Watch: Farming competitors and spectators plough on with annual vintage Shropshire match despite the deluge

The Morville Heath Vintage Ploughing Match has taken part in the county for the last 35 years.

Every year it sees competitors from across the country come to compete to see who can plough the best furrow to be crowned a winning ploughman or woman.

The event has raised more than £25,000 for charity over the years, but Sunday's return coincided with downpours across Shropshire.

Despite the weather, 52 ploughmen and women took part in a number of categories at Crove Farm just outside Much Wenlock, and were cheered on by around 60 keen spectators.

Hosts Margeret Davies and Chris Brown, said the event saw some of the most highly skilled ploughman in the UK come to Much Wenlock to take part.

Mr Brown, himself a commercial plougher said the competitors had four hours to plough their plot and were judged on a number of criteria.

"Ploughing is a way of soil inversion, to prepare the seed bed to sow crops but match ploughing is like a work of art. It is all done the old fashioned way with traditional ploughs.

“The judges look for the straightness of the furrow, the evenness and whether each furrow marries to the next one,” he said.

Margaret added that despite the weather, plenty of people came to cheer on the ploughmen, which featured champion Brian Shaw.

She said: “There was at least 60 people come to watch and there were some really talented ploughmen. Bradley Davies, who came in second in the amateur category, was particularly impressive as he had never taken part in any match ploughing before.”

The event was also the last The Morville Heath Vintage Ploughing Match to be organised by committee chairman Bryan Hill who stepped down about 30 years.

This year, money raised from the event is to go to The Lingen Davies Centre, Hope House and Prostate Cancer UK.