Wrestlers take lumps out of each other at World Gravy Wrestling Championships

Huge crowds turned out today to watch people in costumes fight in a ring of gravy. Yes, really.

The famous World Gravy Wrestling Championships hosted their 19th annual competition at the Bacup Cricket Club in Lancashire today.

Around 1,500 liters of gravy was poured into a ring – before contestants in fancy dress entered to do battle in two-minute bouts.

Andrew Holt is in charge of making the gravy which is pumped into the ring after each fight.

He makes the gravy in his black pudding factory, The Real Lancashire Black Pudding Company from his grandma’s recipe.

He said: ‘We have to make three types so that we can ensure the consistency is the same for all competitors. This includes thin and slippy, thick and gooey, and extra thick.

‘The gravy used during the event is a combination of all three, yet we top it up with some of each depending on what the viscosity changes too and what we think it needs.’

To transport the gravy to the competition site, Andrew uses big barrels. Over 1,500 liters of the brown stuff is used – enough to have on 15,000 Sunday roasts.

The final winners of the tournament are decided by a panel of four experienced judges, who focus on wrestling skills and fancy dress costumes.

Pictures from the competition show the wrestlers jumping on top of each other, while they slowly get coated in gravy.

The event started in 2007 and was featured in the Guinness Book of World Records in 2019.

It aims to raise money for East Lancashire Hospice but the wrestlers can also raise funds for their own chosen charity.

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