TickleFight History - 1983 (1976).

"One of our readers, Loretta Dawes, has sent us the above picture from a defunct regional newspaper which she purchased as a part of a bundle of clippings from a jumble sale at St. Asaph. The image and caption won the publication's "[August] Pic of the Month" competition for a Miss J. Mohawk of Rhos-on-Sea. Mrs. Dawes, a local historian, has asked whether we can identify the participants.

The newspaper, "Borderland Gazette", covered North Wales and the North West of England and lasted less than a calendar year. This edition is dated Saturday 4th September 1976, and the redhead featured is almost certainly Viv Gosling, the former Canadian National TickleFight title holder who moved across the Atlantic and is currently Sports Editor at BBC Radio Middlesbrough. However... Viv retired from the sport as undefeated Champion on New Year's Day 1974. Furthermore, all her TickleFighting bouts were in North America. She would have been 38 years old when this photograph was taken.

Intriguing, isn't it? In an attempt to discover the story behind this photo, we'll be getting in touch with Viv - who is always keen to talk on the subject of TickleFighting - as soon as she's returned from her native Canada, where she's taking a short break to attend a family christening. The least she'll be able to do is identify her opponent, who seems to be suffering badly judging by her uproarious laughter..." (North Wales Round-Up, 4th April 1983.)

BELOW: Viv Gosling's unusual (albeit successful) "interview" for the position of Sports Editor at BBC Radio Middlesbrough in 1980.

ABOVE: Viv Gosling excelling at another sport last year. (Please left-click to animate.)