CAMBRIDGESHIRE, UK (CBS) -- Peas are not just for plates, apparently in the UK for 40-years peas are for competing. It's the Pea Shooting World Championships.
The peas fly in the small Cambridgeshire village of Witcham, located 77 miles north of London.
The competition began as a way to raise funds for the village hall but proved so popular that it became an annual event.
The shooters stand 12 feet from a target (similar to a dart board) which is smeared with wet putty. Only peas hitting the target are counted and depending on where the pea hits the putty, awards can be five (5), three (3), or one (1) point. Accuracy, not distance, is the aim of this competition, with contestants shooting a pea through a 12-inch tube 12 feet towards a 12-inch target. Competition is fierce and laser-guided shooters for enthusiasts are not uncommon.
For the first round competitors fire five peas at the circular target, the 16 highest scorers then progress to the knockout phase. Some experts favor putting all five peas in their mouth at the same time and then, by deft use of the tongue, firing them off in machine-gun fashion. However, in the knockout section, competitors fire alternately and so are forced to reload.
Some competitors brought in useful tools they made themselves such as Defending World Champion Ian Ashmeade, who uses lasers to find his target.
"It's within the rules so therefore like formula one, if you've got a faster car or a different thing on the back of the car, it's not cheating. I've got a monopod pole, I bought this in three years ago and it's not been banned yet, it's a stick I rest my pea shooter on, it's not been banned, everybody else could cut a stick out of an orchard," he said.
In the semi final and final, competitors shoot ten peas alternatively.
In the women's final, local Julie Bissmire out gunned Tina Pullman whilst in the Men's final a 37- year old father of two Rob Bresler, an environment consultant, out puffed Jim Collins winning the title in a "pea shoot out".
"It's about pursing actually, people think its puff but it's actually the lips, it's a lot to do with the lips, its like playing a musical instrument really, you have to caress it, said Brenslaw."
After ten rounds both competitors were on 44 points - then it was sudden death with the pea hitting the highest target scoring the win. Rob scored a bulls eye, giving him 5 points whilst Jim buckled under the pressure and only scored three.
It's the first time Rob has won the Championships.