HAVING competed for the Scottish Association of Young Farmers’ Clubs’ Stockman of the Year title for 10 years on the trot, Lanarkshire’s Tom Linton finally managed to scoop the prestigious award, taking it back to the district for a second year in succession.
Tom, who is a 25-year-old member of Biggar YFC and a previous sheep exhibitor at the Highland, has already picked up two of the top awards in the competition having stood best individual in the sheep in 2016 and, together with another member, was best of the sheep pairs that same year.
Scott Bourman, James Hamilton and Charlie Craig celebrate Tom's win with the rest of their teammates
As well as working as a full-time stockman at Lochlyoch, Thankerton, near Biggar, Tom also runs his own rented unit which is home to 50 pedigree Texels, 30 pedigree Beltex and 350 commercial ewes, and each year buys in 80 store cattle to sell on as forward stores.
Admittedly, Tom wasn’t going to enter the competition this year due to being too busy in his job and at home to attend practices, but luckily with persuasion from teammates and trainers, Alfie Taylor, Jim Boyd, Robert Laird and Alan Clark, he headed along to the last few practices before the big day.
Tom’s strong performance landed him a total of 603 points to claim the top title and he was also a part of the third placed team, Lanarkshire ‘A’.
The Clyde and Central district pretty much swept the boards in terms of all the other titles and it was Dexter Logan, a member of SSS YFC, which stood second overall with 591 points and fellow club member Stephen Taylor who picked up third with 583.
There was more to celebrate for Dexter as he was best individual in the dairy section and, together with Ross Johnstone was best in the dairy pairs.
Stephen Taylor was then crowned best joint individual in the beef section with Orkney’s George Low, who was also the winner of the beef pairs with Orkney’s Robbie Stevenson.
Joint top spot in the individual beef went to Stephen Taylor and George Low Ref:EC2306183247
Best sheep individual was Clyde and Central’s James McKerrow, who also lifted the sheep pairs title with James Graham.
The two individuals were also part of the top senior team, as the Clyde and Central district ‘A’ team which also included Karyn Mcarthur, Ross Johnstone, Dexter Logan and Steph Dick, won the Glasgow Herald Trophy with 1374 points.
Best individual in the dairy section was Clyde and Central’s Dexter Logan Ref:EC2306183244
In second place with 1308 was the Lanarkshire ‘B’ team of Robbie Meikle, Louise Fleming, Douglas Frame, David Mitchell, Scott Frame and Amy Laird, while Tom’s Lanarkshire ‘A’ team of Andrew Neilson, Andrew McGregor, Amy Lindsay, Scott Bourman and James Hamilton was third with 1304.
In the junior section it was Beth Dunnet from Caithness which claimed the top title with 277 points, while her teammate, Alistair McCarthy, and Clyde and Central’s Heather Ralston stood joint second with 274.
Caithness had more success in the junior teams as Beth and Alistair along with Beth Douglas won with 760 points, while East Aberdeenshire ‘A’, made up of Fraser Chapman, Craig Taylor and Murray Stuart, was second with 750 points and Angus Tayside’s Ewan Findlay, Edward Scott and Claire Mcildowie came third with 743.
Beth Dunnet from Caithness won the junior stockjudging Ref:EC2306183233
LEADING awards:
Junior
Team – 1, Caithness, 760, Beth Dunnet, Beth Douglas, Alistair McCarthy; 2, East Aberdeenshire ‘A’, 750, Fraser Chapman, Craig Taylor, Murray Stuart; 3, Angus Tayside, 743, Ewan Findlay, Edward Scott, Claire McIldowie.
Individual – 1, Beth Dunnet, Caithness, 277; 2, Heather Ralston, Clyde and Central ‘B’, and Alistair McCarthy, Caithness, 274.
Senior
Dairy section – Pairs – Dexter Logan and Ross Johnstone, Clyde and Central, 482. Individual – Dexter Logan, Clyde and Central, 252.
Beef section – Pairs – Robbie Stevenson and George Low, Orkney, 559. Individual – Stephen Taylor, Clyde and Central, and George Low, Orkney, 290.
Sheep section – Pairs – James McKerrow and James Graham, Clyde and Central, 549. Individual – James McKerrow, Clyde and Central, 284.
Team – 1, Clyde and Central ‘A’, 1374, Ross Johnston, Dexter Logan, Karyn Macarthur, Stephanie Dick, James McKerrow, James Graham; 2, Lanarkshire ‘B’, 1308, Robbie Meikle, Louise Fleming, Douglas Frame, David Mitchell, Scott Frame, Amy Laird; 3, Lanarkshire ‘A’, 1304, Andrew Neilson, Andrew McGregor, Amy Lindsay, Scott Bourman, James Hamilton, Tom Linton.
Stockman of the Year – 1, Tom Linton, Lanarkshire ‘A’, 603; 2, Clyde and Central ‘A’ Dexter Logan, 591; 3, Clyde and Central ‘B’, Stephen Taylor, 583.
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