St Ola ploughman set to break new ground for Scotland

A St Ola farmer is preparing to break new ground in the pursuit of ploughing success.

Keith Marshall, from Cotland, will plough for Scotland in the conventional class at the Five Nations Ploughing Challenge, going up against ploughmen and women from England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland.

The competition will take place on Friday and Saturday, March 24 and 25, in Shropshire, with Mr Marshall travelling south where he will meet his Ford 4610 and Fiskars plough, which is being transported south by one of his sponsors.

Surprised but hugely honoured to be representing his country, Keith, explained the opportunity came about after competing in the Scottish Ploughing Championships last October in Caithness.

From that competition, out of the blue he received a phone call to gauge his interest in competing for Scotland in the Five Nations — an achievement Keith thought could be a first for an Orcadian.

It will be the most prestigious competition in a 51-year ploughing career for 65-year-old Keith, who first started in the art when he was just 14, and has since become a familiar face on the scene.

Keith, who runs around 25 breeding Aberdeen-Angus cross cattle and 75 Texel cross sheep at Cotland, said: “I’m looking forward to it. The easy option when asked is to say I couldn’t do it. But I’ll never get another chance.

“I never once thought I would ever be asked,” he continued. “But it was because of my place at the Scottish [Ploughing Championships] that I was selected for it.”

The retired BT worker has also been aided by sponsors who are assisting him with his travel costs and transporting his tractor and plough down to Shropshire.

He expressed his huge gratitude to the businesses which are already providing fantastic sponsorship, in Orkney and on the Scottish mainland.