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Irish on top as Six Nations comes to Fife

The keenly contested ploughing contest in Wormit was hard work on dry ground.

Six Nations ploughing action in Wormit, Fife.
Six Nations ploughing action in Wormit, Fife. Image: Val Fenton

Some of the finest ploughmen from across the UK and Ireland descended on field in Fife to pit their skills against one another.

The Six Nations Vintage Ploughing Championships at Peacehill Farm, Wormit, by permission of the Forster family, was hotly contested by 16 competitors.

Overall champion was vintage mounted class winner Alan Simms, from Ireland.

The event was open to skilled ploughmen and women from Scotland, England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Ireland and the Isle of Man.

But there were no representatives this time from Wales or the Isle of Man.

Six Scottish ploughmen took part

There were six from Scotland, five from England, three from Northern Ireland and two from Ireland.

The Scottish contingent included David Veitch from Scotlandwell, Kinross-shire and Ron Phillips, of Pitlessie, Fife, who both competed in the vintage mounted class.

Another Fifer, Ed Bennie, of Freuchie, and George Melville, of Limerigg, near Falkirk, flew the flag for Scotland in the vintage trailing class.

Euan Anderson, of Dundee, and Robert Mckechnie. of Larkhall, were Scotland’s classic class duo.

Four-hour time limit

Northern Ireland’s David Grattan, winner in the vintage trailing competition, was overall reserve champion.

Each competitor had four hours to plough their own plot of about 9,150sq ft.

Conditions were hard and dry due to a recent upturn in weather in the area, which posed its own issues for the judges.

Plough on tractor
Shutterstock

These included Charlie Halliday, who was judging on behalf of the society of ploughmen from England, and Gordon Beattie, of Forfar, who is currently vice-chairman of the Scottish Ploughing Championships (SPC).

They were joined by local ploughman Willie Grieve Snr, of St Andrews.

The overall judge, who chose best plot in the field, was multiple world ploughing champion Andrew Mitchell, of Forfar.

Winners at the Six Nations event.
Winners at the Six Nations event. Image: Catriona Anderson

Making sure everyone stuck to the rules were the three stewards, led by ex-SPC chairman Willie Grieve Jr . He was head steward, working alongside Harry Lindsay, of Laurencekirk, and Colin Crawford, of Linlithgow.

The competition was organised and hosted by the fledgling TayForth Ploughers League, which raises money to help ploughers with the cost of travelling to international events.

In the short period of time the league has been operating, it has raised nearly £4,000.

Results

  • Vintage mounted: 1 Alan Simms, Ireland; 2 Alex Evans, England; 3 Ron Phillips, Scotland
  • Vintage trailing: 1 David Grattan, Northern Ireland; 2 Brian Shaw, England; 3 George Melville, Scotland
  • Classic: 1 Ray Alderson, England; 2 Antony Boldan, England; 3 Euan Anderson, Scotland
  • Overall winner: Alan Simms
  • Reserve overall: David Grattan

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