The 61st Welsh National Ploughing and Hedging Championships for 2021 was held at Llancayo Farm last Sunday, 25 September, sixty years after it first appeared there in 1961.

On that day in 1961, a 19-year-old youngster from Raglan by the name of Anthony Bradley, who had been ploughing since the age of 11, would go on to be a world class ploughman and no match, national or international was complete without Tony Bradley’s name in the roster.

The only other person who was also present in 1961, ploughing at the age of 25, was Lloyd Jones of Talgarrey and the two reminisced briefly about their experiences sixty years ago.

Sadly, Sunday was Tony’s last match, “My health isn’t good enough”.

Sunday’s match was held by kind permission of the Morgan family and saw over 100 competitors from all over the UK compete in different classes to be judged for the crowns of Champion Welsh Ploughman and Overall Champion Hedger.

As Monmouthshire was due to have the event last year but was postponed, the hosts for 2021, Wrexham, kindly allowed the county to have the honours, somewhat delayed, in hosting the event a year late.

Champion Welsh Tractor Ploughman was Evan Watkin, Welshpool while Reserve Champion was Rhodri George, Haverfordwest.

The Evan Davies Trophy for the best work in any class carried out by a ploughing competitor under 26 years of age went to Morgan Evans, Gower, who also won the Richard & Heather March Trophy for the best work in Class 2 Semi-Digger-World Style-Under 26.

The Monmouthshire Perpetual Cup for the best ploughing work by a competitor resident in Monmouthshire went to Daril Evans, Skenfrith

The Barbara & Glyn Davies Perpetual Cup for the best ploughing work by a competitor resident in Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire or Glamorgan: Rhodri George, Havefordwest.

Whitecastle ploughman Allan Davies came third in the General Purpose or Semi-Digger (Classic) 1960-1976.

The Border Fine Arts Trophy – Champion Welsh Horse Ploughing Competitor went to Roger Smith from Crickhowell.

Overall Champion Hedger was Carwyn Jones from Powys. David Probert from Llanvihangel Crucorney won the hedging class for Any Monmouthshire Style.

Mark Taylor and Ben Williams from Raglan came second in the Wire Fencing – Open Pairs