In what seemed like the blink of an eye it was time once again for the high-light of the hedge-laying year: The National Hedge-Laying Championships. This year is a double celebration, being the 40th anniversary of the National Hedge-Laying Society, and also the 25th anniversary of the Countryside Restoration Trust whose land the championships were held on at Barton, Cambridgeshire on the 27th October. Over a hundred cutters and 10 different styles of hedge-laying were on show and the public turned up in their droves to show their support for this age-old craft.

I arrived the day before and spent the afternoon catching up with fellow cutters whilst we had a good look around the competition venue and the hedges that we would be laying. It was clear that a lot of time and money had been spent in establishing the hedgerows at Lark Rise Farm, and the consistency of the hedges was excellent with very few cants of lesser quality. A good conservation mix had been planted in two row staggered spacing and there was a great variety of species evident including Guelder Rose, Spindle, field maple, dog rose, and even crab apple as well as the usual blackthorn and hawthorn.

Competition day arrived, and feeling confident with the cant that I had been allocated, I arrived at the venue on a cold, but clear morning – perfect hedge-laying weather! At 08:30 hours we were under way and I quickly set about the task in hand. We had each been given a cant of 9 metres which we had to lay, stake, bind, and trim in 5 hours. I was in the South of England Intermediate class and was up against 7 other cutters, most of them at least as experienced as I am. To win was not going to be easy!

As always, we are judged on three elements: Cut and pleach (how accurate and neat your cutting is); Staking and binding (height of binders, spacing of stakes, and straightness of stake line); Overall appearance of finished hedge (True to style, trimming, lack of gaps at the base etc.) Last year was my first National competition and I placed 5th in class, struggling to finish in the time allowed. I was determined to do better this year and had been building my competition experience since the start of the season.

In the event, the hedge was a dream to lay. I made such good progress that I had all the stems down in under three hours, and unlike last year I didn’t feel rushed at any point. Having two hours to do the staking, binding and trimming really helps as it gives you plenty of opportunity to complete the finishing touches that can earn the extra points.

Then, all of a sudden it was over. The hooter sounded and it was time to stand back and let the judges go to work. I couldn’t honestly tell at first glance who could have placed where – all the hedges looked well finished. I was very happy with mine and I thought that I might be in with a good chance of placing this year. All we could do was wait for the results.

Eventually the wait was over and I came third in class! I was and am absolutely thrilled with the result. All the hard work has paid off and what is more, I lost out on second place by only a single point! Furthermore, on ‘Cut and pleach’ marking I was only one point behind the guy who took first place. All this just adds to my determination, and I will definitely be back next year aiming for top spot.

What a fantastic day we all had. A superb festival of hedge-laying, wonderful company and banter and a beautiful venue. I must especially congratulate Marcus Broome, a fellow cutter from the South of England Society, who came fourth in his first ever appearance in the National competition. A great result for a great guy!