Three southerners proved they were the best of the best, taking out top spots at the New Zealand Ploughing Championships in Thornbury recently. The Middlemarch horse team of Sean Leslie and Casey Rae, with horses Anna and Nugget, won the horse class, while Waimumu man Alistair Rutherford won the vintage ploughing class. Hosted by the Thornbury Vintage Tractor and Implement Club, 40 finalists from throughout New Zealand competed in two days of competition. Rain most of the week in Southland had organisers worried but, overall, ground conditions were not too bad, apart from the odd wet area, Mr Pearce said. ``It's been a huge success, not just for the vintage club or the New Zealand Ploughing Association but for Thornbury,'' Mr Pearce said.

Source: Otago Daily Times April 24, 2018 17:03 UTC