THIS year saw the 45th annual competition for best pumpkins grown by members of the Petersfield Pumpkin Growers’ Association – and after last year’s online event, it was great to be back with a live event.

Each autumn, association members gather at the Half Moon pub in Sheet to compare pumpkins (pictured above).

There, they hold the weigh-in and measure the entries to see who has grown the biggest and heaviest ones.

And then, after a thorough inspection, they vote for the best all-round entry, and best matched pair.

This year the heaviest pumpkin trophy went to Philip Woodruffe, whose fruit weighed in at 59.5lb.

In second place was Peter Crew, and the third-heaviest pumpkin was grown by Alison Fitzgerald.

The award for the best matched pair went to Matt Atkinson, and Birgitte Atley, a long-standing association member, grew the best all-round pumpkin.

And the trophy for the best of the rogue pumpkins was presented to Simon Crew, joint organiser of the annual competition.

He said: “It was great to hold the event again after last year’s event being held remotely because of the Covid restrictions.”