Ploughing on to international success at Jedburgh

There was a strong international flavour at this weekend's well-attended Scottish Ploughing Championships at Upper Nisbet near Jedburgh when the European Vintage and Five Nations added to what is an already impressive spectacle. In total some 175 ploughs were competed.

In the Scottish Championship plough offs, it was to be Andrew Mitchell Jnr, Forfar, who took the conventional crown by a healthy margin but it was much closer in the reversible section where his father, also Andrew Mitchell, edged it narrowly over Andy Greenhill who came close to repeating last year's success

In the classes the previous day, Craig Connell from Lauder won the multi furrow and Lockerbie's Billy Gordon took the reversible class.

In the European Vintage it was England who took first place in both mounted and trailed classes with Yorkshiremen Mike Watkins and Richard Ingram coming on top and the reversible winner was Dutchman Bertus Huijbrechts. Top Scot was Gullane's John Tait who was second in the reversible class. Colin Hewetson from Cumbria took the overall classic award from John McBratney of Newton Stewart. Top horse ploughman at the Championships was another from the south-west, David Broll, who ploughed with a pair of Percherons.

In the Five Nations, the combined two-day score saw Northern Ireland's Martin Stewart come out on top in the reversible class with John Tracey of the Republic winning the conventional class. Scotland's John Fraser and Gordon Rae were second and fourth in their respective classes.

Mathew Whitehead from Penrith was best junior, John Lewis of Wales was best vintage visitor and Sheffield's John Milnes won the high cut class. The reversible visitors award went to Colin Bowden of Craven Arms and Ian Wilson of Chester took the conventional and overall visitor award.

Mike Watkins was on top again in the trailing class with Richard Ingram and Stuart Forsyth winning the vintage mounted classes but Forsyth bagged the overall title.