NSW man stabbed with pitchfork

A man has been stabbed with a pitchfork in a violent argument between two men in a paddock in the NSW Illawarra region.

Both men are in hospital - one fighting for his life and the other under police guard.

Police say a 32-year-old man went to a home on the Princes Highway at Albion Park Rail with two friends on Wednesday afternoon.

A fight broke out in an adjoining paddock between the man and a 41-year-old resident of the home, who was allegedly armed with a knife and a garden pitchfork.

The younger man was stabbed several times in the neck and torso and has been flown to a Sydney hospital with life-threatening injuries.

The 41-year-old is also in hospital with a minor head wound and remains under police guard.

Police say inquiries are continuing.