MANJIMUP CHERRY FESTIVAL 2010 PART 2

VIDEO

MANJIMUP CHERRY FESTIVAL 2010 PART 1

VIDEO

THE BIG SPIT WINNER

MANJIMUP
DECEMBER 11, 2010
IN an action packed spit-off in the GlobeVista Australasian Cherry Pip Spitting Championships, local boy Grant "Hercules" Hetherington spat his way to the top.

The heats were hot enough and past champ, Craig "I was the Man" McSharer, looked worried early on.

"I could see I was up against it," he said. "I knew my win last year was inspirational, but I hadn't realised it's full impact. Now every weekened spitter wants to represent his country."

Final results were:
1 - Grant "Hercules" Hetherington 10.93 metres.
2 - Daniel "The Whistler" Jones 10.73 metres.
3 - Adam "Tippers" Buckley 10.35 metres.

THE SPIT SPAT

FRIDAY
MANJIMUP
WEST AUSTRALIA
IN a dramatic development, the current Australasian GlobeVista Cherry Pip Spitting Champion, Craig "The Hoop Boy" McSharer, has announced he will spit in this Saturdays Big Spit.

Only two days ago, the champ, whose mug is not up for grabs until January 4 in Cromwell NZ, had said he would stand aside and let the "local lads have a crack".

All this changed when a number of young turks came out of the orchard and blow their cheeks.

These included Grant "Hercules" Hetherington, Daniel "The Whistler" Jones and Greg "Shorty" Matthews.

Not to forget Adam "Blow Hard, Blow Long" Adams and the Dark Horse, who is yet to show his colours, Adam "The Whisperer" Price. Price, who has been in hiding since last year's event, when he blitzed the field with an early spit in excess of 12 metres.

If you want to see some live action, but not much of it, go to the ABC SOUTH WEST WEB SITE.

The Big Spit will commence at around 11.15am  tomorrow Saturday 11.

VICTORIANS SPIT THEIR BEST

The National Cherry Association provided a highlight for the Victorians this year at their annual Cherry Spit.

Above: the winner of  the Vic Spit, Iain Chaney, no relation to Lon, Fred or Michael.

Iain did his best but if he thinks he can wrest the National Championship from our very own Craig "Spit King" McSharer, then he better start practising because a spit of 8.9 metres ain't going to cut it.

To be fair, I understand he spat better in the heat, over 10 metres, and blamed a strong wind for his dismal winning spit.

This, apparently, almost caused a spat with the organiser who thought he was taking the spit out of some of the older members.

Below: The National Cherry Association Ambassador for 2010, Kathleen Alleaume, visited the Cherry Lane Big Spit and displayed much needed grace and charm.

 

NOW:

This weekend in Manjimup, West Australia, the big men of cherry pip spitting will spit off in the Globe Vista Australasian Cherry Pip Spitting Championships of 2010.

Unfortunately  this year will not feature a New Zealander.

They have had it, collapsed in a heap, lost their cherries, are scared, no, they have adjusted their comp and this year will spit next year, January 4 to be precise.

Manjimup's last year's winner, the inimitable Craig "Big Foot" McSharer, will represent Australia in NZ in January.

Local spitters this year will spit for money, glory and a place in next year's Tenth Anniversary final.

The spit is on!

CHERRY PIP SPITTING FOOTAGE FOR 2009

Almost the last cherry news

Video

The Final Event

MANJIMUP
Somewhere in early 10

THE final event of the big Manjimup Cherry Harmony Festival is always the Long Table Lunch, set in the magnificent surrounds of a Newton Brothers cherry orchard.
2009 was no exception.
Well, in fact, it was, because every year new people arrive to experience the wonder of fine food, fine wine, fine conversation, in a fine setting. Depending on who they are and how they are, the day finds its own milieu.
2009 was exciting because those gathered were exuberant and expectant.
They saw John Rampaging Towie spit his teeth and a dummy to reclaim the Dummy Spitting Championship of the Warren District.
They watched a sudden gust of wind lift the tarpaulin, bust the steel stays and blow the patrons cover.
Then they witnessed men at work on cherry pickers, on ladders, with ropes, led by Paul Nothing Phases Me Buckley, Peter Who the Hell am I Fontannini, but both answered to the inspired direction of Stuart Mr Fix-it 21ST Century Ipsen.
In no time at all the cover was back, the patrons were amazed and the music played.
Then there was the auction, led by this man:

All photos on this page were taken by David Moyle, or Moyley, budding genius and photographer.

The two big items on the list were a hat signed by Danny Green and a T-shirt donated by the 3 Oceans Wine Company, featuring the Palandri International Comedy Festival and signatures from a number of Australia's best known comedians.
After a long and bitter struggle the hat was knocked down by Adam Take No Prisoners Buckley and the T-shirt was consumed by Bev This is Mine Norman.

The man below on the left is Adam Non-one Can Punch Me and Get Away With It Buckley and the man on the right is none other Harvey I've Got Knees Too Giblett. Together they are an essential part of the team that puts Newton Brothers Orchards on the road.

Is this photo there is a man on the left (no consequence) and a man on the right: Lance Larsen, good bloke and Big Bidder at the Manjmup Cherry Harmony Festival Long Table Lunch auctions.

If you would like to be at this exclusive event next year, good luck. It books out early. And if you don't know someone in Manjimup, then you better get started, you're going to need all the help you can get.

ps: don't call this blogger. He's busy.

Michael Smith

The above photo was taken by a fine photographer, Jamie Nicolaou, of an excellent dancer, Michael Smith, at last week's Manjimup Cherry Harmony Festival.
Michael danced in the street during the day and blew the crowd away with his hip-hop show.
Later that night, in the Timber Park, right in the middle of two sets by One Step Ahead, a polished dance band, Michael walked on stage with all the poise and charisma of Baryshnikov.
No spot could have been harder.
Michael hit the floor running and in about 3 seconds flat he had the crowd spell bound, mesmerized and incapable of eating or drinking, or of doing anything but staring with disbelief.
He was courageous, seamless, beautiful, athletic, magnificent and in flight.
Lucky for us, Jamie Nicolaou was there to snap him in motion.
You want to see more and read more, go to Jamie's blog.

And the winner is ....

Oh yes, once again Craig "Danny Green" "The Spitting Machine" McSharer has wrestled the Trans Tasman GlobeVista Australasian Cherry Pip Spitting Championship Trophy from the New Zealand contingent.
Second was another local lad Adam "Dark Horse" Price, followed closely by Adam "Bernard Hopkins" Buckley, and third was Sam "Where's My Cherry Gone" Paardekooper.
It was a ferocious competition.
First spit off the back of the truck was Adam Price who almost knocked an old lady out of her chair in the back row.
Price's spit measured out at 25 metres.
All right, it was only almost 12, but it was early in the day and the pip spotters hadn't got their eyes in.
Price could have won with that spit but he had to face up again in the final. He was only in the last heat of the day.
In the final the crowd went ballistic when the local champ stepped up but his early spits were not great.
When all seemed lost, McSharer drew back his massive chest and let fly a spit that drowned a dog and won the day for his family, his personal pride, his town, and his country.
Sam Paardekooper was gracious in defeat.
Adam Price swore he'd be back next year.
Adam Buckley just swore.

Here are the official results:

Craig McSharer 11.44 metres

Adam Price 11.20 metres

Adam Buckley 10.90 metres

Sam Paardekooper 9.80 metres (NZ)

It's ugly work, but someone has to do it

Love is in air

MANJIMUP, Thursday
As the weather heats up in West Australia's Cherry Capital, spitters huff and puff, stall holders strut and cuff and the town cleans and preens.
It all bodes well for the 8th annual cherry splash and folk from all over are expected to flock and frock.
There will be fashion parades, eating (Manjimup is a fruit and vegetable bowl), drinking (the region produces some of the best from the West), street theatre, music, and, of course, cherry pip spitting.
The spitting will take place around 11am on Saturday morning and the competition is intense.
This afternoon local businesses will send in their best gobber to the Visitors' Centre to find the best gobber from the town's retail and production houses.
There will nothing, however, like the final, featuring the Sam The Cherry Wisperer up against Craig The Mean Machine.
Visitors are advised to bring protective clothing.

OH NO, THE VICTORIANS ARE GETTING IN ON IT

AN over enthusiastic person in Melbourne, Vikki Leng, has sent this blogger information about the first ever Melbourne spit-off.
The Victorians put on a wild and extravagant event and are now keen to join forces with the leading exponents, namely the Manjimup Cherry Harmony Globe Vista Team.

Read on.

Haydar Kahlil won the first Victorian spit-off.

This bloke did his best and managed to keep one foot on the ground.

Is a new Olympic sport budding?
On Friday 20th November Prahran Market Square had its own Cherry Lane - just like a swimming lane but on dry land - for the Victorian Cherry Association's official launch of the Victorian cherry season and its inaugural cherry pip spitting competition.
Open to Prahran Market Traders, the competition got everyone fired up.
Fruiterer Frank Scaffaro said, “The testosterone will be flying around here on the day of the competition. We all want to win the title now - it’s a matter of pride.”

The Top Ten Traders from Prahran Market earned their pride of place in the finals during a preliminary pip spit off involving 46 contestants.

With a pip spit of 15.97 metres (for purists, measured at the point the pip stopped rolling) it was Haydar Kahlil of Kahlil Flowers who took the title of VCA Cherry Pip Spitting Champion for 2009" and claimed the trophy - an engraved Kitchen Aid stand mixer in cherry red!

MAD DOG BACKS DOWN

CROMWELL, NZ, sometime Monday
IN a surprise move, Mike "Mad Dog" Bassett, the current Australasian Globe Vista Cherry Pip Spitting Champion has pulled out of the Trans Tasman competition.
It is believed Bassett got cold feet after seeing Craig "Pretty Boy" McSharer spit at an after-event party.
Observers said McSharer spat well over 13 metres and that was well before he started on the NZ beer.
Bassett's replacement is a relative unknown, Sam "Horse Whisperer" Paardekooper.
Officials at the Cromwell New Zealand Cherry Stone Spitting Championships said The Whisperer spat 11.36m, some 0.16 metres further than MacSharer.
What this means is that without the Mad Dog in Manjimup the big spit off will be even closer than earlier expectations.
Bassett can spit, no-one doubts that, and he spits well under intense pressure, not least from the MC on the day, but the new NZ kid, from all accounts, looks good, spits good and never turns a cheek when slapped.
If you have never seen sensible adults line up and release cherry pips encased in saliva, this is the year.
Oh, local growers are saying there will be plenty of cherries for sale on the day.