BELTEX-sired lambs ruled supreme amid a cracking show of prime lambs at Agri-Expo, with the breed taking both the champion and reserve honours ahead of the native breeds.
While the Cheviots and Blackfaces have managed to oust the continentals for the top title in recent years, it was a duo from regular prime lamb exhibitors, John and Peter Hall, and John’s daughter, Joanne, from Inglewood Edge, Dalston, Cumbria, that secured the championship for a third time at this event.
The family, who run a large-scale sheep enterprise alongside a suckler cow herd, led this year’s line-up with a pair of home-bred three-quarter Beltex lambs that tipped the scales at 40kg apiece. By a Northcop tup, the same pair stood reserve overall at Countryside Live.
John Hall’s grand-daughter and Joanne’s daughter, April Skelton, who also won the young handler’s class, scooped the reserve supreme honours with her Young Farmers champion duo. These Beltex cross Dutch Texel lambs also stood champion in the young handler’s class at Countryside Live and weighed in at 54kg per life.
Claiming the hill lamb championship was a pair of Blackfaces from Neil and Elliot Cavers, Sorbie, Langholm, who are regular winners in the hill-bred section. Despite having won the same title before with Cheviots, this was their first win with a Blackie duo and it was a pair weighing 42kg apiece by a Glen, Gatehouse tup bought at Newton Stewart, that led the way.
Blackie duo from the Cavers claimed the hill lamb championship
The Cavers, who run 1100 Cheviots, 540 Blackfaces, 350 Texel cross Cheviots and a flock of 25-pure Beltex ewes to cross with the Cheviot ewe, also took the supreme honours in the section for lambs bred from a hill ewe for the fourth time here. This was a pair of Beltex cross Cheviots scaling 47kg apiece by a home-bred Beltex tup.
The Cavers family also scooped the overall honours in the lambs bred from a hill ewe
Alex Main, who runs 300 North Country Cheviots, at Byres Farm, Bewcastle, Cumbria, stood reserve in the hill-bred section with Northie hill-type lambs.
Weighing in at 43.5kg, these lambs are by the £1300 Stouphill Trivago, a tup bought at Lairg last year, out of a home-bred ewe. This was a second reserve win for Alex.
Landing the reserve title in the lambs bred from a hill ewe was a pair of Mule lambs weighing 62kg from M and B Allen, Borrowby Grange, Staithes, Saltburn.
LEADING awards:
(Judge: William McAllister, 92 Parkgate Rd, Kells, Ballymena).
Prime lambs – Pair of Blackface lambs – 1, TN Cavers and Co; 2, K Porteous; 3, Keith Porteous. Pair of Cheviot lambs – 1, Alex Main; 2, DF Cavers; 3, DF Cavers. Pair of Cheviot Hill-type lambs – 1, TN Cavers and Co; 2, J and A Bland; 3, TN Cavers and Co. Pair of Swaledale lambs – 1 and 2, Messrs Huddleston; 3, JG Thirlwall. Pair of Rough Fell lambs – 1, IK and AM Grisedale; 2, F and L Hoggarth; 3, P and S Hoggarth. Pair of Herdwick lambs – 1, J and A Bland; 2, J and S Wilson; 3, R Garth and S Priestley. Pair of cross-bred lambs – 1, IK and AM Grisedale; 2, JT Hinde; 3, K Porteous.
Pair of Mule lambs – 1, M and B Allen; 2 and 3, K Porteous. Pair of Down-bred lambs – 1, R Garth and S Priestley; 2, IK and AM Grisedale. Pair of Suffolk lambs up to 40kg – 1, H Brown; 2, IT Davies and Son; 3, SG Benson. Pair of Beltex lambs up to 40kg – 1, R Hall and Son; 2, A Baillie; 3, J and R Jerman. Pair of Beltex lambs up to 40kg – 1, I and M Lancaster; 2, J and R Jerman; 3, R Hall and Son. Pair of Beltex lambs over 40.1kg – 1, R Hall and Son; 2, J and R Jerman; 3, R Hall and Son. Pair of Texel lambs up to 40kg – 1, R Hall and Son; 2, H Williams; 3, RJ Slade. Pair of Texel lambs over 40.1kg – 1, R Hall and Son; 2, K Porteous; 3, H Williams. Pair of Blue Texel lambs – 1, H Williams; 2, RH and J Wood; 3, SG Benson. Pair of any other continental lambs any weight – 1, H Williams; 2, A Jackson; 3, Myerscough College. Pair of continental lambs untrimmed – 1, H Brown; 2, R Garth and S Priestley; 3, M and B Allen. YF pair of lambs – 1 and reserve overall, A Skelton; 2, R Lancaster; 3, A and J Whiteford. Single lamb any breed – 1, AL Thompson; 2 and 3, R Garth and S Priestley. Pair of Mule ewe lambs – Champion – P and A Sowerby, Kirkby Throne, Cumbria. Res – R Batty, Dovenest Lane, Kendal.
Young handlers – Aged two to eight years – 1, Grace Elliot; 2, Abbie Whiteford; 3, Jessica Whiteford. Aged nine to 14 years – 1, April Skelton; 2, Jack Whiteford; 3, Matthew Benson.
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