Golden Palace Casino Gets Ugly with Gurning Champs

2007 September 22, Elyshia P.

Golden Palace Casino has sponsored the 2007 World Gurning Championships at the Egremont crab apple fair in the United Kingdom.

Gurning has always been a popular sport, with its origins in rural English traditions. Gurning was popular at traveling sideshows, fairs and freak shows but is now most often practiced at pubs and bars after a few ales. It is the art of contorting one's face to produce the most hideous or amusing image possible.

The Championships of Gurning are said to date back to 1267. The 2007 event saw 42 contestants enter to produce their best gurn. To the applause of the crowd, contestants scrunched, twisted and contorted their facial features but the winner was none other than Tommy Mattinson, the World Gurning Champion for the 10th consecutive year.

Gordon Blacklock got a deserved 2nd place and Alan Hornell rounded out the podium.

The rules of the World Gurning Championships are relatively simple; competitors put their faces through a horse's collar, the audience applauds as they see fit, and judges award the trophy to the contestant who gets the greatest applause.

Golden Palace Casino is never afraid to associate their brand with events like this. CEO Richard Rowe commented: "A lot of people made a face when they heard Golden Palace was sponsoring the event."

PokerNewsCasino writer Erana commented: "Richard Rowe needs a new scriptwriter."

This reporter has no comment.