Ely Standard Pancake race. Winners were the Wilko team.

WILKINSON’S status as supreme pancake tossers was cemented this week as they retained their Ely Standard Pancake Race title.

Ely Standard Pancake race.

Ace flippers Sadie Spring, Anton Hill, Alex Cook and Johnny Hobbs fought off the determined challenge of Spartan Race, the Ely Standard’s own team and Zombie Evacuation to take the title for the second consecutive year.

Watched by dozens of spectators, the race took place on the Market Place, with teams dashing 50 yards with pancake and frying pan in hand, rounding a bollard and dashing back to hand over to their team mates.

The Ely Standard were comfortably ahead at the half-way point but a few dropped pancakes and misplaced hand-overs ensured that the Wilkos team romped home, with Spartan Race in second, the Ely Standard in third and Zombie Evacuation brining up the rear.

Wilko’s manager Matt Wright said the team were already looking forward to making it a hat-trick of victories in next year’s race.

Ely Standard editor John Elworthy said: “The pancake race continues to grow in popularity every year and is something we, as the newspaper at the heart of the community in East Cambridgeshire, are proud to host.”