Record Entries, Big Attendance At Cheviot Show

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28531, 10 March 1958, Page 12

Record Entries, Big Attendance At Cheviot Show

Record entries, more than the 1954 figure of 2404, helped to make the Cheviot Agricultural and Pastoral Association’s forty-fourth annual show on Saturday at the Cheviot showgrounds one of the most successful for many years.

The attendance was big, and cars were packed two and three deep around the show ring. Although gate takings were slightly down on last year,'this was more than compensated for by a substantial increase in membership. The show was held in perfect weather and many family groups from Cheviot and nearby districts took advantage of the day and the picturesque surroundings of rolling hills to picnic beneath the trees.

Most of the sections had marked increases in entries. This was especially so in the sheep, schoolwork and saddle ' horses. There were- 150 entries in the hunter classes. Trade entries almost filled the four-acre lot recently acquired by the association.

The president (Mr D. D. GilJanders) said that it was one .of the best shows the association had held for many years. It had been well supported by exhibitors and by the public. The association had been fortunate in having been granted the four acres of the old school reserve. This had helped it in its policy of improving the grounds and show facilities.

In the last year the show ring had been improved by the construction of a new permanent post and rail fence around the perimeter and the central turf had been reconditioned, he said. It was now one of the showground’s finest assets. “We are very fortunate in haying many prominent jumpers and riders in the Cheviot district and this helps to make our ring events as strongly supported and keenly contested as any in Canterbury,” said Mr Gillanders. The grand parade was led by the Christchurch Ladies’ Pipe Band, whose trim turn-out and well-executed movements drew warm applause from the crowd. First in the parade was Mrs B. G. Rutherford, riding the champion hack High Noon* and nexft was Miss L. MacFarlane on Skylight, the reserve champion. Sideshow alley was well supported and the blaring music from the merry-go-rounds blended with the raucous shouts of the barkers to give the show a true carnival air. Horses The judge of the saddle horses, Mt H. C. Greenwood of Hororata. said that the strong support given to the section and the wellturned out entries were good to see. They indicated that the Cheviot show was coming into its own as a centre of horse and ring events. Many of the riders and mounts were in the top class and were a credit to the district The champion hack. High Noon, ridden by Mrs Rutherford, was a very well mannered horse with good paces. It was well turned out by its rider. Skylight, the reserve champion and Miss Macfar lane, were an excellent combination and only narrowly beaten for top place. Mr Greenwood, who also, judged the jumping events, - said that that section had been of an extremely high standard and some of the jumping had* been as good as any he had seen at country shows, either in the ring or in F.E.I. events. The ring had been excellent for the events with the sward in first-class condition. The jumps had been well presented by the association and the innovation of filling in the bases with greenery and'branches had given some semblance of reality. Too often, horses would baulk at the bare timbers or foul them, but in this c&se the jumps were almost \ perfect. The winning open hunter, Landrover, and its mount, E Upritchard, had combined well and the horse was very consistent in the ring and in the F.E.I. rules event. In all, the prize-winning hunters had been most pleasing and were a credit to their riders, Mr Greenwood said. Corriedales In the Corriedale section the older Tams conformed well to the general characteristics of the breed but some of the hoggets were a little strong in the wool, said Mr A. H. Kennington, of Seddon, the judge of the rams. The natural condition entries had been very good with some well brought out sheep in the classes. The strongest competition was in the mature ram classes with some very good rams being shown, but the hogget entries were not quite up to this standard although very pleasing in all, he said. The champion ram, shown by Mr W. DampierCrossley (Parnassus), was a fine animal with an excellent head and a good carcase. It stood well. The wool was slightly off-colour but quite good The reserve champiqn ram, also entered by Mr Dampier-Cross-ley, was an aged sheep with a very good head and fleece but was a little slacker in the carcase than the champion. “I was pleased with the good allround showing of the Corriedale ewes,” said Mr H. A. C. Sidey, of Hawarden, the judge of the section. "Outside competition is a very necessary feature of a country show, and the section has missed the support of Mr D. S. Johns, of Culverden, whose illness has prevented him showing this year. His entries have always in the past lent colour to the clashes and given that little bit of boost to the local exhibits. The general standard this year is especially high, but I do like to •ee outside competition. The champion ewe, again entered by Mr W. Dampier-Crossley, was a big animal and a worthy Show exhibit, with an excellent fleece and very good conformation, he said. The prize-winning ewe hogget in the natural condition class, shown by J. Fitzsimmons (Domett) had a lot of class and with some careful attention could develop into a first-class mature sheep. Mr D. W Ensor’s winning ewe hogget with its good fleece and conformation could go a lone way in open show competition, Mr Sidey said. Southdowns The Southdown section was well supported and there was some keen competition in the adult classes. The judge, Mr G. L. Johns, of Culve den, said that the prize-winners were good types and well brought out and the natural condition entries especially, had been most pleasin’ The champion ewe and ram were both good examples of the breed, with well-developed characteristics. They were a credit to their exhibitor, J. H. Patterson (Amberley). Entries in the half-bred classes had been somewhat disappointing, said the judge, Mr J. L. Stevenson, of Hanmer Springs. The section could have stood competition, but the animals shown were well brought out and were good examples of half-breds. Mr J. B. Douglas Clifford (Stonyhurst), who swept the

poql of prizes, should be given credit for the good showing of his entries.

The judge of the South Suffolk section, Mr Gordon Neave, of Irwell, said that the three lambs shown by W. H. Montgomery (Little River) were really outstanding and were equal to any he had seen. The adult sheep were, in general, very good and the champion ram, also shown by Mr Montgomery, was a very good animal, typical of the breed and showing good conformation and carcase. Romney Section Impressive Good competition all through the Romney section had been more .than satisfactory, and the excellent display of aged" rams had been really impressive, the judge of the section, Mr W. M. Bishell, of Blenheim, said. The animals were well brought out and were a credit to their breeders. There was some lack of uniformity of the characteristics of the breed between the sheep, however, and some slight variation between individual breeders’ sheep. The champion ram, shown by Jr E. W. Ensor (Cheviot), was a fine animal and could hold his own against competition anywhere. A very nice ewe lamb, also entered-by Mr Ensor, was a fine type and had the type of wool breeders were striving for today from the Romney breed. Excellent Fat Lamb Season “It is surprising to find such excellent fat lambs unaffected by the recent changeable weather,” said the judge of the fat lambs and sheep, Mr K. W. Denton, of Waikari. "Compared with other districts, Cheviot has apparently been most fortunate in having a season suitable for fat lamb raising. The entries show no signs of any defects and are of an exceptionally high standard, conforming well to their classes. “Breeders have shown in the very strong ewe classes that they have the right idea of the type required for present-day fat sheep, and entries in all the classes have been good, healthy, and well-developed animals,” Mr Denton said. The judge of the flock sheep, Mr A. G. Lawrence, of Hawarden, commented on the good showing in the section. He said he was well satisfied with the entries, which had been of very high standard. Breeders could be complimented on their animals, which were well brought out and typical of their breeds. Entries in the wool classes were smaller than usual, but this had been more than compensated for by the very high standard of the fleeces shown, the judge, Mr V. M. Collins, of Christchurch, * said. Corriedale and halfbred entries were worthy of special mention, and the winning fleeces cduld have faced competition in any metropolitan show. The section could have been more strongly supported. Dog Section The dog section of the show had been most impressive, said the judge, Mr J. H. Paterson, of Amberley. The dogs were well cared for and were up to the._ standard of any country show. The winner of the smooth-haired collie class was a very good specimen, true to type, and* could compete with sheep dogs anywhere. The puppy class had been a pleasure to’ judge, and the entries had been well reared and cared for. Prize-winners in the sporting < classes were good, and the spaniels were all true to type. In general, the class had been most satisfactory, and the keen competition in some of the classes had made his job* most onerous, the judge sajd. Vegetable Section '■ - The large number of entries.jn the vegetable • classes was •_ surprising, and the standard was one of the best for years, said the joint judges, Messrs E. G. Smith and P. Thame, Department of Agriculture instructors in horticulture at Rangiora. Grain entries were down, and there was a slightly lower standard than usual because of the adverse season and the difficulties of harvesting. Fruit and roots entries were most satisfactory, they said. Results: — HORSES Saddle Horses (Judge: Mr H. C. Greenwood, Hororata.) Mare, any age, suitable for breeding (10): Miss L. Macfarlane 1, N. G. Fagan 2, Mrs K. J. Mackie 3. Maiden hack, up to 12 stone (11): Mre E- G. O. Rutherford 1, Mrs F. F. Wilding 2, Mrs J. T. McCorkindale 3. Maiden hack, 13 stone or over (8): Miss J. Macfarlane 1, D. B. C. Allin 2, D. B. C. Allin 3. Hack, up to 15 stone (9) : E. Upritchard 1, Miss K. Rutherford 2, B. G. Rutherford 3. Hack, up to 13 stone (11): Mrs B. G. Rutherford 1, R. Bethel 2, Miss J. Earl 3. Hack, up to 11 stone (15): Miss J. Macfarlane 1, Mrs F. F. Wilding 2, Mrs F. F. Wilding 3. Lady’s hack, ridden by lady (20): Mrs B. G. Rutherford 1, Miss L. Macfarlane 2, R. Bethel 3. Best walking hack (15): Miss J. Earl I, R. Bethel 2, Miss K. Rutherford 13. Best mannered and paced hack (20) : r Mrs B. G. Rutherford 1, Miss L. Macfarlane 2, Miss J. Earl 3. Best pair of hacks: Mrs J. T. McCorkindale and J. Earl 1, Miss K. Rutherford and.B. G. Rutherford 2, Miss J. Wilding and R. Bethel 3. Shepherd’s hack (11): G. H. McClintock 1, Miss J. Wilding 2, A. G. Dickson 3. Best hack, 14.2 to 15.1 hands (10): Miss D. Cunningham 1. Mrs B. Murray 2, W. J. Harnett 3. Mare or gelding, suitable hunter (25): N. G. Fagan 1, Miss J. Wilding 2, Miss J. Earl 3. Champion hack: Mrs B. G. Rutherford’s High Noon. Reserve Champion: Miss L. Macfarlane’s Skylark. Cobs and Ponies ' (Judge: Mr S. Boon, Ellesmere.) Pony, maiden, up to 14.2 hands (3): Miss E. W. Sloss 1, R. Beckett 2, Judith Martin 3. Maiden pony, over 13 and not exceeding 14.2 hands (6): Morvenna Allin 1, Pauline Adam 2, Miss E W. Sloss 3. Maiden pony, 13 hands or under (7): W. J. Harnett 1, R. Beckett 2, Richard Maxwell 3. Ponies, over 13.2 and not over 14.2 hands (8): Tony Blackett 1, W. J. Harnett 2, Diana Cunningham 3. Pony, over 13 and not exceeding 14 hands (5): Ann Marie Kavanagh 1, Diana Cunningham 2, Morvenna Allin 3. Pony, over 12 and not exceeding 13 hands (13): Juliet Cunningham 1, Richard Rutherford 2 Tony Blackett 3. District pony, 14.2 hands and under (6): Richard Rutherford 1 and Wade Cup, Miss E. W. Sloss 2. R. Beckett 3. Pony, 12 hands or under (7): Juliet Cunningham 1 and Macdonald Cup, Ann Marie Kavanagh 2, W. J. Harnett 3. Pony, 11 hands or under (2): C. and M. "Livingstone 1, John Mulcock 2. Cob. 15 hands or under (2): Miss A. Gregory 1, Mrs A. Lammas and Miss N. Esler 2. Cob, 14.2 hands or under (6): Tony Blackett 1 and champion, Janet Adam 2, Miss M. Wilson 3. Competitions (Judge: Mr R. A. Ferguson, Christchurch.) Best girl rider over 12 and under 16 (6): Diana Cunningham 1, Coral Barr 2, Janet Adams 3. Best boy rider over 12 and under 16 (4): I. Bruce James 1. M. Wildermoth 2, R. Beckett 3. Best girl rider over nine and under 13 (6): Fiona Logan 1, Mary Davies 2, Peggy Wade 3. Best boy rider over nine and under 13 (2) Tony Blackett 1. Best girl rider, nine and under (4): Pauline Adams 1, Morvenna Allin 2, Ann Marie Kavanagh 3. Best boy rider, nine and under (5): Richard Rutherford 1, Anthony Lee 2, Richard Maxwell 3. Best pony and rider, under 16 years (15): Diana Cunningham, Gillanders Cup, Ann Marie Kavanagh, Glen Olbyn Cup. Hunters (Judge: Mr H. C. Greenwood, Hororata.) Best wire jumper (27): S. and C. Jame 1, B. G. Rutherford 2, E. Upritchard 3. Ponies up to 14.2 hands, rider under 18 years (11): M. Gregory ; 1, Tony Blackett 2. Diana Cunningham 3. Best pony, 13 hands or under (3) Bruce James 1, Juliet Cunningham 2. Maiden hunter (9):. E. J. ; Upritchard 1 and Mowat Cup, D. B. C. Allin 2, Miss J. Macfarlane 3. Best jumper, Cheviot county owner (15): Mrs F. F. Wilding 1, Mrs i E. G. Rutherford 2, E. Upritchard