The Royal Bath & West show has for many years been the “major” summer show for the Guernsey breed and it is disappointing to report that it is losing that position as next week’s Royal Cornwall promises to be the most competitive of the summer.
Given that the Royal Bath & West falls during the school half term holidays there is an opportunity to reverse the decline in the Guernsey fortunes and geographically Shepton Mallet is reachable from Wales, the Midlands and the South East all of which areas have lost their Guernsey classes at the shows.
Bath and West decided to bring the Young Handlers and Calf Classes forward to the first afternoon and whilst the increased exposure for the youngsters is to be welcomed the weather conditions on that first afternoon were appalling and it is to their credit that the young people stuck to their tasks.
Elissa Langley was placed second in the under 10’s,
whilst the Intermediates who were competing in a class of 16 did very well with Morgan Senior taking fourth place albeit with a Holstein calf.
Laura Sales was placed third with Emma Greenslade in fourth place in the Senior class.
The Guernsey calf classes saw Mills/Norman with Cadbury Hawk Pretty 86 in first place with the Parfitt’s Graylands Hugette 23 second and Brian and Sheila Adams Chiddingstone Cassidy Margaret 2 in third position.
Class two saw a second win for Mills/Norman with Cadbury Hawk Onyx 2 with Graylands Meadowsweet 66 in second place.
Class three had Bickfield Lorna 18 by T H Buzzard in first place with Graylands Meadowsweet 67 in second place.
The adult classes on Thursday judged by Richard Emm started with a strong class of 7 in calf heifers the biggest of the day.
Catherine Mills and Richard Norman’s Cadbury Silverado Amanda was the winner here improving on her Devon show placing and she had the advantage of size and power over Blacknor Lucy 74 last years calf Champion, with Hurdlebrook Brenda from the Adams in third place.
Six in calf cows saw the dry heifer Blacknor Sylvia 6 exhibited by Chettle Farm by Pedro overpowering Bickfield Dot 56 with Mills/Norman’s Mayne Highness Amanda in third.
Two excellent heifers were out next and Bickfield Rainbow 51 who had been purchased for 1000 guineas by Chettle Guernsey Cream at the Bickfield draft sale in 2008 had the advantage over Bickfield Posie 13 who had been Hon Mention at North Somerest earlier in the month.
Only one second calver was forward Blacknor Snowhite 12 and this daughter of My Day Bliss Banger is one of only 20 daughters by Banger in the UK, she did close to 8000 kgs as a heifer and is a daughter of the Ex 91 Blacknor Snowhite 9.
The third calvers were both sired by Hawk and were from Bickfield with Olivia 26 the North Somerset Champion placed over Saffron 6 and they went on to win the Pair class later in the day.
4 senior cows saw Bickfield Alison 27 in first place with Luckley Ivy 25 in second and Graylands Hugette 11 in third place.
Bickfield won the Group of Three and were Reserve Champion Interbreed.
Richard Emm then chose his Champions. Blacknor Snowhite 12 from Chettle Farm was Champion.
With Bickfield Olivia 26 as Reserve
and Bickfield Rainbow 51 as Hon Mention.
