Mowers faced typical Somerset level grass at the Green scythe fair this year: lush and heavy!
The grass cut easily enough, as shown by the decent times recorded by mowers in the 5 x 5 metre plots.
The main challenge competitors faced was partially laid grass pushed in a variety of directions by the wind and rain over the proceeding week. Good strategy (reading and following the lay of the grass), nerve, and an element of luck are needed in these circumstances to get a fast time without ‘losing it’ on quality. With each square only taking minutes to complete there is no time to adjust style or approach as you mow – you just have to decide a plan at the ‘starting block’, then go for it and hope for the best!
Looking over the quality scores it is interesting to see how this challenge played out in the field as a significant number of our best mowers tripped up on quality scoring 5 or worse (the average for the competition being 6).
Judging the competition as a result was particularly challenging this year with the judging team out for a record time in deliberation before the awards could be announced.
The judges recognised that this year it was easier to cut fast than well so they decided to give a greater weight to quality than to speed. This meant that mowers who recorded fast times but ‘lost it’ on quality did not make it in to the top ranking overall. The most notable example of this was Andy Coleman who recorded the second fastest time of 1’48” but with a quality score of only 4, and was awarded the Fast but Crap trophy!!
Andi Rickard deservedly won the overall prize having mown a fast time and also held it together with quality. Andi also took home the women’s cup and 3rd place for quality.
The Quality cup itself was no less tricky to rank in that the best quality recorded for a 5 x 5 was a score of 9, but this was accompanied by the second slowest time recorded in the competition by Adeon Walters. As his was the only score of 9 in the competition, and given that Adeon is a newcomer of only 15 year of age, the judges felt that in the spirit of the event Adeon was a deserving winner of the 2019 quality cup; a decision warmly applauded at the awards ceremony. Dan Britton placed close second in the quality deserves special mention for his 8.5 quality and respectable time.
You could say that the 2019 West country competition sorted the the women and boys from the men!
Overall
1 Andi Rickard 2:38 8 2019 Overall Champion
2 Jonathan Adams 2:28 7
3 George Montague 1:20 4.5
Andi Rickard
Women
1 Andi Rickard 2:38 8 2019 Women’s Champion
2 Tracy Harris 6:57 7.5
3 Beth Tilston 7:11 7.5
Quality
1 Adeon Waters 10:18 9 2019 Quality Champion
2 Dan Britton 4:09 8.5
3 Andi Rickard 2:38 8
English
1 Terry Standen 2:02 5.5 2019 English Scythe Champion
2 John Fenn 4:59 6
3 Oska Thomas 7:34 2
Veterans
1 John Fenn 4:59 6 2019 Veterans Champion
2 Colin Close 8:18 8
3 David Kuegler 11:40 6
Youth
Rami McDade, 13 6:09 4 Half (ish) plot
Otis Seidel, 9 10:13 7 Half (ish) plot
Adeon Waters, 15 10:18 9 Full 5x 5 plot
Otis (9) looking like a future champion in the heats
Team Results Time Quality
1st Somerset 3:30 7.5 Dan Britton, Neil Gemmel, Andi Rickard, George Montague
2nd Eastern Counties 4:10 8
3rd Kernow 4:58 8
Judges’ Special Commendation – Northern Counties 8:21, quality 9
5 x 5m Finals
Finals Time Quality Note Age
Adeon Waters 10:18 9 15 years
Andi Rickard 2:38 8
Andy Coleman 1:38 4
Anthony Waters 3:13 4
Beth Tilston 7:11 7.5
Charlie Quinnell 5.36 7.5 Scandinavian snath and blade
Colin Close 8:18 8 67 years
Dan Britten 4:09 8.5
David Kuegler 11:40 6 65 years
George Montague 1:20 5
Hannan Currah (m) 7:27 5
John Fenn 4:59 6 English scythe 75 years
Jonathan Adams 2:28 7
Kevin Austin 1:43 4.5
Michael Gerrard 3:20 5
Neil Gemmell 3:03 5.5
Nigel Adams 3:49 3
Oska Thomas 7:34 2 English scythe
Otis Siedel 10:13 7 Half pitch 9 years
Peter Blackwell 4:05 8
Phil Batten 3:54 7
Rami McDade 6:09 4 Half pitch 13 years
Richard Brown 3:13 8
Terry Standen 2:02 5.5 English scythe
Tracy Harris 6:57 7.5
Simon Cooter 2:49 4 BRUSH CUTTER!
2019 Heats – 30 seconds
Length Quality Scythe Age
Adeon Waters 1.8 7 15 years
Adrian Thomas 1.3 7
Alex Toogood 1.4 5
Alistair Clarke 2.0 4
Andi Rickard 3.9 7
Andy Coleman 3.6 5
Andy Sherwood 1.7 4
Anthony Waters 4.0 6
Ben Critchley 2.4 7
Beth Tilston 1.9 5
Caroline Brown 0.7 2
Charles Foster 1.9 1
Charlie Elderton 1.9 4
Charlie Quinnell 2.6 8 Scandinavian snath and blade
Chris Matcham 1.3 3
Colin Close 2.0 6.5 67 years
Colin Pady 1.4 1 English scythe
Daisy Parsons 1.9 4
Dan Britten 4.1 8
Daniel Brown 0.8 3
Darren Hulbert 1.0 5 English scythe
David Kuegler 2.8 8 65 years
Duncan Backus 2.0 3
Ellis Pritchard 1.2 6
George Montague 6.0 7
Hannan Currah (m) 2.8 8
Jeremy Weiss 1.7 7
John Fenn 3 7 English scythe 75 years
John Grundy 1.6 6
Jonathan Adams 3.9 5
Julian Symondson 1.5 3
Kevin Austin 3.8 7
Lizzie Pittwright 0.9 2
Michael Gerrard 3.9 7
Neil Gemmell 3.6 7
Nigel Adams 3.9 7
Olga Damant 1.3 6
Oska Thomas 2.2 3 English scythe
Otis Siedel 0.8 5 Half width 9 years
Peter Blackwell 3.2 8
Phil Batten 3.7 8
Rachel Remnant 1.0 6
Rami McDade (m) 2.9 3 13 years
Richard Brown
Richard Kaute 1.6 4
Richard Lawson 1.1 2 English blade + Austrian snath
Ross Adams 1.6 5
Sarah Robinson 0.8 9
Simon Cooter 2.1 5
Steve Edgar 1.5 5
Terry Standen 3.6 7 English scythe
Tom Molyneux 1.9 2
Tom Trimmins 2.0 6
Tracy Harris 2.9 7