Hometown hero Ian Coulton gobbled up the World Pie Eating Championships for the second time - despite a bad batch of pastries.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Both men, from Wigan, Gtr Manchester, had recorded 37.4 seconds in the main contest, which is held annually in the town.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />Ian, from Orrell, said: "That was a tough one. <br /><br />"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. <br /><br />"But Martin was a tough competitor, one of the greats. I'm honoured to have beaten him."<br /><br />Video from the event shows the competitive crust munchers devouring the meat filled pastries.<br /><br />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. <br /><br />Martin said: "I knew he had me about five seconds from the end - a worthy winner, and he can wear his crumbs with pride."<br /><br />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'.<br /><br />He said: "We let them drink water this year between bites, I thought there's no way they can eat these pies by themselves.<br /><br />"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.<br /><br />"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.<br /><br />"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."<br /><br />The competition has been held annually in Wigan - where locals are known as pie eaters - since 1992.<br /><br />Some say the nickname comes from local miners "eating humble pie" after going back to work during the general strike of 1926.<br /><br />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.
