Southern success at NZ Ploughing Championships

Paul Eaton (left), of Balfour, and Des McGregor, of Dipton, compete in their first final at the ploughing championships. Photo / ODT

Three southerners proved they were the best of the best, taking out top spots at the New Zealand Ploughing Championships in Thornbury recently.

The Middlemarch horse team of Sean Leslie and Casey Rae, with horses Anna and Nugget, won the horse class, while Waimumu man Alistair Rutherford won the vintage ploughing class.

In the other two classes, Bob Mehrtens, of Timaru, won the reversible class, and Ian Woolley, of Blenheim, won the silver plough class.

Bob Mehrtens, of Timaru, ploughs his way to first place in the Reversible Class of the ploughing championships. Photo / ODT

Both Mr Mehrtens and Mr Woolley will now represent New Zealand at the World Championships in America next year.

Hosted by the Thornbury Vintage Tractor and Implement Club, 40 finalists from throughout New Zealand competed in two days of competition.

Club president Fraser Pearce said the weekend of competition went really well.

"The weather even played ball.''

Overall feedback from competitors had been they were happy with this year's championships and pretty pleased with the land used in the event.

Rain most of the week in Southland had organisers worried but, overall, ground conditions were not too bad, apart from the odd wet area, Mr Pearce said.

2017 FMG Young Farmer of the Year Nigel Woodhead, of Milton, competes in the Silver Plough Class at the ploughing champs as a guest competitor. Photo / ODT

The Horse Plough Class drew in a large number of spectators as six teams competed: two from the North Island, two from Canterbury and two from Otago-Southland.

"It's been a huge success, not just for the vintage club or the New Zealand Ploughing Association but for Thornbury,'' Mr Pearce said.

Hosting the championships could not have been possible without the work of the entire vintage club and the support of sponsors and the community, he said.

"All the planning and hard work has paid off. It's been a real learning curve.''