Bathurst hosted the The Land Sydney Royal Showgirl Zone 6 Final on Saturday night, with Lucy Watt from Cumnock, Stacey Webb from Bedgerabong and Leia Chapman from Blayney selected to compete in the final round of the competition, to be held in Sydney later this month.

Bathurst Showgirl co-ordinator Vicki Wilson said Bathurst applied to host the zone finals as part of the city’s official bicentenary celebrations.

She said the night, which was held at Bathurst Panthers, was “just perfect”.

She said the feedback from the judges, which included  regional editor of The Land Kim Chappell, vice president of Agricultural Societies Council of NSW David Peters (ASC) and The Land 2009 showgirl Kimbalee Morris, had been positive.

“The judges told me it was a very well organised event,” she said.

Ms Wilson said the judges spent Saturday interviewing the entrants, who also had the opportunity to talk about themselves on stage during Saturday night’s proceedings.

She said all of the entrants had a great time, with the three finalists going to Sydney later this month to compete for the ultimate title.

It’s been seven years since Bathurst hosted a zone final of the competition. There are seven zones across the state, and Zone 6 is the biggest in the state, including  39 show societies.

Ms Wilson said this year’s event was almost two years in the planning.

Ms Wilson reminded young girls in Bathurst that entries in the 2015 Royal Bathurst Showgirl competition are opening soon and encouraged young women aged 18-24 to consider entering.

“It’s just so worthwhile, and it’s not a beauty pageant, it’s about promoting young rural women,” she said.