INCREASED entries in all sections led to a cracking line-up of cattle and sheep, which complete with warm autumn sunshine, ensured a good day out for all at Muirkirk Show, where the supreme champion came from the biggest and strongest section.

Overall judge, David Lowrie, Newsteadings Farm, Lanark, said his choice of winner, the Blackface from Alastair and David MacArthur, Nunnerie, was full of character but it was very close between the Bluefaced Leicester leader, a gimmer from Stewart Park's SP Dalpeddar flock from Sanquhar.

"The Blackie has got so much character – she just stands up and looks at you as if to say look at me. She's also got a great head and is very correct, but it was close between her and the Bluefaced Leicester, which is a really good gimmer," said Mr Lowrie.

Star attraction was a two-crop ewe got by AI from a £20,000 Auldhouseburn. She is bred from a ewe by a £50,000 Pole bought in utero of an in-lamb Lurg ewe, and was shown by shepherds Bo Brown and Craig Thornborrow.

Just pipped at the post, Stewart's home-bred Blue gimmer, is by an H1 Moneygran ram bought as a tup lamb at Ballymena, in 2015, that stood first at Dumfries on her sole previous outing.

An increased entry of beef cattle saw another big win for Shona Stevenson, Carbello, too, when her yearling bullock calf, Harry, was tapped out as the overall winner. This youngster, a Limousin cross that was bought as a calf at foot alongside his mother, a Limousin cross British Blue, from West Thomaston, is destined for the Cale calf show and sale, at Stirling, in September.

LEADINGawards

Blackface (Judge: S Renwick, Glenrath, Peebles). Champion and overall champion of champions – A MacArthur and Son, Nunnerie, Elvanfoot, with a two-crop ewe by a £20,000 Auldhouseburn, brought out by shepherds Craig Thornborrow and Bo Brown. She is bred from a ewe by a £50,000 Pole that was the result of an in-lamb Lurg ewe, which was also the dam of the reserve winner at Abington the previous week. She was second in her class to the champion at Abington as a gimmer. Reserve – E Blackwood, Dalblair, Muirkirk, with a tup lamb by an Auldhouseburn son of an £85,000 Elmscleugh, used on loan out of a ewe by a £15,000 Auldhouseburn that bred the £3000 Dalblair tup lamb bought by Nunnerie. Aged ram, shearling ram, ewe lamb, group – J Marshall, Gosland, Broughton, Biggar. Tup lamb – E Blackwood. Ewe – A MacArthur and Son. Gimmer – D Morrison, Dalwyne, Barr. Three ewe lambs – S Watson, Knockbreck.

Blackface shepherds (Judge: A Cullens, Dollarbank, Dollar). Champion and reserve – M Robertson, Clonrae. Supreme was a one-crop Auldhouseburn ewe by £160,000 Dalchirla, with the reserve going to a gimmer by a £16,000 Merkland out of a home-bred ewe by The Bolt. She was champion at Strathaven, last year. Ewe, gimmer, ewe lamb – M Robertson. Tup lamb – K Murray, Crossflatt.

Prime lambs (Judge: S Clark, Auchenlongford, Sorn, Mauchline). Champion and reserve – T Laird and Sons, Carbello, Cronberry, Cumnock. Champion was a pen of April-born Beltex cross lambs by a Brickrow sire, out of pure-bred Texel cross gimmers, with the reserve presented to a pen of March-born Texel cross lambs by a Cowgrove sire, bred from three-quarter-bred Texel ewes. Three cross lambs out of Blackface ewes, three Texel cross lambs, three Suffolk cross lambs, three any other breed cross lambs – T Laird and Sons. Three Blackface wedder lambs – D Shedden, Burnfoot, Muirkirk.

Bluefaced Leicester (Judge: J Thomson, Marr, Thornhill, Dumfries). Champion and reserve overall champion of champions – S Park, Auchens, Mennock, Sanquhar, with a home-bred gimmer from the SP Dalpeddar flock by an H1 Moneygran tup that was the top priced lamb bought at Ballymena in 2015, out of a ewe by the £18,000 D5 Buzz. She was first in her class at Dumfries on her sole previous outing. The same home also picked up the reserve honours with a previously unshown tup lamb by the J15 SP Dalpeddar of which a half share was sold privately to Drumgrange. The dam is by The Tank, the £15,000 H1 Old Hemley. Ram, bred – D Bryson, Mauchline. Tup lamb, ewe, gimmer, ewe lamb, group – S Park.

Scotch Mule (Judge: J Thomson). Champion – D Bryson, Mauchline, with a two-crop ewe bought from Sauchrie Mains as a ewe lamb. She was reserve at Fenwick and first at Dumfries. Reserve – J Guild, Laight, Cumnock with a gimmer. Ewe – D Bryson. Gimmer, ewe lamb – J Guild.

Texel (Judge: S Clark). Champion – M and G Ballantyne, East Cauldcoats, Strathaven, with a Springwell-bred one-crop ewe bought at the Select Seven Sale last year from Henry Gamble. She has been placed at all the summer shows and is by Derryvore White Snake and traces back to some of the original family lines in the Roadend flock. Reserve was the champion's March-born tup lamb by Drumderg Albatross, which stood fourth in his class at East Kilbride. All classes – M and G Ballantyne.

Any other continental breed (Judge: S Clark). Champion – J and D Hodge, Dykes Farm, Cumnock, with a Kingledores-bred Beltex shearling ram bought last year at Carlisle. A full brother to the 27,000gns Kingledores Crusader, he is by Glantre Norris and bred from the show winning ewe, Kingledores Pearl. Reserve – D Cunningham, Walkerdyke, Strathaven, with Walkerdyke Daffodil, a previously unshown Beltex ewe lamb by Brickrow Cracker, out of a home-bred ewe. Male, female – J and D Hodge. Lamb – D Cunningham.

Any other breed (Judge: S Clark). Champion and reserve – B Welsh, Roundshaw, Auchinleck, with Poll Dorset sheep. Supreme was a three-shear Downkillybegs-bred ram bought privately from Graham Cubitt in May, on his first outing. Reserve was a ewe lamb by Downkillybegs Thor, a ram bought privately in 2016, out of a home-bred ewe, one of only 30 ewes in the Roundshaw flock. All classes – B Welsh.

Beef (Judge: A Cullens). Champion – T Laird and Sons, Carbello, Cronberry, Cumnock, with Harry, a Limousin cross yearling bullock that was reserve at Coylton and junior commercial champion at Stranraer. He was bought at Caledonian Marts' breeding cattle sale at Stirling as a calf at foot along with his dam, a Limousin cross British Blue from West Thomaston. His sire is Easegillhead Exterminate and is destined for next week's Cale calf show. The same home also picked up the reserve honours with Thunder Flash, a January-born Limousin cross by the stock bull, Garyvaughan Longtain, a 9000gns purchase at Carlisle, out of a Limousin cross British Blue. Another bound for the Cale calf show, Thunder Flash was first at Biggar, Stranraer, Dumfries and Coylton. 2018-born heifer, 2018-born bullock calf, bullock – T Laird and Sons. Heifer – D Cook, Glendoune, Girvan.

Breeding cattle (Judge: A Cullens). Champion – D Cook, Glendoune, Girvan, with a British Blue cross show cow bought from Blair Duffton as an in-calf heifer last October. She was shown with March-born black bullock calf at foot and was champion at Glenkens. Reserve – Tormitchell Farms, with a British Blue cross cow with February-born Limousin cross heifer calf at foot. Cow with bullock calf – D Cook. Cow with heifer calf – Tormitchell Farms.