Okay, yes, I know. A lot of time (3 Months) has passed since the distant dream of glory in Sweden. But we’re not just world class athletes, but also busy professionals by day, so please forgive us for having taken so long to getting round to writing the official report. As for how we actually did in the competition, we will get to that later. Our journey started well. Gauge and Phillips were recognised the instant they arrived in Stockholm by a British fan, and willingly posed for photos. They also then willingly befriended a young Brazilian lady who they gallantly offered to take on a little sight-seeing trip of Stockholm whilst waiting for the rest of us to arrive. In the end the only sight they actually made it to was a dive bar next to the station, but she seemed happy enough, and the beer was cold and Swedish. When the rest of us tipped up we sampled the local brew before commencing the rest of our Odyssean journey to the island of Gotland, which nestles in the heart of the Baltic Sea, like a jewel on the ample bosom of a Parisian courtier. 13 or so hours and as many pints later, we were in the mini bus on the way to the tournament site, chewing tobacco sitting safely in our upper lips, and hope in our hearts. Now let me tell you about the stadium itself. The site of the Kubb world championship is like a Kubb player’s Nirvana. Kubb pitches stretching as far as the eye can see, grass to regulation length and well watered, Kubb sets lying around eager to be toyed with. The grandstand floodlit and magnificent. What a place! It was beyond comprehension after only a month practicing on a tiny corner of the ochre Parson’s Green. And the people. From Mr Whiskey, one of our finest competitors who’s only motivation was cheap whiskey, to Mr Whippy, a man so whipped on God-knows-what alchohol that his wife had to lead him to and from the oche to play his turn, to the very friendly 17 year-old girls who tried to put us off our game by stripping to their bikinis and getting friendly with each other at the other end of the pitch. Even after all of our PGA training, some members of the team were susceptibleÉ And our reception. We were invited to barbeques, we were bought drinks and given presents, we were taken to Mr Whiskey’s private pub, ‘The Two Bells’, and we were given lifts to and from the local town by friendly Kubb-playing strangers. To play the game in Gotland, is like to walk out onto the crease at Lord’s. It can’t fail but to make an impression on you. So onto our game. Suffice to say that the learning curve was much faster when we arrived in Gotland than it had been in London. We saw skills that we could only have dreamed of, and James Meysey-Thompson’s Kubb placement was commendable. All members of the team played well and true, and all should be proud of themselves. As for the sponsorship money; we would all like to thank everyone who was so generous as to donate to Breakthrough via our justgiving page. We are delighted with the two thousand pounds that we have raised, and are glad to be a part of it. Already we are looking forward to next year’s tournament, where we shall return bigger and stronger than before. And already there are further challenges coming in from all corners of the country. Please keep an eye on our website as we have an event up our sleeve for next year that should garner us even more press attention and charity money than this year. So did we win? No. And Yes. No, we didn’t win if all that we are talking about is the superficial adulation of an international sporting tournament. No we didn’t win if you only deal in numbers and statistics, match reports, and the binary answers to questions that clearly demand far more than a simple one word answer. For in truth, the 2006 Great British Kubb team; myself, James Wallis, Charlie Arthy, Tom Gauge, Paddy Phillips and James Meysey-Thompson all know that we are indeed winners. We won the respect and the love of the fine and noble inhabitants of the island of Gotland. We won their hearts for the way that we held our own in disadvantageous situations. And most importantly we won ‘The Fair Play award’ for our courage and determination, and British sportsmanship in the face of adversity. But of course, Kubb-lovers, in the end there is only one winner. And that is the beautiful game of Kubb. Posted by Jonny at 10.30am
It has to be said that Sweden is a beautiful country with many beautiful delights (see below left -- a sister of the earlier identified PGA), however, we were not quite able to master their beautiful game of Kubb. I could sit here and wheel out a list of excuses such as our nerves on the big occasion, the fact that we were forced to partake in the compulsory drinking of homebrew from the first throw of the day or that the local islanders play the game from an very early age so they can grew into skillful hustlers, apt at relieving grinning foreigners of their duty free (see below right). However, I guess we just weren’t good enough. Not yet any way. We put up a good fight, won a few and loved every minute of it. We’ll definitely be back next year and Team Slappers better watch out...!  
Posted by Charlie at 5.27pm
Back home now, and shattered. A very tiring time, and somehow we didn't win, which is a great shame. A fuller report will follow shortly, so check back soon. In the mean time, listen out for us on BBC Radio London tomorrow morning at 7.50am. Posted by Jonny at 8.17pm
We've finally made it over to Sweden. This is the moment we've been preparing for from the start, and we have a tough battle ahead. The location is amazing: there are 50 perfectly manicured Kubb pitches side by side, with a seating area for spectators. Like Wimbledon, but with more sticks and Swedish people. We're camping next door to a German team, and we are flying our Union Jack proudly outside our base. So far everyone is very friendly, and we've even been recognised by a few hardcore local Kubb players who have presumably been checking out this website to size up the competition. Wish us luck... and may the best team win. Posted by Jonny at 9.06am
 So we're off to Sweden first thing tomorrow morning, it's going to take over 14 hours of constant travel to get to the tournament, but we know that it's going to be worth it. Batons are now flying straight and true in practice and in that regard we are true pros. In another regard, however, we're still showing our amateur side -- we found out last night that we've been training on a pitch that's well over a metre too large. Oh well, Pele learned to play football with an orange, or something like that, so I'm sure it will only help us with our long game in Gotland.
BBC London radio are coming to interview us during our last training session tonight on Parson's Green. They will of course see 6 Kubb-playing machines, honed, hardened, like coiled springs full of baton throwing energy, just waiting to burst open the international circuit (see our new Media Coverage page for all our appearances so far). Last night we also broke the pyschological £1000 barrier on the money, only a tenth of our target, but we're chuffed. Keep watching the blog for news over the weekend, and wish us luck, Great Britain, we are doing this for you. Posted by Jonny at 4.04pm
Lots of developments. Big news is that yesterday we were in the Metro newspaper and 3 of the team were on Richard and Judy teaching some old dudes how to play Kubb. Now we're big time baby. You don't get much bigger than R&J, even if Judy wasn't entirely convinced -- I'm not sure she realised the magnitude of our undertaking. It's hard to tell how much impact this coverage has had on the sponsorship money, but we've had a few 'good luck' emails... Last night we had our first training session in full kit. This went down very well with the Kubb 'WAGs' (actually just the 'Gs' as none of us are married) and also with a friendly Australian chap seemed to be wearing Fosters aftershave and recognised Arthy's name on the back of his shirt from the Metro piece. High wind conditions didn't get in the way of a very productive session, and confidence was justifiably high. We've also made contact with a previous English entrant to the competition, who's recommended we try to get our hands on the local 'Slappas'. Arthy and Gauge were in complete agreement with his advice (and once again the rest of us started worrying about the PGA -- see previous blogs), but they then seemed a bit baffled when told that this is a local drink rather than a particularly welcoming Swedish lady. One day to go until we head out. Posted by Jonny at 3.33pm
It seems that the media are getting right behind the GB Kubb team, and rightly so. Team Big Love is in today's Metro newspaper, and on Richard & Judy this afternoon at 5pm on Channel 4 (don't miss it!). Thanks for dropping by the website if that's where you found out about us. Please stop by our sponsorship page while you are here and give whatever you can. Every donation makes a difference, and all money goes to Breakthrough Breast Cancer.  
Posted by webmaster at 2.37pm
 After two days respite from our gruelling schedule, some light-hearted distraction has come around in the form of being filmed for every student and granny's favourite show -- Richard and Judy (watch out for it on Monday 31July at 5pm on Channel 4). An altogether fun morning was spent teaching cricket and bowls teams how to play Kubb in Buckinghamshire, with the added bonus of receiving our team kit for the tournament. Thanks to Charlie, we are certainly going to be cutting a dash through Parsons Green and Sweden next week!
Posted by James at 11.48pm  Today we experienced our fifteen seconds of fame with the filming of a little piece for the Richard and Judy Show. I dread to think how we’re going to come across but luckily most will be at work when it’s aired. I must admit that it was good to see that our Kubbing skills stood up well against the pressure of being filmed whilst playing and with a few more practices this week, I believe we’ll be looking good for mounting a decent challenge...
Next Practice is at on Monday at 7pm on Parson’s Green. Do feel free to come along and see how the game is played... Posted by Charlie at 11.52pm
An absolute marathon match during practice this evening -- a full 2 hours. I imagine the experience will have proved to be very useful if a similarly long match occurs in Sweden, but I also imagine that we wont be four pints in after an hour and a half of play! Posted by James at 9.23pm
 Charlie and James were on BBC Radio 4's Today programme this morning, so if you've managed to find us after hearing their interview, welcome (and well done, as they stopped James giving out the address!). Please keep visiting our website to see how our training is going, and to follow our porgress in Sweden! Oh, and please show your support for GB's Kubb team by clicking on the 'support us' link above, giving whatever you can to Breakthrough breast cancer.
If you didn't catch us on the radio, you can hear the interview by clicking on this button:  (popup window). Posted by webmaster at 11.45am After a brief, and slightly frustrating, brush with fame on the Today programme this morning, my mind is now firmly set on the challenge ahead, and I have no doubt that it will indeed be a challenge. Although our Kubb skills have no doubt come a long way in the last 4 weeks, I worry how that will compete against those who have played this majestic sport for their whole lives. Team Big Love has been put in a qualifying group with 3 Swedish teams: Luxe tomtarna, Team Smissarve and the enigmatically named Why not. Only the top team qualifies into the next day of competition, so there will be no room for slip ups. Its a tall order, but with a little more practice under our belts I feel we have the men to do it! Next practice will be at 7pm tomorrow on Parsons Green, so anyone wishing to see the sport in all its high-tempo glory should come along. Posted by James at 2.00pm After seeing the rehabilitating effects that a trip to one of the Costas had on Wallis´game, I have taken myself to Aigua Blava on the Costa Brava, where I am sleeping in an oxygen tent and scheming up new tactics on a charming little pleasure cruiser that whizzes me from lunch to G&T time to supper. The team seem to be coping well in my absence, which is admirable. 
Posted by Jonny at 6.53pm
 Continued development of kubb skills of late + physical training involving seal-throwing, and fjord-swimming. rumor from the top-seed's camp is that Sven has developed a severe case of kubb-elbow and thorpian has lost his little finger to a catfish. the door is open.
Posted by Tom at 11.27am An excellent afternoon training session yesterday, where we did drills in Kubb throwing techniques, different set pieces, and the now infamous 'PGA' -- where Arthy is still a worry. I'm off on a retreat until Sunday to think tactics and mentally prepare. On the press front; we have a couple of pieces confirmed in the local papers now, and Charlie is working on trying to get us on the Today programme on BBC Radio 4. Watch this space. Posted by Jonny at 12.37pm
 An excellent practice last night on Parson's Green, with all team members save Wallis present - very good to start gelling as a unit. One major weakness was exposed, now known as the 'Pretty Girl Anomaly' (PGA). This is when weeks of training and preparation are in danger of going to waste due to the attention of a pretty girl during matchplay, as exemplified in Arthy's game last night. He and Phillips were on top form and thrashing Coller, Meysey-Thompson and Gauge, when the pretty girl who had been observing from afar finally picked up the courage to approach and ask about the game. All of a sudden, Arthy's game fell to pieces; his kubbs were rolling willy-nilly, and the batons never found their home. The disruption was immediate and the impact was devastating. We will focus a lot of our intensive training session on Sunday on how to deal with the PGA - after all, the world championship is likely to have a very high population of pretty girls. Like the Swedish beauty on the right.
Finally some of the local press are starting to take the bait, and one paper sent a photographer to the training last night. Money's still trickling in slowly, hopefully some press coverage will help this... Looking forward to Sunday, where we'll perform numerous drills and exercises, as well as continuing with the all important team-bonding. Posted by Jonny at 3.20pm Near full team practice last night and much was achieved. Three games were played out (with the formidable Phillips & Arthy partnership taking all) and a local journalist observed for an upcoming back page spread before we up-ed sticks (apologies any Kubbers) and retired to discuss tactics deep into the early hours. P Phillips' lack of endurance was noted and is a concern. Posted by Charlie at 8.53pm
As a child I was always known for letting my thoughts run wild, so you can imagine the sheer state of euphoria I worked myself into after the Skips got in contact and invited me to travel to Scandinavia to partake in some ancient Swedish ritual which they conjured up to while away their desperately long and cold winter nights.  I must admit I was very excited yet a bit apprehensive that I might not be able to match the playing prowess of this formidable blond race -- not through my own lack of talent but more through their sheer abundance. Take the legendary Bjorn Borg for example, not even I would feel confident trying to out last, out position and out perform this "five timer" champion, a sheer Trojan of a player. The control he exerted over his Kubb was apparently breathtaking and he undoubtedly had the best hands and touch in the business. Legend has it that he could he would strut from his sauna, strap on the headband and then single handedly reduce a full team to a bunch of giggling wrecks whilst never even having his King Kubb knocked down.
So that night, to relieve the fears, I plunged into my training but started easy with just a few hours of one arms press ups and double tight ab sit ups. My game was soon looking pretty tight. So you can imagine my utter disappointment when Skips, after listening to me rant on about how I was going to perform like a monk trying to turn back the years, took me aside and expanded on the finer points of the game. Yes, I was heart broken but I got over it and now I'm firmly ready to push even harder for the team. Admittedly training has been somewhat non existent of late (sorry Skips) as I've been sunning myself in the Maldives but now I'm back and I'm ready to Kubb some Swedish. The musk of victory is getting stronger day by day. Posted by Charlie at 10.16am
Due to the rain in Spain now falling mostly on the coast training has moved to the local gymnasium, where I am socialising with some lovely sweaty senoritas. Some casual conversation turns to my 'game of sticks', at which point I inform my fans that I am in the British team for the World Championships soon to be held in Sweden, and also impart the little known fact that the Beckhams are indeed fans of the sport, with Romeo showing real promise. The blank faces greeting my witty repartee tells me that in fact the senoritas dont in fact speak much eengleeeesh, so I go back to the sticks. Posted by James at 3.04pm Training tonight with Meysey and Paddy -- will try and take some photos of some of our drills and set-piece work to put up tomorrow. Charlie and I have fired off emails to lots of newspapers, so we'll wait to see what happens. Pledges are now starting to come in, and very grateful to all those who've given. It's still not as fast as I'd hope though, hmmm, we somehow need more momentum. Only £9,786 to go until we reach our target... Posted by Jonny at 5.19pm
A quiet weekend on the Kubb front. Tried to rouse the rest of the team for a practise tonight, but apparently they have other engagements -- Jimbo and Charlie are on holiday (not together), Paddy is playing tennis, Tom tells me he's got an exam tomorrow, and Meysey is AWOL. Trying to organise our return journey from the tournament, in correspondence with Goran from Gotland, who says, "Way dont you take a later ferry on Sunday 6th, it party al night on Saturday 5th, do you no that?" -- I think that says it all. Got in touch with The Metro newspaper today -- sending them a press release this evening... Posted by Jonny at 4.37pm Currently at an intensive Kubb training camp on the Costa del Sol, where am perfecting my wrist action and preparing for the rigors and intensity of tournament life. My day consists of mainly of sunbathing, but this is occasionally punctured by a jogg on the beach whilst listening to Chariots of Fire. Posted by James at 5.05pm Just entering the final few weeks of our training schedule and feel at the peak of my physical fitness. it may look like a "gentle" sport, but the people of Great Britain will not forgive if our arms tire in the last set of a nail-biting final against thor himself. Kubb requires a strength of mind unparalleled in the international sporting arena so have covered all angles in my preparation for the tournament. I can even kubb after 24 hours sleep depravation, in case some drunk Viking keeps us up all night playing with his throwing stick. Parsons Green has lent itself well to Gutland's national sport, despite the lack of ostentatious beards. Lots more practise seesions needed, though, as the days are rushing past and soon we will be packing up our kubbs. Posted by Tom at 8.50pm
So it's official: Team Big Love are the Great British team in the Kubb World Championship at the start of August, as registration has closed and no other teams from the UK have entered. We're going to be representing our country at a sport (my father tells me he's very proud). The idea of entering a team came because after my Swedish friend Jonna happened to mention the game of Kubb, and sent me a link to the championship, knowing that we were after a new challenge, rather than a run or cycle or whatever. I registered 'Team Big Love', and then enlisted a few friends who I knew would be interested. That was about three weeks ago, and at that stage we had absolutely no idea what the game involved, but that didn’t really matter, we’re representing our country!  Jonna brought back her Kubb set when she went home to Sweden a couple of weeks ago, and after last night, all of us have now played the game at least once. So far we've been using Parson’s Green in South West London as our practice pitch, and we do get a lot of funny stares as we lob bits of wood around the green in a seemingly random manner. Last night Tom, Paddy and I had a very nice chat with an old Jamaican man who stood and watched us playing for a while, as he demolished his punnet of strawberries. We then had our first ever pitch invasion -- a friendly tramp came and stood in the middle of the pitch as we were playing. We didn’t mind though, he was a nice chap and we will no doubt have to get used to all sorts of crowd control issues and distractions when we go to Gotland.
Only three people have sponsored us so far: my girlfriend, our friend Anna, and Jonathan who's in charge of the website. Need to work on this a bit and try to spread the word -- after all, we’re doing this for the whole country now... Posted by Jonny at 7.13pm | 
