THE UK mobile phone championships held yesterday in Hampton, Middlesex proved to be something of a wash-out on several fronts.

No records were broken and attendance was poor – heavily influenced by the fact that the sports grounds were hit by torrential rain at one juncture.

Event organiser, Ross Williams, admitted to the INQ that the choice of venue - an obscure corner of South West London – probably didn't help matters.

Williams watches his phone disappear into distance

He's hoping for a more prestigious venue – such as Battersea Park – for the 2009 championships. The British event is also in dire need of sponsorship. For starters, there were no prizes.

Williams reckoned that one company he'd approached claimed the event, "made it look like people were throwing their phones away." Where are the mobile companies with a sense of humour?

Anyway, Jeremy Gallop of South Africa had the best throw in the men's section - 85.95 metres. Jan Singleton (a Brit) won the ladies event with 39.35 metres.

Actually, Mr Gallop's throw matched the top throw in the recent World mobile phone throwing championships in Estonia. Brit record holder, Chris Hughff, was a no-show, however.

Incidentally, Gallop runs a Facebook group, Mobile Throwing, if anybody wants to join it. µ