European Ploughing Championships come to England

Champion ploughmen throughout Europe are getting ready to travel to Retford, Nottinghamshire, to take part in the 2025 European Ploughing Championships.

The event will be held on 1^st and 2^nd March on land at Upper Morton, by kind permission of Joseph Camm Farms Ltd and will incorporate the European Reversible Ploughing Championships and the European Vintage Ploughing Championships.  The Vintage is split into five sections for vintage trailed, hydraulic, classic, classic reversible and vintage reversible ploughs.

Teams are expected from 13 different countries, including France, Germany, Czech Republic, Switzerland and Sweden.  Most will bring their own tractors and ploughs with them with a few using borrowed equipment, loaned by some of their British counterparts.

Representing England this year are some past and present British Champions – Mick Chappell from Doncaster, South Yorkshire and Will Tupper from Pulborough, East Sussex will compete in the reversible contest.  Lincolnshire’s John Crowder will plough in the vintage trailed class, Jon Cole from Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire will be in the classic class and Richard Ingram from Atherstone, Warwickshire will plough in the vintage mounted class.  Graham Sutton from Nuneaton, Warwickshire and Steve Watkins from Maltby, South Yorkshire will be in the classic reversible class and the vintage reversible class will see Lee Gilbert and John Hornsby taking part, both from Derbyshire.

Alongside the competitions, visitors will be able to see demonstrations of horse ploughing, vintage high-cut ploughing and horticultural ploughing.  Steam ploughing engines will also be showing their abilities – a 1917 Fowler K5 engine and Guyot balance plough owned by Sir Robert Goodwill, will be paired up with a 1918 J & H McLaren engine owned by Richard Holt from Leicestershire, pulling a 3 furrow Guyot balance plough.

Five pairs of horses will be demonstrating, including the current British Horse Ploughing Champion, Martin Kerswell from Fordingbridge, Hampshire, working with his Percheron horses, Pierre and Gringo.  Shires and a pair of Norwejian Fjords will also be seen working.

Two more British Champions will be demonstrating – the British High Cut Ploughing Champion, Shaun Garrod from Norfolk, will be one of three showing off their skills in this old-style traditional ploughing; and Martin Cotton from Lincolnshire, the current British Horticultural Ploughing Champion will be bringing his Trusty 6 horticultural plough.

A variety of trade stands will be in attendance, with visitors able to buy anything from a pair of gloves to a tractor!   Food stalls will also be there, so visitors won’t go hungry and there will also be displays of static vintage tractors and equipment.   Sponsors of the event include Bridgestone, Aztec Oils, Kverneland UK, Old 20 Parts, Milk from the Hills, B&B Tractors, Farmstar, Philip Watkins and Ripon Farm Services.

The event is being organized by the Society of Ploughmen, a registered charity and Chief Executive, Sue Frith, said: “We are looking forward to welcoming all our overseas visitors to Retford.  Members of our Society will be coming from all over the country to support the Championships and I hope local people will too.  It will be a great day out – not only to see the skills and precision of all the champion ploughmen  but to appreciate how farming has changed over hundreds of years”.

The site is very easy to find, as the fields run alongside the A1. For satnavs, the postcode is DN22 8HG and for those travelling on the A1, from the Apleyhead Interchange take the B6420 towards Retford.

Further information can be found on www.ploughmen.co.uk or from the Society of Ploughmen on  01302 852469 and you can follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

Lead Image caption: Will Tupper will be representing England in the European Reversible Ploughing Championships. Photo courtesy of Chloe Taylor.

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