BACKGROUND Various kinds of fastening are known for securing an item of footwear onto a wearers foot, but many, like laces, are difficult to fasten when the wearer's fingers are cold or when wearing heavy gloves. Some kinds of fastenings are also difficult to secure tightly enough to be used with heavy boots as worn in snowboarding or skiing for example.

The present invention seeks to provide a new and inventive form of fastening.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention proposes an item of footwear having an opening for insertion of a wearer's foot and fastening means for drawing together opposite sides of the opening to retain the footwear thereon, characterised in that said fastening means comprises first and second elements respectively associated with opposite sides of the opening, the first element being provided with a head and the second element being provided with a clasp portion for engagement behind said head.

The clasp portion is preferably disposed substantially perpendicular to the second element. The clasp portion preferably comprises a hook portion for engagement about said first element. The hook portion preferably has a mouth which, in use, is directed away from the wearers foot.

The head is preferably engaged with the first element for adjustment longitudinally thereof. The length of the fastening means may thereby be adjusted to vary the tightness of the fastening, for example to suit different wearers or compensate for different thicknesses of sock. The head may, for example, be engaged with a screw-threaded portion of the first element.

The head may be of any desired shape but is preferably substantially spherical.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The following description and the accompanying drawings referred to therein are included by way of non-limiting example in order to illustrate how the invention may be put into practice. In the drawings: Figure 1 is a front view of part of an item of footwear having a pair of fastening elements in accordance with the invention ; and Figure 2 is a detailed view of the elements looking from the right in Fig. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The drawing shows a fastening 1 as applied to a snowboard boot indicated generally at 20, although a similar form of fastening may be used with other kinds of footwear. The boot has an opening 4 with rows of eyelets 5 and 6 (only one eyelet on each side being shown) extending along opposite sides 7 and 8 of the opening. The eyelets are normally intended to receive a boot lace, but each pair of eyelets receives a pair of fastening elements 10 and 11 formed of stiff but slightly springy stainless steel wire or similar material.

The elements are pivotally engaged with the eyelets, e. g. by inserting hooked ends through the eyelets. The elements could also carry back stops which locate behind the rear of the eyelets, in which case the elements are inserted by threading them through the eyelets from the rear. In boots of the kind in which some or all of the eyelets are replaced by hooked plates the elements may be provided with looped ends to pivotally engage the hooks.

The free end of the first fastening element 10 is formed with a screw thread 14 to receive a stainless steel bead 15, whereas the free end of the second element 11 is bent orthogonally and formed into a clasp in the form of a U- shaped, forwardly-directed hook 16, best seen in Fig. 2.

When the wearer has placed his/her foot into the boot the element 10 is placed over the mouth of the hook 16. By applying gentle finger pressure to the bead 15 the bead is caused to ride over the shank of the element 11, as indicated by the large arrow in Fig. 2, so that the shank of the first element 10 enters the mouth of the hook 16 so that the hook 16 embraces the first element 10 and engages behind the bead 15. The tension in the fastening can be adjusted by changing its length, which is easily achieved by screwing the bead 15 along the thread 14.

It should be appreciated that when the boot is being worn the fastening is primarily subjected to tensile stress so that the fastening is able to withstand considerable tension without coming apart due to the engagement of the hook 16 behind the bead 15. On the other hand, application of moderate forwardly-directed finger pressure to the first element 10 and/or the bead 16 will cause the bead to ride over the second element 11 and thereby disengage the fastening.

Thus, the fastening is easy to engage and disengage when the wearer's fingers are cold or when wearing heavy gloves, yet the fastening is secure enough to be used with snowboarding or ski boots.

It will be appreciated that the features disclosed herein may be present in any feasible combination. Whilst the above description lays emphasis on those areas which, in combination, are believed to be new, protection is claimed for any inventive combination of the features disclosed herein.