St Davids Ploughing Society will celebrate 100 years with a special two-day event this month around the same site where it all began in 1923.

That first match in February 1923 at Llandigige Fawr, Berea, was hosted by Mr Jack W Morris and this year the main competition will be hosted there by his great nephew Mr James Morris and family.

James is also currently chairman of the St Davids Society and will be president for the day. It will also be the ninth time that Llandigige Fawr has hosted a ploughing match, which have included two All-Wales competitions.

As part of the centenary celebrations, a charity match is planned to take place on Saturday, February 25, to be held at nearby Pwllcaerog by kind permission of Mr Ian Griffiths who will be president on the day.

Ian is a great supporter of the St Davids Society and also kindly hosted the match last year at Llanunwas and at Pwllcaerog in 2011. The chosen charities are Paul Sartori and the Wales Air Ambulance.

It is hoped that local competitors and supporters will be joined by ploughmen from the rest of Wales over the Border and also a group from southern Ireland that have built up friendships over the years and will be able to enjoy the post-match get-together after Saturday’s match at Pwllcaerog.

While ploughing competitions have become less common over the years, St Davids has maintained a fine tradition of encouraging the crafts of ploughing and hedging in all their forms.

At the end of a hard day the best senior competitior was rewarded with one ounce of tobacco, and a large packet of ‘Black Cat’ cigarettes was shared amongst the junior competitors

It has hosted the All Wales Ploughing and Hedging Championships on three occasions in 1973 and 1983 at Llandigige Fawr and more recently in 2018 at Cruglas.

This year’s match will in fact be the 88th. There were no matches during the Second World War years and foot and mouth and Covid also caused cancellations in 2001 and 2021. Exceptionally wet weather also hit events in 2014 and 2020.

These days – and particularly since the formation of the Welsh Ploughing Association in 1958, the schedule of competitions for both ploughing and hedge-cutting are extensive and the requirements are well defined.

Things weren’t quite the same in 1923, well-known ploughman John Griffiths, Tresais, Caerfarchell, recalled as president of the All-Wales event held at Llandigige Fawr in 1973.

“It all began in February, 1923, on a dismal day when a few farmers and farmworkers with their ploughs and teams of horses met at Llandigige Fawr by kind permission of the late Mr. J. W. Morris, who himself was a farmer and keen sportsman,” he wrote in his introduction to the programme.

“Very little was known of ploughing regulations, but it was generally accepted that one condition called for was a straight furrow,”

“The late Messrs. R. Davies, Penberry and H. Williams, East Farm, Tretio were invited to perform the task of judging the ridges.

“Under the ‘critical eye’ of the judges, seven nervous enthusiasts ‘took to their ploughs. No one had given much thought for providing prizes, at the end of a hard day the best senior competitior was rewarded with one ounce of tobacco, and a large packet of ‘Black Cat’ cigarettes was shared amongst the junior competitors.”

Tivyside Advertiser: Horse ploughman John Fletcher competing successfully with his fine pair of black geldings, Ned, 12, and Jac, five, drawing a 70-year-old Ransomes ND2 Solid single furrow plough. PICTURE: Meyrick Brown.

Roll call of champions

During the past 100 years St Davids has produced five under-26 Welsh champions – Terry Evans, Stephen Phillips, Rhodri George, Peter Phillips and James George.

Rhodri has also gone on to achieve Reserve Welsh Champion and Welsh Champion honours on several occasions and has represented Wales in world matches in Canada, France and America.

This autumn he will travel to Latvia for the World Championships while James has more recently competed in the Five Nations in Scotland and will travel to Shropshire when England host the Five Nations in March.

St Davids past committee member Gareth Evans has also received top honours in the Hedging Championships. Other notable ploughmen from St Davids over the years include Roger Chinn and the late Ieuan Jenkins and Bob Phillips.

Currently the Reversible Class is a keenly contested class in St Davids with several locals and committee members Roger Jones, Mike James, Paul Thomas, Gerwyn Evans, Chris and Jonathan James all fighting for top place with lots of rivalry.

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