Hometown hero Ian Coulton gobbled up the World Pie Eating Championships for the second time - despite a bad batch of pastries.
Ian, 48, wolfed down a 12x3.5cm meat and potato pie in a lightning fast 44.9 seconds to defeat five-time champ Martin Appleton-Clare in a dead heat.
Both men, from Wigan, Gtr Manchester, had recorded 37.4 seconds in the main contest, which is held annually in the town.
For the first time in the competition's history, bosses allowed the 12 competitors to drink water in between bites due to a lack of moisture in the pies.
Ian, from Orrell, said: "That was a tough one.
"There was a mix up in the pie delivery, so we ended up having to eat some from down south, Stockport I think, and they were a bit dry.
"But Martin was a tough competitor, one of the greats. I'm honoured to have beaten him."
Video from the event shows the competitive crust munchers devouring the meat filled pastries.
Martin, who previously won the title in 2012 and four successive year from 2015 to 2018, conceded victory as Ian proudly showed off his empty mouth.
Martin said: "I knew he had me about five seconds from the end - a worthy winner, and he can wear his crumbs with pride."
Competition boss Tony Callaghan, who organises the annual event at his bar in Wigan, said both men deserved praise as the pies delivered were 'horrible'.
He said: "We let them drink water this year between bites, I thought there's no way they can eat these pies by themselves.
"They weren't a proper Wigan pie, I don't know how southerners eat their pies. There was no moisture to them, they were too dry. They were horrible, actually.
"Ian was caked in pie at the end, I've never seen a man shove it in like that, but it was all good fun.
"It was a fantastic event in the end and we had two former world champions record the same time so we went to a pie-off."
The competition has been held annually in Wigan - where locals are known as pie eaters - since 1992.
Some say the nickname comes from local miners "eating humble pie" after going back to work during the general strike of 1926.
The event was postponed in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid regulations when the government refused to make the same allowances as it did for professional sport.
Ian, 48, wolfed down a 12x3.5cm meat and potato pie in a lightning fast 44.9 seconds to defeat five-time champ Martin Appleton-Clare in a dead heat.
Both men, from Wigan, Gtr Manchester, had recorded 37.4 seconds in the main contest, which is held annually in the town.
For the first time in the competition's history, bosses allowed the 12 competitors to drink water in between bites due to a lack of moisture in the pies.
Ian, from Orrell, said: "That was a tough one.
"There was a mix up in the pie delivery, so we ended up having to eat some from down south, Stockport I think, and they were a bit dry.
"But Martin was a tough competitor, one of the greats. I'm honoured to have beaten him."
Video from the event shows the competitive crust munchers devouring the meat filled pastries.
Martin, who previously won the title in 2012 and four successive year from 2015 to 2018, conceded victory as Ian proudly showed off his empty mouth.
Martin said: "I knew he had me about five seconds from the end - a worthy winner, and he can wear his crumbs with pride."
Competition boss Tony Callaghan, who organises the annual event at his bar in Wigan, said both men deserved praise as the pies delivered were 'horrible'.
He said: "We let them drink water this year between bites, I thought there's no way they can eat these pies by themselves.
"They weren't a proper Wigan pie, I don't know how southerners eat their pies. There was no moisture to them, they were too dry. They were horrible, actually.
"Ian was caked in pie at the end, I've never seen a man shove it in like that, but it was all good fun.
"It was a fantastic event in the end and we had two former world champions record the same time so we went to a pie-off."
The competition has been held annually in Wigan - where locals are known as pie eaters - since 1992.
Some say the nickname comes from local miners "eating humble pie" after going back to work during the general strike of 1926.
The event was postponed in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid regulations when the government refused to make the same allowances as it did for professional sport.
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FunTranscript
00:00 as many lubricants as you want and after three, two, one, get eating!
00:05 Empty gob bags, come on, get them down, no spillage, no spillage here,
00:10 get any lubricant that's spillage, come on, any spillage, get it in your gob,
00:14 come on, all spillage in your gob, swallow them properly.
00:28 These southern pies, get them in your mouths.
00:30 Empty gobs, knock your face in, you're looking messy.
00:42 Open your mouth, have a look, open your mouth, that's it, it's time, well done.
00:51 Well done.