ANNUAL PLOUGHING AND HEDGELAYING COMPETITION – Sunday 28 September 2014
As the leaves begin to fall and the evenings darken, farms across West Dorset have gathered in their harvest on what has been a bumper year for crops and grass growth. The farming calendar has, however, one more event which marks the end of the Summer and beginning of Autumn. For over 150 years West Dorset has hosted the Melplash Agricultural Society Ploughing and Hedgelaying competition and it took place on Sunday 28th September just North of Salway Ash at Hingsdon Farm, North Bowood by kind permission of Mr R Bowditch & Son on ‘Garden of Eden’ type soil which competitors will be salivating at. We held 8 classes of ploughing spanning over 60 years of machinery from a 2 furrow vintage match plough to 6 furrow modern day plough. Sadly the Agricultural Society lost a great patron this year, Graham Crumpler, who has helped plot out the competition boundaries for decades and his presence will be sorely missed.
Alongside the ploughing match, running concurrently is the hedgelaying competition. Competitors are to lay 10 meters of hedge in Dorset style which has now been accepted into the National competition in Lincolnshire this Autumn. Six times winner Mr Russell Woodham will be out to defend his crown. Veteran layers Mike Frampton and Nigel Dowding will be aiding as stewards and helping novice contestants. The Show recently offered a free training day and 27 people attended to learn from some local grand masters.
With 37 tractors ploughing and 34 people laying hedges it really was a fiercely competitive day for competitors, and a wonderful sight to see for the many spectators who took advantage of the glorious weather and turned up to watch. In the ploughing match there was everything from the latest tractors and ploughs to vintage tractors (before 1960) in the vintage trailed and hydraulic classes. One contestant even came over from the Isle of Wight to compete!
The hedgelaying competition was also well supported, with a very good novice section including a number of individuals who had attended the Society’s free hedgelaying day which took place a couple of weeks ago. The Society was very pleased to see a number of ladies taking part including a 13 year old girl who won the Philip Hardwell Cup awarded to Highest Placed Young Farmer.
RESULTS
Hedging Judges:
Local, Open & Pairs: Mark Tilley AND John Chapman
Novice & Novice Pairs: Mr P Grainger
Ploughing Judges:
Vintage & Match: Robert Dimond and Michael Hole
Commercial: Austin Yeatman and Russell Coombes
CLASS 1 – HEDGING LOCAL
1st Russell Woodham
2nd Ben Short
3rd Jon Sibthorp
Cecil A Marsh Memorial Perpetual Trophy Awarded to: Russell Woodham
CLASS 2 – HEDGING NOVICE
1st Chris Claxton
2nd Jonathan Punchard
3rd S Eldridge
Marcus Beresford Trophy Awarded to: Chris Claxton
CLASS 3 – HEDGING OPEN
1st Colin Risdon
2nd Martin Turner
3rd W Drew
Elizabeth Lady Williams Perpetual Challenge Cup Awarded to: Colin Risdon
CLASS 5A – PAIRS OPEN
1st M Dowding & C Bethell
2nd R Parish & T Copp
3rd J Exton & J Newman
CLASS 5A – PAIRS NOVICE
1st C Townsend & J Lovegrove
2nd R King & L Gatehouse
3rd O Harroway & B Harroway
Bartletts (Dorset) Limited Cup (Prize Card & Plaque) Awarded to; M Dowding & C Bethell
OVERALL HEDGELAYING CHAMPION AWARDED Russell Woodham who was awarded a SILVER PERPETUAL CUP PRESENTED BY CLEEVES & EDWINA PALMER
The Bill Hook Trophy awarded to Jill Exton & Jan Newman
PHILIP HARDWILL CUP awarded to Highest Placed Young Farmer : Isobel Minshall
TIDIEST KEPT SITE.: Desktop Henry Hoover sponsored by Pneumatic: Kevin & Rachel Goodfellow
CLEANEST CUT : Voucher Sponsored by Scats, Dorchester: C Risdon
Ploughing
CLASS 7 – VINTAGE TRAILED
1st Trevor Miles
2nd Brian Johnston
3rd Les House
4th Alan Hayball
CLASS 8 – VINTAGE HYDRAULIC
1st M Symonds
2nd S Symonds
3rd R Collett
4th R Cook
JACK DARE MEMORIAL TROPHY FOR CHAMPION VINTAGE PLOUGHMAN (Prize Card & Plaque) AWARDED to; Trevor Miles
CLASS 9 – MATCH PLOUGHING
1st John Harris
2nd P Moorley
BEST STRIKE OUT in Classes 7, 8 & 9 – Prize Card – Winner: John Harris
BEST FINISH in Classes 7, 8 & 9 – Prize Card – Winner: Trevor Miles
CHAMPION PLOUGHMAN (CLASSES 7, 8 & 9) –THE BLANDFORD & WEBB PERPETUAL CHALLENGE CUP
Champion: Trevor Miles
Reserve Champion M Symonds
CLASS 11 – CLASSIC TRACTOR & PLOUGH
1st Bruce Carter
2nd Tony Ascott
3rd J Foot
4th C Dyer
CLASS 12 – TO PLOUGH 1 OR 1.5 ACRES OF LAND
1st Michael Fooks
2nd Bernard Hayball
3rd Edward Yarde
4th Stuart Hayball
CLASS 13 – TO PLOUGH 2 OR MORE ACRES OF LAND
1st Andy Shute
2nd Barry Dennett
3rd J Shute
CLASS 14 – CONTRACTORS CHALLENGE
1st Will Fooks
2nd William Doble
3rd Dan Frampton
4th Jack Penney
CREED BROTHERS SILVER PERPERTUAL CHALLENGE TRAY awarded to winner of class 14: Will Fooks
CHAMPION PLOUGHMAN OPEN – SIR STUART MALLINSON PERPETUAL CHALLENGE CUP
Champion: Will Fooks
Reserve Champion: William Doble
CHAMPION PLOUGHMAN LOCAL – MAS SILVER PERPETUAL CHALLENGE CUP
Champion: Will Fooks
Reserve Champion: William Doble
Best Strike Out (except Classes 7, 8 & 9) – Winner: Tony Ascott
Best Finish (except Classes 7, 8 & 9) – Winner: Barry Dennett
Silver Perpetual Challenge Cup for Best Ploughing using a Case or David Brown tractor using a KV plough. Silver Perpetual Challenge Cup and prize donated by GCS Agricentre, Dorchester – Winner G Smith
Prize kindly donated by Francis Bugler Ltd of Beaminster for Best Ploughing by a Ford Tractor – Winner; J Harris
NOVICE PLOUGHMAN
Joint 1st J Shute and J Penney
2nd D Rae
Prize kindly donated by Smart Agricultural Services of Dorchester for Best Ploughing with a John Deere Tractor
Winner; Andy Shute
Best In’s & Outs Winner – Bruce Carter
Sam Dennett Perpetual Memorial Trophy – Best Finish with 4 or 5 furrow plough – Winner: Barry Dennett
Streatfeild Perpetual Challenge Trophy awarded to winner of class 10, plaque & certificate – Winner: Will Fooks
JRB Bowditch Perpetual Challenge Trophy awarded to YFC club with highest score – Winner: Beaminster YFC
