Two Forfar ploughmen took home the top two awards at the Scottish Ploughing Championships and will be heading to the World Ploughing Championships in Estonia next year.
The annual competition, which took place in Ayrshire at Monktonhill Farm, Prestwick, attracted 98 top ploughmen, with competitors from every nation of the UK competing together over the two days.
Six time World Ploughing Champion Andrew Mitchell senior, won the world style conventional title, securing his 13th win at the Scottish Ploughing Championships.
His son Andrew junior, is also a former World Champion and the father and son duo have lifted top titles at championships together.
Brian Baxter, also from Forfar, took home the world style reversible accolade for the first time.
Mr Baxter, who farms on his wife’s family farm at Craignathro, was the winner of the British Championships in England in 2021.
He has also just returned from Denmark, where he was competing and representing Scotland in the European Championships, winning third in the stubble ploughing, 10th in the grass and third overall.
This is just the second time that two men from the same area have landed the top honours, apart from when Andrew Mitchell senior and his son, also Andrew, won the awards around 10 years ago.
Willie Grieve from Cupar in Fife, and James Tait from Thurso, both competed in last month’s World Ploughing Championships in Latvia, and took runner-up in the top two sections at the Scottish.
Mr Grieve won the reserve overall conventional, while Mr Tait took home the reserve title in the reversible section.
George Black from Earlston in the Scottish Borders, won the vintage mounted class and went on to be overall vintage champion, while Gordon Hepburn junior from Elgin, won classic conventional.
The classic reversible winner was Colin Crawford from Linlithgow.
Next year’s Scottish Ploughing Championships is heading to the north of the country and will take place at Newmore Farm, Invergordon, on Friday 25 and Saturday 26 October.
RESULTS
World style conventional – 1, Andrew Mitchell Snr, Forfar; 2, Willie Grieve, Ladybank; 3, Mark Skea, Inverurie.
World style reversible – 1, Brian Baxter, Forfar; 2, James Tait, Thurso; 3, Gavin Robertson, Caithness.
Modern classic – 1, James McIndoe Broxburn; 2, Bob Milne, Ellon.
Classic conventional – 1, Gordon Hepburn Jnr, Elgin; 2, Euan Anderson, Dundee; 3, John Griffin, Kelso.
Classic reversible – 1, Colin Crawford, Linlithgow; 2, Neil Ramsay, Earlston; 3, Kenneth Wood, Kelso.
Reversible multi-furrow – 1, Matthew Henry, Stoneykirk; 2, David Taylor, Crieff; 3,
Ross Anderson, Cumnock.
Vintage trailing – 1, Michael Mackay, Thurso; 2, Douglas Stewart, Turriff; 3,
Ed Bennie, Freuchie.
Vintage mounted – 1, George Black Earlston; 2, Jim McKechnie Stonehouse; 3, David Veitch, Scotlandwell.
Juniors – 1, Jack Forsyth, Whithorn; 2, Robert Kennedy, Haddington; 3, Struan Trewartha, St Andrews.
High cut – 1, James Fleming Forfar.
Horticultural – 1, Tom Tweedie, Biggar.
Horse broken furrow – 1, John Fletcher, Cardigan; 2, Craig Duncan, Cupar; 3, Adam Young, Cleish.
Demo non-GPS – 1, Lemken UK; 2 and 3, Kverneland UK.
Ferguson TE20 – 1, Richard Birkbeck, Appleby; 2, Douglas Scott, Cults; 3, Peter Walker, East Calder.
Horse whole furrow – 1, John Fletcher, Cardigan; 2, Craig Duncan, Cupar.
