All's fair in love and gardening as battle of the berries is won – by just 0.1 grams

A VETERAN gardener has found a place in the record books for growing the world’s largest gooseberry after a row over whether he held the title.

The ancient tradition of competitive gooseberry growing was rocked by one of the biggest battles in its 300-year history in the dispute over Bryan Nellist’s claim that he had cultivated a record-breaking example in his back garden in Egton Bridge, near Whitby.

Mr Nellist, 73, believed that his 62.01g (2.19oz) entry to the Egton Bridge Gooseberry Show last summer had beaten the record set by Cheshire-based professional grower Kelvin Archer in 1993.

The North Yorkshire horticulturalist was left sweating when checks revealed that Mr Archer’s record-breaking berry had been measured using a different weighing scale.

However, Mr Nellist has now had confirmation that he has set a new record – by just 0.1g.

He said: “I’ve had a letter authenticating it and I am absolutely thrilled. Kelvin is the Cristiano Ronaldo of the gooseberry world and it is an honour to beat him.

“I have been trying for 53 years to grow ‘the big one’ and it could have been even bigger. I picked it a week before the show because I didn’t want it to burst.”