On 19th February I joined 40 other cutters at the 33rd South of England Hedge-laying Society annual competition at Magham Down near Hailsham. I had been looking forward to this day for some time as it was my first ever hedge-laying competition. Being a first-timer, I had to enter the ‘Novice’ class but even in this class, the competition was anything but inexperienced. I was up against some very good cutters, some of whom have been hedge-laying for many more years than me; there were 9 of us in total.

The competition rules were simple: lay 8 yards of hedge in the South of England style in 5 hours. You are marked on overall appearance, quality and neatness of cutting, and straightness and alignment of stakes and binders. The hooter sounded at 08:30 precisely and we were off. My section of hedge was mostly hawthorn, with some field maple, dogwood, and spindle thrown into the mix. In the event, I managed to lay my section or ‘Cant’ well within the allotted time and I was very happy with my finished hedge despite the volume of stems per yard being slightly less than I would have expected.

The standard of the finished cants from all competitors was extremely high and it was impossible to spot who could have won at first glance. However, the very experienced judges cast their critical eyes over all the sections of laid hedge and then before we knew it, it was time to retire to a nearby hostelry for dinner and the results. I thought that I had done reasonably well, and I was very happy with my binding in particular, but then everyone else had done well too. In the event, I came second in the Novice class and I also won best staking and binding too! I am absolutely delighted to have done so well in my first competition and I enjoyed every minute of it. Not only will I be back again next year, but I will also be entering the National Hedge-laying Society competition later this year. I can hardly wait!