Magnetic phys ed teacher, sports administrator & Cabela’s Santa Rick Mellor spread joy at every turn - OttawaSportsPages.ca

21 September 2026Jason Arunn MurugesuNorth East and CumbriaSteven R WoodWill Mellor came second in the men's competitionActor Will Mellor has come a surprise second in the World Gurning Championships, pipped to the main prize by local man Ged Eccles who had come close but never before won. Part of the annual Egremont Crab Fair in Cumbria, which began in 1267, the gurning competition has been a fixture since the 1500s. Competitors are judged on their ability to pull the ugliest or most grotesque face. The Hollyoaks and Mr Bates vs The Post Office star won second place in the men's competition after attending as part of a programme he was filming. Eccles said he felt "ecstatic" to have finally won the men's competition. It was his first victory since becoming the junior champion in 1985. He came second in 2023 and was third in 2016 and 2009 and said he believed he had won this year because of the extra practice he had put in. Steven R WoodGed Eccles won this year's world championships"I practise in front of a mirror for maybe three to four hours a day," he said. "I've been doing that since the end of May.