BELTEX-sired lambs from regular competitor, Helen Smith, Scobshaugh, Cortachy, Kirriemuir, dominated the prime lamb section of the Christmas Classic, when she took home both the open and butchers’ championships.
Although entries were slightly down on the year, 80 lambs cashed in to average £104.65 per head, or 2.40p per kg, having sold to a top of £250 twice.
Standing champion in the open section for the first time for Helen and son, Steve, as well as securing the joint lead price, was a pair of home-bred Beltex crosses from the 200-strong flock.
Their ewe lamb and wedder duo crossed the weighbridge at 40kg apiece and were knocked down at £250 to the judge, John Woodburn, of Hass Grove, Lockerbie.
Regular winners of the butchers’ section, Scobshaugh lambs again took the winning ticket in that section, with a pair of wedder lambs out of Beltex cross mothers. They weighing in at 43kg, and sold for the second top joint price of £220 to meat suppliers, Pak Mecca Meat, Birmingham.

Caithness team, Calum and Vivienne Angus, and daughter, Samantha, from West Mey, who have secured the prime lamb championship an impressive 10 times, stood reserve in both open and the butchers’ sections.
They run 1500 Texel cross and Beltex cross ewes near Thurso, and took the reserve in the open with a duo which tipped the scales at 43kg. By a Beltex tup which was purchased last year at Thainstone, they sold for £190, again to Pak Mecca Meats.
Selling for £220 from the same home was the reserve butchers’ champions, which were by the same sire. Weighing in at 42kg, they were also knocked down to Pak Mecca.
Young Gary Morrison, from Bush of Muldearie, Keith, came up trumps in the Young Farmers’ prime section, lifting the red, white and blue ticket for the first time too, with a pair of home-bred Beltex crosses.
This pair of ewe lambs are by a Rennies tup and weighed in at 45kg, selling for the joint lead price of £250 to the judge, Gary Raeburn, for Forbes, Raeburn and Sons Butchers in Huntly.
Last year’s Young Farmers’ champions, Mark Robertson and Sarah Balfour, from Easter Fodderletter, Tomintoul, scooped the reserve in this section with a pair of Rouge cross ewe lambs by a ram bred by Pat Imlah.
Out of Beltex cross Texel mothers and crossing the weigh bridge at 40kg, they were knocked down for £190, again to Gary Raeburn, buying for his family’s butcher’s business, Forbes, Raeburn and Sons.


LEADING awards:

YF lambs  – Prime lamb pairs – Lightweight – 1, R Shand, Lythbrae Croft, Aberchirder, (Belt X, 38.5kg); 2, D Moir, Home Farm, Cairness, Fraserburgh, (Belt X, 38kg); 3, J Kindness, Southfield, New Deer, (Belt X, 39.5kg).
Heavyweight – 1 and YF champion – G Morrison, Bush of Muldearie, Mublen, Keith (Belt X, 45kg); 2 and YF reserve champion – M Robertson and S Balfour, Easter Fodderletter, Tomintoul, (Rouge X, 40kg); 3, A Chalmers, Midhill of Seggat, Auchterless, Turriff, (Tex X, 44kg).
Open lambs – Continental – Lightweight – 1, D Smith, Scobshaugh, Cortachy, Kirriemuir, (Belt X, 40kg); 2, R Shand, Lythbrae Croft, Aberchirder, (Cont, 40.5kg); 3, M Robertson and S Balfour, (Rouge cross, 41.5kg). Heavyweight – 1, C Angus, West Mey, Thurso, (Belt X, 43kg); 2, C Angus, (Belt X, 45kg); 3, D Moir, (Tex, 48kg).
Half-bred, Greyfaced or Mule – 1, R Wilkie, Tillyboy, Echt, Westhill, (Hb, 51.5kg); 2, R Wilkiel, (Hb, 60kg); 3, D Moir, (Hb, 45.5kg). Down cross – 1, R Wilkie, (49kg); 2, D Moir, (44kg). Cheviot – 1, R Wilkie, (49kg). Blackface – 1, Glenrinnes Farms, Dufftown, (42.5kg); 2, Glenrinnes Farms, (47.5kg); 3, R Wilkie, (39kg) . Charollais – 1, A and C Naismith, Balmaleedie House, Marykirk, (43.5kg).
Butchers’ lambs – 1, D Smith, (Belt X, 43kg); 2, C Angus, (Belt X, 42kg); 3, C Angus, (Belt X, 44kg).
Untrimmed – Native-sired – 1, R Wilkie, (Suff X, 52.5kg); 2, T Connel, (Suff X, 45kg); 3, T Connell, (Suff X, 47kg). Cont-sired – 1, G Morrison, (Belt X, 47.5kg); 2, A and C Naismith, (Belt, 41.5kg); 3, JE and Z Bywater, Corbanchory, (Belt X, 44kg)