SPECIALIST & RARE VARIETY OPEN SHOW - 2009

reported by Ghalib Al-Nasser, Show Organiser

The 21^st Show of the Specialist & Rare Variety Open Show was forced to move venue due to the building work at the Coventry school and the show was staged at the Markfield Community & Sports Centre. The show received a drop in total entry to 657 of which a total of 526 birds were benched from 58 exhibitors. Despite this drop in entry, due to a new venue, bad breeding season or cost of fuel preventing fanciers travelling long distances; the atmosphere was relaxed and friendly.

Once again the show received great sponsorship which is an important element in the survival of this national event, and our sincere thanks and gratitude are extended to Brown & Hutt for sponsoring 50% cost of all the open rosettes for the show; to Geoff Capes who sponsored the cost of all the ceramic awards to the judges and Best of Colours. Jan Hill & daughter Karen sponsored the show with the cost of printing the coloured covers for the schedules and catalogues. Grant Findlay & Dave Whittaker sponsored the cost of printing the schedules. Financial sponsorship came from Mick Anzara, Dominic Avo, Dave Moss and Dave & Linda Rafis. Warren Wilson, CEO of the Budgerigar Rare & Specialist Exhibitors of Australasia (BRASEA), sent a wonderful package of 24 major rosettes for the BOC winners. Lyn Bancroft, Guest of Honour, donated engraved salvers to all the best of the 12 varieties. Our gratitude is extended to the following fanciers who donated birds for the raffle; Ghalib & Janice Al-Nasser, Martin Bagnall, Sue & Rod Clarke, Grant Findlay & Nick Flavell, Malcolm & Pam Freemantle, Dave Moss, Gren & Pat Norris, Mike Peel and Cy Thorne and also to Norman & June Cox who give so much of their time to assist in running the show.

The Show Committee extends its sincere gratitude and appreciation to all the above sponsors as well as the Budgerigar Society, the six specialist societies with their patronage, those who donated prizes to the raffles, the ten area societies and Budgerigar World who all gave splendid support in granting their highest patronage to the show. Gratitude is also extended to all the workers, exhibitors and donors for making this year’s show another great success.

Apart from our regular fanciers from Scotland and Wales, who travel long distances to be with us, we also had the pleasure of visitors from Belgium.

Sunday afternoon was the time for trophy presentations and on this occasion the Guest of Honour was Lyn Bancroft, President of the Clearwing BBA, who presented the 44 trophies to the winners.

As in previous years at this show, partnerships did well in gaining 9 of the 24 CC’s on offer and 21 of the CC’s were awarded to the champion section.

Next year's show will be staged on 3^rd & 4^th July 2010 (week 26).

LUTINOS TOP REDEYES AGAIN

Best Lutino - Ian Fordham

Tony Pope judged the 78 Lutinos and awarded the adult C.C., best Lutino and best Redeye in Show to Ian Fordham (winner for the last 3 consecutive years). A bird of excellent type and condition with great rise above the eyes and good colour. Ian’s hen of paler colour was third best. Another quality cock, but smaller than the winner was second best for the intermediate Jim Mitchell. A Lutino hen from novice Frank Barnes headed the young bird section, a bird of good size but lacking in colour. Ivan Bellamy was second with a cock shown in good condition. Adam & Bruce Johnson were third with a good cock but lacking in deportment. Best junior Lutino went to Gary Cameron. Cy Thorne judged the 25 Albinos and the Best Albino in Show and Best Redeye Opposite Sex went to Chris Dew with a good quality hen of nice width and colour. For the second year running the junior Gary Cameron staged the second best and Best overall Junior Any Age in Show with a quality cock. Third best went to a cock of big size staged by the beginner partnership of Adam & Bruce Johnson. Chris Fuller, from the beginner section, won the young Albino award with a cock of good size and colour and eventually won the Best Redeye Young Bird in Show. Chris Dew was second with a quality hen of good colour. Ivan Bellamy was third with another good coloured hen.

Best Lutino Young Bird - F Barnes

FIFTH WIN FOR WHITEWING TOPPING CLEARWING AWARD

Dave Guppy judged the 17 Yellow-wings & the 23 Whitewings. He picked the top award from the Whitewings for the fifth year running.

The adult Yellow-wing award, best Yellow-wing in show went to Malcolm & Pam Freemantle with a good solid Dark Green cock but was let down by condition. Adam & Bruce Johnson from the beginner section were second with a Dark Green cock; a typy bird of good variety content. Bill & Lyn Bancroft were third with a Dark Green hen portraying typical yellow-wing markings.

Roger Day was first in the young bird section with a nice dark green hen of quality that also won Best Clearwing Young Bird in show. Roger also occupied second place with dark green cock. Sadly there were no other birds in this section.

Best Whitewing - Roger Day

Best Yellow-wing Young Bird - Roger Day

Best Whitewing Young Bird - Roger Day

Roger won the adult Whitewing award and also Best Clearwing Any Age and Best Clearwing in Show with a well-presented Skyblue cock of good contrast. Mick Anzara, from the intermediate section, was second with a good- sized Violet cock in good condition and variety content while his Cobalt hen was third best.

Roger Day with his Best Clearwing winner

Roger picked up his 3^rd challenge certificate from this section with a Violet cock of good colour & variety. Craig & Sandra Tipton from the novice section were second with a Violet hen while Malcolm and Pam Freemantle occupied third position with another Violet hen.

CRESTS OF QUALITY

Grant Findlay & Nick Flavell won Best Crest & Recessive Pied young birds

QUALITY  SPANGLES

The 57 Spangle Greens were judged by Dave Game and he awarded the adult CC and Best Spangle Green, Best Double Factor Spangle and Best Spangle in Show to a large, bold DF Yellow cock which had excellent deportment and belonging to the novice Don Hughes. Roger Day was second with a typy Spangle Grey Green cock of good markings. A Cinnamon Grey Green cock from Mick Anzara was third. Findlay & Flavell benched a nicely marked hen to win the opposite sex award. Gary Cameron won the junior any age award in this colour.

Roger Day staged a typy, well marked Grey Green hen to win the young bird award and Best Spangle Young Bird overall. This was followed by Mick Widdowson’s Opaline Dark Green cock in second place. Gren & Pat Norris were third with a Double Factor Yellow cock.

Best Blue Spangle - G & J Al-Nasser

Best Green Spangle - D Hughes

Best Spangle Young Bird - Roger Day

Dave Guppy judged the 50 Spangle Blues and awarded the Best Spangle Blue to Ghalib & Janice Al-Nasser who benched a good solid, well marked Cobalt cock to win the adult CC. A Spangle Slate hen was placed second for the novice Mick Hann, which had good markings. The Al-Nasser partnership also had a Double Factor White cock in third place.

Gary Sutton benched an Opaline Cinnamon Grey hen to win the young bird award, which was followed by the beginner Jennifer Fielding’s Spangle Cobalt cock in second place. Don Hughes was third with Cinnamon Grey cock.

Ghalib & Janice Al-Nasser with their Best Spangle Blue winner

QUALITY IN DOMINANT PIEDS

RECESSIVE PIEDS OF QUALITY

YELLOWFACES LOW IN NUMBERS

GOOD RARES

Rod & Sue Clarke who won best Rare in Show

Best Rainbow - Findlay & Flavell

Best Texas Clearbody - M. Peel

Best German Fallow - Mrs. S. Cook

Best English Fallow - Mrs. J. Hill

QUALITY IN A.O.C.

There was a drop in the entry for this section to 60 for Dave Game to judge. The winner of the any age section and best overall A.O.C. was a large buff feathered Grey White cock of good marking staged by Dave Swann who also benched a Grey Yellow cock in second place of similar quality to the winner. An Opaline Violet cock of good colour and deportment benched by John Cosby was in third place.

Roger Day occupied the first two places in the young bird section with a Blue White hen staged in good condition followed by a Suffused Yellow hen of good quality. Joseph Prothero benched a Violet hen in third place. The best opposite sex went to Mick Anzara with a Suffused Yellow cock.

Best Olive, L. Cutler; best Mauve, J. Farnham; Best Violet, J. Cosby; best Lacewing, M. Anzara; best Greywing, A & G Adams; best Yellow, D. Swann; best White, D. Swann; best AOV Clearwing, M & P Freemantle.

TEAMS

There were two teams benched and the winner was a team of 4 Spangle Light Green cocks benched by Mick Hann followed by a team of 2 pairs of Slates benched by Pete Holliday.