YOUNGSTERS competed for the first time in the Lancashire & Westmorland Hedge Laying Competition in a field at Pilling.

Seventeen hedge-layers demonstrating their skill with axes and bill-hooks, to cut and lay a stock proof hedge the traditional way, and win a coveted prize in one of five classes.

For the first time a starter class had two youngsters enter and the winner was 13-year-old James Yates-Bell from Bowston, near Burneside.

Training and expert advice was also on hand for those who needed it and the finished result saw 150 yards of beautifully laid hedge.

The overall winner of the ‘Best Hedge on the Field’ was Craig Proctor, from Selside, Kendal, in the open class.

Other winners included John Handley, who took the junior class, Stephen Boyce, who won the novice class, and Peter Gibson who added to his regular stack of trophies by taking the championship prize.

The competition, one of a series of six organised under the umbrella of the Lancashire & Westmorland Hedge Laying Association was originally scheduled in December but had to be postponed until the flooded fields drained.

The competition is one of a series of six organised under the umbrella of the Lancashire & Westmorland Hedge Laying Association, to form the annual Grand Prix.

The next event is on Saturday (January 30) with the Friends of the Lake District competition at Staveley, Kendal.