Last updated 12:37, Wednesday, 02 July 2008

While Spain were blazing a trail towards becoming champions of Europe, a team from Carlisle were taking part in the third Swamp Soccer World Championships at Strachur in Argyll.

The event attracts teams every year from as far away as Australia, Norway and two teams from Belgium, together with a large contingent of fans. Swamp Soccer is similar to football except for one notable exception – it is played in knee deep mud which makes running the length of the pitch the equivalent of running a half marathon.

The team, Forty and Filthy, was entered to celebrate the 40th birthdays of two Carlisle men with the same name - David ‘Swampy’ Lawson and David ‘Scobie’ Lawson - and they played four group games with the top teams from six groups and two best runners-up qualifying for the quarter finals.

A 2-0 winning start boded well with goals from Trevor Martin, a bullet that not even the mud could stop, and a Karel Poborsky-style scoop from David ‘Scobie’ Lawson that would surely have won Goal of The Tournament had such a prize existed.

However, a 4-0 trouncing at the hands of the eventual losing semi-finalists, AK Vehicle Rentals, followed and a few hours later another victory and another defeat left the team in third place in the group and out of the competition. The competition was eventually won by Team Rambos, 5-4 in a penalty shootout, after a 0-0 draw.

‘Swampy’ Lawson was delighted with the team effort. “In the first game the other side played it quite cleanly but in the second match there were a lot of dirty challenges flying in which we weren’t ready for.

“It was a great weekend though and I would recommend it to anyone.”

Swamp Soccer originates from the swamps of Finland in northern Europe.

Now this event has become a massive football competition with over 200 teams. Annual tournaments are now also held in Sweden, Iceland and the UK.