The Hall family’s winning streak continued at LiveScot, when Peter and John Hall, and John's daughter, Joanne, took the supreme championship in the sheep section.

Their Beltex cross lambs gave them the title for the third year in succession – matching the feat in the cattle ring by Wilson Peters – which makes a total of seven championships in all for them at this event.

Brought out by stocksman, Johnny Aiken, who manages the 680 Beltex and Texel cross ewes at Inglewood Edge, Carlisle, they were shown by him and the earlier winner of the young handlers competition, April Skelton. The pair, weighing in at 39kg, are by an Orkney-bred ram out of home-breed Beltex cross dams.

They had previously picked up a ticket at Countryside Live a month earlier and the show judge, Brian MacTaggart, said of them: “I knew they were special the minute I handled them.”

Tommy and Craig MacPherson, Pitsundry, were delighted to take the reserve overall ticket with their lightweight Blackie pair. Described as 'probably the best pair I’ve had ever handled' by the Blackface Sheep Society's Aileen McFadzean, the pair were bought at Dalmally from Ian and Bobby McLarty, Little Port, St Fillans.

Pitsundry also took a red rosette in the medium weight Blackface pairs with Neil and Elliot Cavers, Sorbie, taking the heavy pairs and also securing the reserve overall in a well-supported Blackface section. This pair went on to stand next to the Pitsundry lambs and take the reserve overall in the hill section.

Taking reserve to the Halls’ pair in the lowland section before being pipped at the post by the Blackies, was Robert and Margaret Struthers, Collielaw, Kilncadzow. Their Texel cross pair from their flock of Texels and Texel cross ewes were born in April and gave them their best result to date at the event.

The win was made sweeter by the fact that these lambs, were out of a home-bred three-quarter Texel ewe and got by a home-bred ram. The Struthers had a great day, having taken first and second in the lamb rib awards, with two lambs by the same Collielaw sire.

Messrs Huddleston took both champion and reserve in the Swalesdale. Their pair of 46 kg lambs from a 400-ewe flock at Roundmeadowns, Hexham, won their class at AgriExpo and were by Wolfhills and Overthwaites rams. The reserve champions were both by the Wolfhills sire.

The Cheviot championship saw the Southies come out on top, when the Cavers, from Sorbie, won with a pair by a £2000 Mainside ram. They had previously been first at AgriExpo. Reserve in this section was the winning pair from the Northie section from Alex Main, Byers Farm, Bewcastle.

Sheep champion at a glance:

Blackface – J and T MacPherson, Pitsundry; reserve – TN Cavers and Co, Sorbie; shepherd in charge of champion – Craig MacPherson.

Swaledale – H Huddleston, Round Meadows; reserve – H Huddleston.

North Country Cheviot – A Main, Byers; reserve – H Cockburn and Partners, Kingside.

South Country Cheviot – TN Cavers and Co; reserve – J and J Frame, High Dyke.

Mules and crosses – H Cockburn and Partners; reserve – TJ Linton, Sornfallow.

Young breeders lambs – D Moir, Home; reserve – David Cunningham, Walkerdyke.

Butchers lambs – R Hall and Sons, Inglewood Edge; reserve – R and M Struthers, Collielaw.

Overall sheep – R Hall and Son; reserve – J and T MacPherson.

LEADINGawards:

Judge: B MacTaggart, Douganhill, Castle Douglas.

Light pure Blackface – 1, J and T MacPherson, Pitsundry; 2, F Smith, Cloverhill; 3, TN Cavers and Co, Sorbie.

Intermediate pure Blackface – 1, J and T MacPherson; 2, Fleming, Shawhead; 3, DC and JJ Marshall, Blendewing.

Heavy pure Blackface – 1, TN Cavers and Co; 2, A Reid, Glendearg; 3, DC and JJ Marshall.

Pure Swaledale – 1 and 2, H Huddleston, Round Meadows; 3, B and D Greenwood, Walburn Hall.

Pure NCC – 1, A Main, Byers; 2, H Cockburn and Partners, Kingside; 3, DB Lang, Uplands.

Pure SCC – 1, TN Cavers and Co; 2, J and J Frame, High Dyke; 3, A Reid.

Pair progeny of Border Leicester or Bluefaced Leicester ram ex Blackface/Cheviot ewe – 1, H Cockburn and Partners, Kingside; 2, TJ Linton; 3, A Main.

Pair progeny of Bluefaced Leicester ex Swaledale/Northumberland Blackface ewe – 1, TJ Linton; 2, B and D Greenwood, Walburn Hall.

Untrimmed native-sired butcher's weight – 1, IT Davies, Danyreglwys; 2, R Garth and S Priestley, Peaks View; 3, TJ Linton.

Untrimmed continental-sired butcher's weight – 1, H Williams, Teldrym; 2, R Garth and S Priestley; 3, D Cunningham, Walkerdyke.

Suffolk crosses – 1, D Cunningham; 2, IT Davies and Son; 3, J and H Padkin, Muirhouse.

Light Texel crosses – 1, R and M Struthers, Collielaw; 2, AG Dempster, Castlehill; 3, D Cunningham.

Heavy Texel crosses – 1, R Hall and Son, Inglewood Edge; 2, K Johnstone, Boghouse.

Light Beltex crosses – 1, R Hall and Son; 2, R Garth and S Priestley; 3, R Guthrie, Cuiltburn.

Heavy Beltex crosses – 1, R Hall and Son; 2, A Baillie, Carstairs Mains; 3, R Garth and S Priestley.

AOB continental crosses – 1, J and H Padkin.

Young breeders sheep – 1, David Moir, Home Farm; 2, David Cunningham, Walkerdyke; 3, A and E Clark, Meikle Glengyre.

Single ewe lambs

Judge: Allan Wight jnr, Midlock, Crawford.

Single Blackface ewe lamb – 1, I Fleming; 2, DC and JJ Marshall; 3, G and S Donald, Whinhill.

Single Scotch Mule ewe lamb – 1 and 3, J Guild, Laight; 3, F Robertson, The Beeches.

Single Bluefaced Leicester ewe lamb – I Fleming; 2, D Bryson, Grassmillees; 3, F Robertson.

Young handlers

Judge: David Cunningham, Walkerdyke, Strathaven.

Junior sheep young handlers – 1, Miss Isla Dempster, Castlehill; 2, Miss Rachel Huddleston, Round Meadows; 3, Cameron Barclay, Brockloch.

Senior sheep young handlers – 1 and champion young handler, Miss April Skelton, Inglewood Edge; 2, Miss Rachel Baillie, Carstairs Mains; 3, Gregor Lang, Uplands.