NATIVE breeds ruled supreme in the busy sheep section – successfully judged in just four rings this year – with both the individual inter-breed sheep champion and reserve and the top two in the pairs, all UK breeds.

The line-up, which featured no fewer than 24 section winners and, for the first time, included separate competitions for traditional and crossing-type Bluefaced Leicesters, also saw what is believed to be a unique double, with North Country Cheviots being crowned champion and reserve for the top individual prize.

In pole position was the park-type champion from the Allens, from Stouphill, while the hill leader from the Thomsons, at Hownam Grange, scooped the reserve overall.

“It was very close between the top two, with the park-type Cheviot being an extremely powerful old tup, a good handler and good on his legs,” said the overall judge, Jimmy Irving, Mount Benger, Yarrow.

“The hill-type is a nice ewe for a six-year-old, with super hair, but she just lacked the size of the tup,” added Mr Irving, pointing out that his second reserve was the Texel, a gimmer from the Clarks, at Lesmahagow.

Going all the way to win not only a first breed title for Billy and Kate Allen, their son Dallas and daughter, Ruth, from Alnwick, but also taking supreme overall was the three-shear ram, North Synton Ringmaster. Their show stopper stood male champion last year.

Jimmy and Willie Thomson, Hownam Grange, Kelso, are no strangers to winning the park breed championship and indeed the inter-breed honours here, but this was the best achievement in the hill Cheviot lines.

Flying the flag for them was a home-bred four-crop ewe that was inter-breed sheep at Yetholm and breed leader at Kelso, last year.

The following day, inter-breed sheep pairs judge, Herbie Kennedy, Dumfries, who said he had difficulty in finding a matching duo with both having good mouths, found his supreme in Richard and Grant Brand’s champion and reserve breed Hampshires.

Securing what was a second pairs win at Ingliston for the breed, was a brace of December-born lambs, a tup and ewe, both of which were sired by Wattisfield tups bred by Jim Cresswell – the recipient of the first Hampshire Down pairs winners in 2009.

The Ryeland breed also enjoyed its most successful Highland in recent years, lifting the blue and white sash in this section. Making up this duo was the champion, a white tup lamb from Kinross-based rural chartered surveyors, Eddie and Janice Henderson, and the reserve, a gimmer from Lochmaben’s, Susan Bryden.

The decision to reduce the number of showing rings in the sheep lines to accommodate a larger marquee for the additional animals, proved highly successful.

Instead of the previous six judging rings, breed competitions took place in just four, with a continual flow of judging of all breeds. There were not the breaks for lunch seen in previous years and, as a result, the four rings were kept fully occupied on the first two main judging days maintaining crowd numbers around the sheep rings all day.

See this week's bumper issue of The Scottish Farmer, out July 2, for all the action from the Highland.