Britain’s top TIMBERSPORTS® athletes compete for the top spot at the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® British Championship

TIMBERSPORTS® is back with a bang at the Royal Three Counties Show, Malvern from 14-16 June 2024. Three days of action-packed competition will see Britain’s top athletes compete against each other for the British crown, as well as the opportunity to represent their country at world level. 

Competition for places in the British Pro Championship taking place on Saturday 15 June is so high that the first ever qualifier will take place the Friday before. The top six athletes from 2023’s Championship have earned automatic qualification, whilst the remaining athletes from last year’s competition will go head-to-head with newcomers to decide who will take the final spots in the main event. The action doesn’t stop there with 12 rookies (athletes under 25) competing in the British Rookie Championship and 11 women vying for victory in the British Women’s Championship on Sunday 16 June. 

Fresh from finishing sixth at the World Rookie Championship in Milan, Jack Morris will be the one to beat in the Rookie Championship. Inspired by his older brother, Morris first competed in TIMBERSPORTS® in 2019 and his laser focus on fitness and training has seen him rise to the top of the British rookie ranks, where he finished first in 2022 and 2023. This will be Morris’s last year competing as a rookie as he moves up to the Pro level in 2025, and he’s aiming to finish on a high, but there will be plenty of other rookies with their eye on the podium so complacency is not an option. 

In the British Women’s Championship, it’s all to play for this year, with previous champions Justine Narusa (2023 winner) and Zoe Penlington (2022 winner) returning as well as some exciting new talent looking to shake things up.  Libby Arrowsmith, the youngest competitor at just 17, has been focussed on a dedicated training regime and will be looking to better her third-place finish in 2023, whilst newcomer Rachel Ferrington, who has competed in many sports including jousting, is also looking to make her mark. 

The Pro Championship will be another hard-fought battle, but Glen Penlington will be hoping to hold off his rivals to make it a hat-trick of national titles, after he won in 2022 and 2023. But 2014 champion Rob Chatley is also eyeing the top prize. Both athletes are GB TIMBERSPORTS® trainers and share their expertise with the less-experienced athletes at regular training camps throughout the year, but once the competition starts it’s every man for himself, and they will both be looking to get maximum points in all six of the competition disciplines. Between them, they hold three of the six national records, so the competition will definitely be fierce, and is sure to deliver edge-of-your-seat action. 

The British Championship takes place from 14- 16 June at the Royal Three Counties Show in Malvern. Tickets are available from the show website. The Pro, Women’s and Rookie Championships will also be livestreamed via the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® YouTube channel. 

STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® British Championship

British Pro Championship – Pro athletes must be able to compete in all six disciplines; the Stock Saw, Standing Block Chop, Single Buck, Underhand Chop, Springboard and Hot Saw.

British Women’s Championship – Women compete in four of the disciplines: the Stock Saw, Standing Block Chop, Single Buck and Underhand Chop.

British Rookie Championship – Rookies are athletes under the age of 25, who compete in four disciplines: the Stock Saw, Standing Block Chop, Single Buck and Underhand Chop.