The 38th Competition saw the very welcome return of the Dutch led by Lex and Martijin, who have been absent due to the pandemic for the last couple of years .
Despite the ground being like a quagmire in early January for the Improver's Day, it had dried out nicely for the competition and cutters were faced with hedges that matched their abilities , predominantly hawthorn , but with some maple and spindle.
All turned up on time and an efficient briefing and draw allowed cutting to start at 9am.The novice classes were given an extra half hour as their hedges were sited on top of a grass mound.
Judges and stewards kept a keen eye on proceedings and offer words of encouragement or assistance when required.
The sound of chainsaws was evident along most sections , not many took on the hedge with hand tools only by choice.
Thankfully the weather stayed dry and most completed the hedge on time , much aided by the brilliant stakes and binders supplied by David Dunk and Paul Matthews respectively.
An excellent lunch at the Plough Inn Upper Dicker followed ; it was a lovely occasion with all having a great time , with many old and new faces.
A raffle in aid of Chailey Heritage Foundation raised £369, due to the generosity of prize donors and the efforts of the Dutch to sell raffle tickets..
Prizes and cups were awarded and our Chairman, Phil Hart , who did a brilliant job as master of ceremonies. Scores and winners can be found on the links below.
Thanks must go to all the judges and stewards , who gave of their time freely and took their jobs seriously; without them we could not have a competition.
Thanks too must go to the photographers , Tim and Oscar, whose efforts can be found on the links below.
Preparations for the 2024, 39th Annual Competition have commenced , any suggestions on how this could be made even better than the 38th to Matthew Beard. Hold the date of 17 February 2024.
The day for me is summed up by the image below , at the very start of the day :-