The South Tyneside Aquatic, Marine and Pondkeepers Society held its eighth open show and auction on June 1, attended by members of clubs from all over the UK.
Judging was to FBAS Standards, with winning fish qualifying for entry to Championship Classes at the Federation’s Festival in London in October.
The event took place at the Charles Young Day Centre in South Shields, Tyne and Wear, with 114 fish entered in the 35 classes. Rivalry of the Associations is friendly, so members of clubs from all the UK attended, as far afield as London and Aberdeen.
However, the Best in Show was won by a STAMPS member, Bede Kerrigan, with an African butterfly peacock cichlid (Aulonocara jacobfreibergi) — pictured at the top of the page. It also won the Chairman’s Choice Award.
The two other major awards by STAMPS under FBAS rules are Championship Classes Ba (Large barbs) and T (AOV livebearers). These qualify for those Championship Competitions in London’s FBAS Festival.
Class Ba was a Red-line torpedo barb (Sahyadria denisonii) owned by Rob and Karen Kirkup, who have shown fish for many years under their personal club name 'Rainbows'. The Kirkup’s barb was given 83 points by the four FBAS judges.
The T Class AOV Livebearer was a Brachyraphis holridgei owned by Anabantoid Association of Great Britain members Stuart and Sarah Brown, who brought the fish all the way from Staffordshire to achieve 86 points by the judges.
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