There was egg-citement in the air in the village of Swaton this weekend as competitors took part in the World Egg Throwing Championships. Hundreds of egg-streme sports enthusiasts from all over the world descended upon the Lincolnshire hamlet to take part in the fiercely contested competition, held on Sunday. Teams travelled from as far as Germany and South Africa to take part in the day’s events, which included Russian Egg Roulette and Egg Trebuchet. Eggs were hurled, tossed and launched by teams of competitors, cheered on by family and friends in attendance. Eggheads could also pay £2 for three attempts at hitting bodybuilder Joel Hicks in the World Target Throwing with Accuracy Challenge. Competing teams were raising money for a host of charities, with organisers hoping for donations to surpass the £10,000 mark. World Egg Throwing Championship President Andy Dunlop explained before the event: ‘We are expecting records to fall. Ireland in particular seem very confident. We use a particular breed of chicken which gives harder shells therefore they should be able to be thrown over 70 metres,’ he told the BBC. The sport dates back to 1322 when a newly appointed Abbot of Swaton ensured attendance at church by providing peasants with one egg each. However when the River Eau flooded that year, monks were forced to hurl eggs over to waiting peasants who were unable to attend the service.
