Notes on a Wild Weekend

After the monsoons of July, the Great Eccleston show field is no place for a fat man to walk and write at the same time so my grandson has been helping me take some notes before heading for his beloved big wheel. Now in the comfort of the Members Beer Tent they read like the surreal lyrics of a Beatles song from the Sergeant Pepper era...

vintage vans and wooden flowers
the drive-past shooting ends in showers
the child who leads a two-ton shire
the ten-ton tractor breathing fire
pig keeping courses made for all
the drinkers heading for a fall...

Get the picture? If you want to run an agricultural show, run it the great Eccleston way. It's a blast, a sensory overload, two days of farming business mixed with eccentric English fun. Wales sent us a new TV star in the form of Kate Beavan, and Scotland sent us the weather. I look at Tommy's notes again and realise they are all true. The motor cycle display did have a  a drive-by when the crowd was soaked with a water gun. A boy did run a huge shire round the ring. (What a good job those horses don't realize how big they are!) But how about, "the drinkersheading for a fall"? Well in the corner if the beer tent stood one of those tables integrared with its own benches where the venerable Jack Benson was holding court. An extra guest was invited to sit down at the drink-laden board, but alas the ground gave way and the guests headed south while their drinks went west. Spring-heeled Jack bounded free rescueing his pint in the same manoeuvre. The men were impressed the ladies were not!...read more  Copyright: Tom Reddy & Tommy Higginson - In-Focus (August Issue) 

Trophy Winners

The main winners were:

Supreme Champion Dairy Cattle was won by
D J & S Tomlinson from Bilsborrow with a Holstein Bilsrow BJ Snowboots

Supreme Champion Beef Cattle was won by
J H Hollingsworth from Mold with Anarita

Supreme Champion Shire Horse was won by
F Pickles from Keighley with Providence Lady Jasmine

Champion Show Pony was won by
A Kent with Sunberry Golden Tribute

Champion Ridden Hunter was won by
R Harthen

Supreme Champion Pig was won by
S J Richardson & J A Wood

In Horticulture the Banksian Medal which is awarded by
the Royal Horticultural Society was won by David Makinson from Stalmine

Domestic Science Supreme Exhibit was won by
G Towers

Handicrafts Supreme Exhibit was won by
J Wadsworth from Thornton Cleveleys

Art Best Painting was won by
C Marsh from Preston

Photography Best Photograph was won by
O Doree from Blackburn

Childrens winning Junior School Entry went to
St Marys R C Primary School

Best Exhibit in the Poultry section was won by
R & B Ainsworth from Lostock Hall

Pulling in the rain...

In spite of the weather, a good show, some great runs and fortunately no breakages given the slick in places on the track. Would have been good to see a better tussle between Black Gold and Never Satisfied.

A very good big pro-stock class, still more new tractors to come this is really turning into a great class with some close competition cracking run from Ted Nicholson to take the win, and nice to see JBJ back out and going very well also.

In the Superstocks the good old cast iron back ends showed the components how to get into the track, great runs from Red Alert and The Terminator.

Thanks from North West Tractor Puller's Club...

Just like to say a big thanks to all involved in this weekends event. The North West Club members pulled it off again even though the weather was against us.

It just goes to show what we can achieve when everybody pulls together, because that's what makes a good day's pulling for the tractors, and a good show for the paying spectators.

Thanks again for your support and backing!

John Eccles
Chairman of the North West Tractor Pullers Club

After the Show was over...

Despite the inclement weather over the weekend the organisers of Great Eccleston Show certainly gave the visiting public an excellent demonstration of all that is good in the heartland of the Fylde coast in Lancashire.

The rain may have fallen for most of the second day but the spirits were certainly high and once again justified it’s reputation as the best two-day show in the North-West and the ground held up well to the estimated 30,000 people who visited the show over the two days.

There was a great show of dairy cattle on the first day, all of a very high standard. Although
Holsteins are the dominant breed in the Fylde, there was an excellent showing of Jersey’s and the addition this year of Ayrshire cattle was a welcome sight.

The beef show that followed on Sunday was an excellent display of these large, sturdy animals and was well represented with British Blues, Simmentals and Limousins.

On Saturday the main ring was full of over seventy entries in the Shire Horse section and Great Eccleston can probably boast to have had more of these great horses on display than any other show so far this year.

A win at Great Eccleston means that the horse qualifies to
enter the Shire Horse of the Year Competition and so the Grand Parade on Saturday featured some of the finest horses in the country. The Supreme Champion went to F. Pickles from
Keighley, West Yorshire with his horse Providence Lady Jasmine and the horse that won the qualifier was owned by J Wilkinson from Clitheroe with Hainton Charlie Girl.

There was a strong line-up of various breeds of sheep on the Saturday with Suffolks, Texels,Charollais, Swaledale and Zwartbles sheep making up the numbers as well as various primitive, non-primitive and Shetland sheep on display on Sunday.

The rest of the animals on show included a great selection of pigs, goats and rabbits. Our feathered friends were also well represented with over 250 Budgerigars on show and over a 180 hens. The cockerel that won Supreme Champion was a Long Island Red with some of the
finest markings on a bird the judge had ever seen. The bird’s careful owner, Mr Ainsworth
from Lostock Hall has been rearing this breed for over 60 years.

Tractors always feature very heavily at Great Eccleston and this year was no exception with a wonderful display of vintage tractors and steam driven machinery. The modern machinery
took pride of place by the main ring but the more powerful machines were to be found in the
lower field during the Tractor Pulling Competition. Although the weather took it’s toll on
these noisy monsters reaching there full potential, there was still a fantastic display watched
by a good crowd of old and new fans alike.

The marquee’s around the showground always have some of the finest pieces of work. The
support that this show gets from local people is manifest in the quality and number of exhibits on display. Ranging from flowers, vegetables, art, photography, handicrafts and baking the vast array of entries was a feast for the eyes and young and old had got involved. The Children’s Section alone attracted over 700 entries which is wonderfully encouraging for the success of the show for years to come.

The large food hall attracted some great local produce and the array of cheeses, chocolate and meats would certainly encourage anyone to buy locally. Phillipa James, who runs a cookery school in Mawdesley, gave demonstrations of quick and easy recipes using the finest local ingredients. The finest of Lancashire was also represented in the “Made in Lancashire”marquee with various producers of jewellery, wooden toys and other handicrafts showing the talent and variety of work being produced around Lancashire.

Great Eccleston certainly put on a show that was a credit to it’s organisers and all that is great in Lancashire. The show had something for everyone and those that attended were not disappointed and went away with a smile on their faces and a wish to return again next year.

Great Eccleston & District Agricultural Society

The Society was founded in 1853 and the two-day event it hosts in July is a showcase for every aspect of rural endeavour and a big attraction to townspeople and country folk alike. Saturday features dairy cattle, Shire horses, sheep, pigs and poultry. On Sunday beef cattle, light horses, goats and primitive sheep take centre stage, while the dragster tractors roar into life in the tractor-pulling arena. There are marquees displaying everything from fruit and flowers to cakes, cheese and chutneys, a big food hall featuring local produce, traditional rural craftsmen at work, demonstrations of sheep herding, sheep shearing, bee keeping - truly there will be something for everyone.