IT was a third Royal Highland Show sheep inter-breed championship for John Forsyth, Maypole, Ayrshire, when he took the title with a one-crop Texel ewe from his Glenside flock.
By the 33,000gn sire, Muiresk Blondin, out of a home-bred ewe by Castlecairn Celtic Star it, was having its first outing of the season after being breed and reserve inter-breed champion at Biggar last year.
Judge, Robin Thomson, Castle Douglas, described his champion as ‘the most correct sheep I have ever seen. She is very sweet, stands well, is well muscled and well-fleshed with a good head.’
Texel and supreme champion from John Forsyth, Glenside
However, Mr Thomson said it was still a close call with the reserve champion, two-crop ewe from the Strathisla flock of Robbie Wilson, Turriff, Aberdeenshire. Home-bred, by Strathisla Speed, it has two ET brothers which have sold for 15,000 and 8,000gns.
Mr Thomson said: “The Suffolks are becoming more modern and this ewe is very correct, well fleshed with good conformation.”~Mr Wilson was also reserve champion Suffolk with a ram lamb from the first crop of the 23,000gn Rookery Rooney which was bought at Stirling last year.
Suffolk and reserve inter-breed champion from Robbie Wilson, Turiff.
Second reserve went to Roderick Runciman, Galashields, with the North Country Cheviot champion, Synton Bullseye, a four-shear ram by Allanshaws Double Top which had been bought from breeders, Jock and Scott Davies, North Syton, Selkirk, at Lockerbie for £2,200 as a ram lamb. He was making his show ring debut but is the sire of Mr Runciman’s last year’s Royal Highland breed and reserve inter-breed champion, Allanshaws Pam.
Another in the final line-up was the Charollais champion, Logie Durno Kate, a ewe from Willie and Carole Ingram, Inverurie, Aberdeenshire, by Rockavilla Golden Promise out of a Rutland ewe.
In was a first Royal Highland breed championship for Allan Wight of J. Wight and Son, Biggar, South Lanarkshire, when he took the Blackface title with a home-bred two-crop ewe.
Charles and Sally Horrell from Thorney, near Peterborough brought three Hampshire Downs to the show and had three first prizes, winning with a ram lamb which was reserve male champion, a ewe lamb and taking the championship with a shearling ewe. By their stock ram, Yarcombe Hussar, it had previously been breed champion at Woodall Spa and now goes to the Hampshire Down National Show at Stratford and the East of England.
One of the biggest sheep sections numerically was the Beltex, where the championship went to Alton, Vera and Charles Copland from Orkney with their home-bred shearling ewe by Forglen Nearco, the 2010 Scottish National Show champion.
In the Bluefaced Leicester section Matt and Connell Drummond, Maybole, Ayrshire took the championship with a home-bred gimmer, Cassington Katie having its first outing. They also had the reserve male champion with a shearling ram and the reserve female champion with a ewe.
John Geldard and sons, Charles and Richard, Kendal, Cumbria took the Lleyn championship with a home-bred shearing ewe which had been reserve champion at the Royal Welsh as a ewe lamb. They were also reserve champion with an aged ram.
The Border Leicester championship went to James Brown and Others, Mildrum, Northumberland, with a two-shear ram, by Mosside MacDuff having its first show ring outing. It was bought from breeder Dr Duncan Brown, Lanark for £3,000 at Lanark two years ago.
Turlough Donnelly, Canobie, took the Zwartbles championship with a home-bred shearling ewe, by a Skyhigh ram which had been champion at Northumberland County earlier in the year.
Tom Robinson and his son, Thomas from Clitheroe, Lancashire won their first Swaledale championship with a home-bred shearling ram by their £20,000 ram which was bought from John Porter and Son, Swaledale. It will go to the Kirkby Stephen sale in the autumn.
