Tommy Mattinson, 52, has been crowned the World Gurning Champion for a record 19th time at the annual Egremont Crab Fair in Cumbria. The rubber-faced champion, who first started pulling faces as a child copying his father, said he wants to win 30 titles. 'It's amazing, I'm so pleased to win it again,' he said. 'I didn't expect, I never do, but there was some stiff opposition tonight.'
Claire Lister, 37, won the women's category for the eighth consecutive year, while her daughter Kendal took the junior crown. Lister said she started gurning as a junior and won her first senior title in 2013. 'I missed 2014 because I had a baby, but I've won consecutively since then,' she said.
The competition, part of the Egremont Crab Fair which dates back to 1267, sees entrants pull grotesque faces while wearing a horse collar. A panel of five judges scores them based on 'the biggest transformation in face'. Chairman Callum Scott said: 'People come from all over the country to take part. I think it appeals to so many people because it's so unique - and because of the tradition.'
