Overview
- Prof Patrick Barrie retained the World Singles Tiddlywinks Championship by beating American veteran Dave Lockwood 26-23 in a seven-hour final at the Castle Inn in Cambridge on Thursday.
- Lockwood, who had a subdural haematoma and received staples earlier this year, said he is largely recovered but may cut back on competitive play after the match.
- Harley Jones, chairman of the English Tiddlywinks Association, umpired the fixture and said the sport runs a challenger format with only national singles winners able to contest the world crown.
- Barrie has a challenge booked with British champion Tim Hunt and the pair plan to meet to arrange the next World Singles Championships, likely to be held in the spring.
- The modern competitive game traces to Cambridge undergraduates in 1955, and the small international community of roughly 120 rated players sustains long, tactical one‑on‑one matches rather than large tournaments.