HMS Competition 2011
Looking down on Pitstone Green Business Park, home to Handmade Shoes (UK) Ltd, you could not fail to be impressed by the array of farriery vans (complete with gazebo’s, just in case!), ready and waiting in anticipation for the start of the largest shoemaking competition in Europe.
Back after a year off, the 6th Handmade Shoes (UK) Ltd Shoemaking Competition welcomed 131 competitors to its premises to compete for a prize fund in excess of £15,000. With Advanced, Intermediate and Apprentice Championships to contest, farriers and apprentices alike were eager to get started.
Hardly needing an introduction to their two eminent judges, six times World Champion Grant Moon AWCF and three times (and current) World Champion Steven Beane AWCF, the day kicked off with a competitors meeting and a chance to scrutinise the specimen shoes.
Class 1, the ‘Derek Gardner Front & Hind Shoes’, included a concave front and hind with a hammer clip for the 1st & 2nd Year Apprentices, a three quarter fullered front and hind, hammer finish, for the 3rd & 4th Year Apprentices and a fully fullered front and a three quarter fullered hind for the Advanced and Intermediate farriers. Derek has generously sponsored this class for the last 6 years and prize winners were treated to hammers, fullers, stamps and pritchels.
Results: James Elliot (1st & 2nd Year), Alex Collier (3rd & 4th Year), Harry Garner (Intermediate) and Jason Gajczak (Advanced) secured early wins to get the competition off to a flying start.
Class 2, the ‘Jim Blurton Bar Shoe Challenge’, included a pair of egg bars for the 1st & 2nd Year Apprentices, a hammer finished pair of three quarter fullered straight bars for the 3rd & 4th Year Apprentices, a pair of heart bar hinds for the Intermediates and a rasped and filed pair of heart bar fronts for the Advanced competitors. Jim donated tools to the apprentice classes and barshoes for the Intermediate and Advanced classes.
Results: James Elliot continued his winning streak in the 1st & 2nd Years Apprentices, Josh Wilson won the 3rd & 4th Year Apprentices, Harry Garner again won the Intermediate section and Matt Randles secured a convincing win in the Open.
A short break for lunch and a well earned rest before the ‘hotly’ contested ‘Tosaky Forge One Heat Fast & Furious’. Each year this class produces some of the most admired shoes of the day and some of the most damaged tools too! Ten minutes of beating metal following the pre-heat period produced an amazing collection of shoes – plain stamped, fullered, clipped and unclipped, rolled toes, stud holes and therapeutic to name just a few. Tony Kingery had kindly donated Tosaky Forge Knives to the victors in this class.
Results: James Elliot once again secured top place in the 1st & 2nd Years, Jake Elliot won the 3rd & 4th Years and Tom Stevens and Jon Atkinson won the Intermediate and Advanced respectively.
The final class of the day, the ‘Kevin Bacon’s Hoofcare Products Judges Surprise Shoes’, completed the marathon of shoemaking tests. From Grant Moon in the 1st & 2nd Years was a plain stamped front and hind made from 14” of ¾ x ½. Steven Beane had made a concave lateral support front made from 13” of ¾ x 3/8 and a side bone shoe from 14 ½” of 1” x ½ for the 3rd & 4th Year Apprentices. For the Advanced and Intermediate competitors Grant’s specimen was a ¾ fullered front break over shoe and Steven’s a heel and feather hind. Winners of the class received lovely wine and jackets courtesy of Kevin Bacon’s Equine Products.
Results: Robbie Watson-Greaves posted a convincing win in the 1st & 2nd Year Apprentices class, Jack Casserly won the 3rd & 4th Year class, Jack Harper the Intermediates and Jon Atkinson the Advanced.
A wash and change into something ‘funky’ led the competitors, the staff , friends and family to the black tie Summer Ball and Presentation Dinner.
A superb dinner preceded the nervously awaited and much sought after Championship announcements. Placed consistently throughout the competition Robbie Watson-Greaves was victorious in the 1st & 2nd Year Apprentices with Daniel Rabin Reserve Champion. Alex Collier edged ahead of Ben Grange to take the title in the 3rd & 4th Year Apprentices whilst Harry Garner capitalised on his early lead in the Intermediate classes to win the Intermediate Championship with Dan Preece in Reserve. Victorious in the Open Championship and winning himself a ton of Handmade Shoes (amongst other prizes) was Jon Atkinson, with Gary Darlow a highly popular Reserve Champion.
Each year the competition is extremely fortunate to be in receipt of a wonderful selection of prizes for those competitors achieving top placings. The generosity of the sponsors is remarkable and those coming out on top walk away with a great ‘booty’ bag! Quite simply the competition would not be what it is today without their contribution.
The B L Farriers Forge given to a competitor of ‘Billy’s Choice’ was won by ‘seasoned competitor’ Paul Duddy for his continued support of the Handmade Shoes Competition and forever turning up without one!
A remarkably generous auction prize list instigated minor bidding wars to help raise £13,690 in aid of Breakthrough Breast Cancer. The sale of the latest catwalk item – neon bracelets and necklaces – by our hard-selling Table Captains helped to raise a further £2,698 bringing the total to a fantastic £16,388!
Celebrations continued well into Sunday morning, aided by a champagne reception kindly sponsored by Pierre Mage (Mustad) and wine kindly sponsored by Steffan Heimes (Pferd) and Sam and Mac Head (MNC), completing a superb day. The Handmade Shoes Competition – and Summer Ball – is an occasion not to be missed. A highly organised, professional competition rounded off with a party of farriers, friends and family; camaraderie and character’s!
Billy and Lucy Crothers would like to thank all of the sponsors for their continuous and generous support, everyone that donated an auction prize, the staff at Handmade Shoes for their hard work and the competition stewards who gave up their time. A special thank you also to James Henderson for kind permission to use his field and marquee and also to all the competitors and those that attended in the evening to celebrate the day’s events and to support such a worthwhile charity.
CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS
1st & 2nd Year Apprentices
CHAMPION - Robbie Watson-Greaves, winning Emily’s Birthday Trophy (Donated by Emily Crothers), £300 Voucher (Donated by Handmade Shoes), Dusky Forge Loop Knife (Donated by Dusky Forge), Myron McLane Apron (Donated by Myron McLane), Forging Tongs and Groover (Donated by Jim Quick), 14” Nippers (Donated by MFC), J & A Ferrie DVD (donated by J & A Ferrie)
RESERVE - Daniel Rabin, winning £150 Voucher (Donated by Handmade Shoes), Dusky Forge Loop Knife (Donated by Dusky Forge), Myron McLane Apron (Donated by Myron McLane), Forging Tongs and Groover (Donated by Jim Quick), 14” Nippers (Donated by MFC), J & A Ferrie DVD (donated by J & A Ferrie)
3rd - Grant Watt
4th - Sean Mooney
5th - Stuart McGaffin
6th - Harry Harris
7th - Anthony Marris
8th - Dominic Jones
9th - Alex Jew
10th - Frazer Atherton
3rd & 4th Year Apprentices
CHAMPION - Alex Collier, winning Emily’s Birthday Trophy (Donated by Emily Crothers), Swan Forge (Donated by Cecil Swan), Dusky Forge Loop Knife (Donated by Dusky Forge), Forging Tongs and Groover (Donated by Jim Quick), 14” Nippers (Donated by MFC), J & A Ferrie DVD (donated by J & A Ferrie), Mark Milster Knife (donated by Mark Milster)
RESERVE - Ben Grange, winning Legend Anvil (Donated by Anvil Brand), Dusky Forge Loop Knife (Donated by Dusky Forge), Myron McLane Apron (Donated by Myron McLane), Forging Tongs and Groover (Donated by Jim Quick), 14” Nippers (Donated by MFC), J & A Ferrie DVD (donated by J & A Ferrie), Mark Milster Knife (donated by Mark Milster)
3rd - Josh Wilson
4th - Jake Elliot
5th - Jack Casserly
6th - Harry Meek
7th - Andrew Ireland
8th - Lewis Balfour
9th - Tom Williams
10th - Tom Middleton
Intermediate
CHAMPION - Harry Garner, winning Emily’s Birthday Trophy (Donated by Emily Crothers), 1 ton Pre-Cut Concave Steel (Donated by Laurence McDougal, Legg Brothers), Dusky Forge Loop Knife (Donated by Dusky Forge), Forging Tongs and Groover (Donated by Jim Quick), 14” Nippers (Donated by MFC), GE Pull Offs (donated by J & A Ferrie), Mark Milster Knife (donated by Mark Milster)
RESERVE - Dan Preece, winning ½ ton Pre-Cut Concave Steel (Donated by Laurence McDougal, Legg Brothers), Dusky Forge Loop Knife (Donated by Dusky Forge), Forging Tongs and Groover (Donated by Jim Quick), 14” Nippers (Donated by MFC), GE Clenching Tongs (donated by J & A Ferrie), Mark Milster Knife (donated by Mark Milster)
3rd - J C Lee
4th - Tom Galloway
5th - Matt Alderman
6th - Andrew David Smith
7th - Ryan Wadling
8th - Jack Harper
9th - Simon Legge
10th - David Dawson
Open
CHAMPION - Jon Atkinson, winning Emily’s Birthday Trophy (Donated by Emily Crothers), 1 ton (100 boxes) of Handmade Shoes, Dusky Forge Loop Knife (Donated by Dusky Forge), Forging Tongs and Groover (Donated by Jim Quick), 14" Nippers (Donated by MFC), (donated by J & A Ferrie), Mark Milster Knife (donated by Mark Milster)
RESERVE CHAMPION - Gary Darlow, winning ½ ton (50 boxes) of Handmade Shoes, Dusky Forge Loop Knife (Donated by Dusky Forge), Forging Tongs and Groover (Donated by Jim Quick), 14” Nippers (Donated by MFC), GE Clenching Tongs (donated by J & A Ferrie), Mark Milster Knife (donated by Mark Milster)
3rd - Matt Randles
4th - Ricky Hilton
5th - Jim Cooper
6th - Andy Martin
7th - Jay Tovey
8th - Adam Fox
9th - Nigel Fennell
10th - Gavin Golby
AUCTION PRIZES
World Champion Fuller donated by Andrew Casserly
Two Rugby Tickets donated by Mark Jones of the NFU Oswestry
Damascus Knife donated by Scott Davidson
Tool & Fullered Shoe Board donated by N. Fennell, A. Casserly, J. Bryan, D. Smith, M. Randles, G. Golby, D. Gulley, D. Gardner, I. Allison, D. Bazin, S. Beane, G. Darlow
Meal for Two at The Stag, Mentmore donated by Nigel Bradshaw
One Day’s Salmon Fishing for Two donated by J & A Ferrie Farrier Supplies
Horse’s Hoof Bracelet donated by Rusty Brown
Welsh Cob Shoe made by Richard Ellis donated by Richard Ellis
Weekend for Two to Maastricht donated by Vettec
Dressage Lesson with Garry Williams donated by Garry Williams
Stainless Steel Sculpture donated by Paul Elliot of ‘Hammer & Tongs’
Sandy Lyle Signed Putter & Signed Autobiography donated by Stuart Lyle
A Round of Golf for Three (with Billy) at Woburn donated by Billy Crothers
Handmade Titanium Tongs donated by Ludovic Mathieu
Black Powder Shoot donated by Huw Dyer of Londonderry Forge
Two Nights Accommodation at Buckatree Hall, nr. Telford donated by Grant Moon
Steven Beane & Gary Darlow Shoemaking Clinic donated Steven Beane & Gary Darlow
‘Sunset at Findlins’ Photo on canvas of the view from Bruce Wilcock’s forge donated by Bruce Wilcock
Caricature by Barrie Eyden donated by Barrie Eyden Design
VIP tour of the Mini Cooper Production Line donated by Steve Prosser
A Days Hunting with Master of the Worcestershire Foxhounds donated by Ian Allison MFH
A trip around Knightsbridge Barracks & Stables donated by Capt. R J Spiller RHG/D
Pinewood Studio Tour donated by Garath Crothers
‘Horse Head’ Horseshoe Sculpture donated by Tom Hill Sculpture
Full results including a breakdown of individual marks please email Claire.
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