Ploughing persistence pays off for Sheat

Press, 24 May 1985, Page 21

Ploughing persistence pays off for Sheat

At his sixteenth attempt to win the New Zealand ploughing championship final, a Palmerston farmer, Mr Noel Sheat, won the Mobil Silver Plough at Gore last week-end. As he had travelled to three previous world ploughing matches, after being runner-up in New Zealand finals, Mr Sheat was ploughing for his fourth and last representative opportunity and naturally wanted to be the winner.

Having been to Germany, Ireland and Zimbabwe before, Mr Sheat will now be off to Canada in 1986. The second New Zealand representative will be Mr Graham Gifford, of Blenheim, who was runner-up at Gore last Saturday. Last year’s winner and runner-up, Messrs Roger Jordan of Blenheim and Bruce Redmond of Rakaia, will compete in the 1985 world final at Denmark in September. Guest of honour at the Mobil Silver Plough in Gore was the member of Parliament Mr Robin Gray

(Clutha), and Mr Jack Hazlett, deputy chairman of Mobil, the main sponsor, presented the winner’s trophy. Fine weather drew an estimated 3000 people to the two-day event, in which each competitor ploughed both stubble and grassland plots, in ideal ground conditions. Trade displays and other side attractions also provided entertainment.

Competitors were judged on a demerit system, taking into account factors such as opening splits, ins and outs, crowns, furrow depth and finishes. Sheat gained a total 297 points from a possible 400, and Gifford gained 291. In third place was Bruce Smith of Lincoln (281), fourth was Alan Begg of Ashburton (272), and fifth place went to Bill Winter of Rangiora (270). The medal results were: Stubble: Noel Sheat, gold; Ross Henson, Fielding, silver; Bruce Redmond, bronze; grass: Graham Gifford, gold; Bill Winter, silver; Bruce Smith, bronze.