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See action from the
championships.

by Mary Graham

The battle-ready cry of
"Ready, Steady, Pie" returned to Coxheath at the weekend.

The World Custard Pie championships
were first held in the village in 1967 but hadn't been held
there for some years.

Despite the tournament’s "world"
status and some of the 17 teams coming from as far afield as
Leicestershire and Nottingham, it was local team Coxheath Til I Pie
who were crowned the winners.

Team members were Andrew Marling,
Ray Batstone, Melvin Martin and Alasdair Smith.

Their victory came after
successfully splattering their way through three heats and the
knockout final, against runners-up Four Peas in a Pod.

Points were scored depending on the
success of a strike, with a maximum of six points for hitting
an opposing team member in the face.

There were several years
where the tournament was not held at all, before it was
resurrected in 2007, in Mote Park, Maidstone, and last year's
event was held at the County Showground, Detling.

As the recession bites Britain,
cake bases for the gooey flour and water mix were replaced by paper
plates, but no one minded.

Independent Maidstone councillor
Mike FitzGerald, one of the organisers, said: "We were delighted to
have the tournament return to Coxheath and have it won by a local
team.

"I think it should return to
Coxheath next year."