THEY set themselves the weighty task of attempting to set a new world record for the heaviest pumpkin.
Hampshire twins Ian and Stuart Paton entered the Pumpkin Time event at Sunnyfields Farm, Totton, with high hopes of delighting their army of fans.
Many of the spectators confidently expected them to smash the existing record, set by a Tuscan farmer who produced a prize specimen weighing 2,702.9lbs.
But the Patons' pumpkin tipped the scales at 2,332.5lbs - 370lbs too light to take the title.
The twins had spent 120 days watching it grow from the something size of a golf ball to a fruit with a 20ft circumference and were given a warm round of applause from families who were stood watching the action.
Last week it emerged they had set a new record for the UK's heaviest pumpkin by producing one that weighed 2,656lbs.
The two 61-year-olds from Lymington were hoping one of their other giant gourds would prove to be even heavier. Ian declared: "I've got no intention of stopping until the world record is back in the UK."
But despite being the heaviest in the competition their entry failed to take the international title.
Giant forklift trucks were used to gently lower each pumpkin onto a large set of scales and lift it off again a few moments later.
The Patons' pumpkin - light grey instead of the traditional orange - was the last to be weighed.
Some of the other gourds had to be moved out of the way to enable the larger of the two trucks to collect the twins' entry and transfer it to the scales.
A piece of paper was placed over the device's digital display to keep the weight a secret until the last moment.
Second place went to Oxfordshire grower Gerald Short, whose entry weighed in at 1,769.2lbs. He finished ahead of Wareham's Mark Baggs (1,351.4lbs), with Southampton father-and-son team Allan and Daniel Young (1,192.7lbs) coming fourth.
Allan and Daniel said they had spent a huge amount of time on their allotment, often arriving as early as 5.30am to nurture their entry.
Other competitors from across the south who took part in the show included Lymington growers Karen Bass, Michael Gregory, and Richard Pope.
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