THE contrast could not have been greater.

Last year, not a Wellington boot squelched onto the Machen Agricultural Show field before the event had to be cancelled, one of many such casualties of the worst summer in living memory.

This year's show however, more than made up for the disappointment of 12 months ago, as the weekend sun, following a spell of largely dry weather, ensured there was not a puddle to be seen. A record 4,000 visitors enjoyed the event - beating the previous record of 3,200.

"It's been brilliant. I understand we've seen record numbers through the gate this year, and we've been going for 73 years, so I'm delighted," said show general secretary Nathan Williams.

"The weather has been very kind to us this year and we needed that after the disappointment of having to cancel last year - and people have turned out to support us and have a good time, and we are very grateful."

Queues backed out onto the A468 Caerphilly-Newport Road from early in the day were a testament to the numbers of competitors, exhibitors, stallholders and spectators who turned up.

Horses - including show jumpers - dogs, and poultry were among the animals competing for prizes, with the 8.30am start making it a long, tiring day for many.

Among those were the Newport Sled Dogz, animals for whom such warm weather was far from ideal, but who attracted a steady stream of two-legged admirers.

There were also a record number of trade stands at Machen this year, another positive for the show.

Visitors included a number seeking relief from the urban heat, including David Harris and his wife Pat, from Newport.

"We were going to come last year, we were both brought up in the countryside, and when we saw the show advertised this time, we thought we'd have an afternoon out," said Mr Harris.

"It's been great, and I have to pay tribute to the young people who have marshalled all the traffic. It could have been very confusing getting parked, but they were great."