Ladies lead the way in Canada

LADIES PROVED to be the big winners at this year’s World Ploughing Championships at the weekend at Old’s College in Alberta, Canada.

Austria’s Barbara Klaus was crowned conventional champion after her first place in the grassland section on day two, beating Fabien Landre, of France, by five and a half points.

Her team-mate Margareta Heigl also had grassland success, ending up as runner-up in the reversible class behind champion John Whelan, of Ireland.

Both women had been lying in fourth after the first day on stubble, with Barbara scoring well in the grass to overtake her male competitors.

Margareta also scored well, but Whelan did enough to win by 11 and a half points.

Scotland’s competitors also put on a good show, with their best efforts on day two when Dave Carnegie from Laurencekirk took the third place medal in the reversible grassland section.

This moved him up from 10th to sixth overall for the two days.

He finished on a total of 345 points, which was well short of Whelan’s high score of 402 points.

Forfar’s Andrew Mitchell Jr finished fourth overall in the conventional class and was unable to retain the title he won last year in Croatia.

After day one on the stubble he ended up in fifth place, 15 points off the pace behind overnight leader Eamonn Tracey, of Ireland.

On day two on the grass he moved up, however, claiming fourth overall on a total of 344 points — 22 and half behind the winner.

Both men will have the chance to retain their national titles at this year’s Scottish championships to be held at Stanstill Farm, Wick, Caithness on October 26 and 27.

Picture: Peter Small. The Scottish team for the World Ploughing Championships, from left, John McRobert, Andrew Mitchell Jr, Andrew Mitchell Sr, Dave Carnegie and Rab Birrell.