Sky Sports has won the TV rights to screen the World Series of Crabbing live from across East Anglia this summer.
In an exclusive deal worth £50million, the World Series of Crabbing (WSOC) will feature four championship events screened live on Sky, building up to a grand final in Walberswick, Suffolk in August.
With Sky Sports shelling out millions there has never been a better time to catch crabs, and this year’s series is expected to attract high-profile crabbers from around the world.
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But what makes the sport most appealing is that children can enter the WSOC event, making it possible an eight-year-old could win the final and pocket the £1 million first prize.
The WSOC today unveiled the dates for the events, which will all take place on a Sunday afternoon, beginning in Cromer, Norfolk, on July 9:
Cromer, Norfolk, July 9
Orford, Suffolk, July 23
Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk, August 6
Bawdsey, Suffolk, August 13
Walberswick, Suffolk, Grand Final, August 27
The championship events will be scored by who has caught the most crabs in an hour-long period. All participants will get a point per crab, and the 20 crabbers with the highest score from all events combined will be invited to the exclusive grand final, which is expected to draw a television audience of millions.
Crabbers use their skills to attract the most custaceans, but bacon is a popular bait. Only one line is allowed per crabber. Although seen as a leisurely sport, things can get feisty as crabbers seek the best spot on shoreline.
Sky Sports, which will screen the events in high-definition, is expected to bring a host of innovations to the coverage, including slow-motion underwater replays of a great catch, fancy in-studio graphics, multiple on and off-shore camera angles, together with some of the sport’s greatest commentators and analysts.
WSOC director Gary “Sideways” Walker told the Suffolk Gazette: “We are delighted to have Sky Sports on board to televise the championship events and Grand Final, it will really put crabbing on the map.
“And it will also be a great advert for Suffolk and Norfolk, where young people have enjoyed catching crabs for generations.”
Meanwhile, academics have received funding to investigating why residents of Cromer walk sideways.
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