Sunny Sunday trumps a soggy start to Vintage Agricultural Show

A mere 24 hours earlier heavy drizzle had made for a soggy start to the two-day event in St Peter's, but although that had limited some of the featured activities, it did not stop a hardy few turning up to enjoy what the event had to offer.

That involved an array of still- functional vintage machines, from a merry-go-round to steam engines, military vehicles, tractors and cars, alongside displays of hay-making, sheep races, a goat show and a rabbit and cavy show.

All went ahead more or less as planned, although the barley threshing could not take place until late on Saturday due to the barley being too damp and the weather also meant the hay-making display was shorter than intended.

Mr Le Cras recalled a bad first day last year, too.

‘It was blowing a hoolie,’ he said. ‘But we were crowded out on the Sunday. I think we’ll probably get the same again this year.’

This was the show’s seventh year and it has grown substantially since its launch on fields at Haye du Puits.

‘We have our own threshing machine now and we grow our own crop of barley.

‘It’s a great shame because all through the week setting up it’s been so hot and the first day the show is miserable and raining with drizzle. But we carried on and we had quite a few people through.’

But by 11am yesterday people were flooding into the fields at Route des Paysans, including their owner, David De Lisle, who said that the fields had been in his family for generations.

‘It’s really wonderful to open them up to the public and let them walk around,’ he said.

The fields were normally used for dairy farming, although some were growing maize, and at one time hosted the West Show before it moved down the road to L’Eree.

This year’s main attractions were horses.

‘We try to do steam engines one year and horses the next,’ said Mr Le Cras.

A new addition to the programme was a gymkhana, making its first appearance, and other events for ponies and young riders organised by Me and P Equestrian, with a formal show on the Saturday, a fun show yesterday, and a gymkhana across both days.

Yesterday saw the ‘most handsome gelding’ competition which was judged by Jill Gill from Sark and Jan Coomer, and won by four-year-old Golden Wizard.

He was shown by 15-year-old Lee Savident on behalf of owner Louise Mayley who said the pony was not yet broken in, and was being trained by Natalie Alderton.