Who is the real Sammy the Shrimp?

TV star Darren Posnack, 26, of Gordon Road, Southend, who featured in an ITV programme on football mascots last night, claims he is the real Sammy the Shrimp.

But schoolboy Ben Duncan, of Lavender Grove, Westcliff, says Darren is an imposter and he is the real Sammy the Shrimp while his dad, Robin, is the true Leo the Lion.

At 14 Ben is one of the youngest football mascots in the country.

Yesterday he said: "I am Sammy the Shrimp. Darren would not even fit into the shrimp costume because it would be too small for him."

Meanwhile Darren admitted: "I stand in as Sammy the Shrimp for Ben and as Leo the Lion, but Carlton which made the TV programme wanted to feature me rather than Ben because I am older.

"They wanted to feature me as the shrimp as it is the mascot for Southend United and I do dress up as the shrimp fairly regularly and have my own costume."

Ben started his fishy career two years ago at the same time as his dad, and the family are hoping little nine-month-old Tyler will join the family firm.

The father and son both applied for the role, but it was Ben who got to star in the first ever Mascots' Grand National on September 26, where he was the youngest contestant.

His mum, Wendy, 35, said: "He did very well, although he came last. It was very hard for him to complete the course because his costume came right down over his ankles."

Ben, who goes to Cecil Jones High School, has supported Southend all his life, but his devotion to the club has meant he has been teased at school.

He managed to keep his out-of-school job a secret for several months until one of his friends recognised his trainers underneath the shrimp costume during a match.

He said: "I got the mickey taken out of me quite a bit when people at school found out I was Sammy the Shrimp.

"But nothing was as bad as when Darren said he was Sammy the Shrimp and people at school thought I had been lying all this time."

A spokeswoman for Southend United said: "As far as we are concerned Ben is the real Sammy the Shrimp and Darren steps in when Ben can't be there. It was the TV company's choice to use Darren rather than Ben in their programme."

The real thing - Sammy the Shrimp and Leo the Lion, also known as Ben Duncan and his dad, Robin

Picture: STEVE O'CONNELL

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.