FOUR horse teams ploughing helped bring the crowds at Cheriton Fitzpaine and District Ploughing Association’s match on Sunday, September 19 held at Creedy Barton, Shobrooke, the home of Mrs S Prouse and family.

Entries were slightly down, possibly because of other matches held that day while the number of spectators was up on other years.

Three of the horse teams were from the Kerswell family of South Devon and Salisbury, the fourth team was Mick Puxby’s of Bridgwater.

In the ploughing Martin Kerswell of Salisbury was first and David and Dan Kerswell shared second and third on Sunday. They had competed at Bridgwater the day before.

The horses used ranged from smaller cobs to the enormous Shires and a Shire x Clydesdale as well as a pair of Percherons. This was the most horses seen at a Cheriton Fitzpaine match for many years.

Brilliant weather giving a dry day and a dry field for parking, despite morning rain, no doubt helped swell the number of those attending.

Conditions were just about perfect. President Mr Chris Norman said they were brilliant, could not have been better.

To mark this being the 75th anniversary of the annual ploughing match, commemorative mugs were given out and a big cake cut.

Secretary, Mrs Julie Davie, had made the fruit cake, iced and decorated by her daughter, 18 years old Katie, and ceremonially cut by Chris Norman. Later everyone who was gathered for the prize giving and Blessing of the Plough was offered a slice.

A plough belonging to Paul Greet was blessed by Mrs Gail Whalley, Cadbury church warden. One of two garden benches given by Mole Avon was auctioned by Association chairman, Mr James Lee. The other was a raffle prize.

Members of Newton St Cyres Young Farmers’ Club were asking people to guess the number of balloons half filling the cab of a big yellow tractor, raising funds for the club’s chosen charity, Papyrus UK for the prevention of suicide of young people. There were 132 blown-up balloons in the cab.

Two of the ploughmen who had travelled the furthest were long-time friends John Saunders from Carlisle and Trevor Robinson from Penrith. Both were using a McCormick-Deering Standard W4 tractor, John’s being 1942, Trevor’s two years older. Their ploughs were the same too, Ransomes RSLG No. 15, both being 1940.

They have ploughed together for at least 20 years. They had left their homes on Friday, driving down to Bridgwater where John came third in his class (high cut plough), then Cheriton, followed by Witheridge two days later, staying there overnight in their cabs.

They were then ploughing at Weblay in North Hereford, Usk in Monmouthshire with the Welsh National Final, back to Hereford and Eskleyside in East Hereford before setting off home.

In 2018 John raised more than £7,000 for Cancer Research UK when he did a road run on his Massey Ferguson 135, visiting all the rural counties of England including the Isle of Wight.

“I came down the west coast, crossing through Devon twice to get to Cornwall and back, one of the times I had to visit the same county twice.

“I went through the Dartford Tunnel for the eastern counties. It was 42 counties but because of having to visit some twice, it ended up 45. I did it in 110 hours, a total of 1,400 miles, taking nine days with half a day on the Isle of Wight ferry each way,” he said.

WINNERS AND TROPHIES

Trophies were presented by Mrs Angie Prouse. Champion ploughman was Colin Heard from Holsworthy, winning for the first time. He has been ploughing since he was 17 and on this day was using a vintage hydraulic plough with an International tractor.

He was a Young Farmers’ champion ploughman and has ploughed for England twice in the Five Nations (Scotland, England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man).

Ross Hext won the W J Lee Memorial trophy for the best kept tractor and equipment to have been in production by December 31, 1959.

Martyn Smale of East Village won the Reg Bulled cup for the winner of the vintage class.

The cup presented by White Cross Engineering for the best piece of ploughing in the open novice reversible class was T Stoyle.

May family trophy for the winner of reversible class, Sam Reed.

The Stockleigh House Challenge cup for the local exhibitor or competitor gaining most points in any of the classes went to Hazel Cheriton.

The Black Dog cup for the YFC member gaining most points in any of the classes went to Ben May.

The Tiresome cup for the competitor gaining most points in the field root competition went to J Norman, Ben May and Jon Lee.

The cup for the best field of grass in the local leys was won by R Lee.The cup for the exhibitor gaining most points in the hay/silage/specimen roots and corn was won by Richard Stoyle.

The cup for most points in the sample of corn exhibition went to James Lee and family.

The cup for the most outstanding entry in the field root competition (kale) went to James Norman.

The rose bowl given by the Association for the most outstanding exhibit in the flower and vegetable section went to Katie Greet.

The cup for most points in the produce classes which included floral decoration and an anniversary card was won by Hazel Cheriton.

The family cup for two members of the same household with most points in any classes went to Hazel and Ashley Cheriton.

The cup for the best sample of corn went to James Lee.

The cup for gaining most points in any of the produce adult cake/sponge classes was won by Louise Turley and J Mortimer.

Junior champion was Ava Way and Cheriton Fitzpaine won the Junior Schools Cup for the most junior points.

The trophy for the winner of the class for the tractor with a three or more furrow plough was A Brazier and Paul Greet went home with the cup for the winner of the Classic class.

PLOUGHING

Semi digger - 1 B Tonkin, 2 D Tonkin, 3 D Williams,

Tractor three or more furrow plough - 1 A Brazier, 2 P Stevens.

Open novice to plough one way - 1 D Colgrave. 2 C Denham.

Open novice reversible - 1 T Stoyle.

Multi furrow reversible - 1 Sam Reed, 2 M Pincombe, 3 P Pincombe.

Vintage tractor and trailed plough, to have been in production by December 31, 1959 - 1 Martyn Smale, 2 P Stone, 3 P Mancini.

Vintage tractor with hydraulics, to have been in production by December 31, 1959 - 1 C Heard, 2 A Westcott, 3 D Franklin.

Crawler tractor and plough - 1 R Nichols, 2 G Soper.

Classic - 1 Paul Greet, 2 J Jacobs-Roberts, 3 P Ovens.

Ferguson tractor and Ferguson plough, TE20 series only - 1 G Pursey, 2 E Vigers, 3 J Paine.

Horses - 1 M Kerswell, 2 D Kerswell, 3 D Kerswell.

Local leys and forage maize. Best short term ley - 1 R Lee, 2 D Tonkin, 3 J Norman. Best long term ley - 1 R Lee, 2 J Norman, 3 D Tonkin. Best half acre forage maize - 21 J Lee, 2 J Norman, 3 B May.

Field Roots. Herbal ley best half acre - 1 J Lee, 2 D Fox. Cleanest and best half acre fodder beet - 1 B May. Cleanest and best acre of sheep keep, two or more varieties other than swedes - 1 J Norman, 2 D Tonkin.

Hay. Bale of hay from land never ploughed - 1 R Stoyle. Sample of big bale hay - 1 D Tonkin, 2 A Cheriton, 3 J Lee.

Roots and silage. Sample of silage clamp made - 1 A Cheriton, 2 D Tonkin, 3 R Lee. Sample of silage big bale - 1 J Ayre, 2 D Tonkin, 3 A Cheriton. Whole crop silage - 1 R Lee. Sample feeding straw - 1 R Stoyle, 2 D Tonkin, 3 J Ayre.

Swedes for stock feed - 1 R Stoyle. Swedes for human consumption - 1 R Stoyle. 28lbs potatoes - 1 R Stoyle, 2 B May, 3 S Lewis. Three varieties winter fodder - 1 J Norman.

Corn. Malting barley - 1 J Lee. Feeding barley - 1 J Lee, 2 R Stoyle, 3 D Tonkin. Wheat - 1 J Ayre, 2 J Lee, 3 D Tonkin. Oats - 1 R Stoyle, 2 J Ayre, 3 D Tonkin. Oats - 1 R Stoyle, 2 J Ayre, 3 D Tonkin. Best three stems maize - 1 J Mortimer, 2 J Lee, 3 J Norman. Longest stem maize - 1 J Norman, 2 J Mortimer.

The longest stinging nettle came from W Norman, his sister being second with G Way and A Way third and fourth in the 16 years and below class.