Every year, the small town of Nantwich in Cheshire, UK, turns the quiet art of coaxing worms from the earth into an internationally known sport, as competitors shake, stomp and strum their way to glory. The premise is simple: teams have 30 minutes to coax as many worms as possible from a designated 9X9-foot plot. Digging and the use of water are both strictly forbidden. Instead, worms must be charmed by “vibrations,” which works because the worms think it’s rainfall. The techniques for vibrations varies. There’s the traditional “twanging” — driving a garden fork into the ground and rhythmically vibrating it so the soil shivers like rain. Some prefer music, from harmonicas to guitars, while others prefer stomping on the ground using a variety of footwear. When the starting whistle blows, the field erupts into an orchestral buzz of clattering, banging, honking and stomping. Trombone blasts ripple through the grass, while spoons are tapped on saucepans. Some competitors even lay down and blow kazoos and bike horns into the ground. Meanwhile, the more adventurous competitors are jumping five feet in the air on pogo sticks. Competitors are serious about their craft, and before long cups are filled with wiggling worms. The worm competition normally sees around 3,000 people turn out to watch the competitors coax worms out of the ground. This year’s competition saw the Thomasson family of Willaston crowned champions, finally getting the trophy after more than three decades of trying. Their winning plot produced 71 worms, coaxed to the surface by rhythmic tapping of garden forks and rubber mallets. As tradition dictates, all worms are safely released back into the ground after dusk, none the worse for their brief brush with fame.
