Northumberland County Show opened its gates to a flurry of visitors from all parts of the country, last week, where Cumbria-based Thor Atkinson, landed the top two honours in the beef section and the supreme overall.

Mr Atkinson from Ulverston, first bagged the supreme beef with a Limousin stock bull from his Arradfoot herd. Upperffrydd Power, by Trueman Jagger, was paraded by stockman Steven O'kane and was on his first outing of 2022 after winning the male championship at the Royal Highland Showcase and the Great Yorkshire Show, last year.

"He was hard to look past," said the inter-breed beef judge, Seonaid, McLaren, Blackford, Auchterarder. "He's a big powerful bull with great locomotion and carries himself well.”

Miss McLaren's choice of reserve beef champion was the Blonde champion, Brownhill Netta paraded with her second calf at foot, also from Mr Atkinson, Cumbria. Netta was bred by Tom and John Hope, Brownhill, Strathaven, and bought at Carlisle in 2018.

Champion of champions judge, Scott Donaldson of Harrison and Hetherington, Carlisle, found his supreme overall in the beef winner and presented the reserve overall to the inter-breed sheep champion, a Texel gimmer from Proctors Farm, Lancs, shown by flock manager Jeff Aiken and his wife Jennifer.

She is by the 350,000gns Sportsman’s Double Diamond and is a maternal brother to Sportsman’s Batman.

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Inter-breed sheep judge, Robert Raine, tapped out the Suffolk champion as his runner up. This was a home-bred two-crop ewe from Roseden and Lilburn flock, Northumberland.

Aberdeen-Angus and Beef Shorthorn triumphed in the inter-breed native competitions to win the champion and reserve honours respectively.

First time exhibitors, Bill and Kate Allen, son Dallas and daughter Ruth, Alnwick, won the Angus with their home-bred bull, Stouphill Murphys Prince, by Logie Defiance, out of Stouphill Marsala Pearl. He is to be retained as stock bull.

Reserve was the in-calf heifer, Millerston Iranie Pearl brought out by Mark Phillips, Castle Douglas.

Commercial champion was Jennifer Hyslop's home-bred Limousin cross heifer, Brownie, named after the late Hannah Brown. Baby beef champion at Livescot, she is by Uptonley Living The Dream.

Top honours in the dairy section went to the 10-year-old Ayrshire, Sei Estlter 12 from David and Christine Sanderson, Wigton. She has been successfully shown in the past and is a former Great Yorkshire Show champion.

Reserve was the Holstein, Langpark Unix Entice, from Langpark Holsteins, Co Durham.