Guthries land supreme sheep honours at LiveScot

Having won the top award here in 2021 with similarly bred lambs, the Guthries, who run 300 mostly Beltex ewes at Cuiltburn, Muthill, Crieff, did the same again this time with a pair of untrimmed April-born wedder lambs by a home-bred sire.

“The champion lambs both have tremendous shoulders and conformation and they are very much a pair,” said the judge Andrew Morton, a former winner from Lochend, Denny.

Runners up this year came from the Halls of Inglewood Edge

“The lambs are not too extreme and they’re not too fat,” added Mr Morton who was also most impressed by his reserve winners – lightweight Texel cross lambs from the Hall family, Inglewood Edge, Dalston.

Taking the tri-colour was a pair of Cuiltburn lambs bred from home-bred three-quarter Beltex ewes. They scaled 41kg and later sold for the top price of £300 per head to Stuart Stark on behalf of MJ Stark Ltd, Paisley.

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“Our customers want the best of Scottish lamb which for them means lean carcases with plenty of shape,” said Mr Stark, adding that 90% of his market is halal.

The Guthries, who boast three previous reserve overall wins here, exhibited three pairs of Beltex lambs, with their second pair also taking a red rosette among the butchers’ weight entries. Notably, they look to mostly exhibit wedder lambs, which Mr Guthrie said are easier to find an even pair from, compared to ewe lambs which can get too fat.

Just pipped at the post was the champion pair of Texel cross lambs shown by Joanne Hall and her daughter April Skelton, with assistance from full-time shepherd Jonnie Aiken. Sired by a Dutch Texel bought at Carlisle last year from Stuart Wood’s Woodies flock, Aberdeenshire, they are out of home-bred Beltex cross ewes. April-born, these wedder lambs were also bought by Mr Stark for £250 per head.

The Dickies of Spango, Sanquhar, along with shepherds Jonah Scott and son Alistair, have been making their mark at LiveScot for several years now and they not only landed a sixth Blackface title to their name but also a third Mountain and Moorland championship when they topped the breed with a pair of heavy lambs that scaled 99kg. Their show-stoppers this time from the 2000-strong Blackface ewe flock are by a Waterhead tup bought in 2021 from Bo Brown and Ben Cluckie, that also bred last year’s breed champions.

They later sold for £220 per head to Russell Lawson, Midseat.

Adding to the celebrations, the team then bagged the reserve Mountain and Moorland honours with the runner-up Blackface pairs which stood first in their class to the champion winners. They passed the weighbridge at a combined 92kg and are by a £1600 Dalchirla sire bought in 2020.

Leading the Cheviot section was the champion Southie pair from Neil and Elliot Cavers, Sorbie. Securing a third breed title here for this 1000-strong ewe flock was another heavy pair that scaled 50kg each. Home-bred, they are by Townfoot Tarmac, a ram bred by Billy Goodfellow that was bought at Lockerbie for £1600.

The overall sheep duo from the Guthries

First-time exhibitor Kim Stretch, Cuilt, Crieff, went straight to the top to win the North Country Cheviot section and the runner-up Cheviot title with a pair of home-bred lambs that scaled 85kg in total.

Blue Texels also made their mark, winning the champion and reserve honours in the continental section. David Cunningham and son, also David, Walkerdyke, Strathaven, took the tri-colour with a pair of April-born wedder lambs by a Shawtonhill sire, with the reserve presented to Callum and Finlay Frame, Hawthornbank who also took the same award among the Mules.

Following in their father Andrew Baillie’s successful footsteps, Cameron and Rachel Baillie, Carstairs Mains, won the Young Breeders’ class with a pair of home-bred three-quarter Beltex by Callacrag Hotshot. They scaled 47kg each.

A strong section of young handlers was topped by Jenna Johnstone, Boghouse, with the reserve presented to Alexander Clark, Meikle Glengyre, Stranraer, who together with his brother Ewan, won the native-bred lambs with Suffolk crosses.

Leading Awards

Blackface – Light – 1, and 2, R and B Dickie, Spango; 3, TN Cavers, Sorbie. Medium – 1, Firm of Shawhead, Douglas; 2, TN Cavers, Sorbie; 3, JJ Frame and Co, High Dykes. Heavy – 1 and 2, R and B Dickie, Spango; 3, TN Cavers, Sorbie.

North Country Cheviot – 1, Kim Stretch, Cuilt; 2, JW Frame, Little Galla; 3, R and J Andrew, Rowanston.

South Country Cheviot – 1, TN Cavers, Sorbie; 2, Andrew Reid, Glendearg; 3, Firm of Shawhead.

Mules and crosses – 1, F Smith, Cloverhill; 2, C and F Frame, Hawthornbank; 3, Firm of Shawhead. Mule bred from Swale or North of England BF ewe – 1, H Cockburn and partners, Kingside.

Butchers lambs – Untrimmed native – 1, MM Stewart, Brotherstone. Untrimmed continental – 1, J Guthrie, Cuiltburn; 2, R Hall and Son, Inglewood Edge; 3, R and M Struthers, Collielaw.

Native lambs – 1, A Clark and Son, Meikle Glengyre; 2, D Cunningham, Walkerdyke.

Texel lambs – Light – 1, R Hall and Son, Inglewood Edge; 2, D Cunningham, Walkerdyke; 3, WW and M Cuthbertson, Benwillen. Heavy – 1, R and M Struthers, Collielaw; 2, J Orr and partners, Wester Walston; 3, R Hall and Son, Inglewood Edge.

Beltex lambs – 1, J Guthrie, Cuiltburn; 2, A Baillie, Carstairs Mains; 3, A Baillie, Broomfield. Heavy – 1, R Hall and Son, Inglewood Edge; 2, A Baillie, Carstairs Mains; 3, R Garth and Sarah Priestley, Peaks View.

Continental lambs – 1, David Cunningham, Walkerdyke; 2, C and F Frame, Hawthornbank.

Young breeders – 1, Cameron and Rachel Baillie, Carstairs Mains; 2, April Skelton, Inglewood Edge; 3, Finn Hope, Corstane

Young handlers up to 12 years – 1, Alexander Clark; 2, Bruce Guild; 3, Kirk McMillan.

Young handlers 13-17 year – 1 and champion, Jenna Johnstone; 2, Stuart McLeod; 3, Libby Garth.

Saddle of lamb – Light – 1, D McFadzean; 2, R and M Struthers; 3, R and B Dickie. Heavy – 1 and champion, R Laird; 2 and reserve, R and M Struthers; 3, G Whyte.