UNITED KINGDOM TITLE HOLDERS
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A Celebration of Birman UK Grand Titles 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 increased over the years: just 4 in 1988, compared with the 30, 40 or 50 and over that we have seen in more recent 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 AOC (Any Other Colour), opening up the chances still more widely, and all 12 certificates were awarded except for Seal Female where none had entered. The new title that year was the first Tabby point, Seal male who became UK Gr Ch Keitum Krackerjack, owned and bred by Mrs Julie Keith. 1998 was a rather bad year as two judges did not seem to be very impressed with the standard of Birmans and a good many certificates were withheld, including no fewer than five UKs; two UK Grand titles were gained, but it might have been four. In 1999 the Tabby Points got their own Grand classes, followed in 2002 by the Chocolates & Lilacs and the Red, Cream & Tortie group, giving the opportunity for a possible total of 20 Birman UK Grand Certificates to be won. The percentage awarded to Birmans in the years since then has been very high and several UK Grand titles have been gained each year. There are now 80 Birmans who hold UK Grand titles (this includes five females who hold two, as Adult and Neuter) and it is worth mentioning that most of these managed to win their certificates in consecutive years – a considerable achievement. The Birman who held 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; the late Klassyklogs Krafty Karess, bred by Mrs Jane Tackley and later owned by Jane's husband Barrie, although it might be truer to say that she owned Jane and Barrie. "Kressie" became a Double UK at the 2000 Supreme, at the age of 7, and later achieved Imperial and International Grand Premier titlles. For some years she was the self-appointed Patron of her Terribly Titled Birman Cat Club! Among early highly ranked members of this exclusive club were the late 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 2009 Supreme added another 10 Birmans to the UK Grand title total – so a new record tally - 4 Adults and 6 Neuters, with no UKs being withheld. The undoubted Birman star of the day was Ch & Imp Gr Pr Syralette Blushing Bride, a wonderful 16-year old Seal Female Neuter owned and bred by Sue Attley. In gaining her UK Grand Premier title and being awarded Best of Variety Semi-Longhair Neuter, she gave the Birman breed its first Supreme Show BOV award since 2006. "Poppy" has also broken Birman records by being the oldest known to gain a title in Britain. Among other new UK Grands for 2009 are Gr Ch Tormist Chocachino, a big handsome Seal Tabby of over 6 years, owned and bred by Mrs Marilyn Dickerson, who gained his well-deserved UK Grand Champion title after a gap of 4 years since his first certificate. UK Gr Ch & Imp Gr Pr Shwechinthe Sasskia, a classy Lilac neutered female owned and bred by Mrs Elizabeth Brigliadori and Dr Kathryn Robson, in attaining her UK Grand Premier title, becomes the fifth Birman female to achieve the UK double, at the age of 11. Sasskia's Chocolate half-brother Imp Gr Ch Shwechinthe Shwenat (both offspring of Double UK Shwechinthe Zunetra mentioned above) joined her, as a UK Grand Champion at the age of 10. Another 10-year-old to achieve the top title was Imp Gr Ch & Gr Pr Rivanna Chiffon, a beautiful Chocolate Tabby Female Neuter owned and bred by Mrs Liz Stables, who became UK Grand Premier. Details, and photos where available, of all the UK title winners to date including 2009, are available from the link 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 once again compete for these certificates against all the other Semi-Longhair breeds, and 5 have to be won to gain the title. So far over 50 Birmans have become Imperial Grand Champions or Premiers, and you can see the first four – Male & Female Adult and Male & Female Neuter and also the first Double Imperial – by clicking on the Imperial link.
Janet Osborn
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