Veteran grower scores heavyweight success at Goostrey gooseberry show

Despite early promise of the heaviest berries for a number of years, earlier than usual plagues of wasps and alternating hot and cold weather and heavy thunderstorms decimated many growers’ crops, with many growers losing all their berries to berries bursting full of juice or being eaten by wasps.

This year’s winner of the Heaviest Premier Berry was veteran grower Doug Carter, with a Bank View of 28 Pennyweights and 18 grains.

Doug also won the overall show and was awarded eight trophies, including the C.R. Griffiths Challenge Cup for the Heaviest Premier Berry and Frank Carter’s Point Cup for the most points accrued and the Frank Carter Memorial Plate.

Frank Carter’s Memorial Plate is awarded by Alan and Griselda Garner from the Blackden Trust in memory of Doug’s late father, Frank Carter, who was a legendary grower and breeder of the majority of the competition gooseberry varieties still used by growers today.

Goostrey's gooseberry growers

Doug also won the Graham Lenihan Memorial Cup for the most improved grower having leapt from ninth place last year.

This was the first year the Graham Lenihan Memorial Cup has been awarded, and is in memory of Graham Lenihan, a stalwart of the Gooseberry Society for more than 20 years.

Graham was the former records officer and former Society secretary who sadly died at the end of last year.

Fellow veteran grower Terry Price took second place with a Belmarsh of 26 pennyweights and 4 grains, with former secretary, with last year’s winner, Mrs Emma Williams, taking third place with an Ann Archer of 24 Pennyweights and 18 grains.

Terry Price also won the Bob Groves Memorial Cup for the heaviest white berry in the show.

READ>>> Champion grower beats the wasps

Mrs Emma Williams also won the J Walton Challenge Cup for the heaviest twins and the John Egerton Cup for the heaviest red berry in the show.

The Junior competition was very close, with former champion Jamie Goode reclaiming his crown, just beating last year’s champion by only 2 grains.

Jamie’s berry was a Newton Wonder of 14 pennyweights and 10 grains and Hugh’s was a Millenium of 14 pennyweights and 8 grains.

The novice growers didn’t go empty-handed, with Karl Lord winning the Tom Bayley Challenge Cup for the Heaviest Plate of Assorted Berries in his first year of showing, and Carl Hooper winning this year’s wooden spoon with a Fascination of 4 penny weights and 16 grains.

Current secretary Martin de Kretser won the Margaret and John Lawton cup for the Heaviest Four Sets of Twins.

A society spokesman said: “The Society owes a dept of gratitude to Lisa and her team at the Crown Inn in Goostrey, who looked after us so well, not only with an excellent show meal, but also a party on Gathering night, which included an excellent Swing singer and barbecue which was well attended and enjoyed by all.

“Also a big thankyou to all the people who visited the show and bought raffle tickets and sponsored prizes, which is invaluable in helping to continue to fund the Society.

“Also thankyou to Mrs Emma Williams for braving the rain to take the group photograph of the Goostrey Growers of 2019, and to Budge Burgess and Adrian Banks who sold the raffle tickets.

“We are also pleased that three new growers expressed an interest in joining the Society during the show; it is the continual interest and influx of new growers which will help gooseberry growing in Goostrey continue for many years to come.”

Results:

Premier Berries

1 D. Carter Bank View 28.18, 2 T. Price Belmarsh 26.04, 3 Mrs. E. Williams Ann Archer 24.18, 4 M. de Kretser Blackden Gem 21.01, 5 Mrs C. Heath Newton Wonder 20.07, 6 G. Buckley Edith Cavell 19.00, 7 N. Hassall Bank View 17.22, 8 I. McFarlane Newton Wonder 17.04, 9 Mrs. G. Garner Edith Cavell 16.13, 10 D. Hardacre Millenium 14.10, 11 K. Lord Surprise 14.01, 12 S. Edwards Just Betty 13.07, 13 S. Smallwood Newton Wonder 11.21, 14 Mrs. H. Wood Seedling 11.03, 15 D. Hassall Edith Cavell 9.03, 16 C. Hooper Fascination 4.16.

Triplets Not Won

Twins

1 Mrs. E. Williams Millenium 33.04, 2 M. de Kretser Bank View 28.02, 3 Mrs C. Heath Bank View 27.18, 4 T. Price Seedling 26.23, 5 D. Carter Montrose 20.10, 6 N. Hassall Bank View 16.11, 7 G. Buckley Careless 15.23, 8 S. Smallwood Blackden Gem 15.10, 9 D. Hassall Edith Cavell 12.12,10 C. Hooper Fascination 4.14

Red

1 Mrs. E. Williams Lloyd George 23.22, 2 T. Price Seedling 22.08, 3 D. Carter Blackden Gem 20.22, 4 T. Price Seedling 20.10, 5 Mrs. E. Williams Lloyd George 20.08, 6 M. de Kretser Blackden Gem 19.22, 7 D. Carter, Blackden Gem 19.02, 8 N. Hassall Blackden Gem 19.00, 9 M. de Kretser Blackden Gem 18.10, 10 N. Hassall Blackden Gem 18.09

Yellow

1 D. Carter Millenium 28.15, 2 D. Carter Millenium 26.07, 3 Mrs. E. Williams Millenium 22.14, 4 T. Price Ann Archer 21.15, 5 Mrs. E. Williams Montrose 20.05, 6 G. Buckley Edith Cavell 17.12, 7 M. de Kretser Millenium 16.22, 8 G. Buckley Edith Cavell 15.16, 9 Mrs. G. Garner Edith Cavell 15.15, 10M. de Kretser Millenium 14.07

Green

1 D. Carter Bank View 27.02, 2 D. Carter Bank View 26.04, 3 T. Price Seedling 20.09, 4 Mrs C. Heath Bank View 20.01, 5 M. de Kretser Bank View 19.05, 6 Mrs C. Heath Bank View 18.23, 7 T. Price Seedling 18.08, 8 M. de Kretser Bank View 16.20, 9 Mrs. E. Williams Admiral Beatty 12.20, 10 Mrs. E. Williams Admiral Beatty 12.11

White

1 T. Price Belmarsh 25.08, 2 D. Carter Newton Wonder 22.01, 3 D. Carter Newton Wonder 21.21, 4 M. de Kretser Jodrell White 20.23, 5 Mrs C. Heath Newton Wonder 19.23, 6 T. Price Lord Kitchener 19.14, 7 M. de Kretser Jodrell White 18.11, 8 Mrs C. Heath Newton Wonder 16.10, 9 G. Buckley Newton Wonder 15.03, 10 S. Smallwood Lord Kitchener 11.20

Championship Show Plate

1 D. Carter Millenium

Show Plate

Red 1 M. de Kretser, 2 T. Price, 3 N. Hassall

Yellow 1 Mrs. E. Williams, 2 No Entries, 3 No Entries

Green 1 Mrs C. Heath, 2 N. Hassall,3 Mrs. E. Williams

White 1 No Entries, 2 No Entries, 3 Mrs C. Heath

Mixed Plate 1 No Entries, 2 No Entries, 3 No Entries

Assorted Plate 1 K. Lord

Juniors 1 Jamie Goode Newton Wonder 14.10, 2 Joe Banks Williams Millenium 14.08, 3 No Entries.