Harwich sausage thrower takes third straight title with 148.5ft effort
Original report:
Peter Swift won Harwich’s sausage-throwing competition for a third consecutive year, reaching 148.5ft. The Essex event, reported by the BBC in November 2026, combined an unusual sporting contest with a celebration of independent butchers and local pubs.
Peter Swift, 29, retained his title at Harwich’s sausage-throwing competition with a throw of 148.5ft (45.26m), the BBC reported on 8 November 2026. His third consecutive victory fell short of Todd Rothwell’s 2019 record of 171ft (52.12m). Competitors gathered on Harwich Green in Essex, each getting two attempts with out-of-date sausages.
The contest adopted the World Sausage Throwing Championship name that year after a request from first-time entrant Mark Rye, 47, who travelled from Cardiff. A separate tasting competition drew entries from nine butchers, with Becky’s Butchers in Great Bromley winning the Champion Sausage of Tendring award for its sweet chilli sausage.
The Tendring branch of the Campaign for Real Ale has organised the event since 2011. Organiser Richard Oxborrow said it began as a pub idea to publicise the organisation’s Harwich beer festival. He described support for independent butchers and pubs as central to the occasion, linking the throwing contest to local food and drink businesses.
Source
BBC News — 8 November 2026
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