For the first time ever, Moreton Show will be holding a Sheep Shearing competition at the show in September. The competition will include four classes: Junior, which will start at 9:00am on Show Day, and then the Intermediate, Senior, and Open classes will follow.
CAPTION: Ben Cottrell, Chief Steward, Sheep Shearing at Moreton Show 2023.
This action-packed competition is a baarilliant new attraction to the show and aims to draw competitors from all over the country, to compete at one of the last competitions of the season. Moreton Show hopes this new competition will promote and encourage interest in wool plus the art and skill of sheep shearing, as well as help to educate people as to why sheep shearing is so important.
Sheep shearing not only provides great entertainment in a competition setting but it is also a necessary task to keep the sheep happy and clean. If sheep were not sheared, they get extremely hot in the summer months, and their fleece continues to grow, leading to risks of them getting stuck on their backs - in the agricultural industry this is referred to as getting ‘cast’.
The Moreton Show committee are delighted to welcome their latest volunteer to the team, the young and talented Ben Cottrell.
Ben, Chief Steward, says: ‘It’s an honour to be part of the team that’s organising a Shearing competition at Moreton Show. It’s something I have thought would be a great addition to an already fantastic show for a few years now, and with the help of Stuart Mace, Moreton Show Society Chairman, we have managed to get the idea off the ground. I think it’s going to be a real hit with competitors, it will be one of the last competitions of the season and the only one-day agricultural show in the area that holds a Shearing competition! We have got some great sponsors supporting this competition, and some great sheep to shear, all we need now is some great competitors!’
James Lewis, Deputy Chief Steward - who is also an extra addition to the volunteers that make up the team at Moreton Show – says: ‘I was really excited to be asked to join the Moreton Show Shearing Committee. It’s a cracking one-day show and it is a privilege to bring a Shearing competition here. It is great to work with a wonderful team on this committee and the people who we have asked to help on the day, from people involved in some of the top competitions in the UK to one of the best commentators in the world. We have a really strong team and hopefully the weather will be with us and we can attract some competitors from Juniors right up to the Open class.’
Moreton Show would like to say a huge thank you to the Shearing Competition sponsors who have stepped up to show their support for this new competition on the circuit. Lister Shearing Equipment Ltd for providing the shearing equipment to be used on Show Day, Mr Stuart Mace, Moreton Show Society Chairman for sponsoring the Junior competition, Laurence Pierce Wool Merchants for sponsoring the intermediate competition, Dunbia for sponsoring the Senior competition and British Bespoke Auctions for sponsoring the Open competition.
If you’d like to be part of the volunteering team at Moreton Show, please do give the Office a call on 01608 651 908.
The Shearing competition entries are open now and will close on Friday 18th August 2023, all entries before the closing day will gain free access to the show. Late entries may be taken on Show Day, however this will be subject to lamb numbers.
The new competition is expected to receive flocks of entries, so please sign up now: www.moretonshow.co.uk.