Royal Highland Winter Fair 2012: Sheep supreme championship

The continentals reigned supreme in the sheep ring with the championship going to a Texel sired pair and the reserve to a duo sired by a Beltex.

The championship title went to Mr R Hall and Son, Inglewood Edge, Carlisle. Handled in the ring by Joanne Hall and Johnny Aiken who have secured the supreme title four times at the event, the pair (Exp. 307)are by a Turbo Texel and out of a pure Beltex. Weighing in at 102kg, one of the duo had been part of the reserve championship pair at Carlisle. They went up to sell for £250 a head to judge Stephen Kirkup of S E Kirkup Livestock, Rothbury.

The reserve Beltex sired pair weighed in at 80kg (Exp. 313) and was forward from Mr Andrew Morton, Lochend Farm, Denny Stirlingshire. The two were purchased by John Scott Meat, Paisley, for £170 each.

 The judge Mr Kirkup said there was very little between the champion and reserve, but the champion was slightly better in the loin and jigget. Commenting on his choice of continentals he said: “The continental won out purely on better conformation. There was an exceptionally good pair of North Cheviot lambs, but they were up against some strong jiggeted sheep.”