N.Z. Second In France

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31365, 10 May 1967, Page 28

N.Z. Second In France

The most successful New Zealand ploughman in world competition so far has been Mr H. A. (Alan) Magson, of Rokeby, near Rakaia, in Mid-Can-terbury. Mr Magson is incidentally taking an active part in the organisation of the 14th World Ploughing Contest being chairman of the programme sub-committee of the committee organising the match. He is also a member of the executive of the New Ploughing Association.

Mr Magson won the New Zealand ploughing championship at Taieri in Otago in 1961 and ploughed that year in the world contest at Grignon in France. He ended up runner-up to W. Dixon, of Canada, less than four points behind the world champion. The Canterbury ploughman naturally remembers especially the announce-

ment of the results made on the match ground somewhere about 6 p.m. to 6.30 p.m. on the day the contest ended. Before the results were made known the competitors were standing under the flags of their respective countries. Mr Magson recalls that as no results had been announced after the first day’s ploughing, competitors had no idea how they had fared. He said that he was naturally most thrilled at the result, although, of. course, a little disappointed that he had got so close to the world championship but had not been quite able to finish it off. Actually Mr Magson finished third in the stubble ploughing section of the match and sixth equal in the grassland ploughing for his over-all second placing. It has to be remembered that New Zealand ploughmen have no experience of competitive ploughing in stubble. Something that Mr Magson also remembers was the number of congratulatory cables and messages that

arrived for him the next day —it was “absolutely fantastic,” he recalls.

Mr Magson has always been most modest about his success and emphasises that luck must always play a certain part in any success of this sort. He says that he certainly does not regard his success in France as entitling him to be looked on as the country’s leading ploughman. While he says that he drew good plots of ground to plough, the plots generally were fairly uniform that year, but France at that time had been going through one of the driest seasons for 50 years and there had been no rain for three months before the competitors arrived. The friendly spirit that existed between the competitors from many nations also impressed Mr Magson. “I could not help but be amazed that all of the competitors could live together in the college so long and everyone could be so approachable. There was a very friendly atmosphere and everyone was quite willing to help one another along in any difficulties that they had.”