Gargrave Show beats the weather (From Craven Herald)

Gargrave Show beats the weather

3:27pm Thursday 23rd August 2012 in News

With shows being cancelled left, right and centre earlier this summer because of the wet weather, it was touch and go if Gargrave would take to the field.

But it did on Saturday, despite a few jitters last week, and thank goodness because according to president Clifford Lawson it was “better than they envisaged”.

“With so many shows being cancelled we were determined to keep going if we could and it has turned out to be a lovely day and we have had a fantastic turn-out. We are indebted to Michael Fenwick for the use of this field – it would be difficult to know where we could hold it if not here,” he said.

Come mid-afternoon, the showfield was full of visitors to be entertained by show jumping, children’s riding, skills in handicraft and horticulture, cattle and sheep judging, dog agility, sheep competitions and a host of sports for children, culminating in an egg throwing competition and terrier racing, much of it to a background of brass band playing by Haworth Brass Band.

Organisers of the hunter judging class were particularly thankful to John Whittaker who had stepped in at the last minute when judge Nigel Blakey had to drop out because of illness.

For George Emmott of Currer Wood Farm, Steeton , it was still a tense time, despite his 40 years of showing, as he prepared his three-year-old shire horse Melissa for her first show of the year.

She took the reserve championship, just losing out on top honours to Keith Downs.

John Stephenson of Bordley Green Farm, Bordley, was feeling more comfortable for his in-calf British Belgian blue heifer, Ellen, had picked up the top prize for the best of its breed and also came out top in the beef class.

Champion dairy animal was an Ayrshire shown by Ian Patrick.

Robert Cowperthwaite of Tennant Farm, Malham , who keeps 500 Swaledales was hoping his gimmer shearling had the attributes to come out top.

If visitors to the poultry tent had cared to ask judge Bill Oldcorn – known far and wide in the poultry world as Egg-King Bill – he could have explained the esoteric intricacies of judging an open egg, even pointing out the significant of the “blastoderm” in the yolk.

Cyril Beddoes had arrived from Haworth with his wife in their bubble car to join the display of vintage vehicles.

With its small wheels it was the only car that needed towing onto the showfield, said Mr Beddoes.

In the fell races, Gargrave Primary School pupils Will and Katie Atkinson were among the trophy winners.

Eight-year-old Will won the Donald McKell Trophy, presented to the highest place local runner, after he finished second in the under nine race, while his ten-year-old sister was awarded the new Weatherill Trophy for the highest placed local female runner. She was the first girl and tenth overall in the under 12 race.

Sixty eight competitors lined up for the senior race, with an age range of 17 to 72 years, and first home was 23-year -old Jack Simpson, a farmer’s son from Pateley Bridge.