Skip to content

Knob throwing contest to continue

BBC Field with people lined up ready to throw Dorset Knob biscuitsBBC
The savoury biscuits must be thrown under-arm and one of the competitor's feet must remain on the ground

A knob throwing competition is set to continue for a second year at its new home.

The quirky event where competitors hurl Dorset Knobs - crispy, bread roll-shaped biscuits - as far as possible down a grassy pitch, was held at Cattistock Countryside Show last year for the first time, following a five-year break.

Contestants are allowed to launch three biscuits at part of the event, thrown under-arm with the furthest measured by an umpire.

The tournament is being held at the show again this year on 10 August and will feature an array of other knob-themed games, including a knob and spoon race, guess the weight of the big knob and pin the knob on the Cerne Abbas Giant.

Two cardboard boxes side by side with small golden bread rolls inside them.
Similar to a rusk, the Dorset knob is quite dry and is often eaten with butter or cheese

The record throw is held by James Vincent-Smith who won the Dorset Knob Throwing competition in 2019, with a 31.9m (105ft) knob throw.

The contest started in a pub garden in the early 2000s.

After becoming too big it then moved to Cattistock's village play area, it then expanded further to a football pitch, before becoming The Dorset Knob Throwing and Frome Valley Food Festival for several years.

After swelling in size again it moved to Kingston Maurward College until 2019 but was paused until a comeback last year at the annual Cattistock Countryside Show where it hopes to remain.

Proceeds from the event go to support the village of Cattistock and surrounding rural areas.

Grass and daisy flowers with pile of golden small bread-roll shaped Dorset knob biscuits.
The Dorset Knob Throwing event began as a fundraiser for the village of Cattistock in 2008

Knob facts:

  • The biscuits have been made by Moores of Morecombelake since 1860
  • Originally, they were made from leftover bread dough with added butter and sugar, hand-rolled and left to dry in the dying heat of an oven
  • It is thought their name comes from the hand-sewn Dorset knob buttons that were also made locally
  • They were eaten for breakfast with tea and sugar poured over them - now they are usually eaten with strong cheese or honey and cream - known locally as thunder and lightning

You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.

More on this story
Related Links