Darvel beef and sheep breeder, Andy Ireland, Feoch, made history as the only exhibitor to win both the supreme overall and reserve honours at a much awaited and anticipated Catrine Show.

The event, which attracted a cracking line-up of quality stock and a good crowd to go with it, was topped by his supreme beef champion, Wee Nippy, a Limousin cross heifer, with the reserve, his leading Beltex, landing the reserve inter-breed honours.

"The commercial heifer is one of the best beef animals I've ever seen," said the inter-breed judge, Johnny Johnston, Sorn."I saw her as soon as she walked into the ring. She was an easy winner – full of class and presence," Mr Johnston said.

He added that selecting his inter-breed sheep champion was a bit more of a challenge, with little between his overall choice, the Beltex and the Bluefaced Leicester winner from Hugh Fergusson, which he gave the reserve sheep sash to.

Mr Ireland's show stopper, Wee Nippy, is no stranger to the limelight having already won the beef honours at Kilmaurs and the reserve inter-breed title at Beith. Bred by Clive Dent and bought at a Barnard Castle show and sale in March, 2021, she was also placed at LiveScot and the Welsh Winter Fair.

Reserve supreme was Mr Ireland's supreme Beltex, a two-shear ram bought last year at Carlisle from Mary Dunlop, Corstane, for 4200gns. Previously unshown, he is by Boothlow Enterprise and was bought as a stock ram for the 14 strong Feoch flock.

It was also a good day for Hughie Kennedy and daughter in law, Liz, East Carngillan, Tarbolton, when they landed the supreme dairy honours and reserve cattle title with Stair Galantas Delight, a second calver shown by farm manager, Ewan Corbett.

Runner-up in the dairy section was George Templeton's Knowe Beatrice 51, the Ochiltree champion, paraded by Neil Sloan, with the equivalent in the beef lines, presented to the continental champion, Jim Hodge's Hodges Rob Roy, a two-year-old Charolais bull.

It was also a Charolais that won the overall calf championship for Crawford Smith, Lawersbridge, Mauchline. His winner was the five-month-old Lawersbridge Teardrop, by Whitecliffe Musketeer.

A showy Bluefaced Leicester ewe hogg from Hugh Fergusson, Dykeneuk, Sorn, was runner up to the Beltex in a strong sheep section. She is by a £5000 Blarnavaid tup bought at Stirling in 2020 and was on her first outing.

LEADING awards

Red and white and Ayrshire (Judge: J Watson, High Mark, Leswalt, Stranraer). Champion and reserve dairy inter-breed – G and G Templeton, Knowe, Auchinleck, with the Ochiltree champion, Knowe Beatrice 51, a second calver by De La Plaine Prime, giving 41kg since calving in January. Reserve – M Bryson, Whiteflat, Catrine, with Panda Whiteflat Amma O'Cadabra, an in-calf heifer bred from the VG87 cow, Panda Dazzling Kalibra of which a half share was bought privately from her breeder, Molly Westwood. She was paraded due to Ryder Red for December. Cow – G and G Templeton. Heifer – M Bryson. Calf – C Cochrane, Nethercraig, Kilmarnock.

Holstein (Judge: J Watson). Champion and supreme dairy – Liz Kennedy, Carngillan, Tarbolton, with the VG87-classified second calver, Stair Galantas Delight, paraded by farm manager Ewan Corbett. She is by the stockbull, Wormanby Galantas, bred from Stair Bolton Delight Ex93 and was paraded giving 41kg having calved at the end of March. Reserve – M Bryson, Whiteflat, Catrine, with the Whiteflat Solomon Trudy, a second calver by Solomon giving 48kg per day, after calving in November. She was a member of the team of six in the West of Scotland Holstein Herds competition. Yearling heifer – C Cochrane, Nethercraig. Heifer in milk, group of three – GT and G Borland, Mossbog, Mauchline. Second calver – Liz Kennedy. Senior cow in milk – H Hodge, Bogwood, Mauchline. Pair – M Bryson. Senior calf – H Caldwell and Son, Ladyyard, Mauchline. Junior calf – B and R Sloan, Darnlaw, Auchinleck.

Any other dairy breed (Judge: J Watson). Champion – Neil Hodge (15), Bogwood, Mauchline, with the yearling Jersey heifer, Chrome Waltz, bought at a dairy sale at Carlisle. She is one of 100 Jerseys in the herd. Sole entry.

Young handlers – Champion – John Caldwell, Ladyyard, with the September, 2021-born Holstein heifer, Ladyyard Outlaw Hazel, by Denovo Outlaw. Reserve – W Watson, The Muir.

Continental beef (Judge: James Graham, Mains of Burnbank, Blairdrummond). Champion and supreme beef – J and D Hodge, Dykes, Auchinleck, with the home-bred two-year-old Charolais bull, Hodges Rob Roy, by the Thrunton Galvinston son, Hodges Noble, and out of Carradale Iris. Rob Roy has been sold privately to the Youngs at Tormitchell. Reserve – A Robb, Chalmerston, Mauchline, with the two-year-old Charolais heifer, Chalmerston Ruby, by Inverlochy Landmark. Calf and inter-breed calf champion – C Smith, Lawersbridge, Mauchline, with a five-month-old Charolais heifer by Whitecliffe Musketeer, out of Lawersbridge Indi. Bull – J and D Hodge. Heifer – A Robb. Calf – C Smith.

Native breeds (Judge: J Graham). Champion – G Dunbar, Drumboy, Drumclog, with the 14-month-old Hereford bull, Drumboy 1 Vindicator, which stood reserve junior male champion at the Stars of the Future. He boasts Danish genetics on both sides being sired by Fabb Northern Star and out of Mosker Cashmere, a cow bought in Denmark and one of only seven in the herd.

Prime cattle (Judge: J Graham). Champion, supreme beef, inter-breed cattle and overall champion of champions – A Ireland, Feoch, Ireland, with Wee Nippy, an 18-month-old black Limousin cross heifer bred by Clive Dent which stood champion at Kilmaurs, reserve overall champion of champions at Beith and runner-up at Dundonald. She is by Fieldson Mahrez. Reserve – Ramsay and Carolyn Stevenson, Carbello, Cumnock, with a previously unshown seven-week-old Limousin calf by the stock bull, Kinniside Mobydick out of a British Blue cross Limousin cow. Only two classes.

Blackface (Judge: John Graham, Mains of Burnbank). Champion and reserve – JJ Anderson, Upper Wellwood, Muirkirk, with the first and second prize ewe hoggs, both of which are ET sisters to the £40,000 ram lamb sold last year at Lanark. They are the result of a flush from a home-bred ewe by an £11,000 Auldhouseburn and sired by John Murray's McCoy Look Alike, a Crossflatt-bred son of a £150,000 Auldhouseburn used on loan. The champion was placed at Muirkirk Show last year. Aged ram, ewe – J Johnston, Blacksidend, Sorn. Tup hogg, group of three – H Gibson, Weitshaw, Sorn. Ewe hogg – JJ Anderson.

Bluefaced Leicester (Judge: John Graham). Champion and reserve inter-breed sheep – H Fergusson, Dykeneuk, Sorn, with a previously unshown ewe hogg by a £5000 Blarnavaid M25, bought at Stirling in 2020. His dam is a home-bred ewe by a £2400 Broomiebank. Reserve – D Bryson, 1 Grassmillees Way, Mauchline, with a home-bred tup hogg that was champion at LiveScot last year. He is by a Linkshead ram bought at Hawes in 2020 in partnership with Alistair Borthwick while the dam is a ewe with a Moscow sire. Tup hogg, ewe, group of three, tup lamb – D Bryson. Ewe hogg – H Fergusson.

Any other native sheep breed (Judge: John Graham). Champion and reserve – D Hodge, Dykes, Auchinleck, with South Country Cheviots. Supreme was a two-shear ram bought at Lockerbie, last year from Jim Robertson, Becks, for £1000. He is by Stirkfield Beckham. Standing reserve for the 300-ewe flock was a ewe hogg bought privately in a pen of 100 from George Irving, Mountbenger, Yarrow. Tup, ewe hogg – D Hodge. Ewe, ewe lamb, tup lamb, group of three – B Welsh, Roundshaw, Auchinleck.

Beltex (Judge: D Padkin, Muirhouse View, Lanark). Champion, supreme sheep and reserve overall champion of champions and reserve – A Ireland, Feoch, Darvel. Supreme was a two-shear ram bought at Carlisle last year for 4200gns. He is by Boothlaw Enterprise and was on his first outing. Standing reserve for the 14-ewe flock was the second prize winner to the champion, a home-bred shearling ram by the AI sire, Clary Exchequer, out of a Feoch ewe. Ram – A Ireland. Ewe, ewe hogg, ewe lamb, tup lamb, group of three – M and G Ballantyne, East Cauldcoats, Strathaven.

Texel (Judge: D Padkin). Champion – I Gatherer, Ochiltree Mains, Ochiltree, with a previously unshown ewe hogg by a Thacka sire bought at Lanark in 2020. The dam, a home-bred ewe goes back to Edenvalley genetics. Reserve – Aileen Struthers, Boylston, Cumnock, with a ewe bought at Paul and Christine Tippetts' dispersal sale. She is by Claybury Basic Instinct. Tup, ewe, ewe hogg – A Struthers. Ewe lamb – M and G Ballantyne, East Cauldcoats. Ewe hogg – I Gatherer.

Suffolk and any other continental (Judge: D Padkin). Champion – Andrew Struthers and Morag Young, Boylston, with the two-shear Blue Texel ram, Matt's Ee By Gum, bought at Carlisle. Reserve – Gillian Robb, Chalmerston, Stair, with a two-crop Dutch Spotted ewe bought privately from the Lochlad flock. She is by Baaboom and out of Lady Ba Ba. Tup lamb, ewe lamb, ram, ewe hogg, group of three – A Struthers and Morag Young. Ewe – G Robb.

Young handlers – Bruce Guild, Ashmark, New Cumnock.