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Information about festivals and competitions in other countries
Report of First Competition (2005) and Second Competition (2006)
Third Competition (2007) and Fourth Competition (2008)
THE SIXTH
WEST COUNTRY SCYTHE COMPETITION
and South Somerset Green Fair
will be held at Thorney Lakes, Muchelney Langport, Somerset
ON 13 JUNE 2010
Sunday 13 June: The Scythe Festival Competition and Green Fair
The scythe competition will start with heats in the morning, and early afternoon, with the finals beginning at around 3pm.
As usual there will be other scything events, haymaking activities, music, speakers, theatre, kids events, craft stalls, local food, cider and beer and what-have-you.
Stall pitches are limited at the Scythe Festival. To book a pitch, please contact Louise Finnis: finnisl@yahoo.co.uk; 01308 425018.
More information about the Green Fair will be posted at http://www.greenfair.org.uk/
Christiane Lechner is again coming over from Austria so we are offering a specialist course on Thursday and Friday 10-11 June, and a beginners' and improvers' course on Saturday 12 June as follows:
Saturday 12 June: Beginners' and Improvers' Scythe Course
A day-long programme of instruction and workshops for beginners and improvers at Thorney Lakes
Tutors include virtually all the people currently teaching mowing and scythe use in the UK: Phil Batten, Simon Damant (the current UK champion), Simon Fairlie, Gilian Hardstone, Christiane Lechner from Austria, Ray Lister, and Deano Martin; with additional talks from Richard Brown of Emorsgate Seeds, Mike Ingram of the National Trust and others. Attendance on Saturday will be £55, including food on Saturday and admission to the festival on Sunday.
12 June: Snath-Making Course
There will also be a 3 hour snath-making workshop led by Steve Tomlin on 12 June, which will be an option for people attending the Beginners' and Improvers' Course. If you only want to attend the snath-making course, it will cost £22.
Thursday and Friday 10-11 June: How to Teach People How to Mow
A two day course for people who already have some experience of mowing, explaining how to improve your skills and communicate them to others. It will be run by Christiane Lechner, with help from Phil Batten and Simon Fairlie. It will cover: mowing styles, tai chi mowing, peening options and styles, common mistakes, useful tips and tricks, dealing with difficult grass, who requires what equipment, how to organize and run a course etc. Attendees on the course will be invited to assist in tuition of beginners on Saturday for a couple of hours. There will be a fee for this course of around £100. There will be a maximum of 10 people on this course, so please express an interest early.
FOR ALL INFORMATION ABOUT THE FESTIVAL AND COURSES, PLEASE EMAIL chapter7@tlio.org.uk OR PHONE 01460 249204
For photos and videos of the 2009 festival see
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUe8AhYnhYE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvCeOgc2EAs&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AR2C1gFoYWw
For information about music, stalls, kids events and all other aspects of the Green Fair see http://www.greenfair.org.uk/
RESULTS OF 2009 COMPETITIONS IN THE UK
The Fifth West Country Scythe Competition
Above: reigning champion Simon Damant
This year , for the first time we held heats, in which people had to see how far they could mow in a minute.
57 people participated of whom 24 made it into the finals, where they mowed a patch 5 metres by 5 metres.
The reigning champion, Simon Damant, surpassed himself by mowing 25 sq metres in 1minute 10 seconds,
twice as fast as the next fastest mower.
If he kept up this rate he could do an acre in three hours.
The world record for one day's mowing by one man is (allegedly) five acres in a day.
Here are the results of the finals. Note the clear superiority of Somerset women.
Overall Champion (for the third year running): Simon Damant (Cambs)
Second place: George Montague
Third equal: Phil Batten (Wales) and Joe Leighton (Somerset)
Women's Cup
First: Mary Durling (Somerset)
Second: Linda Perry (Somerset)
Third: Corina Shicht (Somerset)
Quality Trophy
Simon Bowden (Wales)
Veteran Mower
Henry Best (Somerset), Henry Leeds and Martin Kibblewhite (Herefordshire, using an English scythe)
Young Mower
Joe Leighton (Somerset) aged 16, who came third equal overall.
Commendations
Chris Riley (Wilts), John Fulford (Devon), Mark Allery
Team Mowing: 4 mowers mowing 10 metres by 8 metres
The East of England (6.48 minutes) beat the West of England (7.08)
Scythe v Strimmer
Strimmus Maximus (alias Phil Bartlett) with a Stihl brushcutter was outclassed by Simon Damant,
Here are the performances of the finalists. Figures are time in seconds and points awarded for quality, out of ten.
Simon Damant: 1.10; 9
Mark Allery: 2.20; 4
Chris Riley: 2.28; 5
Deano Martin; 2.39; 2.5
George Montague: 3.17; 8.5
Paul Kingsnorth: 3.18; 4
Mary Durling: 3.23; 6
Phil Batten: 3.28; 7
John Fulford: 3.38; 6
Joe Leighton: 3.52; 8
Rob Blodie: 4.05
John Letts: 4.10; 4
Alastair Inglis 4.22;
Tim Macmillan: 4.55; 6
Henry Best: 4.58; 4
Linda Perry 4.59; 8
David Cooper 4:59; 4
Corina Schicht 5.05; 4
Simon Bowden: 5.08; 9.5
Peter Wright: 5.53; 4
Henry Leeds: 5.55; 5
Martin Kibblewhite 7.26; 6
Rebecca Laughton: 8.10; 5
Many thanks to everyone who participated;
to those who helped put on the event, to Christiane Lechner, who came over from Austria to provide instruction;
and to Ann and Richard England for hosting the event, and providing the grass.
2008 Eastern Counties Competition
Team mowing at the 2009 Eastern Counties festival and competition, at Wimpole, Cambs, 28 June.
Richard Brown won the competition with a time of 3.00 minutes (quality of 8)
Second: Chris Riley 2.57 ( 7)
Third: Mark Ricketts 4.03 (5)
Veterans award: Jimmy Altham 6.16 minutes (7)
Lady's award: Catherine Hayburn 6.32 (6)
Best Novice: Joe Moore; 5.56 (7)
Longest Horn: Simon Damant
You can find more photos here
http://www.flickr.com/photos/22312769@N07/sets/72157621301833049/
2009 Gairloch Gathering
So far all we know is that Ross Hood was the winner.
RESULTS OF 2008 COMPETITIONS IN THE UK
The Fourth West Country Scythe Competition June 14-15
Many people we talked to thought the fourth festival and competition, held at Thorney Lakes on 15 June was the best yet. The grass was good, the weather held, attendance was up, and some people's performances were much improved. Watch out European scythesmen, we're catching up!
Here are the results.
Overall Champion (for the second year running): Simon Damant (Cambs)
Second place (very close): Phil Batten (S Wales)
Third: Ray Lister (Notts)
Fourth: Mike Ingram (Devon)
Women's Cup
First: Mary Durling (Somerset)
Second: Rebecca Laughton (Somerset)
Third: Itziar Amarato (Somerset and Basque Country)
Quality Trophy
Phil Batten
Commendations
Paul Kingsnorth, Deano Martin, Peter Wright,
Veteran Mower
Henry Best
Here are the performances of the 12 who mowed their 5m by 5m patch in less than 5 minutes. Figures are time in seconds and points awarded for quality, out of ten.
Simon Damant: 1.45; 8
Phil Batten: 2.08; 9.5
Ray Lister: 2.42; 8.5
Deano Martin: 3.28; 5
Steve Lucas; 3.6; 4.5
Chris Swinburn: 3.45; 2.5
Sten Grendon: 4.10; 3
Tony Harcourt: 4.18; 3
Mary Durling: 4.21; 7
Itziar Amarato: 4.42; 6.5
Paul Kingsnorth: 4.45; 7.5
Mick Edwards: 4.52; 5.5
And here are the other mowers whose quality was rated 6 or above.
Mike Ingram 5.22; 9
Peter Wright: 5.25; 8
Rebecca Laughton; 8.06; 7.5
Alastair Ingles: 7.38; 7
Marian Reed; 14.5; 6.5
Many thanks to everyone who participated; to those who helped put on the event, to Gerhard Wagner, and his son Wolfgang, who came over from Austria to provide instruction; and to Ann and Richard England for hosting the event, and providing the grass.
Below: Simon Damant mowing with a 110 cm Schroeckenfux Austrian style blade.
2008 Eastern Counties Competition
This was held at Wimpole, near Cambridge on 21June
5 metres by 5 metres The results were as follows:
Richard Baker 2.55 minutes / 6 points for quality — Fastest time award
Simon Fairlie 3.05 / 8 — Overall champion
James Fisher 3.07 /7 — Best novice medal
Deano Martin 3.36 / 7
Mark Rickets 4.48 / 6.5
Mick Velasco 4.49/ 6
David Mason 5.02 / 6
Malcolm Lee 7.34 /8.5 — Won the English scythe, best cut and veteran awards as he was 75 years old
Jennifer Deega 7.34 /6.5 — Won the ladies medal.
Note that points for quality are not based on the same scale in this competition as in the West Country competition.
2008 Gairloch Gathering
A competition (the first for many years in Scotland) was held at the Gairloch Gathering, in Wester Ross on 28 June. The plots were 2metres by 3,5 metres. The top five competitors were:
Donald MacIntosh (Red Point, Gairloch) 50 seconds; cut quality 6
Trevor Nash (Melvaig) 57 seconds; cut quality 7
Alastair Macrae (Gairloch) 1min 8 sec; cut quality 8
Alastair Renton (Strath, Gairloch) 1min 9 sec; cut quality 5
Amdomi Katalima (Basque, Spain) 1min 15 sec; cut quality 4
Two competitors used traditional Scottish scythes.
RESULTS OF PREVIOUS COMPETITIONS IN THE UK
The Third West Country
Scythe Festival & Competition
was held at Muchelney on 17 June 2007. Over 1000 people attended, the weather held, and even cynics enjoyed it. Here is a picture of Phil Batten from S Wales with his home-made Eastern European style snath. Behind him Henry Best of Somerset, winner of the over 70s class. Behind him, Samson.
RESULTS OF COMPETITION
( This year the grass was very thick and leaning so times were slower than in previous years)
5 metres by 5 metres
Overall winner: Simon Damant from Cambs (5 minutes 59 seconds).
Runner up: Ray Lister (2006 champion) from Notts (6.18 )
Fastest time: Steve Friend (2005 champion) from Somerset (5.53)
Quality of cut award: Mike Ingram, Devon ( 7.45 )
Runner up for quality: Simon Bowden, Wales (12.31)
Women's cup: Rebecca Laughton, from Dorset (12.27)
Youngsters' award Jonathan Koetsier (Wilts??), age 12, (12.58)
Oldster's award, over 70, Henry Best from Somerset, (7.32)
2 metres x 5 metres
Men's: Sten Grendon from Glos (2.56)
Women's: Gil Hardstone, from Scotland (12.31)
For more about the Green Fair side of the occasion see http://www.greenfair.org.uk/
The First Lancashire
Scythe Festival & Competition
was held at the
RE-TURN Community Environmental Reserve
Turn Village, Nr Edenfield, Rossendale
on Saturday 21st July and Sunday 22nd July 2007
Joint winners, Simon Damant and Nick Lowe.
For more information contact:
The LITTORAL Trust, 42 Lodge Mill Lane, Turn Village, Lancashire BL0 0RW
Tel 01706 827961 M. 07796 607 167 E. littoral@btopenworld.com <www.littoral.org.uk>
The Second West Country
Scythe Festival
Sunday 30 July 2006
About 500 people came to the Trading Post, Lopen Head, Somerset to watch contestants from all over Britain compete for the title of
West Country Scythe Champion
(which effectively means UK champion, as nowhere else is holding competitions).
SCYTHE VERSUS BRUSHCUTTER
In the morning we held a competition between a scythe and a professional petrol-powered brushcutter, with a metal disc.
Four areas were tackled in turn, by different workmen, and the results were as follows:
Area 1: Long grass: the scythe won.
Area 2: Brambles: a draw.
Area 3: Nettles and thistles: the brushcutter won.
Area 4: bracken: a draw.
The competition was declared a draw.
Users of both the scythe and the brushcutter were equally knackered at the end of each bout.
 |
 |
|---|---|
| Raymond Lister | Hal Wynne Jones |
MOWING COMPETITION
There were 22 contestants.
Each contestant mowed a square 5 metres by 5 metres, in heats of three contestants at a time.
Because it was July, in a very dry year, the grass was poor, dry and difficult to cut;
but none of the contestants complained and all performed bravely and effectively.
The result, after these heats, was inconclusive so a final, was held,
again on squares of 5x5m, between the five best performers who were:
Simon Bowden from Wales.
Davin Bull from Dorset.
Mike Ingram from Devon.
Raymond Lister from Notts.
Hal Wynne-Jones from Glos.
In the final, two competitors outshone: Hal mowed his square in an energetic 1 minute 40 seconds, but his cut was tufty.
Raymond took 3 minutes 25 seconds, with a finish like a serge suit.
The judges remained undecided, and asked the spectators whether greater weight should be given to speed, or to quality.
Those who cried "Speed" cried loudest, but the voices in support of "Quality" were more numerous.
The spouses of the two protagonists then began lobbying the judges,
arguing, on the one hand, that had speedmerchant Hal gone back and tidied up his patch he would still have been ahead
— and in support of cleanhead Ray, that no self-respecting scythesman mows a meadow by going over it twice.
Happily, the judges had acted with forethought and come equipped with two awards.
The Championship cup was awarded to Raymond Lister.
Hal Wynne Jones was given a special award of an engraved competition-length scythe blade.
The three other finalists were awarded medals,
The entry level for the women's championship was disappointing this year, with only two entrants
(last year's winner Jenn Carter, couldn't come, and last year's runner up, Mary Durling, was a judge this year).
The women's award this year went to Emma from Glos, with Rosie Bond from Wilts runner up.
The award for the best performance with an English scythe went to Ray Meeks from East Anglia.
A big hand please for all participants.
The First West Country Scythe Festival
and Mowing Competition, 2005
