By REBECCA DIXON

Last updated 19:33, Wednesday, 27 August 2008

BLUETONGUE may have kept the sheep away this year, but Blanchland organisers maintained the animal categories with a brand new poultry class.

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Although last year’s show had a small selection of birds on show, this was the first year that visitors could exhibit and compete in the poultry class.

There was a fine array of bantams on show including the juvenile class for the under 16-year-olds to show off their feathered friends.

Billy Bainbridge, secretary for the tent was delighted with the first year’s turnout: “We have a good variety this year and we are hoping to expand the category next year to include large fowl as well as ducks.”

Judge Richard Hoggarth had come all the way from Sedbergh in Cumbria to judge the soft feather bantams. An experienced judge, he has worked at shows up and down the country including Stafford and the Scottish National Show in Peebles.

Mr Hoggarth said: “This isn’t the best time of year for poultry because they are losing some of their feathers. They are better in February and March but it is a good turnout here with some nice Bantams.”

Also in the poultry tent this year, were the eggs and one little boy had a great result showing his prize eggs for the first time.

Bradly Lambert (4) took first in the bantam white and smallest egg sections and first and second place in the largest egg section.

The enthusiastic young fancier said: “I go every day to check the shed for eggs, I have two banties and two big fat hens. I love collecting the eggs.”

While Bradley’s sunny face should have been enough to persuade the rays to shine, it was not to be and the rain persisted almost all day.

Although it was more of a fine drizzle than pouring rain, it was enough to call off the children’s sports and even the dogs seemed out of sorts as they were paraded by their owners in the show rings.

The conditions made for some difficult going in the equestrian events. Winner of the open show jumping, Mary Craney said: “The ground was quite sticky which made things harder work for us and the horses.”

The 13-year-old from Melkridge near Haltwhistle rides with the South Northumberland Pony Club and she won first place with her pony Bonnie and came second in the intermediate class.

Birds of prey, it seems, do not object to drizzly weather and the falconry show gathered quite a crowd of wellie-clad children and brolly brandishing parents.

While the peregrine falcon went AWOL for a good five minutes, the ring master thrilled the crowd with facts on speed, wing span and hunting habits, all the while asking them to scan the skies for the errant bird.

The hunter did return, performing an eye-watering swoop between a young man’s legs to please the on-lookers.

The food outlets were also attracting a tidy crowd with big queues at the potato stall and the chip wagon, although the ice cream vans only seemed popular with the under fives.

The usually warm and welcoming village hall come tea room was a miss this year for those visitors desperately trying to keep their snacks dry but the Bay Bridge field was a less muddy and roomier option for the day’s events.

Kindly provided by Maurice and Margaret Oxley, the field has not been used for a Blanchland and Hunstanworth Show for 50 years, from an era when the show site was on a rota around the village. Part of the set-up this year was the entry price, which had been put up since last year, but show secretary Hayley Wilson was confident that neither the price hike nor the weather had put a dampner on the gate figures.

She said: “This year the weather has been a shame, especially for the kids’ games but the tents have not suffered and the entries have been as colourful and as varied as ever.”