Family ‘proud’ after World Gravy Wrestling Championships, says teenage champion

The teenage winner of the World Gravy Wrestling Championships said his mum was “ecstatic” and his brothers gave him a gravy-soaked hug after he won the competition.

The event saw contestants wrestle in a pool of gravy for two minutes, with points scored for fancy dress, comedy effect and entertainment, and money raised for the East Lancashire Hospice which supports people with life-limiting illnesses.

The event was held on Monday at the Rose ‘N’ Bowl, a pub in Stacksteads, Rossendale, and has attracted locals and those from further afield due to its wacky nature.

George Young emerged victorious at the World Gravy Wrestling Championships (George Young/PA)

George Young, 18, told the PA news agency he won the competition after wrestling in gravy for several rounds and has been awarded a trophy and £100.

“Because it is only a small town, it is a big thing, and (the trophy is) going to be there forever, really, so it’s pretty cool,” said Mr Young, who lives in Stacksteads.

Mr Young said he “expected to go out in maybe the first couple rounds” but it felt “really good” to win the competition.

On his winning strategy, he said: “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.”

George Young and another competitor at the World Gravy Wrestling Championships (George Young/PA)

The teenager decided to compete in the strange competition after seeing an ad for it on Facebook and said he 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’ and they were proud,” he said.

Upon winning, Mr Young said: “My mum was ecstatic and my brothers that were there came running over to me, even though I was covered in gravy and gave me a big hug, and all my friends were chanting my name.”

Another competitor Hannah Havard, 30, told the PA news agency: “It was absolutely wild. I’ve never done anything like it in my life.

“It was one of the weirdest things I’ve ever done. Everyone there was absolutely lovely. It was a really fun day for everyone.”

Despite being a novice to gravy wrestling, Ms Havard got through the first round but was knocked out during the second.

Despite being a novice to gravy wrestling, Hannah got through the first round (Hannah Havard/PA)

“I was wearing a huge, fluffy white Dalmatian onesie with a full Dalmatian hat and a full lot of face paint,” Ms Havard, who lives in Stacksteads, said.

“All of the fur that I had on absorbed all the gravy. I had mittens, and one mitten was the same weight as a pint, so a full suit of that weighed me down so much that I could barely get up off the floor.”

Ms Havard asked her partner’s mother and stepfather to attend the competition without revealing to them that she would be competing and they experienced an “initial shock,” she said.

“But they thought it was brilliant. I think they think I’m nuts, but they sort of said, initially they were surprised, but then they realised that World Gravy Wrestling Championships and me sounds actually normal,” she added.

Ms Havard previously explained her motivation for getting involved: “I moved locally, so I’m not very far away from it now, so we wandered down there one day just to see what was going on and it’s obviously nuts.

Hannah was wearing a fluffy Dalmatian onesie. (Hannah Havard/PA)

“A bit earlier this year, I’d gone out for a few drinks with my other half and I saw that the applications were opened. 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’ve got in.”

The atmosphere at the competition was “buzzing,” she said.

“You get loads of support, both from the crowd and from the other contestants. Everyone’s backing each other up, because everyone knows it’s a mad thing to do.”

The competitor said she would have “something without gravy” for tea.

Ms Havard was raising money for Oakwood Dog Rescue in Hull, where she got her “best pal” King Julius, a chow chow, on April 17 2022.

Ms Havard’s fundraiser can be found here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/world-gravy-wrestling-championship-for-oakwood