This silver plated cup stands 11¼ inches (28 cm) high on its plinth and is awarded for the Best Team of Three at the London Championship Show. However, it started life as The Novice Cup and bears the further inscription “Late N.M.C. Novice Cup for Best Exhibit bred by a Novice Exhibitor”.

The Middleton Cup (Photograph by S Goss)

The first winner was J W Selleck at Wolverhampton on 28th December 1905, which strongly suggests that the cup probably dates from that year, but its name was quickly changed to The Mice Team Cup and Mr A Selby-Thomas subsequently won it at Cheltenham on 30th October 1907.
It is an unelaborate cup that is heavily inscribed with the names and dates of winners, and appears to have been competed for several times a year during the early part of its life.