Aunt Sally champion claims historic fourth title
A pub game, which is played almost exclusively in Oxfordshire, has crowned its first four-time "world champion".
Roger Goodall, 55, beat 91 other competitors at the Aunt Sally World Championship Open Singles event in Charlbury on Saturday.
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He said his historic title was "great" but "nerve-wracking", after he came through sudden death shoot-outs in the semi-final and final.
The game involves throwing sticks to knock a small wooden block, called a dolly, off a short metal pole.
Players take part in three legs, with each having six attempts each leg to knock the "dolly" from the "iron" which is 30ft (9.1m) away.
Roger Goodall said he was in terrible form before the tournament [BBC]
Mr Goodall has been playing Aunt Sally since the age of about 12, when his father taught him the rules.
He said: "I normally bottle it, to be fair. I've got a reputation for bottling it.
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"Today was a real leveller with the wind conditions. Twos and threes were enough, whereas normally it's fours and fives. It was just a real battle.
"Last year I've been playing terrible, so I was coming today with no confidence at all."
The event was held at the Charlbury Beer Festival, where it began in 2011.
Mr Goodall previously won Aunt Sally singles titles in 2015, 2017 and 2024.
The King, who was Prince of Wales at the time, had a go at Aunt Sally on a visit to Witney in 2007 [Getty Images]
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