The encyclopaedia of gravy
Guinness recognises two gravy wrestling records: most World Gravy Wrestling Championship wins by a man, held by Joel Hicks with six, and by a woman, held jointly by Emma Slater and Roxy Afzal with two each.
The World Gravy Wrestling Championships have produced the only competitive gravy records Guinness recognises.
Most wins — male¶
Joel Hicks holds the Guinness World Record for the most World Gravy Wrestling Championship wins by a man, with six victories:
- 2007
- 2009
- 2011
- 2015
- 2018
- 2019
Most wins — female¶
The women's record is held jointly by two competitors with two wins each.
Emma Slater won in:
- 2009
- 2011
Roxy Afzal, who competes as The Oxo Fox, won in:
- 2017
- 2018
The championship¶
The event has been held annually since 2007. For most of its life it ran at the Rose 'n' Bowl pub in Stacksteads, in the Rossendale valley, and after nearly twenty years it outgrew the venue and moved to Bacup Cricket Club, a short distance away.
Bouts last two minutes in a shallow pool of gravy, and — crucially for anyone studying the form book — competitors are scored on fancy dress and entertainment value as well as on wrestling. Money raised goes to charity.
The pool is no longer filled with real gravy. The original meat-and-vegetable version attracted wasps and was replaced with cornflour and caramel colouring, which is to say cornflour and gravy browning. See gravy trivia.
Sources¶
- Most gravy wrestling championship wins — Guinness World Records
- Most gravy wrestling championship wins (female) — Guinness World Records
- World Gravy Wrestling Championships and the event's own site