BARNSLEY Sumo Club hosted the inaugural British Sumo Federation inter-club Basho at Penistone Grammar School on Saturday.

The event was well attended by clubs and athletes from across the country - from Hull to Portsmouth - to compete in Barnsley’s first ever sumo wrestling tournament.

The overall club competition was won by Deep Sumo from London, winning by just four points over Aylesbury’s Inoshishi-beya Sumo who came in second.

Barnsley Sumo Club took bronze in their first national competition.

Richard Riggs, Barnsley’s instructor and the vice president for the north of the British Sumo Federation, told the Chronicle: “It’s a truly incredible achievement for our club to be crowned in the top three in the country.

“We’ve only been open for six months and all but one of our wrestlers are brand new to sumo.

“One of our wrestlers, Nick Riggs, took part in his first sumo tournament four days before his 62nd birthday.

“I couldn’t be more proud of the team and all the hard work they’ve put in to get this far.

“Sumo has found a home in Barnsley and we’re looking forward to developing the sport and the club further in 2025.”

National-level sumo wrestling is set to return to Barnsley in 2025 with the second annual inter-club Basho scheduled for the winter.

Barnsley Sumo Club will also be hosting the British Sumo Championships in the spring where the winners will be offered a place on Team GB at the World Sumo Championships in Bangkok, Thailand in September 2025.