JOUSTING sticks. What would anyone want with jousting sticks?
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
For two Ballarat men, the large balsa wood ‘lances’ came in very handy last weekend when they went close to winning a prestigious jousting tournament in Brisbane.
Clad in more than 35kg of body armour and astride thundering horses, Wayne Rigg and Justin Holland placed second and third, respectively, at the annual Abbey Medieval Festival.
In the tourament billed as the biggest of its kind in Australia, the two Ballarat men took on Australian and international riders, and were only closely pipped for first by an American.
Mr Rigg, 39, said the tournament – showcasing the extreme and historic sport – was thrilling to be a part of.
“It’s by far the biggest and most respected tournament in Australia,” he said.
“And to place second and third really is a testament to the knights from Kryal Castle.”
Mr Holland, who works as a jousting and horse master at Kryal Castle, said the tournament involved eight riders pooled into groups of four who competed against each other.
He said the results were very close.
“There was only four points separating first and third,” he said. “One blow from the lance can often mean the difference between first and second.”
As for the price of a set of jousting sticks?
“They don’t come up often, and it’s fair to say when they do ... well they’re usually dreaming,” Mr Rigg said with a laugh.
