Taking Stock

Following the pattern of yesterday's Burke pair outcome, the Limousins have taken the interbreed team of five award this afternoon at the Royal Show, followed by the Hereford team, judged by Norman Smith.

So that's it for this year's Royal Show. Fortuantely the rain has managed to stay away for most of the afternoon, so I'm off for a little retail therapy before we hit the road for the Yorkshire Show.

There will be more pictures uploaded in the morning to finish off and of course we shall bring you all the news from next week. I just hope these wagons get loaded in time to be at Yorkshire for midnight tonight!

Here at the end of a long and weary Royal Show are the full sheep and pig results, we wait with interest to see what if anything happens to reinvigorate the event before next year.

One thing is for sure there are a lot of livestock exhibitors who will need convincing its worth their while heading back to Stoneleigh next year.

SHEEP

Interbreed D Roberts Charollais ewe; res, R Powell's Kerry Hill shearling ram.

Interbreed Pairs Charollais; res, Kerry Hill.

Interbreed Group of Three P Tait's Rouge; res, D Dishop's Beltex.

Continue reading "Full Royal Show sheep and pig results" »

Dairy results

Burke pairs Jerseys; res, Holsteins.

Interbreed heifer G A Madely's Shorthorn Rodway Samantha 9; res, A Whittaker's Holstein Knowlesmere Gibson Starlight.

Team of Five Jerseys; res, Dairy shorthorns.

Interbreed A Whittaker's cow Knowlesmere Leduc Papoose; res, S Murray's Jersey cow Whiteoaks Julian Flower.

Dairy Shorthorn G A Madely's cow Rodway Marie 62; res, N Madely's cow Nejay Princess.

Dexter S Hunt's cow Seamer Supreme Aailyah; res, S Hunt's cow Northbrook Clarissa.

Guernsey R J Cole's cow Summerhill Dancer 17; res, not awarded.

Holstein A Whittaker's cow Knowlesmere Leduc Papoose; res, A Whittaker's heifer Knowlesmere Gibson Starlight.

Jersey S Murray's cow Whiteoaks Julian Flower; res, S Murray's cow Fourcrosses Centurion Pine.

The judging of the interbreed pairs championship earlier today left both ringside observers and exhbitors dumfounded and enraged after Peter Dixon Smith contradicted his own earlier judgement in awarding the reserve award to the Kerry Hill duo which had earlier only stood reserve in the Crossing sire section.

Having placed the Charollais pair from David Roberts and Messrs Daffurn and Curtis as champions, Mr Dixon Smith was left with three other sections champions and the reserve terminal sire champions the Hampshire Down pair to pick his reserve from.

But he chose to ignore all showring etiquette and logic by then placing the Kerry Hill pairing reserve.

Rouge exhibitor David Jane was understandably left fuming by the decision and I'm sure this won't be end of the story!!

For pictures of these champions and more from the ringside check out our Royal Show picture gallery.

Beef results

Burke pairs Limousin; res, Hereford.

Junior interbreed M D McMillan's Shorthorn bull Colnvalley Aladdin; res, E D Marshall's Charolais heifer Cotehouse Cockenzie.

Interbreed R Crawford's Limousin cow Victorieous; res, M Holmes' Shorthorn bull Cairnsmore Thrasher.

Team of Five

Aberdeen-Angus P C Stovold's cow Rosemead Karlotta C341; res, P C Stovold's heifer Rosemead Bellmaid G718.

Beef Shorthorn M Holmes' bull Cairnsmore thrasher; res, M d McMillan's bull Colnvalley Aladdin.

Continue reading "Full Royal Show 2008 beef results " »

Well suprise, suprise - it's another wet day at the Royal Show!

They've already judged the Beefbreeder competition and it loos like (from the comfort of the Farmers Weekly office window) that Douglas McMillan's Shorthorn overall junior champion Colnvalley Aladin has taken the top spot.

Later on today we have the sheep pairs and the young handlers competition, of which Jonathan has the job of sorting out the sheep young handlers. The group fo five beef team is also on this afternoon at 3.20pm - then it will be a mad dash for the off!  

Again, we've been busy today uploading the Royal Show picture gallery to bring you more pictures from the ringside. Tim as a whole load more so they will go up tomorrow morning!

The weather has now turned for the worse, having managed to escape a couple of nasty showers today - so we're off for a pint!

I'll leave you with a very happy Raymond Crawford!!!!!

Taking the dairy pairs title were the Jersey exhibits from Emma Murray, consiting of the champion Jersey Fourcrosses Centurion Pine and the reserve champion Whiteoaks Julian flower. Taking the reserve spot were the Holstein pair from Andrew Whittaker.

For the second year running the Limousin pair has taken the Burke trophy at the Royal Show. Taking the silverware back home to Northern Ireland and making it a double for them were bothers Raymond and Stephen Crawford with the interbreed champion Victorieous and her matching partner Vigot.

A strong punch in the air from both brothers showed just how delighted they were to win the double!

Taking the reserve spot were the Herefords, consisting of the champion exhibit bull and overall breed champion Greenyards 1 Archie from P and A Allman and the reserve overall and female champion Phocle Dowager from David Jones.  

Phil Fowlie took this year's Royal Show pig interbreed title with a four year Welsh sow from his Anglesey-based herd.

Braemor Nina 4 has had seven litters to date and is due with her seventh in mid-August. By Blencathra James and out of Soundville Nina 77, Nina was repeating her 2006 interbreed win at the Royal, making it the first time a pig had won the Royal interbreed title twice.

Standing reserve was Tracey Bretherton's Middle White boar Gracebank Rajah. This 2007-born boar is by Ferrylane Rajah 2 and out of Gracebank Woodlands Lady 01. This was Mrs Brethertron's most succesful Royal Show to date.

Pictures to follow later.......

The Rouge group of three from Percy Tait took the interbreed team of three award this afternoon in the sheep rings of the Royal Show, with the Beltex trio from David Bishop taking the reserve spot.

Mr Tait's team consisted of a shearling ram, a shearling ewe and a two-shear ewe, all homebred from his flock of 20 Rouge ewes.

Bill Quick lived up to his name when judging this year's Royal Show sheep interbreed championship this morning, taking just 40 minutes to assess the 29 champions forward.

Taking the overall title was the hotly tipped Charollais ewe from David Roberts, Shrewsbury, which had stood breed champion yesterday under breed judge Charles Sercombe.

Standing reserve was veteran showman Dick Powell, Welshpool, with his Kerry Hill shearling ram, part of Mr Powell's English show team which has been kept out of Wales to enable the flock to show this side of Offah's Dyke.

 Click on our gallery for more pictures from the Royal Show

Having dominated the Limousin rings yesterday, Raymond and Stephen Crawford took the overall beef top spot this morning under interbreed judge Seven Bailey.

Victorieous is a three and half year old female bred by Gaec Lagrafeuil and is sired by romeo and out of Paloma, she is in calf to a French AI bull. This is her first outing this year and will remain on a farm close to Stoneleigh until she can go back home to Northern Ireland due to bluetongue movement restrictions. 

Taking the reserve ticket was the senior Beef Shorthorn bull Cairnsmore Thrasher from Mark Holmes and shown by Richard Rettie.

Thrasher was bought back in the spring last year in a private deal and has won breed champion tickets at the Highland and Ayr show this year and was beef interbreed at Drummond and Fife last year. He now heads to Yorkshire before being turned out to work.

He is by Cairnsmore Nike sportsman and out of Notrellot Milly.   

The first of the Royal Show beef interbreed classes have got underway with Charolais breeder Steven Bailey taking on the tough task of deciding his junior champions.

Taking the lead in the native class first thing was the shorthornjunior bull Colnvalley Archibald from Doulas McMillan. Homebred on both sides this March 2007 born bull is by Colnvalley Titanic. Standing reserve here was the Aberdeen Angus heifer Rosemead Bellmaid from Angus Stovold.

In the Continental calsses, the young Charolais came through to take the lead. From the Marshall famil, Cotehouse Cockenzie is by the Irish bull doonally New and is out of a homebred dam. Taking the reserve ticket was the British Blone exhibit Kinaston Carlos from R E Kinnish. Homebred on both sides he is by Kinnaston Utah.

Pictures to follow shortly.....

We've updated the Royal Show gallery to include today's champions from the beef, dairy and sheep rings as well as some cracking generals.

See if you can pick the new breed of man come Highland cow!!!

The Whittaker family may have been the only exhibitors in the Holstein rings, but the £1000 cost of being at this year's Royal Show paid off slightly as they went on to take the overall dairy interbreed spot ahead of the Jersey champion.

The overall champion was Knowlesmere Leduc Papose, while the Jersey, Whiteoaks Julian Flower from the Murray family.

Taking reserve spot in the Holstein ring was Knowlesmere Gibson Starlight, while the reserve Jersey was Fourcrosses Centurion Pride again from the Murray family.

In the Dairy Shorthorn rings, G A Madely took the top spot with Rodway Marie 62, while N Madely's Nejay Princess took reserve spot.   

The South Devon cattle breeders had a welcome visit at the Royal Show from HRH Prince Charles this morning as he presented the champion exhibit with the silverware.

Taking top honours was David Smallcombe's senior bull Grove Brutus. Bred by the Scott famaily, he is by grove Hadrian and out of Grove Buttercup.

And the Scott's were back in the championship line up with their own animal, the female champion Grove Celandine 81 who stood overall reserve champion.

The Hereford breed was probably one of the strongest classes of cattle today with strong numbers in all of the classes. Taking the top spot this morning under Northern Irish judge R Irvine, P and A Allman's bull Greenywards Archie, a Doonbiddie Husteler son out of a Dendor female.

Taking reserve spot was the homebred female champion Phocle Dowager from David Jones.

Hot footing fresh from the British Blonde ring where judge Andy Ryder selected regular Royal Show winner Marstonmill Penelope Pitstop from Ain and Sue Archer as his champion, he then took on the task of judging the British Blues.

Taking the lead in the male section before going on to take the overall ticket was Danny and Jane Wyllie's bull Ballygrange Alex. Bred by Jim Sloan, the Woodview Solo son out of Ballygrange Roxy took the title ahead Adam Neachall's cow.

No stranger to the limelight either Tamhorn Uptown Girl was fresh from her win at Cheshire. Bred by the Wyllie family she is by Baron Du Bois Bauyloye and is out of Tamhorn Milly.

Taking the reserve title in the blondes was R E Kinnish's heifer Kinaston Badoncia, sired by Hadens Platinum.

Pictures to follow shortly......  

Tom Cox's Tomcroft flock has lifted the Suffolk crown for this year's Royal with a homebred tup lamb, with his homebred ewe lamb standing reserve too.

Despite short entries the Suffolk entries forward are a fair representation of the breed.