Laurencekirk tractor driver Scott Alexander won the overall prize at Strathearn Vintage Ploughing Association (SVPA)’s annual match.
Scott is a regular in this competition, as well as the many other matches he attends.
Reserve overall in the Strathearn match was debutant Neil Ramsay, a farm manager from Earlston in the Scottish Borders.
Where was the ploughing match?
The event was hosted by Scott Brown and his family at East Fordun Farm, Auchterarder, Perthshire.
It attracted 74 competitors and £500 was raised from spectators at the gate for the Browns’ chosen charity, Children’s Hospices Across Scotland.
Ploughing contestants in this and similar events are allocated a plot of land, varying in size depending on size of their plough.
They are judged on their “feering”, ploughing and finish.
Their ploughs are pulled by vintage and modern tractors, as well as horses.
The Strathearn event got under way early in the morning and ended mid-afternoon.
Ploughing appeal for young and old alike
The furthest travelled ploughman came from Campbeltown. The youngest was a 15-year-old old from St Andrews.
At the other end of the scale, one of the judges was in his nineties.
George Mitchell of SVPA said: “We had excellent conditions for the match due to the dry weather we’ve had. We also had a good turnout of spectators.”
Long-standing tradition
SVPA’s annual competition is a long-standing tradition in the area, featuring keen competition and showcasing the skills of local and visiting ploughmen.
The association behind it is one of the constituent members of the Scottish Ploughing Championships.
Ploughing matches take place across the country, culminating in a big national event.
This year’s “Scottish” will be held on October 24-25 at Arbikie Highland Estate, near Montrose.
Results
Horse
- Feering: 1 B Duncan
- Ploughing: 1 B Duncan
- Finish: 1 B Duncan
Horticulture
- Feering: 1 T Tweedie 2 B Smith 3 D Robertson
- Ploughing: 1 C Prentice 2 T Tweedie 3 D Robertson 4 B Smith 5 A Walker
- Finish: 1 T Tweedie 2 A Walker 3 B Smith
Trailing
- Feering: 1 G Melville 2 D Stewart 3 E Bennie
- Ploughing: 1 D Stewart 2 R Smart 3 E Bennie 4 J Donald 5 G Pryde
- Finish: 1 D Stewart 2 R Smart 3 G Pryde
10-inch
- Feering: 1 J McKechnie 2 C Manson 3 J Griffin
- Ploughing: 1 J McIndoe 2 J Griffin 3 G Harrow 4 J McKechnie 5 S Greenhill
- Finish: 1 J McKechnie 2 D McCulloch 3 J Griffin
12-inch A
- Feering: 1 D Grieg 2 R Philips 3 W Brown
- Ploughing: 1 D Grieg 2 R Philips 3 R Scott 4 W Brown 5 L Bryce
- Finish: 1 R Philips 2 D Grieg 3 R Scott
12-inch B
- Feering: 1 D McLaren 2 G Scougall 3 H Harrison
- Ploughing: 1 L Galloway 2 B Henderson 3 H Harrison 4 G Scougall 5 D Thomson
- Finish: 1 G Scougall 2 L Galloway 3 D McLaren
- Overall winner of 12-inch A and B: D Grieg
Novice
- Feering: 1 Mitchell 2 J Sinski 3 M Harvey
- Ploughing: 1 C Mitchell 2 J Sinski 3 L Fernie 4 J Mathison 5 M Gow
- Finish: 1 C Mitchell 2 L Fernie 3 D Mcloed
Hydraulic conventional
- Feering: 1 J Sivewright 2 W Grieve 3 G Hepburn
- Ploughing: 1 G Hepburn 2 W Grieve 3 J Sivewright 4 J Hamilton 5 W Fenton
- Finish: 1 W Grieve 2 J Sivewright 3 G Hepburn
Handtrip
- Feering: 1 D McKendrick 2 B Richardson 3 S Fowler
- Ploughing: 1 N Ramsay 2 C Crawford 3 S Fowler 4 W McIntosh 5 B Richardson
- Finish: 1 W McIntosh 2 C Crawford 3 N Ramsay
Butts
- Feering: 1 A Greenhill 2 D Carnegie 3 S Alexander
- Ploughing: 1 S Alexander 2 D Carnegie 3 A Greenhill 4 M Melville
- Finish: 1 D Carnegie 2 S Alexander 3 A Greenhill
Multi-furrow
- Feering: 1 D Taylor 2 S Eccles 3 G Douglas
- Ploughing: 1 D Taylor 2 S Eccles 3 S Gannon 4 G Douglas 5 J Dunn
- Finish: 1 S Eccles 2 D Taylor 3 E Mitchell
Other prizes
- Under 21: C Mitchell
- Straightest rig: D Carnegie
- Best ins and outs: W Grieve
- Best turnout: R Smart
- Best mounted plough: B Richardson
- Reserve overall: N Ramsay
- Best overall: S Alexander
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