Head down to Cattistock in southern Dorset this weekend and you will be greeted with the spectacle of a bunch of men endeavouring to throw their knobs in the air.
I hasten to add, to prevent ladies of a nervous disposition from fainting with embarrassment, that the knobs in question are round and hard and made by the local baker from left-over bits of dough.
Women and children may also enter the competition and much money is raised for local charities.
There are strict rules to comply with. The knob must be certified genuine and thrown underarm keeping one foot on the ground at all times. Three knobs may be thrown for the price of a pound. The umpire’s decision is final.
The world record for knob throwing in the men’s section is held by Phillip German-Ribon who threw a knob 26.10m in 2009. The ladies record is held by Leah Stewart with a throw of 20.2m also in 2009. Perhaps there was a prevailing wind in that year?
The competition is not just restricted to throwing. There are knob eating, knob painting and knob-and-spoon races as well. The knob is a bit on the hard side but may be softened by dunking it in a local beverage such as Piddle beer.
The competition is on Sunday 1st May from 10.00 to 4.00 and there is a local food festival as well. Sadly your roving reporter is heading off to Dorset Day at Clayesmore School and will miss the event but if anyone makes it then please let me know. More details may be found on the most excellent website: www.dorsetknobthrowing.com found by clicking here which has directions and much more.
Are you participating or just observing?
hello Helen, sadly will not be there due to another event down the road…
Knob eating would be my choice! Thank you Michael! I’ve never heard about this event.
thank you Tatyana, and happy birthday i believe!
The things we English do to amuse oursleves… I had to double check it wasn’t April Fool’s, and visit the website, but how wonderful! Dorset seems to have a particularly rich vein of interesting traditional entertainments, and with a beer called Piddle, clearly the place to live if one has a tendency to enjoy the absurd. Sorry you are going to miss it all – hope Dorset Day is fun, and look forward to hearing what a Dorset Day is, exactly, and how it can compete with knob throwing, dunking, eating, painting…
Hello Janet, ah yes there is nowt wierder than folk except for Dorset folk!