70th Nationals going ahead

[OGB]

I know a lot of people have mixed views about the SOP, but committing to put on a show when some events post this date are still being cancelled....
Do you think it will excel on previous years?

 

[Ley253]

probably still trying to wipe the egg off its face it got from all the matches run by ploughmen last year!
Excel?Well it does in one way, any further from english ploughmen and it would be in Norway!

 

[Mydexta]

probably still trying to wipe the egg off its face it got from all the matches run by ploughmen last year!
Excel?Well it does in one way, any further from english ploughmen and it would be in Norway!

Do you not think that it’s fair that the nationals travels round the country???

im Sure there’s plenty folk up north who travel to it every year, and are now glad when it’s on their doorstep for once

 

[Ley253]

We shall see. Travelling around the country is fine, but off to foreign climes is a step too far! Dont forget that they send their own reps to the world, so there is no real need for them to take place in the British national, more so as they have installed a government which considers its self anything but British! I know of several members who are now ex members as they wont travel that far, and so do not need the membership. For myself, I will be doing no more nationals and as things stand very few, if any matches. That may change by the autumn, and I hope it does. However, the premature cancellation of so many matches, for as it was shown, NO REASON has left a very sour taste.

 

[Pennine Ploughing]

Still banging the same drum are we Harry,
What happened to the match you were organising last year, I never seen any results posted anywhere?,

 

[ploughman61]

Are the SOP still going no sign of life anywhere?, agm should within next two weeks, who's going to represent us at worlds in Ireland no qualifyers have been or going to be held. We need someone from sop to come out with a statement, for all we know they all died from covid

 

[Ley253]

Still banging the same drum are we Harry,
What happened to the match you were organising last year, I never seen any results posted anywhere?,

Perhaps you should look more closely! I did mention the fact that the landowner pulled the plug due to his needing to carry out anti blackgrass activities
Regarding the drum I merely amplify the resounding beats produced by Jon Cole and Robert Ball in their successful running of three matches! These were ploughing matches though not country shows, and were all the better for it.

 

[ploughman61]

Perhaps you should look more closely! I did mention the fact that the landowner pulled the plug due to his needing to carry out anti blackgrass activities
Regarding the drum I merely amplify the resounding beats produced by Jon Cole and Robert Ball in their successful running of three matches! These were ploughing matches though not country shows, and were all the better for it.

Think we should all thank our lucky stars that none of us caught covid, I for one was very blarsay about the situation, but on hindsight we were very foolish we should never had done it, being honest it has scared the sh!t out of me. Got a friend who was super fit ex copper did he man challenges marathons etc never smoked no health problems within 48 hours of catching it he was dead, last man i would have thought to get it. This virus takes no prisoners so please be careful, want to see you all on ploughing field this autumn vacated fit and well, yes even you Harry, but we need some clarification of whats happening from sop

 

[Ley253]

Think we should all thank our lucky stars that none of us caught covid, I for one was very blarsay about the situation, but on hindsight we were very foolish we should never had done it, being honest it has scared the sh!t out of me. Got a friend who was super fit ex copper did he man challenges marathons etc never smoked no health problems within 48 hours of catching it he was dead, last man i would have thought to get it. This virus takes no prisoners so please be careful, want to see you all on ploughing field this autumn vacated fit and well, yes even you Harry, but we need some clarification of whats happening from sop

Had we been foolish, the virus would have decimated the competitors, it has not. You quote one man who had worn his body out as an example, fine. I will quote a family of four the children brought it home from school and infected mum and dad, mum and kids were symptom free, dad was ill for a few days. They were much closer to normal people than your example, who, by the way, would have been considered vulnerable because of his previous life style, it has been known for some time that the keep fit fraternity are more susceptible to infections of this sort.
Still, thats all history, but we can use it to learn from. It has proved the precautions were effective, now with the vaccinations taking place, they should be even more so. That being so, ploughing matches, perhaps without spectators can be run in a safe manner, and should be, if only to lift the cloud of depression felt by many. For myself, I can honestly say that the weeks I tried to obey house arrest one, were worse than time I spent in cells whilst in the RN! At least I had the cell sentry to talk to then! You also knew your release date.
Your, "even you Harry" comment is a prime example of the reason that I am close to giving the game up. Why bother to spend my life driving miles, maintaining expensive equipment, to make up the numbers in ploughing matches, in the hope that keeping the numbers up will ensure the survival of both the class and the match when people you thought of as friends behave in a manner which makes you question that.

 

[MrNoo]

Do you not think that it’s fair that the nationals travels round the country???

I think it great, different people/soils/judges. Be a bit dull if held in the same place every year unless the soil was to die for. It's the bloody rain I dislike!!!

 

[Fergie Ploughman]

I'm looking forward to it! Has it been there before, any idea what the soil is like ?

 

[ploughman61]

I'm looking forward to it! Has it been there before, any idea what the soil is like ?

Scottish & European vintage was next door in 2010, nice going if I remember correctly, Ingram and watkins wiped the floor in the Europeans

 

[Ley253]

I was told that I would be missing one of the best ploughing sites the SOP has had.

 

[Not so smart by nature]

We shall see. Travelling around the country is fine, but off to foreign climes is a step too far! Dont forget that they send their own reps to the world, so there is no real need for them to take place in the British national, more so as they have installed a government which considers its self anything but British! I know of several members who are now ex members as they wont travel that far, and so do not need the membership. For myself, I will be doing no more nationals and as things stand very few, if any matches. That may change by the autumn, and I hope it does. However, the premature cancellation of so many matches, for as it was shown, NO REASON has left a very sour taste.

Have you checked the date of your map? You do realise the site is in England and that its just close to the Scottish border, surely the English ploughman in the north deserve the right to plough at the British National , anyway the clue is in the name after all, so why can't the Scots compete there are qualifiers north of the border too you know and always has been.

 

[Ley253]

Yes, I plead guilty to a senior moment, though David Chappells comment that the nearest pub was in Scotland may have stuck in my mind!
Of course, english ploughmen from the north should be able to plough, but, not to the detrimnt of those in the south, surely? However, thats an unanswerable problem. I would rather see the national move to a permanent site, on good ground in the Midlands, everyone would know where it was, and things like the agm could be held there.
The problem is, that while it is the British National, it now only sends English ploughmen to the world, therefore, Scots, Welsh etc competitors who gain a place in the plough off do so at the expense of English competitors, and thus cut down the number of poss World attendees. This could be cured by making them additions to the plough off numbers, they would still plough for the British championship, increase the interest in the plough off.
There have, as you say always been competitors form Scotland, Wales etc, and all was fine because it was the british champion who went to the world, when that changed, so to, should the plough off.

 

[Pennine Ploughing]

Don't know about Wales, but the Scottish champions only a Scottish man can plough for Scotland, would think Wales will be the same,
So that maybe why the rules were altered to align with the others,
I like the fact it moves about the country each year, and I am only 10 miles from the Scottish border, so I will have more travelling than most, also a hard true genuine plough man, sorry plough person is willing to travel to the national wherever it maybe on British soil, the variation of soil, land and countryside is all part of the enjoyment of the sport,
No getting away from it, you cannot please everyone all the time, but at least it is a change of land every year,
I travel further than most because I enjoy it, if I did not enjoy it, I would just give over doing it

 

[Not so smart by nature]

Yes, I plead guilty to a senior moment, though David Chappells comment that the nearest pub was in Scotland may have stuck in my mind!
Of course, english ploughmen from the north should be able to plough, but, not to the detrimnt of those in the south, surely? However, thats an unanswerable problem. I would rather see the national move to a permanent site, on good ground in the Midlands, everyone would know where it was, and things like the agm could be held there.
The problem is, that while it is the British National, it now only sends English ploughmen to the world, therefore, Scots, Welsh etc competitors who gain a place in the plough off do so at the expense of English competitors, and thus cut down the number of poss World attendees. This could be cured by making them additions to the plough off numbers, they would still plough for the British championship, increase the interest in the plough off.
There have, as you say always been competitors form Scotland, Wales etc, and all was fine because it was the british champion who went to the world, when that changed, so to, should the plough off.

You forget those English ploughmen in the north have to travel south more often than you likely to travel north to compete, just read through the list of past venues and look where they've been located on a map and you will understand where I am coming from.

The Scottish moves around all the time as well and when its held in a location far from my home, it down to me to choose whether to travel and attend or not, more often these days I won't, even when I was prepared to travel further I decided not to attend some but I was happy for those we took part and still keenly followed the days events even from afar.

I am guilty of not knowing how the world style conventional and reversible classes work at the British but if its the same as the Scottish where only those who are Scottish (or have reside in Scotland for a specific period of time) go forward to the plough off) others go to the visitor class but the British may differ in setup but if similar or not it hardly cuts down the possible number attendees because it will still be the highest placed Englishman or resident of England that gets qualifies for the world even if they didn't make the plough off surely and if your not prepared to travel to any part of the UK to attempt to win the right to represent your country you might also not be prepared to travel across the world either.

As far as Vintage and Classic classes to my knowledge any nationality can win the British or Scottish Championship but again in regards to representing your country its the same rules as the World Style.

 

[Fergie Ploughman]

Anybody have any recommendations on where to stay, needs (small) truck parking, good food and draft beer?

 

[Pennine Ploughing]

Anybody have any recommendations on where to stay, needs (small) truck parking, good food and draft beer?

How close to the match do you want to be

 

[MrNoo]

How close to the match do you want to be

I suspect draft beer is more important!!!