Dorsets’s iconic knob-throwing competition has been axed - as organisers revealed it had grown too large to be run by a village committee.

The events management team pulling out and issues sourcing the biscuits used in the festivities have also been blamed for the cancellation of the Dorset Knob-throwing and Frome Valley Food Festival.

The event last took place in 2019 but was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Dorset Echo:

Organisers have now revealed they are pulling the plug on the 2022 event, which had been due to take place in May. They said the sheer number of people that attended in 2019 - more than 8,000 - meant the occasion can no longer by run by a village committee.

Dorset Knob-throwing committee chair, Alexandra Watts, said: “It is with great sadness that the Dorset Knob-throwing and Frome Valley Food Festival is unable to go ahead on May 1.

“We had more than 8,000 people attend the 2019 event, meaning it has reached such a size that it simply cannot be run by a small village committee.

“We’ve looked at various options but sadly couldn’t make any of them work for this year for many reasons.

“We also sadly lost the support of our event management team late in 2021 and agreements with Moores Biscuits to provide the biscuits for the event’s games also took much longer than anticipated.”

The iconic one-day event, which centres around the tradition of throwing 'knobs' in a field, also features other activities including knob-and-spoon racing, splat the knob, knob darts, and knob eating competitions.

Known for their name, the knobs used in the contest are actually biscuits made using traditionally fermented dough and given three separate bakings.

Experienced and hardened competitors both young and old gather to throw their knobs underarm while keeping their foot on the ground - aiming for the greatest distance.

The event was originally held at the Fox and Hounds pub in Cattistock although it was staged at Kingston Maurward in 2017 and 2019.

Dorset Echo:

The event didn't go ahead in 2018 due to problems with the supply of 'knobs' while in 2021 organisers opted to cancel the event for a second year amid Covid uncertainty. At the time, former committee chairman Ian Gregory said: "Without the freedom to mix openly the spontaneity and appeal of this event will be lost."

Organisers, who describe the festival as a ‘zany, quintessentially British event,’ hope to see knob-throwing event back up and running again the future.

Mrs Watts added: “We hope the event can return in years to come.”