On Saturday 28th October I journey across the Solent to the Isle of Wight Hedgelaying Competition. The Competition had unfortunately not been run since 2023 for various reasons, but as reigning champion I was keen to come to the Island to defend my title.

The Competition was divided into 3 classes – Open, Novice, and Team. Although not a big competition – there were only 3 of us in the Open Class – it is incredibly well supported, with lots of spectators keen to enjoy the event. Despite rain the previous day, the weather on the day of the competition couldn’t have been better – sunny and a gentle breeze. It was all looking good!

The site for the competition was on the South of the Island at Atherfield, near Niton. The hedge was pure hawthorn which had originally been planted in two rows. However, due to the exposure near the coast, many of the plants on the near side had perished over the years.

I wasn’t sure that it was going to make a decent laid hedge as there were a few gaps as well as many dead stems within the hedge. One of the judging criteria was ‘stockproof’ so I resigned myself to having to use some deadwood in order to fill in any gaps.

The hedge went down well in the end and it was more consistent than I had thought would be the case. Then it was on to the staking and binding.

I was happy with my stake line and was even able to straighten out the end stake (in the above photo) before judging started. Then it was time to tie my customary Withy on each end:

Last job of the day was to trim up and apply the finishing touches before the final hooter

I was really please with the finished result. It looked consistent, and stockproof, the binders were level and the stake line straight, and my cutting was really on point.

Had I done enough? I thought that it would probably be close as both my rivals had done a really good job. It was now time for the judges to decide…

To my great delight, I was announced the winner and have successfully defended my title.

It was a huge relief to be back to winning ways after the disappointment of not placing in the Regional competition the previous week, and also the Nationals back in October.

As well as the trophy, I also won a brand new chainsaw which will come in very handy of course. So, a fantastic end to a really good day. I must say a huge ‘Thank You’ to the organisers of this wonderful, friendly competition – Mathew Chatfield and Tony Ridd. They do a tremendous job of pulling it all together and levering in sponsorship for the event. We mainlanders are made very welcome and they are keen to grow the event further. The good news is that the competition will definitely be running next year. I guess I had better go back and try and make it 3 in a row then!