Cheviot wins on home turf

This was a gimmer by Sundhope Imperial, a shearling that sold for £2000 last year for the brothers’ Sundhope flock near Yarrow.

“She’s a very stylish sheep and very correct with a tremendous skin and great appearance,” said Stephen Graham, who judged the sheep inter-breed championship, of his overall winner.

Mr Graham, a farmer of 1200 Mule, Beltex and Texel sheep who also runs 550 suckler cattle near Brampton, was also full of praise for his reserve, Dean Aitken’s Blackface ewe lamb that also stood champion at Moffat. Sired by a home-bred shearling that goes back to a £15,000 Auldhouseburn, she is out of a ewe by a £5200 Elmscleugh.

The sheep section also welcomed the South Country Cheviot champion of champions class where the winners from various shows competed against each other to be crowned supreme. Landing the top ticket was the Moffat Show champion from Alan and Billy Common, Crossdykes, a shearling ram which also stood reserve male at the Royal Highland.

“He’s very well put together with nice hair and flat bone, just like the Southie should have,” said the judge, David Goodfellow, who shepherded at Hyslop for 23 years, of the Mainside Viscount son bred from a Becks Impact daughter.

Over in the cattle lines it was a good day for the Hunter family, from Upper Brydekirk, and particularly Emily when the heifer she paraded won the inter-breed ticket before she went on to win the young handlers competition. Her leading heifer was Fancy Pants, an April, 2017-born daughter of the British Blue bull, Stonebyres Imp.

Reserve was the native champion, a December-born Beef Shorthorn heifer, Shawhill Layla, from the Thomson, Roddick and Laurie team, from Newlands.

Also forward for the champion of champions title was the overall horse champion, Sarah Pool’s eight-year-old hunter gelding, Rupert; six-year-old Kenzie Avey’s poultry champion, a three-year-old old English game bantam cockerel; and two dogs – Robert Carruthers’ collie winner, 14-month-old Shep, and 14-year-old Katie McMillan with her Crufts-qualified whippet, a two-year-old bitch named Limabox Sex Appeal that goes by the name Apple.

Another highlight of Langholm is the South of Scotland young handler championship, where 11-year-old Murray Common, from Crossdykes, ruled supreme showing his South Country Cheviot ewe having qualified at Dumfries and also won at Moffat.

Reserve was 16-year-old Jenna Reid, Calf Park, who was showing a Suffolk ewe lamb and qualified at Moffat having also won the young handlers class at the English National sale of Suffolks at Shrewsbury.

LEADING awards:

Cheviot (Judge: N Hindmarsh). Champion, sheep inter-breed champion and champion of champions – Messrs Hume, Sundhope, Yarrow, with a gimmer that stood second in her class to Duncan and Callum’s champion at Yarrow. Her sire is the home-bred Sundhope Imperial that sold to Catslackburn at Lockerbie last year for £2000, while her mother is a home-bred ewe. Reserve – J Common and Son, Crossdykes, Lockerbie, with a home-bred shearling ram that stood reserve inter-breed champion at Moffat Show as well as reserve male at the Royal Highland for Alan and son, Billy. Sired by the Mainside Viscount tup bought at Lockerbie for £5200, he is out of a ewe by Becks Impact. Aged tup – WA Fleming, Falnash, Hawick. Dinmont tup, hill ewe –J Common and Son. Tup lamb –T Aitchison, Glenochar, Biggar. Pen of two tup lambs – J Wood, Potholm, Langholm. Gimmer – Messrs Hume. Hill ewe lamb – RH Paton, Gateslack, Thornhill. Untouched champion, reserve overall Cheviot and supreme untouched champion – N Cavers, Hoghill, Langholm, with a one-crop ewe by a Springwells ram bought at Lockerbie for £1000 that sired tups to £2000 last year. Out of a home-bred ewe, she was second at Westerkirk Show. Reserve untouched – L Luescher, Megdale, Langholm, with an April-born ewe lamb by the Lockerbie-bought £1200 Castle Colonel, which goes back to the influential Crossdykes Director, and out of a Crossdykes ewe, one of 2700 Cheviots and Blackfaces run by Lorraine. Aged tup, shearling tup, tup lamb, group – L Leuscher. Hill ewe, hill gimmer – N Cavers. Hill ewe lamb – RH Paton.

Blackface (Judge: G McDougall, Lamington). Champion, reserve sheep inter-breed and reserve – D Aitken, Uppercleugh, Lockerbie. Dean’s leader was his Moffat champion, an April-born ewe lamb by a home-bred son of a home-bred shearling that sold for £1600 that goes back to a £15,000 Auldhouseburn. Her dam is by a £5200 Elmscleugh. In reserve was a three-crop ewe by a £26,000 Crossflatt bred from a ewe by a home-bred tup known as Kingfisher, which is in turn by a home-bred ram called Red Bull that sold to Tinnis and Cuil for £42,000. Aged tup – J Anderson, Penchrise, Hawick. Dinmont tup, gimmer – RS Lambie, Ashcraig, Selkirk. Tup lamb, hill ewe, ewe lamb – D Aitken. Untouched champion, reserve supreme untouched, and untouched reserve – RS Lambie, Ashcraig, Selkirk. Taking the untouched championship for Scott was a one-crop ewe by a £14,000 Auldhouseburn that was on her first outing. Bred from a daughter of a £6200 Gosland, she has an £11,000 Gosland-sired ewe lamb at foot that will be retained. In reserve was a £5000 Mountbenger, a now three-shear whose first crop will be on offer at Lanark, including the son that won at Yarrow Show. His breeding includes an £11,000 Happrew on to an Auldhouseburn ewe. Aged tup, hill ewe, group – RS Lambie. Shearling tup – W Ewart, Craig, Langholm. Tup lamb, gimmer – D Aitken. Hill ewe lamb – N Manning, Tweedshaws, Biggar.

Prime lambs. Champion – M and L Bell, Winterhope, Waterbeck. Reserve – AL Williamson, Dykehead, Penton. Two weighing 79kg and under – M and L Bell, Winterhope, Waterbeck. Two weighing 80kg and over – AL Williamson, Dykehead, Penton.

Bluefaced Leicester (Judge: J Currie, Peebles). Champion – H Hope, Albierigg, Canonbie, with a home-bred three-crop ewe on her first outing. Her sire is the £3200 G17 Carry House shared with Laggan Park, whose home-bred sons have been retained by Harry, while her mother is home-bred. Reserve – D Anderson, Tigh-Na-Bruich, Moffat, with a gimmer by a loaned Shafthill ram, a son of a Midlock tup, and out of a daughter of a Todhall ram. She has been lightly shown but was achieving her best result. Tup, ewe – H Hope. Tup lamb – I Common, Crossdykes, Lockerbie. Gimmer – D Anderson.

Zwartbles (Judge: J Currie). Champion – I Brisbane, Little Tongue, Stranraer, with her first prize ewe lamb from the Highland Show, Auchmantle Fitbit. She is by Greenhill Blakeney while her mother is Killymallaght Class Act, the best breeder in Iona’s 10-ewe flock. Ewe lamb – I Brisbane.

Any other sheep breed (Judge: J Currie). Champion – A Brisbane, Little Tongue, Stranraer, with a Blue Texel ewe lamb named Nanty Derri Cara, which was bought at a production sale at Carlisle to join Angus’ three-ewe Auchmantle flock, On her first outing, she is by Whatmore Walnut and out of Hackney Yarra. Reserve – J Carlisle, Fowrass, Penrith, with a Beltex ram bought at Carlisle from Andrew Wood, Withy Trees, who secured the reserve title at Skelton with him. Now a two-shear, he is by Kingledores Wigglesworth and one of 30 Fowrass Beltex in James’ flock. Accredited female – A Brisbane. Accredited male – J Carlisle. Non-accredited male, non-accredited female – A Lambie, Fleyington Cottage, Selkirk.

Accredited Suffolk (Judge: N Douglas, Yarrow). Champion, supreme Suffolk and reserve – P and D Reid, Calfpark, Dumfries, with a home-bred tup lamb, Conchar Captivator, which was reserve at Stewartry and will be retained in the flock. Sired by Haddo high Voltage, he is out of a Glenhead Crackatinny daughter. Reserve here was a ewe lamb known as Jemima, which was achieving her best result. She is by Iron Gray Black Jack and out of another ewe by Glenhead Crackatinny. Tup lamb, group – E Wilkie, Shaw Cottage. Tup lamb, ewe lamb – P and D Reid.

Accredited Texel (Judge: N Douglas). Champion and reserve – J Carlisle, Fowrass, Penrith. James’ champion was Blackadder Yodel, a two-shear ram bought at Kelso as a shearling to work on his 70-ewe flock that runs alongside Beltex females and also produces cross tups. On his first outing, he is by Hartside Utopia and out of a daughter of Brookhill Pacemaker. Reserve here was a Brijon-bred ewe that is a full sister to Jonathan Watson’s champion at Kelso Ram Sales last year, Brijon Yukon, which sold for £7000. She is by Haymount Vava Voom and out of a Brackenridge Strongbow daughter. Aged tup, ewe, ewe lamb – J Carlisle. Tup lamb, gimmer – W Ewart.

Non-accredited Texel (Judge: N Douglas). Champion and supreme Texel – S Graham, Becks, Langholm. Landing another championship for Sharron was a home-bred three-crop ewe by a Burnhead tup which is in turn by Midlock Striker. Reserve champion here two years ago, she is out of a ewe by the Scrogtonhead tup that is a double champion at Langholm. Reserve – G Wilson, Hawthornside, Bonchester Bridge, Hawick, with an April-born ewe lamb bred from a Humeston Upriser daughter. Her dam is by an Anglezark tup by Tophill Wall St. Aged tup, ewe, gimmer, group – S Graham. Tup lamb – A Lambie, Fleyington Cottage, Selkirk. Ewe lamb – G Wilson.

Sheep young handlers (Judge: S Graham, Brampton). Under 10 years – 1 and reserve champion, H Vevers, Waterbeck, Lockerbie; 2, A Clark, Meikle, Glengyre; 3, A Brown, Drumhumphry, Castle Douglas. Aged 10 to 16 years – 1 and champion, L Reid, Calfpark, Dumfries; 2, R Wood, Potholm, Langholm.

South of Scotland young handler championship (Judge: G McGimpsey, Newcastleton). Champion – M Common, Crossdykes, Lockerbie. Reserve – L Reid, Calfpark.

Galloway (Judge: D Gall, Lockerbie). Champion and reserve – D and R Cornthwaite, Balgray Hill, Lockerbie. Champion for David and Rosemarie was Nucamp of Balgray, an April, 2017-born bull by Troloss Impeccable, a bull shared with Alan McClymont. This male champion at Wigton Show which also stood reserve junior male at the Highland, is out of Penningham Sparky, a cow bought at the Penningham dispersal. In reserve was another by Impeccable in the shape of Natalie of Balgray, a similarly-bred heifer out of the Castle Douglas-bought Barlaes Grace. She was champion any other breed at both Cumberland and Westmorland shows. Bull, maiden heifer – D and R Cornthwaite.

Native cattle breed (Judge: D Gall). Champion, reserve inter-breed and reserve – Thomson, Roddick and Laurie, Newlands, Eaglesfield, Lockerbie. Standing reserve inter-breed for the team was Shawhill Layla, a December-born Beef Shorthorn heifer on her first outing before contesting the winter calf shows. She is by Dry AT and out of the reserve champion, a three-year-old Foxglove cow by Burnside Elite. Cow, calf – Thomson, Roddick and Laurie.

Commercial cattle (Judge: J Blaylock, Longtown). Pen of four cows and calves – T Hunter, Upper Brydekirk. Cow and calf – Messrs Vevers, High Stenries.

Calves (Judge: J Blaylock). Champion, cattle inter-breed champion and reserve – Hunter family, Upper Brydekirk, Annan. Taking the championship for Thomas when shown by daughter Emily was a heifer called Fancy Pants, which is by the British Blue stock bull, Stonebyres Imp. Born in April, 2017, she is out of a Blue cross Limousin cow and claimed the championship at Moffat as well as a third prize at Cumberland. In reserve when shown by daughter Sarah was the similarly-bred but two month younger That’s My Girl, which was placed at Moffat and Cumberland. Heifer calf and young handler – 1, T Hunter.