DESPITE somewhat damp, dreich weather, a good day out was had by all at Dalmally Show, where an increased entry of cattle and an all lady line-up of judges, eventually saw The Captain, the commercial champion, steer the way through to lift the supreme cattle honours.

Cattle judges, Jean McKay, Barrhead, who selected the top winners in the commercial section and Riikkaa Palonen, for the Highlanders, who owns a large fold in Finland, were unanimous in their choice, tapping out Ewen MacGillivray and son Ewen’s March-born stot, The Captain, from Benderloch, Oban.

Show stopper from the duo's small beef enterprise was a red son of the Limousin sire, Lodge Hamlet, bred from a British Blue cross Limousin dam. Overall champion of champions at Mid Argyll Show last month, this youngster is bound for the Borderway Agri Expo at Carlisle.

For the supreme, he stood in front of Grace Noble’s Highland cattle champion, Duchess of Grace, a yearling heifer all the way from her 120-cow fold from Lochton of Leys, Banchory, which produces Highland beef. A daughter of the privately purchased Duke of Leys, bred from Hazel of Knockendon, bought at Oban, she was brought out by stockman, Ian Adams and boasts previous red tickets at Banchory and Turriff Shows.

Local breeders, Jon and Queenie Strickland who own the Cladich fold just outside Dalmally, had a field day winning the reserve Highland and the champion and reserve honours in the confined section. Their reserve and confined leader, brought out by stockman, Stuart Campbell was the two-year-old heifer, Lady Jane Stuart of Cladich, by the home-bred sire, Beinn Dubhchraig 2 of Cladich.

Father and son team, Sandy and Tommy Patterson, scored a hat-trick in the Blackface section, winning their third consecutive breed title with – J-Anna, which was described as a clear winner by the judge, Rhoda Munro from Mull. This one-crop ewe was on her first outing since last year's show and is by a £38,000 Auchloy and out of a ewe by a £5000 Dalchirla – one of only 30 ewes owned by the duo from Auchloy, Crieff.

Any other breed of sheep judge, Fiona Boa, Mull, found her top winner in the best from the continental section, a one-crop Texel ewe owned by five-year-old Olivia Bowman, Mid Cragabus, Islay, shown by her uncle, Elliot. Producing a best ever result for the youngster who owns just five ewes, was a Watchknowe-bred ewe bought privately from Jimmy Warnock, last year.

LEADING awards

Highland (Judge: Riikkaa Palonen, Finland). Open champion – Grace Noble, Lochton of Leys, Banchory, with the yearling heifer, Duchess of Grace, a daughter of the privately purchased bull, Duke of Leys bred, out of Hazel of Knockendon which was bought at Oban. She was first at Banchory and Turriff and was brought out by stockman Ian Adams who attends to 120 cows in the fold to produce Highland beef. Reserve – Lady Jane Stuart of Cladich, a two-year-old heifer bred from a previous home-bred Lady Jane and sired by Beinn Dubhchraig 2 of Cladich. She stood second at Lorn and Mid Argyll, while her sister, Lady Jane Campbell 2 of Cladich made 3000gns as a heifer calf last October at Oban, selling to Germany. Confined champion – Mrs Queenie Strickland of Cladich, Dalmally, with the aforementioned two-year-old heifer, Lady Jane of Cladich and reserve with the four-year-old cow, Capleadh Buidhe Beg 4 of Cladich, by Aonghas of An Sidhean, out of Capleadh Buidhe Beg of Cladich. She was paraded with heifer calf at foot by Dochie of Gartocharn and boasts championship wins at Lorn and Mid Argyll this year; junior champion at the Great Yorkshire in 2015; and a third prize win at the Highland this year. Confined senior cow, senior cow, confined junior cow, confined 2018-born heifer calf, 2018 born heifer calf, confined two-year-old heifer, two-year-old heifer, confined yearling heifer, confined yearling bull, yearling bull – Mrs JH Strickland. Junior cow – DM McNaughton, Kelty, Fife. 2018-born heifer calf – R McMillan. Confined three-year-old heifer – R and D Schuster, Duiliter, Loch Awe, Dalmally. Three-year-old heifer, junior bull – M Poland, Wester Ferlochan, Benderloch, Oban. Yearling heifer – Grace Noble. Young handlers – 1, Tara Adams; 2, Logan Ross; 3, Alan Cameron.

Commercial (Judge: Jean MacKay, Barrhead). Champion and supreme cattle – E MacGillivray, Barcaldie Home Farm, Oban, with The Captain, a mid-March-born steer by the Limousin sire, Lodge Hamlet, bred from a home-bred British Blue cross Limousin cow – one of only half a dozen commercial cows in the herd which runs alongside a similar number of pedigree Limousins. He was champion at Mid Argyll and is destined for the Borderway Agri Expo at Carlisle. Reserve – D MacDonald, Tyree, Benderloch, Oban, with an October-born Limousin cross heifer by Huntershall Jim, out of a Limousin cross British Blue, that was first at Lorn. Confined champion – S Underwood, Stramollachan, Dalmally, with a previously unshown Simmental cross yearling heifer out of a Limousin cross cow that is to be retained for breeding. Reserve – J McLaren and Sons, Craig, Dalmally, with a previously unshown February-born black Limousin cross bullock out of an Aberdeen Angus cross cow. Confined cow, open cow, confined native spring-born calf, native spring-born calf, confined bred pair – B Walker, Carloonan, Inveraray. September 1, 2017- February 1 2018-born calf – D MacDonald. Confined September 1, 2017- February 1 2018-born calf – S Underwood. Spring-born calf, bred pair – E MacGillivray. Confined spring-born calf – J McLaren and Sons.

Blackface (Judge: Rhoda Munro, Mull). Champion – S Patterson, Auchloy, Crieff, with J-Anna, a home-bred one-crop ewe by a £38,000 Auchloy, out of a ewe by a £5000 Dalchirla, that was champion here in 2017 and in 2016. Reserve – D McVicar, Lephinchapel, Strachur, with a ewe lamb by a £20,000 Crossflatt. Young Farmers’ – champion – Roan McVicar (10), Lephinchapel, with an ET-bred one-crop ewe out of a Crossflatt ewe that bred a £44,000 Crossflatt lamb and sired by Spectre. She was YFC champion here as a ewe lamb. Roan also won the reserve honours in the YFC section with a ewe lamb by £20,000 Crossflatt out of a ewe by a £6500 Nunnerie. Confined – Champion – J and J Macpherson, Balliemeanoch, Dalmally, with a one-crop ewe by a £9000 Midlock, out of a ewe by a £3000 Connachan. She was regularly placed as a gimmer. Reserve – T McKellar, Auch Estates, Dalmally, with a previously unshown two-crop ewe by a home-bred great grand-son of a £52,000 Dalchirla, out of a home-bred ewe. YFC adult male, YFC adult female; YFC ewe lamb – R McVicar. YFC tup lamb – R and K Jackson, Pole, Lochgoilhead. Confined three-shear ram, three-shear ram, confined two-shear ram, two-shear, confined shearling ram, shearling ram, confined ram lamb, confined junior ewe, confined gimmer, confined ewe lamb, confined group – J and J Macpherson. Ram lamb, junior ewe – S Patterson. Confined ewe – T McKellar. Ewe – W and A Walker, Cramie, Glenprosen. Gimmer – D and J Jackson. Ewe lamb, group – D McVicar.

Any other breed (Judge: Fiona Boa, Mull) Champion – Olivia Bowman (5) of Mid Cragabus, Islay, with a one-crop Texel ewe by Usk Vale Wolverine. Previously unshown, she was bought privately in December from Jimmy Warnock’s Watchknowe flock and was shown by her uncle, Elliott Bowman. Reserve – I MacKay, Torloisk, Mull, with a North Country Cheviot gimmer by last year’s champion, St John’s Kirk Red Mist, the multi-award winning ram that was champion at Salen and Lochaber last year, out of a home-bred ewe. She was inter-breed gimmer champion at Salen last month and was shown by Iain’s partner, Claire Simonetta. Native breed ram, native breed ram lamb, native ewe, native gimmer – I MacKay. Native ewe lamb – A Bevis, Braefoot. Continental ram – A McNaughton, Ardachuple, Colintraive. Continental ram lamb – G McCulloch, Kilmichael, Rothesay, Bute. Continental ewe – O Bowman. Continental gimmer – D McLaren. Continental ewe lamb, prime lamb pair – R and K Rennie, Garvachy, Minard, Argyll.

Poultry (Judge: Lorna MacDougall). Champion – Lauren Paterson, South Alley Farm, Cove, Argyll, with a pekin bantam. Reserve – K McIntryre, Cruachan, Loch Awe, with an AOV bantam hen.