Big day for Beltex breed at Great Yorkshire

AFTER section judges whittled down a huge entry of almost 2500 sheep to just five inter-breed section winners, it was Welsh man Gwynne Davies who had the job of selecting the supreme inter-breed champion. 
Catching his eye was the terminal sire leader, a home-bred Beltex gimmer from Paul and Christine Tippetts, who run the Hackney flock at Lodge Hill Farm, Shifnal in Shropshire. Achieving a personal best here for the couple who also run their well-known Wilodge Limousin herd and a flock of Blue Texels, was Hackey Can Can, a daughter of Kingledores Brave Heart. Brought out by shepherd Aled Groucott and his girlfriend Holly Jones, she is out of a ewe by the imported tup Scooby-Doo. 
“The Beltex gimmer is a tremendous animal. She’s very sweet, with a lovely head and a tremendous back-end and will be hard to beat at any show,” said Mr Davies, who runs flocks of North Country Cheviots, Beltex, Blue Texels and Welsh Mountains . 
Tapped out for the reserve ticket was the shortwool/lowland champion, Anna Pennell’s Clun Forest gimmer from her Nipa flock near Darlington, which numbers just two females alongside a 35-ewe flock of Wensleydales and Teeswaters. Bought privately as a ewe lamb last year from Derek Knowles of the Wrotham flock, she is by Trewlyn Ritch which stood male champion here, and out of a Sandsfield-bred tup. 
Also forward for the supreme was the hill breed champion, a Hill Radnor home-bred gimmer from first-time exhibitors, Michael Thomas and Darren Bevin, mid-Wales and the longwool champion in the shape of a home-bred Teeswater yearling tup shown in full wool from Adrian Helm and Pam Morrish, Middlesbrough. The commercial female championship was won by Yorkshire’s Chris Timm with a Beltex cross Charollais gimmer. 
A cracking line-up of 27 pairs was forward for the inter-breed judging and it was the Texel duo which Mr Davies tapped out as champion. Making up the pair was the champion, a Ballynahone-bred one-crop ewe by Duncryne Uber Cool from Procters Farm, and Richard Wilson’s Knock Yankee-sired shearling tup, Eden Valley All Star from his Crimple Head flock at Harrogate. 
The Coloured Ryeland duo which comprised of Michelle Varmen’s gimmer, Shelson Ruby from Macclesfield, Cheshire and local breeder, Judith Jackson’s three-shear Doldu Hendy-sired tup, Crosswell Victor was reserve.