Rillington Young Farmers held their annual ploughing match near East Heslerton in North Yorkshire on February 22nd. The match was very kindly hosted by Albanwise Farming Ltd on some lovely free-draining sand land and attracted just over 70 ploughmen and women.
There were lots of fascinating modern and modern classic tractors and ploughs taking part in the commercial reversible class. These included the Wilson family's Massey Ferguson 7720 and Ovlac Xperience five-furrow plough that was operated by Digby Blenkin, whilst James Pashby took part with his family's Massey Ferguson 7618 and Kuhn five-furrow plough. The Dowson family brought along their New Holland T7.245 attached to a Kverneland 3300 S five-furrow plough.
The commercial reversible class was won by Stevie Wood, who was using a very smart John Deere 6930 Premium yoked to a slightly older Kverneland five-furrow reversible plough. It was an impressive display of precision ploughing on the free-draining sand land, with Wood producing consistently clean, straight furrows throughout.
The event continues to be one of the highlights of the Young Farmers ploughing calendar in the north of England, providing an excellent opportunity for competitors of all ages and experience levels to test their skills. With strong support from local farming families and dealers, the match remains a vital showcase for the ploughing community in North Yorkshire.
The quality of the land provided by Albanwise Farming made for excellent ploughing conditions, and the organisers expressed their gratitude to the Albanwise team for their generous hospitality. With entries up on the previous year, the event looks set to continue growing as one of the region's most popular winter matches.