@N06/), on Flickr

Did a dash to the castle at the top too before too many people got up there:
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3685/9492724393_2cdb88a8aa_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/97383585@N06/9492724393/)
IMG_1976.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/97383585@N06/9492724393/) by iBrettnet (http://www.flickr.com/people/97383585@N06/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7299/9495525128_6afefec887_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/97383585@N06/9495525128/)
Historic View (http://www.flickr.com/photos/97383585@N06/9495525128/) by iBrettnet (http://www.flickr.com/people/97383585@N06/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7318/9492730889_904eed6cb0_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/97383585@N06/9492730889/)
IMG_2021.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/97383585@N06/9492730889/) by iBrettnet (http://www.flickr.com/people/97383585@N06/), on Flickr

[fenjer]

I love the colour splash in the first one.

Think the next step for me is learning how to edit some of mine, but right now I don't have the time or the decent editing software to do it. One day!

I guess I just need to concentrate on decent shots for now!

[BanannaMan]

Awesome pics!
Must admit to being facinated by the touristy bits.
Can't see how anyone can pass by a Castle or 1000 year old building without stopping and staring in wonder.
An entire era of history and culture we don't have here at all and yet something still very prominent in UK culture and landscape.
I might perhaps be just the slightest, wee'est, tiny bit jealous. :---)




What a hill in the last shot!
Must have been quite the daunting fortress to any approaching adversaries.

And a great pic of the English countryside as well!

[Quiff Wichard]

Did I ever tell anyone I once set fire to the well in Beeston castle. .

[Brettus]

Did I ever tell anyone I once set fire to the well in Beeston castle. .

Next evening meet you HAVE to tell the full tale, I can't wait to hear :-)

[mattSV]

Did I ever tell anyone I once set fire to the well in Beeston castle. .

Yes.

[BanannaMan]

Did I ever tell anyone I once set fire to the well in Beeston castle. .






No wonder the place is in ruins. ;)