Last updated 10:25, Friday, 22 August 2008

ALLENDALE Show was a huge success on Saturday, a rain-free afternoon drawing large crowds to witness the return of livestock categories.

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Top dogs: Show champion and winner of the Latchmead Shield was Ben a labrador owned by Ian Bowman, seen here with reserve champion Skye, a labradoodle shown by Bridget Robson.

Despite the poor weather in the week building up to the show, the field had drained and held up well.

Show-goers were treated to live music, displays and a hotly contested tug-of-war.

Music was again provided by The Lounge Lizards this year, and they made the perfect background to the event.

Dotted around the field were a scattering of scarecrows, the witch sitting by the craft tent having a particularly eerie demeanour.

The winning scarecrow, judged by Paul Tinning of Fawdingtons, was Mark Short’s shepherd with sheep, picked for the effort he put into making it.

The craft tent did a brisk trade in jewellery, paintings, bric-a-brac and a host of other products.

Although cattle and sheep returned after last year’s foot-and-mouth restrictions, the horse riding competitions were called off due to the soggy ground, and there were no goats due to bluetongue.

However, the quality of the sheep classes compensated for this.

Keith Smith, one of the judges, said: “The sheep classes were as good as I’ve ever seen. And for the first time in 10 years the mules were the strongest category.”

The overall winner in the sheep section was John Davison, of Lough Green, Langley, with his Texel.

The cattle section, despite relatively few submissions, was of very high quality and judge John Reed, in his first year adjudicating on the class, said he found it difficult because the entries were very even.

In the industrial marquee competition was intense for the J. and A. Graham Cup, awarded for winning the most points in the cooking section.

Three ladies, Eileen Smith, Doreen Archer and Joyce Short, dominated the class, one of them winning nearly every category. Ultimately, Eileen triumphed, winning the cup for a fifth time.

Housewife Eileen, from Allendale, stopped baking during the week, fearing the show would be called off, so she was very busy on the Friday before, making up for lost time.

Even though she was also helping with the show itself, she also found time to win the Betty Common Cup for embroidery.

The show’s secretary, Rachel Connor, said: “It was a really good day. Gate receipts were up on last year, as were entries in most classes.

“Every aspect went really well, and it was a complete miracle that the weather held.”

Among the most popular attractions were the army’s climbing wall, and Diggerland, which brought along some mini-JCBs for children to control.

Allendale’s fire crew put on some impressive displays, cutting a car into pieces to rescue trapped passengers, and explaining the dos and don’ts of tackling chip-pan fires.

An impressive fireball and plume of smoke seemed to persuade people water would not do the job.

Some of the most popular diversions were the Highland cows and alpacas.

The alpacas in particular, with their slender necks, huge eyes and nervous dispositions, melted many a heart.

Kathryn Shrimpton, who breeds them and makes clothing from their wool, brought them along from Lowgate.

“We get a lot of people coming up to the farm to see them, so we asked if we could bring them along,” she said.

“They’ve been very popular, with lots of people coming to stroke them.”

As the afternoon wore on, excitement mounted as the crowd gathered around the tug-of-war contest.

Much support was in evidence for The Hare and Hounds team, but Team Nigel Thompson, captained by Nigel Thompson, won the £350 prize donated by Fawdingtons.

“We’re absolutely wrecked and we’re off to the bar,” said one competitor.

The surprise of the day was Fawdingtons selling a car, the first time this has ever happened at the show.

Sales manager Paul Tinning said: “We don’t really come here expecting to sell cars. It’s more about seeing regular customers and being involved in the community.”

The day was rounded off by the ever-popular terrier racing.

Although there were some reluctant competitors, the majority of the dogs seemed excited to be taking part, and the crowd was certainly delighted to be watching them.

With livestock back, gate receipts up, entries up, and the absence of any rain, the 168th Allendale Show was one of the best.