Into The Show Season

It’s competition time for MARK JONES as he pits his stock against the best on the bench – not omitting to celebrate some pleasing recoveries and amend some memories that had played tricks!

- Mark Jones

I SHOULD begin by saying that I stand corrected with previous reference to winning hen mules. The day after my article was published in the September 25 Cage & Aviary Birds, I received a telephone call from Peter Degville of Dudley. He advised me that I was wrong on two counts, with the name of the exhibitor and show.

So for Alan Page substitute Dave Mason and for the NBB&MC All-British substitute the Staffordshire BB&MC show! Apologies to both. Dave is arguably the top exhibitor of mules and hybrids in the British Isles and practically unbeatable at the London & Home Counties show. Alan is a true gentleman with many years of knowledge and experience in the fancy. I hope to see him in the New Year at the London & Home Counties show and if he wants to contact me in the meantime I will be very happy.

Once reminded by Peter Degville, my memory improved: it was indeed a cock greenfinch mule that Alan benched. I had some success on that day in 2008 with a hen siskin, which was nice but not the quality of Alan’s winner.

Back to the present. The 2019/2020 show season has begun for me with the Denbigh CBS show. This is my local show which I have now started to get involved in rather than just attend as an exhibitor. Over the years my father and I travelled to exhibit in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. I doubt whether anyone has travelled so much! However, we never got much involved in the running of shows. Previously the Welsh BB&MC and, more recently, the National BB&MC had been our sole involvements.