Finnington Pedigree Breeds
Show Season - 2010
As you see from the photo above that the bookcase is groaning with trophies again, even more than last year. Due to family illness we decided this year to scale down our shows and only do more local ones and thought that we would have a quiet year, how wrong we were….
Our year started with Stafford Show. As it’s only an hour down the motorway, and as we had lots of potential show pigs we took two trailers and 10 pigs. 3 Large Black gilts born March ’09, May ’09 and September ‘09, a Large Black boar, 3 July Middle Whites (2 gilts and a boar) and 3 January Middle Whites (2 gilts and a boar)
The Finnington Queen 2 won the sow class, and our boar Crane Majestic Eagle 2, bought as a weaner from the Marquess of Salisbury, won the senior boar class. Queen went on to be Breed Champion with a nice gilt from Jube Wickstead as Reserve Champion. In the Middle Whites we did very well, the July gilts were 1st and 2nd, the January boar won has class and the January gilts were 1st and 2nd in their class. The January gilt Finnington Fair Lady 15 was Reserve Breed Champion behind John Herbert’s boar. The January boar Finnington Captain then went on to qualify for the Young Pig of the Year final at Hatfield, Crane Majestic Eagle 2 qualified for Pig of the Year at Great Yorkshire Show and to our great delight Finnington Queen 2 was Supreme Champion of the show.
The same pigs went to Cheshire Show, with similar results in the breed classes. Finnington Queen 2 won Breed Champion in the Large Blacks, with Crane Majestic Eagle 2 taking Reserve Breed Champion. In the Middle Whites John’s boar was Breed Champion and we were Reserve Breed Champion with Finnington Fair Lady 15. John’s boar went on to take Best Traditional, with Finnington Queen taking Reserve Best Traditional, John’s Middle White boar went on to take Supreme. Finnington Fair Lady 15 then went on to join her brother and qualify for Young Pig of the Year.
Our next show was Great Yorkshire, and as we could only take one trailer we had to be more selective with pigs taken. Finnington Queen 2 won the sow class, and Crane Majestic Eagle 2 was 2nd in his class. Queen was Reserve Female Breed Champion. In the Middle Whites, Finnington Captain won his class and his sisters were 1st and 4th in theirs. They won the group of three for the breed. Captain was Male and Breed Champion and Fair Lady 15 was Reserve Female Champion. Captain then went on to win Reserve Supreme Champion. When you consider that there are around 400 pigs at the show this was no mean feat. Later in the day he also qualified for Pig of the Year and was down to the last 6 in the final, but he didn’t show himself well as he’d already had an exhausting day!
The following weekend we went to Great Eccleston Show, with just a couple of pigs. Finnington Captain won Supreme Champion.
We hadn’t planned to go to Hatfield this year as it’s a long way away and we were conscious of being a long way from home for any length of time, but when we qualified so many pigs we had to go. We had no Large Black pigs entered in the breed classes as Queen had already farrowed and there is no senior boar class. We did take Crane Majestic Eagle 2 though as we wanted to let Lord Salisbury see how he was getting on and he’d qualified for the Large Black Pig Breeders Club Champion of Champions competition, the final being held at Hatfield.
The Middle Whites did very well, taking first in the July gilt and January boar. Captain was Breed Champion. Whilst we were there Finnington Fair Lady 14 qualified for the Young Pig of the Year final, so all 3 litter brothers and sisters were in the final. Captain was Reserve Male Champion in the Young Pig of the Year competition, with Steve Loveless’ gilt winning Young Pig of the Year, we were then amazed to be pulled in as Reserve Young Pig of the Year.
Crane Majestic Eagle 2 won Large Black Champion of Champions, which we were very delighted about as Lord Salisbury was there and presented us with the prize, we did give him some credit for breeding him though. In the Middle White Champion of Champions we were amazed to do the double again when Captain won and Finnington Fair Lady 14, ably shown by Grace Bretherton, came reserve.
In early September as a last minute decision, Steve took some pigs to the RBST National Show, which took place at the NEC as part of the Dairy Event. Captain won Supreme, with his sisters placed 1st and 2nd in their classes. Captain and one of the sisters then won the Pairs class.
We had a great season and are now looking forward to what the new season, with our new Landrace pigs will bring………