AMATEUR Calne strongman Nick Millard was pipped to the title at the Wiltshire Strongest Man contest by Kent’s William Egan on Sunday.

Mr Egan, who has previously competed at the England and UK competitions, scored highest across the five events ahead of Mr Millard and Bristol’s Oliver Moore.

More than 200 spectators turned out at Calne Leisure Centre for the event, which raised nearly £1,000 for the Multiple Sclerosis Society through ticket sales and bucket collections.

Organiser Dave Walsh, who works as a doorman at E11evns nightclub in Chippenham, said: “The event went really really well, we had all generations there, the older ones maybe in their 60s and 70s getting right behind it but the kids did as well.

“It was pretty packed out, I would say there were more than 200 people, it was really overwhelming. I never thought it would happen thanks to a local doorman who just likes to lift heavy things.

“We had a few people who have MS visit the event too come along too so it was good that they could see the efforts that helped raise so much money.”

In the novice event, where many competitors were in their first competition, Rusty Whatcott topped the leaderboard ahead of Martin Marshall and Joe Tarrant.

Each competitor was a maximum dead lift, starting at 260kg for the open contestants and rising to nearly 400kg, followed by a yoke, carrying a 400kg bar across your shoulders for 20m, and an overhead medley.

This was before the sandbag medley, carrying three sacks of 110kg, 120kg and 130kg down a 15m course and onto a platform and the final event, the atlas where competitors lifted stones weighing 110kg, 120kg, 135kg, 155kg and 175kg onto raised podium.

Mr Walsh, a former strongman competitor who was diagnosed with MS last year, added: “I would say that the dead lifts were a highlight, we had some people on their first competition lifting 300kgs which is amazing for someone who has never done a competition before.

“It was pretty impressive; the standard of the competitors if they continue they will have no problem going to UK finals or the Worlds, the standard that they are at is phenomenal.”

He is hoping the event will return next year.

He said: “Because of the amount of people that came, we didn’t really know how it would go, for it to go as well as it did, we will do it against next year, maybe a summer outdoor event with room for kids like bouncy castles.”

To donate to the Wiltshire Strongest Man’s JustGiving page for the MS Society visit: www.justgiving.com/SouthWestStrengh/