Minus one

In Competition No. 2951 you were invited to remove a letter from a well-known book title and submit an extract from the new work. This challenge, prompted by the hash tag #RemoveALetterSpoilABook that’s been doing the rounds on Twitter, saw you at your best. Among many highlights in a large and inventive entry were Robert Schechter’s A Cockwork Orange, which featured Donald Trump’s manhood, and a turn by Ted Hughes in Katie Mallett’s Far from the Madding Crow. Other star performers were Mike Morrison, John Samson, Peter Bear, Toni Hinckley, Frank Upton and J.M. Wilson. Sadly there was room for just the six winners printed below, who take £25 each. Hugh King nets £30.

In the chilly dawn, Seth Fluck limped past the glowering hulk of Ely Cathedral, down to the stinking mud and knife-cruel reeds beside the river. Mist hung over the water like foul breath greying a mirror. There were six plump rats already in the traps — simmered in vinegar they’d make a fine dinner for Gargoyle, his staffie cross.