Theyre up for cup in Kent
Theyre up for cup in Kent
A re-run of the tussle for the reversible ploughing
championship of the world promises to be a highlight of
the British National Ploughing Championships next
weekend, held for the first time in Kent.
Peter Jones reports
SCOTLANDS Andrew Mitchell, who narrowly beat Englands champion John Hill at the World Ploughing Contest in Australia last April, is coming south for a repeat match at Park Barn Farm, overlooking the picturesque Leeds Castle, near Maidstone, on Oct 11 and 12.
They are drawn on adjacent plots for the "heats" on Saturday, and if they both qualify for Sundays plough-off, it promises to be nail-biting stuff drawing huge galleries on the headlands.
Out to prevent either getting a hand on the cup will be father and son Graeme and Simon Witty, who recently returned from the European reversible championships in the Czech Republic with second and seventh places respectively.
More than 30 other worthy one-way plough contenders will not give either an easy time in the testing craft of match ploughing where a wrong tweak of the depth lever, a twist of the width adjuster, a kink in the furrow line or a messed up "in and out" can spell disaster.
Also heading south-east next weekend more than 200 other match ploughmen take a tilt at the coveted national titles in 12 classes, 80 of them with semi-digger conventional mounted ploughs, out to grab the other top ticket to join the reversible champion and plough for England in the 1988 World Contest in Germany.
Even with the long journey to Kent, entries are well up with a growing number each year in the reversible class, reflecting its importance in commercial terms. Even so, interest in the vintage classes is as high as ever and the specialist high cut and crawler classes will vie with more than 25 pairs of horses for the attention of enthusiasts.
Young farmers have their own reversible and conventional classes, including Lucie Murchie from Herts, one of three lady contestants, who also challenges her father Brian in the senior classes.
Apart from the horses, yesteryear is also well represented with static vintage tractors from a 1919 Cletrac to the Fordson Dexta and engines right back to a 1913 Bentall Pioneer.
Among the dozens of ancient power units working in the "Ploughing though the Ages" department is a 1919 Garner and steam tackle cultivating by cable.
Championship site, Park Farm is owned by Leeds Castle Foundation but farmed by the Eckley family, brothers Mike and Edward, as part of their 890ha (2200-acre) Kent operation, all under cereals and harvested crops.
"We couldnt wish for a better site," says Society of Ploughmen executive director Ken Chappell. "The medium loam rape stubble has been well topped and should provide the ploughmen with the opportunity to really show what match ploughing is all about.
"Local and national trade firms have responded to this first visit to Kent and with one of the biggest and best trade exhibitions for many years and in addition more than 20 plough and cultivation companies will be demonstrating the latest equipment across 80 acres."
Vital though this support is in providing a comprehensive farming day-out, the event is really all about the sculpted furrows of the 250 match ploughmen and the quality work by the contestants from all over the country including former world and European champions.
All the current champions are back defending their titles – Mike Janes from Somerset and Jim Elliott, Aberdeen, in the horse classes, Salops N S Vickers, vintage trailed and B M Curtis, Derbys, in the mounted vintage; crawler champion J Webb from Essex.
Tractor high cut champion M.J. Vowles from Somerset will defend, as will the top YFC champions, W D Storey, Newcastle-on-Tyne (reversible), and Carl Fretwell, Yorks (conventional).
Veteran Ray Robson from Notts, who ploughed for Britain in the world contest back in 1972 in Denmark, continues to set an annual record by ploughing in the "national" for the 35th consecutive time.
Main sponsors are Butler Fuels, Firestone, Goodyear and National Grid and, locally, the Kent Agricultural Society and the British Institute of Agricultural Consultants.
More than 200 match ploughmen will do battle at Park Barn Farm, Maidstone, Kent, next weekend.
Ploughing matches present the opportunity to see some of the finest horse ploughing in action. Quality of finish, not output, is the key.
HOW TO GET THERE
• Park Barn Farm is on the B2163, about 1.5 miles south-east of Junction 8 on the M20 – head for Leeds Castle.
Ploughing through the ages is a theme at this years British National Ploughing Championship event.