SHEEN were crowned triple champions in Belfast after claiming two gold medals at the UK Indoor Tug of War Championships and one in the UK Open Club Competition.
In the 600-kilos event, representing their country as England A and up against A and B teams from the other home nations, Sheen did not lose a single match as they won in convincing fashion.
They got off to a good start by defeating their main challengers Northern Ireland A early in the competition, and then remainded unbeaten to finish in the top four and reach the last four.
In the semi-finals, they quickly dispatched Northern Ireland B before setting up a re-match in the final with Northern Ireland A, who had defeated reigning champions Scotland A.
Sheen dropped in strong and got some early momentum before settling into the pull and on piling on the pressure to edge their way to the first end.
The second end played in much the same way, and England A took the gold medal in convincing fashion.
A number of Sheen’s men were then involved for England B in the 680 kilos competition, and went through the whole group stage without losing an end.
In the semi-finals, they defeated England A, before going on to meet Northern Ireland A once more in the final.
Again, their opponents failed to ask any serious questions and England took the second gold medal of the championships.
The club competition followed the international event, with teams from the UK being joined by teams from the Republic of Ireland.
Sheen competed in the 640-kilos competition against 10 teams in the group stage before going on to to meet Mountain View from Ireland in the final.
They put in a very strong performance and ran out as gold medallists after winning 2-0.
That result meant that over the course of the indoor season, Sheen have won the gold medal in every competition in which they have competed.
The victorious teams were presented with their gold medals by Olympian Dame Mary Peters, an Olympic gold medallist in 1972, and ambassador to the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Sheen will now turn their attention to the outdoor tug of war season, contested throughout the summer.
Anyone interested in joining an existing club should visit the Tug of War Association web site at www.tugofwar.co.uk for further information.
