North Country Cheviot is top Highland sheep

Jimmy and Willie Thomson, Hownam Grange, Morebattle, Kelso, have just clinched their second sheep interbreed championship in a row at the Highland Show with a North Country Cheviot gimmer from their 250-ewe flock of Park-type sheep.

By a homebred tup which is in turn by Erikstane The Laird which the Thomsons sold as a shearling last year at Lanark, the gimmer is out of a homebred ewe and she will now head home before going to the Border Union Show at Kelso in July.

Standing reserve to the North Country Cheviot was the Texel champion a three crop ewe from Stephen Renwick, Selkirk. This one was bred in the Warnock family’s Watchknowe flock and is by a Watchknowe tup. Mr Renwick was in his first year of exhibiting at the Highland and runs just 20 Texel ewes. This ewe stood reserve at Border Union last year.