A RUGBY captain who works on a farm missed an important match to prove he can plough as well as anybody in the country.

Winnington Park Rugby Club’s Will Burgess swapped one field for another on Saturday to represent Cheshire at the 59th annual British National Ploughing Championships in Soham, near Cambridge.

He finished third in class.

“It’s from one end of the scale to another,” he said.

“A good ploughman needs a lot of patience and skill, you can easily mess everything up if you are not concentrating on what you are doing so you have to take your time.

“It’s a bit different to being in a scrum!”

The 23-year-old, victorious in the Cheshire Ploughing and Hedgcutting Society’s annual match – his ticket to head to Cambridgeshire – last month, joined around 250 other local champions at the two-day championship.

They included past and present British, European and World title winners, watched by a crowd expected to swell above 10,000 over the course of the weekend.

Meanwhile his teammates took on Wirral in a league game.

“It’s a big deal [to me],” said Burgess, who runs Wood Farm in Weaverham alongside dad Bill, himself a former county champion.

“Some of the lads take the mickey, but they won’t be able to now. They do ask a lot what I’m up to with my ploughing so they are interested really.

“It was great to go one better than last time too.”

Saturday marked his second appearance on the national stage. Last time he finished fourth.

Burgess, named club captain for the Burrows Hill club in May last year, took part in the National Young Farmers Area Champions competition.

He used a plough bought for around £100 more than four decades ago. His rivals’ equipment was worth upwards of £20,000.

“I don’t prepare as much as I should,” he said.

“It’s been a late harvest this year so that’s made it harder.

“I didn’t have any time, so I had a quick practice for an hour on Friday morning then I had to load up and get down there.

“It’s a case of doing an hour here and there to keep your hand in, but some of those guys are at competitions every weekend of the year. I’m playing rugby instead.”

To find out how Winnington Park fared without their captain, turn to Page 63.