The infamous Compass Pumpkin Growing Competition made its return for a third year with all eyes on who would take this year’s crown.
Matthew Thomas’s Seedlings
Off the back of last year’s shock loss, Matthew Thomas was on a warpath to reclaim the title from his fiercest rival, Harry Ower.
Preparations began in early Spring where seeds were distributed amongst the team and plots were being mapped out to enable maximum growth.
Contestants were treated to a year of mild weather and record amounts of rain that pushed our growers right to the edge!
After a house move last year, Stewart and Helen Ower had acquired a vegetable plot that was ready to go! A strong start was soon disrupted after deer invaded the garden and ate everything, bringing their competition to an abrupt end.
The plucky rookie, James Harrington made an impactful debut in the competition by forgetting to plant his seeds at all. He received an automatic disqualification when he suggested purchasing a finished pumpkin from the local Supermarket.
Johnny Catchpole didn’t fare much better with a no-show from him due to sharing a garden with his neighbours - in a statement from him, he told us that “it would be selfish of me to take over the entire garden with a behemoth pumpkin and I don’t want to receive an eviction notice.”
Tom Ower kept his cards close to his chest not revealing any information until the time was right.
Months of exchanged WhatsApp messages were shared updating the team on each contestants progress until the final weigh in took place the day before Halloween. Seven contestants started, three made it to the finish line, but there was to be only one winner.
Harry’s Pumpkin Compared to a Brick (Summer 2024)
Once all produce was placed, the scales determined the final winner:
1st Place - Harry Ower
2nd Place - Matthew Thomas
3rd Place - Tom Ower with a prized Pineapple
Harry continued his winning streak with style, becoming the first person in Compass history to achieve two wins in a row. Commenting on his victory, he said:
“I like to compare my relationship with Matthew to some of histories greats, Mr Miyagi and the Karate Kid or Obi Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker.
In all great stories we know there comes a time where pupil becomes master, today is that day with a second historic win in the greatly anticipated Compass pumpkin growing competition.
I cannot thank miracle-gro fertilizer enough for its contributions to the crop produced this year. With the help of Google and some prime chicken manure I hope to make next year another victory.”
Harry Ower with the Compass Pumpkin Trophy, which is hand painted annually by Matthew Thomas
A two week trip to Florida was ultimately Matt’s downfall where his plot remained unsupervised, malnourished and parched. In a tearful statement, Matthew said:
“Competing against a family who’s surname is two letters away from grower is always going to be a challenge.
But combine this with poor growing conditions in Shropshire during 2024 and a poorly planned holiday at the peak of the growing season and it’s a recipe for disaster.
I must do better next year, for my fans. A post incident investigation has been completed and procedures amended to avoid a recurrence.”
So there ends another year of pumpkin growing for the Compass team! With just 364 days to the the next weigh in, plans are already underway for next year’s competition.
Will Harry achieve a threepeat?
Will Matt get his redemption?
Will Stewart and Helen unlock their potential?
Will James remember to plant his seeds?
Will Johnny find a suitable space for a plot?
Will Tom actually produce a pumpkin for once?
Or will our new degree apprentice, Oisin, show us how it’s done?!
Tune in next year!
