Welsh Winter Fair: Scots take cattle champion and reserve

Taking the top spot was Phoenix, a Limousin cross heifer from Stewart and Lynsey Bett that was fresh from her reserve supreme at LiveScot, following on from a second prize at the Royal Welsh in the summer. She had a successful baby beef career too, claiming the overall title at LiveScot last year as well as reserve at Builth. Bred by Balfour Baillie and bought at the Thainstone Spectacular last year, this March, 2022-born daughter of Redriver Powerful is out of a Blue cross dam. She went on to sell to Rhyll butcher, Mark Webster, for £7000.

Jack In The Box took the reserve title for Andy Ireland

Keeping the top prizes within the Scottish string, Andy Ireland’s Blue cross bullock, Jack In The Box, was reserve supreme. Just a couple months younger than Phoenix and bought from Michael Allinson at Barnard Castle earlier this year, this Hallfield Nixon son is out of a Limmy cross cow. He is another with a host of prizes to his name, including reserve bullock at the Royal Welsh, second at the Royal Highland and first at LiveScot. He realised £5200 when knocked down to GR Evans Butchers, Corwen.

The reserve heifer award went to Richard Wright’s pedigree Limousin heifer, Cothi TikTok, from Somerset, while Anglesey showman, Tony Ponsonby, saw his Johnny Cash stand reserve bullock.

Kevin Watret’s pure Blue heifer, Solway View Spicey, was reserve in the home-bred and fed championship. Other red rosettes in the cattle section went to Hugh and Stewart Dunlop’s Queen of Hearts, Alister and Liz Vance’s Baby Bell, and Craig Hendry’s Chunky Monkey.

Team Scotland secured numerous awards at the Welsh Winter Fair

In the baby beef section the prizes stayed in Wales as Berwyn and Elin Hughes, Ceredigion, saw their One Off take the championship while Stewart and Lynsey Bett’s Electra was reserve heifer, and Super Ted from EH Pennie and Son, Powys, was reserve overall.

In the sheep section, it was thought to be a first ever supreme win for Blue Texel lambs when a pair from Chris Davies, Powys, first led the pure continental section before going on to stand supreme. Tipping the scales at a combined 91kg, one is sired by the home-bred Beaconsview De Niro with the other by Solway View Glacier and out of home-bred ewes from the 35-strong flock. They made £750 apiece.

Reserve supreme went to the winning butchers’ weights from Tirion Griffiths, Denbighshire. Securing a third win in a row in the 91kg to 97kg class, these weighed in at 93.kg and were by Cromwell Felix and out of home-bred ewes. Champion at Anglesey Winter Fair a few weeks earlier, they made £300.

Blue Texels landed the prime lamb championship

Robert Garth and Sarah Priestley from near Bentham secured the reserve butchers’ weights title for the third time, this time with a pair by Todhall Freddie that has bred a number of winning lambs for the duo over the last couple of years.

First time Scottish exhibitor, Malcolm Stewart, had plenty to celebrate when he won the any other hill breed class with Lairg Cheviots as well as the pure Suffolk class, and was second in the cross-bred without continental blood class. Regular show goers, the Hall family from Inglewood Edge, also travelled home with four red rosettes.

It was a clean sweep for the Beltex breed in the carcase hall as Beltex lambs won every class and secured the top awards.

Claiming the single championship was an E3L carcase from Rebecca Armstrong, Herefordshire, which was 38.6kg live and 21.7kg hung up. It went on to sell for £650.

Reserve and best in Wales was another E3L, this time from Bryn Davies, Carmarthenshire, which was 38.2kg live and 212.1kg dead. It realised £600.

Reserve best in Wales and topping the carcase trade at £1150 was an E2, 33.6kg to 19kg entry from IT Davies and Son.

Leading the pairs was an E3L duo from Michael Carter, Gloucestershire, which were 41.6kg to 23.6kg and 40.8kg to 23.1kg. Bryn Davies won the reserve honours.