UNITED KINGDOM TITLE HOLDERS
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A Celebration of Birman The GCCF introduced the UK Grand
Certificates in 1988, to be competed for only at its annual Supreme Show
in new classes for Grand Champions and Grand Premiers.
A cat winning a UK Grand Certificate at two Supreme Shows
gains the title of UK Grand Champion or UK Grand Premier.
This innovation had the effect of bringing to the Supreme some
older-generation titled cats who would not otherwise have been eligible
for the show and would possibly be retired, thus creating the big,
exciting and tense event that is enjoyed today. In the early years of the UK Grands,
Birmans were in the Longhair section but, together with the Turkish
Vans, were given their own Grand classes at the Supreme, and later with
the other Semi-Longhair breeds in their new Semi-Longhair section.
The number of Birman Grand exhibits who entered was very small at
first, but of course has gradually increased over the years: just 4 in
1988, compared with the 40 and more we have seen in the last few years. The very first Birmans to gain the
coveted UK titles did so in the first year possible – 1989 – having
gained their first certificates in 1988: they were Seal male Gr
Ch Mockorange Big Boy owned Mrs Sandra Moore and bred by Mrs
Sundra Barker, and Blue female neuter Ch
& Gr Pr Laurant Penny Lane owned
and bred by Mrs Carole Flynn.
The next winners were the opposite sides of the coins, as it
were: Seal male neuter Ch
& Gr Pr Melvas Romeo owned and bred by Mrs Melva Eccles
in 1990, and Blue female Gr Ch Laurant
Mood Indigo, again owned
and bred by Mrs Carole Flynn, in 1991. In 1995 the Birmans had their own AC (Any
Colour) Grand class for the first time, when Gr
Ch Sylfox Robernt, owned by Mrs Sally Simmonds and bred by
Mrs Eileen Reynolds, became the first Blue male UK Grand Champion, and
there were three further UK titles the following year, including the
first Blue male neuter Gr
Pr Laurant Sir Galahad (making a Laurant hat-trick of UKs),
and the first AOC Birman: Seal Tortie female Gr
Ch Klassyklogs Krafty Karess owned and bred by Mrs Jane Tackley.
In 1997 there was a split into Seal, Blue and The Birman who holds the distinction of being the first female of any breed to become both a UK Grand Champion and a UK Grand Premier has already been mentioned above; she is Klassyklogs Krafty Karess, bred by Mrs Jane Tackley and now owned by Jane's husband Barrie, although it might be truer to say that she owns Jane and Barrie. "Kressie" became a Double UK at the 2000 Supreme, at the age of 7, has since become an International Grand Premier and has for some years been the self-appointed Patron of her Terribly Titled Birman Cat Club! Two highly ranked members of this exclusive club are UK Gr Ch & UK Gr Pr Shwechinthe Zunetra, Chocolate female bred by Mrs Elizabeth Brigliadori and her daughter Dr Kathryn Robson, who became the second Birman Double UK at the 2003 Supreme at the age of 10, and UK Gr Ch & UK Gr Pr Shandatal Queenofhearts, Seal female owned and bred by Mrs Shirley Talboys achieved her second UK title at the 2004 Supreme. "Qtie" was Supreme Kitten in 1996 and has been Seal Neuter Best of Breed exhibit at the Supreme for three years running as well as Best of Variety Neuter in 2002 – a wonderful record. These supremely classy girls were joined in 2005 by UK Gr Ch & UK Gr Pr Tarkusha Zinfandel, a Blue female owned and bred by Mr Geoffrey and Mrs Carol Tarr. She achieved the UK double at the age of 9 in a class of 6 other senior ladies, having been Best of Variety Adult at the 1999 Supreme, the year of her UK Grand Champion title. The latest 2007 Supreme added another 8 Birmans to the UK Grand total, with the majority of the new titles being neuters on this occasion. These included two Senior females: 12-year old UK Gr Pr Maplemist Stargazer owned by Theresa Groves and bred by Lorraine Couture; and Imp Gr Pr Sucette Hagendaz, 8 years old, owned and bred by Liz Whitby. Two of the male winners were two of the very few male Birman Double Grands: Gr Ch UK & Imp Gr Pr Norvin Sherekhan owned by Nicky Butler and bred by Janet Francis, who is not yet 4 years old; and Gr Ch & UK Gr Pr Sucette Frostedtiger owned by Margaret Forsyth and bred by Liz Whitby, a 10-year-old. Details, and photos where available, of all the UK title winners to date, including 2007, are in the list below. I would like to pay tribute to two cats
who competed for several consecutive years and were the much-admired
top-scoring Birmans of their day, but who just didn't quite make it to a
UK Grand title: Seal male Gr Ch
Serlahjari Berlain and Blue male neuter Gr
Pr Urprity Higgledy Piggledy, both owned by Mr Dougie and Mrs
Liz Taylor of Scotland. These
famous boys both gained one UK Grand (in 1990 and 1992 respectively) and
then were so unlucky as to be pipped into second
place in several consecutive years.
In 1994 both achieved Best of Breed and Best of Variety
but just missed out on the those coveted UK Grand Certificates.
1995 was their last Supreme, when both were 2nd again
in sizeable classes, and they continued to delight both old friends and
newcomers by appearing on exhibition for some years.
Berlain's many fans were sad to learn of his death on 25 February
2003 at the age of 17 and Higgledy Piggledy followed him over Rainbow
Bridge in February 2005, aged nearly 14. June 2005 saw the introduction at Championship shows (but not the Supreme) of the classes for Grand Champions and Grand Premiers to compete for certificates towards the new Imperial Grand title. Birmans are once again competing for these certificates against all the other Semi Longhair breeds, and 5 have to be won to gain the title. So far 27 Birmans have become Imperial Grand Champions or Premiers – and you can see who the first male and female adults and neuters were, by clicking on the Imperial link Janet
Osborn
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