NORTH REGION CHRISTMAS SHOW Birdwell Community Hall, 9 February 2003
Judges Report: Eddie Crutchley

I had a rather forgetful morning, arriving without my clear spectacles and white coat. Alarm messages sent out were responded to promptly and the required items appeared courtesy of Richard who had remained at home to do some work.
The YSF's were headed by a Medium Dark of nice type, conformation and colour, with slightly open silky stand up fur. Reserve to this animal was the winner of the Dark class. This was a really nice animal spoiled on the day by a choppy (pepper & salt) look to the fur, a quality animal well worth its place.

The YSM classes provided animals of very high quality. The winner of the Dark colour phase is an animal of great beauty being blocky and having wonderful veiling coverage on blue silky strong stand up fur. He went on to be Best Young Standard, Best Standard Animal and Show Champion. The runner up in this section was a Medium Dark animal of very similar type with similar eye appeal. Both these animals were slightly marred by grooming lines but there was no denying their quality, which shone through strongly.

Only three ASF's were shown and sadly they were all out of condition. Big and blocky they should have been in the breeding cage, for which all were eminently suited.
A class of five quality ASM's spoiled by some lacking in show condition. The winner was of high quality in all aspects but size, where he had to give way to a young male for Best Standard Animal and later as Reserve Show Champion. Second in the class and Reserve Best Standard Adult was a big blocky animal that showed quality fur in the centre of the back but was quite choppy along the flanks.

Seven Young Mutations making a class of three Beige and four AOC's. The Beige animals had very little between them, all having silky strong stand up fur, blocky, good size and colour. They were separated by varying degrees of condition on the day. The winner was Best Young Mutation and went on to Best Mutation. The only first winner in the AOC class was aquality Pink White that had a good volume of fine upright fur. This animal became Reserve Young Mutation and Reserve Best Mutation. Nine Adult Mutations, three Black Velvet, three Beige and three AOC.
The Black Velvets were disappointing in that they were quality animals lacking in condition. The winning Beige had silky strong stand up fur, was well covered and blocky and became Reserve Best Adult Mutation. Foremost in the Adult Mutations was a very good clear Wilson White that had plenty of strong fur. I must say that both Wilson Whites and Beiges seem to me to have taken a good step forward in quality recently after somewhat of a lull, obviously some serious effort is being made in these colour varieties.

There were only six Novice animals headed by a Brown Velvet of reasonable quality and Reserve to this was a Self Black. I should point out that I did give some leeway when judging the novice classes in order to encourage them. It is rather sad the emphasis novices place upon mutations, despite the advice being given regularly by judges and other experienced breeders, that the way towards quality is through using standard animals to improve fur quality. Please listen carefully to the advice given, we give it in the hope that the quality and husbandry of chinchillas maybe improved.
Eddie Crutchley