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More than 5,000 people have attended a "knob throwing" competition in Dorset.



The Dorset Knob Throwing and Food Festival event in Cattistock involves participants tossing the locally made, spherical biscuit as far as they can.

The longest throw was by Dave Morrison, who tossed his knob 21.8m (71ft).

Organiser Nigel Collins thought up the idea after seeing a Yorkshire pudding throwing contest at a Yorkshire food festival.

He said: "We used to throw knobs occasionally as a child because they're the size of a golf ball, so the whole thing gelled from there.



"Most of the contest is taken in good heart and there is no food wastage. Everything that is left over - even the broken bits on the ground - goes to feed local chickens.

"We needed funding for the playing fields, village hall, cricket club, and football club. We're a very small village, very rural, and we needed a unique event to get people here."

The savoury biscuits, made by the Moores family since 1880, have to be thrown underarm and one of the competitor's feet must remain on the ground during the toss in order for it to count. The best of three is measured and recorded.

The winner receives their winning biscuit and a plaque, while their name is added to a board in the village hall.

The record is still held by Dave Phillips with a throw of 29.4m (96ft) in 2012.

Other events included a knob eating contest, knob darts, knob weighing, and knob painting.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorset_Knob

Organisers of a "knob throwing" competition in Dorset hope the current champion tossing record will be broken later.



The Dorset Knob Throwing and Food Festival event in Cattistock involves participants chucking the locally made, spherical biscuit as far as they can. The record is held by Dave Phillips with a throw of 29.4m (96ft) set in 2012.

The event also features a knob eating contest, knob darts and a knob-a-thon.

Organiser Nigel Collins thought up the idea for the festival, which has been running since 2008, after seeing a Yorkshire pudding throwing contest.

Knob throwing is the "centrepiece" of the event, but Mr Collins said he keeps adding games to the event.

"The knob-a-thon is a lot less strenuous than anything athletes such as Jessica Ennis-Hill or Mo Farah might compete in, but it involves taking part in at least five knob games," said Mr Collins.



Other games include putt the knob, knob walking, knob archery, guess the weight of the knob and pin the knob on the Cerne Giant.

Last year's longest throw was by Dave Morrison, who tossed his knob 21.8m (71ft).

The winner receives their winning biscuit, made by the Moores family since 1860, and a plaque, while their name is added to a board in the village hall.

The knob eating contest started in 2012 and that year's winner Stuart Lambert still holds the record.

"He managed 14 in the one minute time limit - he was stuffing two knobs in at a time though," Mr Collins said.

Knob throwing rules
Three knobs per go, furthest knob thrown is measured
Use only knobs provided
Standing throw from marked standing point
Underarm throwing only
One foot must remain on the ground during each toss
Distance of the furthest knob only measured within the designated throwing zone, which is 5m (16ft) x 32m (104ft)
Knob measured at final resting place
If knob breaks upon landing it will be the umpire's decision as to its final resting place

the current champion tossing record