Competitors Kelso bound for biggest match

Large crowds expected as 180 competitors gather in Kelso to do battle in national Championships

The land set aside for Scotland’s biggest ploughing match is in great condition and ready for the 180 competitors who are expected to descend on Bettyfield farm at Kelso next weekend.

William Kirk and Sons farm will host the 56th Scottish Ploughing Championships and ploughers will come from all four home nations.

There is much at stake as the champions in each section will go on to represent Scotland at world, European, six and five-nations championships around the globe in 2019.

Scots have already been flying the flag at international competitions in Europe this year with Raymond Middleton from Elgin retaining the Classic Reversible title at the European Vintage Ploughing Championships held in Belgium in August and Jamie Dick from Falkirk winning the Reversible title at the Five Nations Challenge held in Northern Ireland in September.

Scottish ploughers to watch out for at Bettyfield include George Black from Earlston in the vintage mounted class as he came second overall in his class at the British Ploughing Championships in Warwickshire.

Others who are having a good season include TJ Myatt, Stuart Forsyth, Keith Robertson, John Griffin and James H Millar in the classic class and Keith Learmonth, Keith T Learmonth, Alastair Fotheringham, Neil Ramsay, Bruce Richardson and Kenneth Wood in the classic reversible class.

Fraser Thomson and Stewart Shaw are expected to do well in the multifurrow reversible while Sinclair Robson, George Gillan and George Riddell are the names to look out for in the Ferguson TE20 class,

In the vintage trailing class Ian Harvey has been earmarked and in the vintage mounted class the association is drawing attention to David Wood, Stephen Paine, Donald Henderson, William Henderson, George Cook, and Eddie Riddick.

The classes for modern, vintage and horse ploughing will include conventional (general purpose), classic, multi furrow reversible butts, classic reversible, Ferguson TE20, vintage mounted, vintage trailing, high cut, horticultural, horses – broken furrow and whole furrow.

Next year’s national event will take place in Fife, the 2020 event will be in Ayrshire and Elgin will be the host in 2021.

This week Caithness was chosen to stage the championship in 2022, with the national competition taking place at Morgan Milne’s Stanstill Farm in Bower following a successful event there in 2013.

Championship secretary Jane McDowall said: “We’re always on the lookout for good sites and we approached Morgan to see if he would be willing to host it again as it had been such a success last time.

“He came back and said ‘yes’, so we’re delighted about the prospect of returning there.”

Ms McDowall said fears in some quarters that the 2013 entry would drop because of the large travelling distances proved unfounded.

“We had a really good turnout, including a contingent from the north of England who are now in the habit of coming to the Scottish event.

“It was also really good to attract a few competitors from Orkney who were able to take part in a national championship for the first time.”

The championships take place on October 27-28. The action commences at 9.30am each morning, and finishes at 2pm.

Alongside the competition ploughing there will be machinery stands, craft stalls, trade stands, demonstrations by modern farm machinery, a static display of vintage machinery and working demonstrations for keen ploughers.

It was also really good to attract a few competitors from Orkney