NORTH Yorkshire farmer Mark Westaby is beefing up to take on some of the 'World's Strongest Men'.

The 38-year-old from Healaugh, near Tadcaster, is competing in 'Samson's Giants' a muscle-man event at Pocklington later this month.

He reckons he's the model strongman, literally, having built some of the apparatus used in strongman events at his farm.

The competition is being promoted by television strongman Rob Dixon, who staged a similar competition at his hometown of Pocklington last year when Westaby was among the spectators.

After the event he approached Dixon and said he fancied having a go.

"I was watching and I thought I would not mind having a go at that," said Westaby, whose only real background in strength events was tackling the shot put when he was a pupil at Tadcaster Grammar School.

Over the last 12 months he has been training at Dixon's 'Samson and Delialah' gym in Haxby and has even built his own heavy-duty equipment as pictured by Evening Press photographer Paul Baker.

"I think I may do pretty well. I've been training hard," said Westaby, whose only public outing saw him come third in the Scarborough and East Coast Strongman event.

The eaglery-awaited 'Samson's Giants' takes place near Pocklington Town Football Club's ground at the Balk on Sunday (10.30am start).

Updated: 09:30 Friday, June 13, 2003