Newcastle Rugby Club are preparing for the ultimate tug of war – by taking on Eddie Hall and his famous tank. On September 3 over 100 people will attempt to pull Eddie’s tank – an armoured fighting vehicle built in the 1960s – across a midway point at the rugby club on Lilleshall Road.
Organiser of the event, Louis Cartlidge, told StokeonTrentLive that Eddie – crowned as world’s strongest man in 2017 – planned to ‘wipe the floor’ with the players and ‘drag them around the pitch’.
Louis, from Trentham, said the idea came around after a couple of drinks in the clubhouse. The 28-year-old said: “We wanted to get some publicity for the club.
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“When you just chuck random ideas in, after you’ve had a few drinks in the clubhouse, the next thing you know, we’re going with it. I’ve never done a tug of war to this scale, no, I’ve never looked down the barrel of the tank. Eddie’s sourcing the rope, it’s going to have to be very long!”
Eddie, who lives in Clayton, is part of the rugby club’s network. Louis said: “I know his personal trainers, and his physio used to play at the rugby club so it’s quite a close circle round the club. A few people went to school with him.
“He’s quite an active character around the community and we wanted him to help us out with the club because of the amount of public attention he gets. He’s been at the rugby club before and he’s a lovely gent,
After Louis dropped him an email, Eddie confirmed he’d be up for it.
The club will be open from 10.30am, stalls from 12pm, an U18s colts match between Newcastle and Oldham will start at 2pm, before Eddie arrives on his tank at 4pm. The tug of war will start at 4.30pm.
The event is to raise money for the West Midlands Ambulance Service. It’s free entry and free to take part in the tug of war, children under 16 will need parental consent to join in.
Louis added: “We want as many people as possible to come down for a massive tug of war. We’re lucky to have a big family fun day where the juniors get to meet Eddie and sit on his tank.
“Nans are welcome, grandads are welcome, everyone is welcome. It’s a day for everyone to come down and get involved. There’ll be competitions and maybe even a few surprises.”
Newcastle Rugby Club can be found on Lilleshall Road, ST53BX.
For more information and updates, head to the club’s Facebook page.
