Shropshire Star

Smooth move as lubricant firm sponsors event

Lubricants blender Morris Lubricants of Shrewsbury is throwing its weight behind the first round of the British Tractor Pullers Association championship being held in Shropshire in May, writes Toby Neal.

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The firm has agreed to be the main sponsor of the event at the Greenhous West Mid Showground in Shrewsbury on May 28 and 29, which coincides with the first day of the Shropshire County Show.

The championship, hosted by Malpas Tractor Pulling Club, is the first for five rounds of the British Championship and attracts about 40 competitors from across the UK and Ireland in five classes. The sport involves competitors sitting on their tractors pulling a sledge weight along a 100-metre track. Julie Ankers, who together with her husband, Onky, is a director of the British Tractor Pullers Association and a member of Malpas club, said: "The sponsorship will make a big difference to the event because we will be able to offer prize money and championship points in three classes."

The company makes and sells performance lubricants covering a wide variety of application areas, from steam engines to modern-day commercial vehicles and industrial machinery.

Included in the product portfolio is a range of lubricants for tractors and agricultural and horticultural machinery.

Morris Lubricants was introduced to tractor pulling by customer Gary Penton, a director of Oswestry-based haulage company Pentons, who has supported the sport for seven years and also competes in the Limited Prostock class.

Andrew Goddard, managing director of Morris Lubricants, said: "We were approached by Gary Penton, a long-standing customer and were delighted to be able to sponsor this tractor pull, which is right on our doorstep in Shrewsbury.

"The agriculture sector in general is an important market for the company and we look forward to meeting many existing and new customers over the weekend."

Mr Penton became involved with the sport after buying a Massey Ferguson articulated tractor at an auction at Montford Bridge and was encouraged to use it for tractor pulling.

He has held a charity tractor pull at Ruyton-XI-Towns for the past four years and in 2015 raised £16,000 for Hope House and the Severn Hospice. This year's charity tractor pull will be held at R. J. Slater and Son, The Broadlands, Baschurch on October 1 and 2, when he hopes to have up to 50 tractors competing.

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