Gravy wrestling win down to bigger moves, champion says

First-time entrant George Young and veteran gravy wrestler Christine Rogers took the titles

The teenage winner of the annual World Gravy Wrestling Championships has said he concentrated on "doing bigger moves" to take the title and leave his mum "ecstatic".

The event at the Rose 'N' Bowl pub in Stacksteads, Rossendale, on Monday saw a wide range of competitors wrestle in a pool of gravy for a series of two-minute bouts.

George Young, 18, said his strategy of "not wearing myself out quickly" and the lift of his friends and family "chanting my name" had spurred him on to win the men's title.

Christine Rogers, 43, who wrestled her way to victory on her sixth attempt at taking the women's title, said it felt "amazing to actually win after years of trying".

The event, which has attracted locals and those from further afield to compete at the pub for 16 years, is a knockout competition where the winner of each round is decided by three judges.

Points are awarded for fancy dress, comedy effect and entertainment.

Competitor Hannah Harvard (above, left) said it felt "wild" to take part

The victory by Mr Young, who lives in Stacksteads, earned him a trophy and a £100 prize.

He said the win had made him something of a local celebrity.

"Because it is only a small town, it is a big thing," he said.

"[My name] going to be there forever really, so it's pretty cool."

He said he had worked hard on his tactics to make sure he had a shot at the title.

"I was not wearing myself out quickly really, and doing bigger moves, so it gave me time in between, instead of doing a lot smaller moves," he said.

He said he decided to compete after seeing an advert on Facebook and had received mixed reactions when he told his friends and family.

"My friends laughed at me and said I am 'crazy', but my parents said 'good on you'," he said.

"They were proud."

It was the first time George Young (above, left) had entered the competition

Ms Rogers battled to victory while dressed as "Barbie Que", a costume depicting a grilled version of the popular doll.

She said she was "absolutely buzzing" after winning and "still in shock".

"It felt amazing to actually win after years of trying.

"I got the Barbie-Que idea off my son - I was Meaty Blinders last year".

She said she was "not sure" whether she "should retire now".

"I’m definitely not getting any younger, maybe I should go out on a high?"

She added that it was "such a great day".

"The organisers put so much effort into the whole event," she said.

"There’s bouncy castles, food stalls, face painting and of course the main event itself."

Hannah Havard (above, left) said everyone involved knew it was "a mad thing to do"

Co-organiser Jess Holt said she was not surprised by the men's winner.

"George had it all," she said.

"It was his first event and soon as we saw him, we thought 'this guy is good'.

"He really got the crowd going."

She said in contrast, Ms Rogers was a gravy wrestling veteran.

"Christine has been coming for the past six years and this was the first time she won it," she said.

"She was ecstatic.

"You should have seen her when we held her hand up and crowned her the champion - it was like a kid at Christmas."

She said she was delighted with how the event had gone.

"It was a really great turnout despite the rain threatening us all day," she added.

"We used 800 litres of gravy.

"We make it here at the Black Pudding Factory and transport it to the pub.

"It has to be warm so our wrestlers don't get freezing cold, although on a day like yesterday, they were bound to get freezing cold."

Hannah Havard, 30, who competed in the women's event dressed as a Dalmatian, said it had been "absolutely wild".

"It was one of the weirdest things I've ever done," she said.

She said she lived locally and decided to take part while on a night out.

“I’d gone out for a few drinks with my other half and I saw that the applications were opened," she said.

"I thought I would never get into it, but I’ll sign myself up for it on a bit of a whim and by some twist of fate, I got in."

She said the sense of community made it a special day.

"You get loads of support, both from the crowd and from the other contestants," she added.

"Everyone’s backing each other up, because everyone knows it’s a mad thing to do."