Don’t get left with egg on your face in the Russian Egg Roulette Championship.
When: 29th June 2014, from 10.30am
Where: Swaton, Lincolnshire
£: Admission costs £4 for adults, £3 for concessions, £2 for children and £10 for a family ticket. Children under school age go free. The only egg throwing game which visitors must pay to enter is the World Target Throwing with Accuracy Challenge, which is priced at £2 for 3 eggs.
What is it?
For the 9th year running Swaton Vintage Day will host the increasingly prestigious World Egg Throwing Championships on 29th June 2014.
The championships have five open disciplines of target throwing which competitors can take part in. The disciplines are the Russian Egg Roulette, Egg Throwing, the Egg Throwing Static Relay, the Egg Trebuchet and the Target Throwing with Accuracy Challenge. Unlike pale imitations such as cabbage hurling or javelin throwing, egg throwing is a two person sport and requires not only an accurate and extreme distance to be lobbed, but also a perfect catch of the missile.
Serious egg hurling power in the Egg Trebuchet.
Egg Throwing consists of two person teams (catchers and tossers). They begin by standing ten metres apart and spreading out after each successful catch. Drop the egg or break it and you’re out! For The World Target Throwing with Accuracy Challenge points are awarded for hitting the arms, legs, body and groin of a willing volunteer target. The Egg Throwing Static Relay involves teams of eleven spread at ten metre intervals. Twelve eggs then have to be passed individually along the line. The quickest team wins, with penalty time points for breakages. The World Egg Trebuchet Challenge is another long distance knock out challenge, but this time with the aid of specially built trebuchets to help hurl the eggs.
As teams fly in from across the globe including Germany, the Netherlands, Ireland, Slovenia, USA, Hong Kong, the Czech Republic, Australia and Brazil, after a year of hard training, they will be joined for the 1st time by a team of most excellent and extraordinary players from Hykeham Sailability. Under the Captaincy of Chris Johnson, this team of athletes will form Team England’s opening match in preparation for their trip a week later to the Dutch Nationals in Makkum.
The reigning world champions, Britain’s Wells and Harison, who took the title with a successful catch at 57 metres in 2013, return to defend their title. They will also attempt to break the new world record set by the Smink brothers in Holland, last month, at 75.17 metres.
All events are open to all comers and pre-registration is not required. Registration on the day will be at 11am. The egg throwing events aim take place at the following times:
The World Russian Egg Roulette Championship at 1pm: Preliminary heats, held in front of Egg HQ.
The World Egg Throwing Championship at 2pm: Heats, the top 5 go through to the finals.
The Egg Throwing Static Relay at 2.30pm: Quickest wins, with penalty time points for breakages.
The (under 13) World Egg Throwing Championship at 2.45pm: As before but for smaller people.
The World Egg Trebuchet challenge at 3pm: Three preliminary close quarter rounds to find the best competitors, then the long distance knock out takes place.
World Egg Throwing and Russian Egg Roulette Finals at 4pm in the main arena.
This is followed immediately by the award of trophies.
The World Egg Throwing Federation’s logo.
Mr Justin Beiber, the American egg tosser, following his well-publicised practice match earlier this year in Los Angeles, has been invited to attend this year’s event. Although the organisers still haven’t had confirmation from his agent Scooter Braun as to his attendance.
Egg throwing is reported to have first occurred in Swaton in the 1300s when the Abbot of Swaton, the only owner of chickens, used to give eggs out as alms to the peasants who attended church. However, when the river was in flood the eggs would be thrown across the torrent to the waiting masses. This eventually grew into an informal sport called the ‘egg toss’ played at many country fairs, sports days and fetes. The World Egg Throwing Federation was formed in 2004 to cater for the growing sport and regulate the variety of disciplines it involved.
This year’s Swaton Vintage Day will also have over 400 classic and vintage vehicles, a craft tent, children’s games and rides, birds of prey and terrier racing. The event will be served by a mini-beer festival with 12 types of real ale from Swaton, Heckington and Sleaford mirco breweries.
More info: www.eggthrowing.com