The South East have their Finalist!

Monday 4th March saw the south east region's Regional Final of the Institute of Horticulture Young Horticulturist of the Year competition.  Six of the finest young horticultural minds in the region came together to battle it out at Alexandra Palace for a place in the Grand Final.  Our finalists were:

• Oliver Bladen-Hill from Hadlow College
• Aimee Mulcahy from Merrist Wood
• Kristina Vandenberg from Wisley
• Charlotte Berry from Capel Manor College
• Jez Stamp from the Open Heat
• Tom McCarter from Kew

All the finalists were excellent characters and great sports.  Nerves were jangling during the buffet (who gives nervous contestants food?!) and the pre contest briefing.  Those nerves included mine - two years on and I still can't look at Simon Richards, our question-master, without my heart rate quickening.  Not in a Mr D'arcy way, either.  To be honest, then I was pleased to get through the competition without a) making a complete fool of myself or b) being sick, and I sensed that many of our 2013 competitors were feeling the same way.  There really is nothing to be nervous about, our question master is wonderfully skilled and everyone is on the contetants' side, but there's something about unrehearsed questions in front of an audience that's always a little alarming.

The competition was fierce and exciting.  The buzzer rounds were fast and furious and the questions were hard!  Some had most of the veteran horticulturists in the audience furrowing their eyebrows.  Plants, pests, diseases and horticultural equipment were paraded in front of the brains for identification including my favourite - the spark plug cover (you know when it's out of context but you know you've seen it somewhere before...).

While the melee was in progress the audience also had their brains picked with a quiz.  In the end we couldn't even seperate them with a tiebreaker and ended with a three-way tie. 

Back to our Young Horticulturists and during the final buzzer round Kristina Vandenberg from Wisley was holding on to a solid third place while Tom McCarter and Jez Stamp were fighting it out for first place.  Question 19 out of 20 and they were tied.  It came down to the last question.  Jez just snook in there with the buzzer and answered the question correctly.  A very well deserved win for Jez and second place for Tom.  The crowd went wild.

Speaking to all the contestants post-competition I'm very glad to hear that they all had a great time despite the nerves and are looking forward to having another go in 2014.  It really is fabulous to show off the wealth of talent in horticulture and to stick a finger in the eye of all those who rank us with the unskilled.  Many thanks to our Regional sponsors, John O'Conner Grounds Maintenance, Capital Gardens and Haringey Council for making the event possible.

Jez now proceeds to the Grand Final to wrestle* with the winners of the seven other regional heats which are taking place across the country in the next couple of weeks.  Check out the IoH website for their dates and times and get dow to one hear you.  Or even better, join us for the Grand Final on the 13th April at Ness Botanics in Liverpool where the YHoY 2013 will be crowned.

*intellectually