It's Showtime!
Uploaded February 2007

Now that it is all over for another year, there are two highlights that we cannot let pass without mention.

Firstly, The Great Yorkshire show, shall the presentation, for the first time of the John Mason memorial trophy.

This was one for the first time by Mr B & Mrs M Mulkeen North Ashton Lanes. This is an interbreed competition, so unfortunately it wasn't a Berkshire in 2006 but that gives us something to aim for. Below is a picture of Joyce, John's very good lady, presenting the trophy and also having the privilege of meting the Royal visitors.

Secondly, a hearty congratulations to our Chairman whose Senior Boar scooped the coveted Berkshire Champion of Champions prize at Newbury, rounding off a fantastic season.

Newbury Show - Berkshire Champion of Champions 2006
What a glorious show. The Berkshire club is lucky to have so many breeders prepared to brave the red-tape and bring their pigs out to show after show from the Welsh show in early May to this, the last show of the season in mid-September.

All our thanks must go to Sharon. As club secretary she had the task of collating the entries from all the qualifying shows, not an easy task. The number of exhibitors that came forward was better than she ever expected to get, she was over the moon at this, and her efforts were well rewarded. She sends her thanks to everyone who made the effort to attend.

This year for the first time Sharon arranged for the winner and reserve to have engraved silver photo frames as permanent reminders of their success. This action was well received by all competitors and will be repeated next year, a welcome addition to any challenge trophy that has to be returned for the next season's show.

There were 17 entries forward which at the end of the season is no mean feat. They ranged from young gilts and boars to just weaned sows, to heavily in-pig sows, to sows with litters. The whole spectrum. The little piglets accompanying their mothers had to each have a plastic ear-tag to come to the show; these were quite big for their ears!

The weather was great - a bit too great actually as one of the qualifiers lay down in the ring with heat exhaustion and was sensibly withdrawn from the competition in order to recover gently in the shade of the wash-pens.

The winner, Viki Mills' 6 year old boar Moorsholm Peter Lad 11 shown by Brian Card and Viki Mills, was very well behaved, being kept quietly at the shadier end of the ring whilst the other 16 competitors were inspected by judge Chris Penrice. In the final walk around the ring Moorsholm Peter Lad 11 just had the edge over Brian Merry's large in-pig sow Wedlock Louise, one of 7 registered females from a single litter bred by Jonathon Cloke hi July 2004.

Interestingly this sow placing was completely different from the breed classes the previous day, where this sow had been placed 4th by judge Mrs J A Brett. Such is showing, different judges have different preferences, which is one of the things that make it so interesting. Also, the pig has to enjoy! Younger pigs are more active and the problem is to make them stand for the judge. Older pigs, especially sows, may not show themselves off. If for whatever reason they just want to stand still, or leave the ring, this will count against them. You can take a horse to water....... and a sow into the ring......

Results
Berkshire Champion of Champions
Winner: Moorsholm Peter Lad 11, owned by Mrs Viki Mills, bred by Messrs G W & B Hutchinson & Eeles
Reserve: Wedlock Louise, owned by Mr Brian Merry, bred by Mr Jonathon Cloke.

Berkshire breed classes:
Breed Champion; Morebread Louise 33
Reserve; Dittisham Lady 22

Sow class;
Winner: Jobesmajor Royal Lustre 23, owned and bred by Chris Coe and Kevin Major.

July gilt class;
Winner: Morebread Louise 33, owned by Mrs Christina Dunlop, bred by Mr Charles Bull.

January gilts and boars, mixed class:
Winner: Dittisham Lady 22, owned and bred by Mrs Sue Fildes.

Great Yorkshire Show
The presentation of the John Mason Memorial Trophy