IT was always going to be difficult to match up to last year’s top ticket in the inter-breed pairs, but the Brand father and son duo dominated the Hampshire Down section and were delighted to lift the top four titles.

Achieving Richard and Grant’s third Highland championship and second in a row was a home-bred shearling ram, East Fortune 181. Marking a cracking debut show outing, he is by the continuously good breeder, East Fortune Balfour, and out of another strong breeder, the Wattisfield 24 ewe. He gathered plenty interest at the ring side and will likely be on offer at the Stratford Premier sale.

Taking reserve overall was their female leader, a late-December-born ewe lamb on her first outing. She is an AI daughter of Owlsbury Wonderam, of which very few straws were available, and out of a home-bred ewe, East Fortune 40.

Taking the reserve male and female titles were two by the AI sire, Wattisfield What Not. The male, a ram lamb out of East Fortune 85, will likely be used at home in the 50-ewe East Fortune flock at the farm of the same name near North Berwick.

The reserve female was part of last year’s winning pairs team, and is now a gimmer. She is out of Wattisfield 179 and also stood any other breed champion at Haddington, last year.

LEADING awards:

Judge: P Kettle, 1 The Preceptory, Stainby, Grantham, Lincolnshire.

Supreme – R Brand and Sons’ shearling; reserve – R Brand and Sons’ ewe lamb.

Male – R Brand and Sons’ shearling; reserve – R Brand and Sons’ tup lamb.

Female – R Brand and Sons’ ewe lamb; reserve – R Brand and Sons’ gimmer.

Bred – R Brand and Sons’ shearling.

Aged ram – 1, G Todd; 2, J and R McFarlane.

Shearling ram – 1, R Brand and Sons; 2, Hampshire Down Sheep Breeders Association; 3, R Brand and Sons.  

Ram lamb – 1, R Brand and Sons; 2, R Brand and Sons; 3, J and R McFarlane.

Ewe – 1, Hampshire Down Sheep Breeders Association; 2, R Brand and Sons; 3, J and R McFarlane.

Gimmer – 1, R Brand and Sons; 2, L, L and L Forrest, White and Vevers; 3, Hampshire Down Sheep Breeders Association.

Ewe lamb – 1, R Brand and Sons; 2, R Brand and Sons; 3, J and R McFarlane.