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Dorset knob throwing contest attracts thousands

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.