An unusual cricket match on a rather soggy pitch which saw teams arrive by boat has taken place in the sea off the Isle of Wight.

The annual match is played on Bramble Bank, a triangular sandbar in the middle of the Solent, which is only revealed at low tides.

The pitch for the 40th anniversary game, played by teams from the Island Sailing Club and Royal Southern Yacht Club, formed shortly after 06:00 BST.

Each year the clubs take turns to win, this year the Royal Southern Yacht Club took the match, winning by one run.

The match ends when the tide starts to come in and the pitch disappears under the sea.

The final score, before it became too waterlogged shortly before 08:00, was 100 runs to 99.

Players included Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, who took a turn to bowl to former powerboat world champion Shelley Jory-Leigh during the game.

The match, on the pitch where plentiful puddles are for certain on the batting crease, has been held since 1984.

This year’s game had been postponed from Friday 23 August due to poor weather.

Bramble Bank, also known as the Brambles, is about halfway between the Isle of Wight and the entrance to Southampton Water, and is only revealed for short periods at low-water spring tides.

It presents a hazard for shipping traffic and numerous vessels have run aground there, including the ocean liner QE2 in 2008.

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