Leo Kearse wins second annual Pun Championships

Leo Kearse (pictured) triumphed last night at the second UK Pun Championships, which ran as part of Dave's Leicester Comedy Festival.

The event sees eight finalists compete in a 'rap battle', with acts taking it in turns to showcase their word-play wizardry on randomly chosen topics.

There are four rounds in total, with the winner decided by the volume of the audience's cheers of jeers.

According to Dave, which also runs an annual 'Joke of the Fringe' award at Edinburgh, last year's inaugural Pun Championships was a "sell out success".

Kearse beat Rob Thomas in this year's final with punditry including:

– I was in hospital last week. I asked the nurse if I could do my own stitches. She said "suture self"

– Growing up on a farm, my dad was always telling me to use the indoor toilet. But I preferred to go against the grain

– People who think vertical farms are the solution to world hunger need to grow up

Thomas's contributions included:

– Kids can't access videos of twerking on our home PC: we've got Norton Anti-Cyrus

– Circumcision improves hygiene. No end.