news Crowds Flock to Ploughing Championships British National almost perfect and his


aggregate total of 423 points for the two days of the competition was out of reach of all the other competitors. Second place Martin Kerswell from Buckfastleigh, Devon, who is just 24 years old, will be one to watch in future.


Pictured with their trophies, John Hill on the left with the


Firestone Trophy, Colin Bowen on the right with the Goodyear Trophy.


Glorious weather brought visitors flocking to the 61st British National Ploughing Championships in Somerset, to see Britain’s leading ploughmen in action. In a repeat performance of last year’s event, John Hill retains the British National Conventional Ploughing Championship, and Colin Bowen keeps the British National Reversible Ploughing title.


Five ex-British Champions were in the top three of each section, but both John and Colin comfortably won their respective titles. John, who farms near Barnsley in South Yorkshire runs an arable/ dairy enterprise farming 410 acres and is also a maize contractor. He won the conventional title with 255 points, a clear 34 points ahead of neighbouring farmer, Geoff Fretwell from Penistone, South Yorkshire. In third place, just 3 points behind, was Ashley Boyles from Market Rasen, Lincolnshire.


Colin Bowen (47) lives at Clun, near Craven Arms, Shropshire. He is an arable farmer and agricultural contractor. He scored 323 points in the reversible championship, which ensured a comfortable victory over Peter Alderslade from East Bolden, Tyne & Wear who gained 287 points.


John Hill and Colin Bowen will now represent England at the 2012 World Ploughing Contest in Croatia. Both men are relishing next year’s challenge as they ploughed together at this years World Ploughing Contest in Sweden and they are determined to bring back the World titles.


In the horse ploughing classes, Jim Elliott from Co Durham beat the opposition to earn the title of Champion Horse Ploughman. His high cut ploughing on grassland on the second day looked


Next year’s England Vintage Ploughing team in the European Championships will Michael Taylor from Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire; Geoff Smith from Stockbridge, Hampshire and George Allwood from Hoveringham, Nottinghamshire. Michael’s 239 points was good enough to win him the championship for trailing ploughs and Geoff Smith took the vintage hydraulic championship with 243 points, 3 points ahead of the reigning European Vintage Champion, Richard Ingram. Nottinghamshire’s George Allwood won the Classic Ploughing Championship with 221 points, and also the title of overall vintage champion.


It was good to see young farmers out in force – 21 ploughmen and 3 plough- women took part in three classes, with Alex Townroe from Mansfield, Nottinghamshire winning the YFC Vintage & Classic Championship; Stuart Vickers from Malpas, Cheshire winning the YFC Conventional Championship, and Ian Brewer from Wadebridge, Cornwall, winning the YFC Reversible Championship and also taking the overall title of National Young Farmers Champion Ploughman.


Next year the Championships move a


little further north again, this time to Lichfield in Staffordshire, when the event will be held on Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th October 2012.


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