Duramin tug of war team 1968 - Top photo
Row 2 L-R: 1 Maurice Watkins, 2 Don Barnes, 3 Steven Cooper, 4 Ted Davies, 5 Bill Beckett, 6 David Sterry, 7 Walt Powell, 8 Norman Sterry, 9 John Nichols, 10 Malcolm Tyrell , 11 Gordon Fennell (Coach)
Row 1: 1 Graham James ( "Nink" ) Bream's goalkeeper 2 Malcolm Walker , 3 ? Bendell , 4 Geoff Watkins, 5 Don Gittins, 6 John Skelton, 7 Trevor Beddis, 8 ?.

Lower Photo:
L-R: 1 Wissy George, 2 Ted Davies, 3 Alan O'Dell, 4 Lew Knight, 4 Gordon Fennell, 5 Geoff Watkins, 6 Don Gittins, 7 Dennis Turley.

Geoff wrote (August 2007): "I am unable to give you the location of photos, but I think they were probably taken in Lydney at the Rugby Club where we used to train, using a gantry with pulley and block. We also used to hold our own competition at the Rugby Club with as many as 25 teams competing from all over the UK. We were Gloucestershire champions at all weights and won the 104 stone Indoor National Championship at the Wembley Arena. Competitions were very much a social occasion, as every weekend in the summer was spent competing, accompanied by wives, children and girlfriends. I attach a cutting from the Lydney Observer taken in the early 80's, of a reunion held at the Feathers Hotel, Lydney"
From the Lydney Observer (Forest of Dean Newspapers, Ltd):
"The Duramin tug of war club was formed in 1962 by Ted Cooper in order to take part in the Lydney carnival competition. They won first prize beating the Fleece. Flushed with success they took part and won most of the local competitions, emerging as the top Forest of Dean team.
After that the team started to travel further afield, including the 3 A's Indoor Athletics, competitions at the Empire Pool and Crystal Palace and the first National Outdoor Championships. In their third year the club won all the county titles for all the weights. Over the years the membership increased to enable the club to enter three or four teams in each competition. Consequently family support grew, and wives and children were its keenest supporters.
However, due to redundancies within the factory and several team members moving away, the club disbanded in the early seventies"

Thanks also to Colin Henderson, Malcolm Walker, Dave Powell and Brian Drew.