Every Year on Good Friday the best marble players from allover the world - or at least from Sussex and Surrey - meet in the little village Tinsley Green, right next to the London airport Gatwick. The Greyhound-Pub is one of the 5 houses, which form the whole village.
From time immemorial, there are contested the "BWMC". It is told, that there were played marble games as early as in the aera of Elisabeth I.

Nowadays, the Good Friday is the last day and the acme of the marble season, which starts every Ash Wednesday.
The winner in the marble competition gets a challence cup, which contains 6 pints of beer. Formerly, the cup was going out  filled and the second best team had to drink the beer right there and then.
Nowadays it's not quite like that: the vice winner does still get beer, but in cans.
Since 1995 visitors from Germany are there and since 1997 german teams take part regulary. In the year 2002 the cup was won by a saxon team, the "Saxonia Globe Snippers" from Chemnitz, and the Individual Champ, Benny Mehnert, was from their neighbours "1.MC Erzgebirge". Since 2003 the victory is an pure german thing. (without the best Lady)
For Details see the website Marblemuseum. (British Marbles Board of Control)

BWMC-Results
 

Year	Teams	Winner	Runners up	Individual Champ	Best Lady Player	Weather
1932	5	Black Horse
1933
1934
1935	4	Tinsley Green		Big Bert Botting
1936	4	Crawley Busmen		F.S."Champ" Harding
1937	6	Tinsley Green		George Burerry
1938	5	Copthorne		T. Weekes
1939	8	Old Comrades		Fred Rowe		Sunny
1940	10	Copthorne Sharpshooters		Fred Rowe
1941		Copthorne Spitfires		Jack Carman
1942		No Games
1943		No Games
1944		No Games
1945		No Games
1946	7	Copthorne Sharpshooters	Copthorne Spitfires	Harry Langridge
1947	4	Copthorne Sharpshooters	Crawley Tools	Harry Langridge
1948	5	Copthorne Spitfires	Copthorne Sharpshooters	Harry Langridge
1949	6	Tinsley Green Tigers	Arundel Mullets	Harry Langridge
1950	8	Arundel Mullets	Tinsley Green Tigers	Wee Willy Wright
1951		Tinsley Green Tigers	Arundel Mullets	Big Bernard Wolcock		Very cold
1952	6	Tinsley Green Tigers	Handcross Bulldogs	Cyril Wilcock		Best
1953	6	Tinsley Green Tigers	Copthorne Spitfires	Cyril Wilcock
1954	5	Tinsley Green Tigers	Arundel Mullets	Arthur Chamberlain
1955	8	Tinsley Green Tigers	Rebels	Wee Willy Wright
1956	6	The Casuals	Tinsley Green Tigers	Wee Willy Wright
1957	7	Telcon Terribles	Rebels	Wee Willy Wright
1958	6	Telcon Terribles	Tinsley Tigers	Len Smith
1959	5	Telcon Terribles	Tinsley Tigers	Wee Willy Wright
1960	9	Telcon Terribles	Tinsley Tigers	Len Smith
1961	5	Telcon Terribles	Tinsley Tigers	Len Smith
1962	6	Telcon Terribles	Rulslip Rat Pack	Len Smith
1963	7	Telcon Terribles	***	Alan Smith
1964	6	Toucan Terribles	Tolley Flickers	Len Smith
1965	4	Toucan Terribles	Johnson Jets	Len Smith
1966	8	Toucan Terribles	Us	Alan Smith
1967	8	Toucan Terribles	Boys of County Armagh	Alan Smith
1968	6	Toucan Terribles	Jonson Jets	Len Smith
1969	8	Toucan Terribles	Jonson Jets	Len Smith
1970	10	Toucan Terribles	Jonson Jets	Len Smith
1971	7	Toucan Terribles	Jonson Jets	Len Smith
1972	9	Toucan Terribles	Jonson Jets	Len Smith
1973	12	Toucan Terribles	Pernod Rams	Len Smith
1974		Toucan Terribles	***	Alan Smith
1975		Toucan Terribles	Johnson Jets	Alan Smith
1976		Pernod Rams	Toucan Terribles	***
1977	6	Handcross Rebels	Wessex Wottsits	Jim Lay		Fine
1978	12	Brewery Shades	Ifield Musketeers	Bob Watts		Fine
1979	9	Handcross Rebels	Talbots Tolleys	Barry Ray		Fine
1980	12	Black Dog Boozers	Bow Street Fudgers	Barry Ray		Sunny
1981	16	Black Dog Boozers	Bow Street Fudgers	Paddy Graham		Fine
1982	13	Bow Street Fudgers	Addington Alcos	Barry Ray		Sunny
1983	17	Bow Street Fudgers	Handcross Rebels	Barry Ray		Cold/Wet
1984	19	Bow Street Fudgers	Black Dog Boozers	Paddy Graham		Fine
1985	17	Black Dog Boozers	Bow Street Fudgers	Terry Grant		Wet
1986	22	Black Dog Boozers	Bow Street Fudgers	Ian Gardner		Fine
1987	25	Black Dog Boozers	Punters	Paddy Graham	Jackie Hodge	Sunny
1988	26	Black Dog Boozers	Bow Street Fudgers	Colin Gardner	Jen Le Bon	Fine
1989	28	Black Dog Boozers	Handcross Rebels	Paddy Graham	Eve Vine	Fine
1990	22	Black Dog Boozers	Moonshiners	Tony Jones		Wet
1991	28	Moonshiners	Black Dog Boozers	Darren Ray		Fine
1992	22	TennKy Sharpshooters	Lions De Lyon	Darren Ray	Eve Vine	Wet
1993	17	Moonshiners	Handcross Rebels	Darren Ray	Jen Le Bon	Wet
1994	20	Black Dog Boozers	Handcross Rebels	Paddy Graham	Alison Ray	Wet
1995	16	Barrel Scrapers	Black Dog Boozers	Paul Smith	Jen Le Bon	Sunny
1996	20	Black Dog Boozers	Moonshiners	Darren Ray	Alison Ray	Dry
1997	22	Handcross 49ers	Black Dog Boozers	Colin Gardner	Jen Le Bon	Fine
1998	17	Black Dog Boozers	Barrel Scrapers	Simon Monahan	Jen Le Bon	Very Wet
1999	21	Black Dog Boozers	Handcross Rebels	Simon Monahan	Jen Le Bon	Sunny
2000	20	Black Dog Boozers	Barrel Scrapers	Simon Monahan	Jen Le Bon	Dry
2001	19	Johnson Jets	Handcross 49ers	Mark Parsons	Alison Reimer	Fine
2002	22	Saxonia Globe Snippers	Black Dog Boozers	Benny Mehnert	Jen McGowan	Sunny
2003	19	Saxonia Globe Snippers	1. MC Erzgebirge	Chris Pampel	Jen McGowan	Sunny
2004	26	Saxonia Globe Snippers	1. MC Erzgebirge	Chris Pampel	Jen McGowan	Sunny
2005	17?	Barrel Scrapers	Handcross 49ers	Simon Monahan	Susi Joswich	Fine
2006	23	1. MC Erzgebirge	Handcross 49ers	Darren Ray	Gabi Mühlisch	Wet
2007	24	1. MC Erzgebirge I	1. MC Erzgebirge II	Darren Ray	Alison Reimer	Sunny
2008	21	Yorkshire Meds	1. MC Erzgebirge I	Halim Tata	Leila Kara	Wet
2009	18	Yorkshire Meds	Handcross 49ers	Halim Tata	?	Wet
2010	21	1. MC Erzgebirge I	Handcross 49ers	?	Jen McGowan	Wet

Picture Gallery

Click here to get a gallery of Impressions from Tinsley Green.

 

This way to Tinsley Green:
Tinsley Green is a part of Crawley, in the south of London.