For the
first time ever, Moreton Show will be holding a Sheep Shearing competition at
the show in September. The competition will include four classes: Junior, which
will start at 9:00am on Show Day, and then the Intermediate, Senior, and Open
classes will follow.
CAPTION: Ben
Cottrell, Chief Steward, Sheep Shearing at Moreton Show 2023.
This action-packed
competition is a baarilliant new attraction to the show and aims to draw
competitors from all over the country, to compete at one of the last
competitions of the season. Moreton Show hopes this new competition will promote
and encourage interest in wool plus the art and skill of sheep shearing, as
well as help to educate people as to why sheep shearing is so important.
Sheep
shearing not only provides great entertainment in a competition setting but it
is also a necessary task to keep the sheep happy and clean. If sheep were not sheared,
they get extremely hot in the summer months, and their fleece continues to grow,
leading to risks of them getting stuck on their backs - in the agricultural
industry this is referred to as getting ‘cast’.
The Moreton
Show committee are delighted to welcome their latest volunteer to the team, the
young and talented Ben Cottrell.
Ben, Chief
Steward, says: ‘It’s an honour to be part of the team that’s organising a Shearing
competition at Moreton Show. It’s something I have thought would be a great
addition to an already fantastic show for a few years now, and with the help of
Stuart Mace, Moreton Show Society Chairman, we have managed to get the idea off
the ground. I think it’s going to be a real hit with competitors, it will be
one of the last competitions of the season and the only one-day agricultural
show in the area that holds a Shearing competition! We have got some great
sponsors supporting this competition, and some great sheep to shear, all we
need now is some great competitors!’
James Lewis,
Deputy Chief Steward - who is also an extra addition to the volunteers that
make up the team at Moreton Show – says: ‘I was really excited to be asked to
join the Moreton Show Shearing Committee. It’s a cracking one-day show and it
is a privilege to bring a Shearing competition here. It is great to work with a
wonderful team on this committee and the people who we have asked to help on
the day, from people involved in some of the top competitions in the UK to one
of the best commentators in the world. We have a really strong team and
hopefully the weather will be with us and we can attract some competitors from
Juniors right up to the Open class.’
Moreton Show
would like to say a huge thank you to the Shearing Competition sponsors who have
stepped up to show their support for this new competition on the circuit.
Lister Shearing Equipment Ltd for providing the shearing equipment to be used
on Show Day, Mr Stuart Mace, Moreton Show Society Chairman for sponsoring the Junior
competition, Laurence Pierce Wool Merchants for sponsoring the intermediate competition,
Dunbia for sponsoring the Senior competition and British Bespoke Auctions for
sponsoring the Open competition.
If you’d
like to be part of the volunteering team at Moreton Show, please do give the
Office a call on 01608 651 908.
The Shearing
competition entries are open now and will close on Friday 18th
August 2023, all entries before the closing day will gain free access to the
show. Late entries may be taken on Show Day, however this will be subject to lamb
numbers.
The new
competition is expected to receive flocks of entries, so please sign up now:
www.moretonshow.co.uk.
