Challengers from Manchester, Liverpool, Warrington, Glastonbury, Lincoln and even Canada turned out in force on Crab Fair night determined to prove that they could beat Egremont in its own ancient art. Many of them were good, too, but none could match the art of Tommy Mattinson, now World Gurning Champion for the tenth year, or even Gordon Blacklock or Happy Hornell, who were adjudged the runners up. Gurning is not all about pulling silly faces. It requires disciplined control of face muscles and expression in order to create an impression which, in Tommy’s case, is quite terrifying. To do this well requires acting skills.
Some of the children understand that well. Danielle and Callum, competing in the Face to Face competition, where the object is to provoke your opponent to laugh by singing a comic song, were quite brilliant in their facial control, and compère, Daniel Shutt, was driven to desperate and perhaps unfair lengths in order to produce a winner. Daniel gets more assured every year and he has a lovely way of encouraging children to leave their inhibitions behind.
The recent death of Kath Taylor, winner of the Ladies’ Championship two years ago, cast a shadow over this year’s competition, and her great rival, Anne Woods, was visibly moved, but her irrepressible sense of fun was remembered very appropriately, with a burst of song, movement and applause. Ann Mellon from Cleator was judged the winner this year.
Many who had travelled long distances to be here felt they had spent a tremendous evening with us, but there are still ways in which we can improve. We need to find ways of moving things forward while the judges necessarily confer. Perhaps the rich voice of Don Mackay could be used for shorter but more frequent slots to cover the gaps.
Our pictures show Tommy’s winning gurn, enough to provoke nightmares, Ann Mellon with her trophies, and eight year old Kaitlin Downton, winner of the children’s talent competition with a beautifully expressive dance.