For the first time in 2018, a team from our twinned show in Wicklow will be bringing Sheaf Throwing to the County Show. This will consist of a mixture of demonstrations and competitions. Demonstrations by the "professional" Sheaf Throwers from Ireland that will include previous world record holders. Competitions between various Irsih competitors as well as Pembrokeshire's very own YFC teams plus teams from various cattle breeds, various sheep breeds and a range of countryside organisations. This will all take place continuously over the three days, culminating a championship for each sector. Located in the dedicated Sheaf Throwing Arena in the centre of the agricultural sector of the showground adjacent to the cattle competitions and live robotic milking, it is going to be a "one off" spectacular and unique to Pembrokeshire.

For those of you who don't know what Sheaf Tossing is (it is not SHEEP Tossing which it is commonly mistaken for!!) it's a sport that involves great skill, focus, strength and accuracy. The challenge is to TOSS a sheaf made of rushes, which are tightly bound together with weights added to increase the challenge. A pitchfork is used to hurl a Sheaf over a horizontal bar above the competitors head. Three chances are given to each competitor to clearly go over the bar without touching it. After the competitors have made three attempts, the bar is raised and all successful competitors move to a new height. This continues until all but one athlete is eliminated.

Sheaf Tossing has been a huge attraction at the Tinahely Show since 2001 with world records broken in 2010 and 2011 by Michael O'Brien from Co Clare. The Tinahely Sheaf Tossing athletes decided to cross the water and invite the best Sheaf Tossers of Pembrokeshire to challenge their record breaking tosses. The challenge was accepted and there is great excitement and anticipation stirring in the local community as the Irish Sheaf Tossing community, which is flourishing throughout Ireland, stage demonstrations and competitions at the 2018 Pembrokeshire County Show."