A man dressed in what appeared to be pink princess fancy dress has won the title of national Scrabble champion.
Mikki Nicholson, 32, who is a transsexual from Cumbria, donned the elaborate outfit of a dazzling PVC dress trimmed with lace, pink wig and bright lipstick when he reached the finals of the competition.
Despite having only been playing the game for five years, he romped to victory after beating four-time champion Mark Nyman with words including 'obeisant'.
"I'm thrilled to have won and I can't wait to celebrate," said Mikki. He added that he intends to use the £1,500 prize money on a trip to Malaysia so he can play in a Scrabble competition there too.
Given that Scrabble is a tactical game, perhaps the bright dress helped to distract Mikki's opponent - after all, Scrabble players are usually known for their somewhat geeky fancy dress rather than their flamboyance!
Â