IT MIGHT have been a bit squidgy underfoot, but the usual quality parade of stock was shown in mainly dry conditions at last weekend’s Kintyre Show, held near Campbeltown.

For the first time, the show’s recent institution of a champion of champions award went to the overall sheep winner. This was a Bluefaced Leicester gimmer shown by Mrs Jean McLachlan, the wife of Kildalloig shepherd, John McLachlan – which marked a great year for this sheep, as she had been female champion and reserve overall at this year’s Royal Highland Show.

Earlier in the day, she had beaten all-comers in the sheep section, with the judges giving her a substantial lead over the Texel and Blackface winners which tied for reserve overall.

Top of the Blackies was David and Iain McArthur’s three-crop ewe, by a £20,000 Auldhouseburn, while the leader in the Texel section was a Texel gimmer from Greg Gillespie and his girlfriend Jo Preston, which was following in her dam’s footsteps as she is a former section winner and also an overall sheep champion.

The usual strong dairy classes saw the Ayrshire leader come out on top to contend the champion of champions. This was the six-year-old East Drumlemble Jilly 12, a senior cow in milk from Willie, Murray and Andrew Ralston, of East Drumlemble.

In the dairy section she was ahead of another fourth-calver which had taken the Holstein honours for Gavin Semple, Kilkeddan. This was Kilkeddan Mariner Rosalie, while one of the up and coming members of the herd won the Young Farmers’ calf section for Gavin’s daughter, Kate (16).

Taking their first ever beef championship at the show, Colin, John and Alastair McCallum, from Strathnafanaig, took the honours with a February-born heifer calf by the British Blue sire, Phenomenal.

There were two equines in the ring for the champion of champions – the Clydesdale winner from Calum MacPhail, Gar-cal-fra – the yearling filly Garcalfra Sweet Jessica – and the light horse section leader, Blossom Hill, a 22-year-old ridden horse from Heather Dixon, of Ardrishaig.

LEADING awards:

Ayrshire (Judge: C Sanderson, Thackwaite Hall, Wigton, Cumbria). Champion and supreme dairy – TM Ralston and Sons, East Drumlemble, with the four calver, East Drumlemble Jilly 12, a De Prairies Potter daughter which has given 7000 litres in her 200-day lactation so far; best individual cow at the recent local herds’ competition. Reserve – J and M Barr, Clochkeil, with Calderglen Sissie, a second calver which calved in June. She is by West Mossgiel Modern Reality. Yearling heifer, senior cow in milk, back calving cow, milk records – TM Ralston. Two year-old heifer, youngstock champion, heifer in milk, junior cow in milk, pair, group of three, dairy inter-breed pair – J and M Barr.

Holstein (Judge: A Wilson, Carskerdo, Cupar). Champion – G Semple, Kilkeddan, with the fourth calved Kilkeddan Mariner Rosalie, by Smiddyhill Mariner. Calved in February, she gave 10,000 litre in her last lactation. Reserve – T Ralston, Dhurrie, with Dhurrie Trigger Lizzie, a second calver which calved three months ago. Heifer calf (junior leader under 14) – Miss A Wylie, Machrihanish. Heifer calf (junior 14-25) – Miss K Semple, Kilkeddan. Yearling (junior 14-25) – Miss J Littleson, Killegruer. Yearling heifer (leader over 25), heifer in milk, milk records – A and J Pirie, Machrihanish. Back calving two-year-old, young stock pair, senior cow in milk, back calving cow, pair, group of three – G Semple. Junior cow in milk – R Ralston. 8000kg class – D Armour High Knockreoch.

Jersey (Judge: A Wilson). Champion – T Ralston’s second calver, Dhurrie Flagship Aglow, which is five months calved and was reserve last year. All classes – T Ralston.

Dairy calf champion – Miss Katherine Semple (16), Kilkeddan, with a black and white calf.

Cross-bred cattle (Judge: D Graham, Burnbank, Blair Drummond). Champion – J, J and C McCallum, Strathnafanaig, with their first championship at Kintyre, showing the heifer, Black Betty, which is by Cogent’s British Blue bull, Phenomenal, and out of a black Limousin cross dam, which was also first in her class. Reserve – DW Semple, Dippen, with a black 11-month-old steer calf, by the British Blue bull Bringlee Campbell out of a Limousin cross dam. Cow with calf, cow in calf, heifer calf born after Feb – J, J and C McCallum. Autumn-born steer, autumn-born heifer, steer calf born after Feb, pen of three, pair of heifer calves – DW Semple. Beef calf led by junior leader – F Lines, Killacraw. Calf led by junior leader 14-26 – S Dewar, Strathnafanaig. Pure-bred calf (Simmental) – R Turner, Strath.

Clydesdale (Judge: R Lang, Roswell Cottage, Pitscottie, Fife). Champion and reserve – D and C MacPhail, Gar-cal-fra, with Garcalfra Sweet Jessica, a yearling filly by a Dillars sire out of Garcalfra Sweet Chloe, a yeld mare which was reserve and which had been champion in 2105 and 216 and reserve as a foal. Yeld mare, one, two or three-year-old – D and C MacPhail. Gelding, harness – M Mayberry, Bellochantuy. Junior leader – S Bateman. Pair – M Bateman

Blackface (Judge: R Dixon, Cowburn, Lockerbie). Champion and joint reserve inter-breed sheep– D and I McArthur, Arnicle, with a three-crop ewe by a £20,000 Auldhouseburn out of a dam by Connachan Ronaldo; second at Cowal. Reserve – E Bowman, Upper Cragabus, Islay, with a ewe by a £25,000 Auldhouseburn and out of a dam by a £26,000 Crossflatt; reserve champion at Islay last year. Open shearling, open tup lamb, open ewe, open suckled gimmer, open ewe lamb, ewe with lamb, group of three – D and I McArthur. Confined tup lamb, confined suckled gimmer – AJ Ronald, Coulinlongart. Confined ewe, confined ewe lamb – P McKerral, Tangy. Open gimmer – E Bowman. Confined gimmer – G Gillespie. Open and confined YF gimmer – C McArthur, Arnicle.

Cross sheep (Judge: T Rozga, Kilmeny, Islay). Champion – I McKendrick, High Dalrioch. Reserve – J and M Turner, Kildalloig. Single lamb – J and M Turner. Pen of three ex BF ewe, pen of three AOB cross – I McKendrick.

Bluefaced Leicester (Judge: P May, Four Crosses, Llanymynech, Wales). Champion – Mrs J McLachlan, c/o Kildalloig, with the female champion and reserve overall from the Royal Highland this year, a gimmer by Derwenlas Powerhouse and out of a dam by a £1000 Middle Dukesfield. She led Kintyre as a ewe lamb, also winning at Mid Argyll. Reserve – J and M Turner, Kildalloig, with a £1000 Toddypotts shearling ram, by a Burndale sire, on its first show outing. Aged tup, ewe – J and M Turner. Shearling tup, gimmer, tup lamb, ewe lamb – Mrs J McLachlan.

Suffolk (Judge: Mrs E Lang, Rosewell Cottage, Pitscottie, Fife). Champion – J Pirie, Machrihanish, with last year’s champion, which is now a three-crop ewe. Reserve – T Cameron, Gartveigh, with a gimmer. Aged tup, gimmer, shearling tup – T Cameron. Ewe, tup lamb – J Pirie.

Mule (Judge: P May). Champion – J and M Turner’s ewe lamb, by a home-bred son of Midlock Controversy and out of a home-bred dam by a Dalchirla sire. Reserve – J and M Turner’s gimmer, by a home-bred son of a Blairnavaid tup and out of a home-bred dam by a Dalchirla sire; first as a lamb last year. Ewe – T Cameron. Gimmer, ewe lamb – J and M Turner.

Texel (Judge: T Rozga). Champion and joint reserve inter-breed sheep – G Gillespie and J Preston, Crosshill, with a gimmer bred out of the Strathbogie Usher-sire ewe which has been champion twice at this year. She is by a Milnbank sire which had been bought for £800 at Kelso. Reserve – Mrs S Woodrow, Newmains, Islay, with a Strathbogie-bred ewe which had been bought at Lanark as a gimmer. Now a one-crop, she is by Aman Vyrynwy. Aged tup – M and C Ralston, Rhoin. Shearling tup – J and M Cairns, Lochside. Ewe – Mrs S Woodrow. Gimmer – G Gillespie. Tup lamb – I McKendrick. Ewe lamb – J Pirie.

AOB pure sheep (Judge:Mrs E Lang). Champion – J Parkhouse, Inverawe, with a one-crop, home-bred Charollais ewe by Parkgate Neptune. Reserve – R Smith, Balliemore, Kilmichael Glassary, with a Beltex gimmer. Tup, gimmer, ewe lamb – R Smith. Ewe, tup lamb – J Parkhouse.

AOB rare breed sheep (Judge: R Dixon). Champion – M and C Ralston, Rhoin, with a two-crop Jacob ewe, by a Glendaruel sire bred by Jeff Wilson; reserve as a ewe lamb. All classes – M and C Ralston.