THE gauntlet was thrown down. The challenge was set. It was Man v Food, with me as one of the contestants. And, readers, I am here to tell you - food won.

I was taking part - along with nine other brave men - in a food-eating contest held in Newport last night in aid of the South Wales charity Ty Hafan.

And the events has been hailed a “resounding success”, raising hundreds of pounds for charity.

Local solicitors firm Hornby Baker Jones & Wood (HBJ&W) teamed up with Newport Market butchers Turner AD & Sons and The Cross Keys pub on Market Street, to stage a Man v Food challenge worthy of the popular TV programme made famous in America.

All proceeds from the night and the sponsorship money raised by the contestants will go towards the firm’s chosen charity, the only children's hospice in Wales.

The concept of Man v Food came to prominence as a reality TV series in the US in 2008, a show which followed competitive eater Adam Richman around the States as he took part in a competition against time to eat various foods of extreme portions.

The Cross Keys hosted a similar event last night, where we 10 participants faced the unenviable task of devouring an eight pound-heavy meat feast, which was paid for by HBJ&W, consisting of one whole chicken, a 29oz steak, eight lamb chops, a portion of chips, and onion rings.

A tough job, but someone had to do it.

Us willing eaters battled through £50 worth of meat, with all steaks cooked well-done by the market butchers to avoid any unfair advantages. Jugs of water were provided to contestants, along with a variety of different sauces.

Newport Gwent Dragons hooker Sam Parry and centre Lewis Robling also took part in the event.

Although no time limit was set, the fastest person to complete the epic challenge, Anthony Smith, was presented with the winning trophy after devouring nearly all of the food in the 45-minute long feast.

Strangely, we were all nervous, looking at the huge pile of food in front of us. It was a mountain to climb - how many of us would fall along the way?

I opted to tackle the steak first. It was as big as a pizza - and I managed half of it before deciding to move on to the chops.

I made a conscious decision not to eat the chips or the onion rings, as they would slow me down.

But my jaw was aching, just minutes in. I had hit 'the wall'. My companions were also flagging - except the man next to me who was the eventual winner.

I gave up with around a third of the food still on my plate - a beaten man.

Andrew Collingbourne, managing partner of HBJ&W, said: “The enormity of the challenge became apparent when the platters came from the kitchen.

“The contestants got stuck in – some picked at the chips and went for the chops first, while others ate the chicken to begin with.

“We hope to have raised between £750 and £1,000 for Ty Hafan, which is great. The venue was ideal and there was a good atmosphere. It was a resounding success.”

Alison Stallard, Business and Community Fundraiser for Ty Hafan, said: “It’s certainly something different and that’s the key, looking at different ways of raising money – they’ve certainly captured that.

“We are the only children hospice in Wales and the care we provide extends to the heart of the community in Newport.

“On behalf of Ty Hafan, I would like to thank all the guys at HBJ&W, those who took part and those who prepared the food.”