The Mid Somerset Agricultural Society held their annual hedge laying match recently at Waterlip, near Shepton Mallet with an encouragingly large entry in the novice section.

There was also a tractor run and a Land Rover gathering.

This year there were forty-five entries in the tractor run which was over seventeen miles from Waterlip to Stoke St Michael to Oakhill round to Coleford on to Vobster, then Leigh on Mendip returning to Waterlip, a distance of some seventeen miles.

With the extreme weather conditions at the time, they all have to be admired for their endurance.

The hedge laying was a testament to the hardiness of the country worker, with the high winds and rain at the start of day and a slight improvement in weather conditions by the end of the day.

The hedge length was described as good for the championship class but testing for the novice class.

The winner of the open class and champion was Chris Chivers of Midsomer Norton and the winner of the novice class was Steve Eldridge of Bristol. There is now a prize for the best veteran, which this year was won by Chris Claxton of Chilcompton. The best junior winner was Joe Harding of Shepton Mallet.

The land was given for the competition by kind permission of the Hoddinott Family of Burnt House Farm, Waterlip, for which the society are extremely grateful.

Rosie Sage