A new ‘Royal Bun Throwing Championships’ to be held at Abingdon Vale Cricket Club

My brother Jon who still lives in my hometown of Abingdon sent me details from the Oxford Mail (and Abingdon Herald) about a brand new event that will be taking place later this year – a Royal Bun Throwing Championships!

Since 1761, Abingdon has carried out the wonderful and unique tradition of Bun Throwing to celebrate Royal events, or mark significant milestones.

The new Mayor of the town, Mike Badcock, has teamed up with Abingdon Vale Cricket Club to create the new Royal Bun Throwing Championships to find the town’s best bun throwers, who will join Councillors and other dignitaries atop the old County Hall (now the town's Museum) at the next Royal Bun Throwing to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in June. The reasoning is that for those people who are at the back of the Market Place during the Bun Throwing rarely catch many buns!

The old County Hall in Abingdon - the Bun Throwers launch the buns from a great height!

The new event sounds brilliant. I love the fact that Abingdon has Bun Throwing as a tradition and adding the new element of the separate Throwing Championships is a great idea.

I have attended all of the Bun Throwing events in my lifetime, twelve to date, with the last taking place on Friday 29th April 2011 to celebrate the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton.

Chris Gottfried, me (Richard Gottfried) & Jon Gottfried proudly show off our Buns after the 2011 Royal Bun Throwing

On more than one occasion I have seen Bun Throwers use other means to deliver buns to the crowd – including tennis rackets and catapults! Some catchers also go to great lengths to catch a bun, with some people using upturned umbrellas! There’s always plenty of jostling amongst the townsfolk too as it is such a great achievement to be able to walk away with a special Bun.

I have been informed by the Town Council that The Royal Bun Throwing Championship will be taking place at Abingdon Vale Cricket Club on Culham Road between 2pm and 4pm on Saturday 14th April. The event will see competitors paying a fee to attempt to thrown the buns the furthest (with proceeds going to the Mayor’s three charities).

Further details will be advertised in the next issue of the town’s Spring Town Crier council newsletter (w/c 20th February).

I can’t wait to give it a go.