WASPS, thunderstorms, torrential rain and shine have done little to raise the spirits of gooseberry growers for a record-breaking harvest of heavy berries.

With the battle of the weights beginning this weekend at village gooseberry events in mid-Cheshire, veteran competitors are pinning hopes on a final flush of sunshine to pull off some heavyweights.

In Goostrey growers are poised for the annual battle at the Crown Inn at their show on Saturday, when wax-sealed boxes filled with berries are opened at 1pm after the previous night’s gathering of the fruit.

Twice village champion and last year’s winner with the heaviest berry, Emma Williams will be defending her title again this season, as well as being runner-up to world champion Kelvin Archer as top grower in the Mid-Cheshire Gooseberry Association.

However she remains tight-lipped if she will have a berry heavy enough to beat her winning Montrose of a year ago of 28 pennyweights and 18 grains.

Growers will struggle to beat the world record of 41 pennyweights and 11 grains set by Kelvin, who will be showing at Marton and Lower Withington.

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This year for the first time, Over Peover show at The Dog Inn will be held on Sunday, the day after the Goostrey contest, instead of the following weekend.

But hopes of a world-beater have been ruled out despite early promise because of the fickle nature of the weather in the past few weeks of the season.

Several weeks ago seasoned growers were forecasting some of the biggest and heaviest berries for years, but gloom set in when alternating heat, humidity and dropping temperatures caused problems, including high levels of mildew.

Martin de Kretser, Goostrey Gooseberry Show secretary, said torrential rain at the weekend could have knocked ripe berries off the trees or caused them to split.

He said: "Wasps, mice or blackbirds also love ripe berries this time of year, and berries can still be prone to attack right up to show day.

"It's a tense time, but we won't know until Saturday as to who has managed to navigate these challenges and produced the heaviest berries on the day.

"It is not just about growing the heaviest berry, but who has the heaviest berry on the day that makes it to the weighing scale in one piece. They can still burst in the box over night after the Gathering on Friday.”