Forget darts, forget pool – the most important pub game of the year is here. The ITPA (that’s the International Toad Players Association, don’t you know) Open is Brighton’s very first festival combining the dual arts of toads and beer and it’s taking over a Hanover ballroom in September.
For the uninitiated: toads (short for ‘toad in the hole’) is an old Sussex pub game where players throw brass discs – the toads – at a lead-topped wooden box, aiming to land them in the hole in the middle. It’s part skill, part luck, and, from what we’ve experienced, mostly an excuse for pints and shouting.
At the 13th September championship, expect three tournaments – Women’s, Doubles and Teams – with players battling it out in leagues before heading into nail-biting knockouts. Competitors are coming from across the UK and Europe, so the stakes (and the banter) are high. And if you fancy your chances, there’s still time to enter here.
But this is more than just a sport. There’ll be a bar stocked by top UK breweries, food stalls, DJs, live commentary and even player interviews. Basically: pub game, but make it a festival.
Spectators are very much encouraged to come cheer, sip and heckle (nicely).
Saturday 13th September; from midday; from free
Church of the Annunciation Ballroom, Coleman Street, Brighton, BN2 9SQ
itpa.uk
