TWO pub teams woke up yesterday knowing they stood a good chance of getting very wet - no matter what the Bank Holiday weather had in store.

Regulars from the Green Dragon and the White Bear, in Bedale, North Yorkshire, have spent every Whitsun weekend since 1978 locked in a battle of strength, stamina and determination.

To the winners go the spoils, including a wooden trophy - the losers end up in Bedale Beck.

However, there was even more at stake in the annual tug-of-war this year, in the form of a gleaming new trophy presented by the Bedale Centenary Committee.

After a 2-0 victory, it will rest on the shelf behind the bar at the Green Dragon.

"The White Bear never got a look-in," said landlord Gordon Wanless. "We'll enjoy taunting them whenever we get the chance."

Gordon will have plenty of opportunity as the landlady at the White Bear is his daughter, Jacqueline.

She was still too wounded to speak about the defeat yesterday, but Gordon said the White Bear was already a hotbed of rumour.

"They're saying we loaded our side with professionals," he said. "It'll be interesting to see what happens next time.