Farm workers got a rare chance to show off their skills, swap stories and tips and perhaps walk off with a prize or two during a ploughing match.

The Rochford Hundred ploughing match at Hawkwell Hall Farm, Rectory Road, Hawkwell, has been a regular fixture in the local farming calendar for more than 60 years and regularly sees vintage and modern tractors, shire horses and gundogs pit themselves against each other to uncover this year's champions.

Categories at the event, which attracts an increasing number of visitors curious to see the age-old farming skills, included conventional, vintage and horse ploughing as well as best cereals, best farm and a best gundog competition.

Michael Hughes, secretary of the Rochford Hundred Agricultural Society, said: "The reason we hold this day is its a way for farmers to thank their farmworkers for their efforts during the busy harvest.

"It gives them the opportunity to get together with other farm workers from the area and practice their skills in competition.

"It keeps a lot of the traditional skills alive and the public can get to see farm work which they may think only goes on hundreds of miles away.

"There's a great spirit among the farmers and workers and in many ways this gives them a bit of solidarity.

"The Rochford Hundred peninsular has a very distinct identity, being surrounded on three sides by water and near urban areas.

"So it's a great chance for the workers to get together, share tips and stories."

John Webb won the conventional ploughing for vintage tractors while local ploughman Steven Gale - who works at Great Stambridge Hall, Stambridge - won the modern reversible ploughing.

The champion gundog was Bobby owned by Marion Brown while the best horse-ploughing team was shire horses Major and Claude driven by Stephen Goodwin.

Tabor Farms from Sutton won best farm while best cereals went to A & W Bentall, of Little Wakering Wick, Great Wakering.