page_title: Worm charming
section_title: Competitive worm charming
hierarchical_section_title: Worm charming / Competitive worm charming
caption_attribution_description: English: Willaston Worm Charming On Saturday 5th July 1980 local Willaston farmer's son, Tom Shufflebotham amazed a disbelieving world by charming a total of 511 worms out of the ground in half an hour. True, there had been rather dubious unsubstantiated reports of a similar activity in Florida, USA some 10 years previous, but this was the first time a true competition with strict rules had been held. The village of Willaston, near Nantwich, Cheshire has been the venue for the annual World Championships ever since. source: www.wormcharming.com
context_page_description: Worm charming, worm grunting, and worm fiddling are methods of attracting earthworms from the ground. The activity is usually performed to collect bait for fishing but can also take the form of a competitive sport in areas such as east Texas. As a skill and profession worm charming is now very rare, with the art being passed through generations to ensure that it survives.
context_section_description: In most competitions the fiddlers  with the collector (or collectors) of the most worms in a set time being declared as the winners.  They usually have a zone in which to perform their charming, measuring three yards square.
  One of the first worm charming events took place in a school fête at Willaston County Primary School in Willaston, Cheshire.  The  
  World Worm Charming Championships started in 1980 and is now an annual event that celebrates the sport. It was organised by then-deputy headmaster John Bailey, who wrote the original rules for the competition.
  The current world record was established on June 29, 2009, by 10-year-old Sophie Smith of Willaston, England, who raised 567 worms during Britain's World Worm Charming Championship.
  Rules of The British and European Federation of Wormcharmers include a plot no greater than 3 metres by 3 metres, a five-minute warm up period, a three-person team of charmer, catcher and counter and that all worms must be returned to the ground after the contest according to the British Association of Worm Length Supporters (BAWLS).
caption: Competitive worm charming at Willaston
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