After a 6 year reign by Simon Damant, the UK has a new Scythe Champion. On a beautiful day 28 competitors took part in the mowing finals at the Somerset Scythe Festival 2013. Simon made a time of 1:35 with a good quality finish but it wasn't enough in the judges opinion to beat George Montague of Somerset who cleared his 5x5m plot in just 60 seconds, albeit with a lower quality.
In the women's competition Andi Rickard once again held on to her crown for the 4th year running. Newcomer Jo Green of London took 2nd place and will surely be back next year to challenge Andi and is a name to watch out for in future.
I had my own particular reason to be extra pleased with George's victory as he had asked me to peen his competition blade in readiness for the race and I spent an hour hammering the edge to go-faster sharpness. This is common practise in competitions on the continent and increasingly among mowers in the UK who seek out expert peening for the competitions. It's probably the closest I'll ever get to raising the cup myself.
In the women's competition Andi Rickard once again held on to her crown for the 4th year running. Newcomer Jo Green of London took 2nd place and will surely be back next year to challenge Andi and is a name to watch out for in future.
I had my own particular reason to be extra pleased with George's victory as he had asked me to peen his competition blade in readiness for the race and I spent an hour hammering the edge to go-faster sharpness. This is common practise in competitions on the continent and increasingly among mowers in the UK who seek out expert peening for the competitions. It's probably the closest I'll ever get to raising the cup myself.
Quality mark of 5? Thank goodness he had you peen his blade for an hour!!
ReplyDeleteAndy M
I can't do much about how George swings the scythe at the grass or how much of it he cuts, I just wanted him to have a well-peened edge so that the big fella wouldn't be using so much energy and run out of steam.
ReplyDeleteI watched a few people have to stop and sharpen which shouldn't be necessary in 25m2 and, in a competition only lasting a few mins, surely cost them in terms of their overall ranking.
[…] expert to peen the blades for competitors in scythe competitions but when George Montague won the 2013 British Scythe Championship with a blade I had peened for him it caused quite a […]
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