Ploughers look to new horizons at gathering
COUNTY WEXFORD’s top 19 ploughers gathered at the Horse & Hound Hotel in Ballinaboola recently having won their divisions.
This year’s team were praised for their success in this year’s fiercely contested competition by chairman Willie Hayden and wished well in major competitions to come. Meanwhile the club’s new sponsors, Fire Stone were unveiled.
Members of Oylegate, Blackwater, Ballycullane, Kilmuckridge, Cushinstown and Clongeen ploughing clubs attended the event, where refreshments and finger food was enjoyed by all.
Alannah Keating from Cloonagh, Gusserane, was the triumphant farmerette in attendance. All of the athletes will compete in the All Ireland Ploughing Championships in Tullamore in late September. Meanwhile, former world champion senior reversible ploughman John Whelan is going on to complete at this year’s world competition in Kenya in December and Dan Donnelly, from Kilmuckridge will be competing at the European Ploughing Championships in Switzerland in August.
Mr Whelan said: ‘The ploughers were delighted to get together. We are all big rivals within the county but once we get out of the county we stand together very well.’
The following are the category winners: 3 Furrow Senior: Pat Furlong, U28 Conventional: Frank Cullen, U28 Reversible: Eric Wickham and Stephen Wickham, U21 Conventional: Edward Cummins, Senior 2 Furrow Conventional: Martin Kehoe, Sean Keating and Barry Kent, Senior 2 Furrow Reversible: Dan Donnelly, John Whelan, Paul Keating, Farmerette: Alannah Keating, Macra: William Kehoe, Senior Horse: Eamonn Murphy, Special Horse Class: Eamonn Murphy, Novice 2 Furrow Conventional: Mark Smith, 3 Furrow Reversible Standard: Francis Harney.