It was a first ever champion of champions win at Islay and Colonsay Show for a Bluefaced Leicester sheep, as selected by the judge Aileen McFadzean, from Perth.
Earlier Mrs McFadzean had adjudicated as umpire of both the inter-breed sheep and inter-breed cattle championships, saying that the traditional Blue that was champion ‘showed great breed character and style.’
Shown by Greig Gillespie for Duncan Currie, Ballachlaven, the overall show champion was a gimmer bought for £700 from Stuart Nelson’s Medwyn flock, Lanarkshire.
In the overall, she was placed ahead of the commercial beef calf that had won through from all the cattle sections for Neil McLellan, Kilchiaran. This March-born pure-bred Limousin bull, Kilchiaran Vinny, a Lodge Hamlet son is bred out of Homebyres Opal – one of a handful of pure Limousin cows kept to provide crossing sires for the suckler cow herd.
Runner-up for the beef title was the three-year-old Galloway heifer, Blackcraig Blondchen, from James Porter, Port Ellen, which had also been native champion with her at last year’s show.
Taking reserve overall sheep was the Suffolk champion, a two-crop ewe from Jack McDonald, Bridgend. She had been bought from Finn Christie’s Maidenstone flock as a gimmer.
Taking top spot in the well-filled Blackface section was a gimmer shown by Alasdair Currie, Ballachlaven. Bought off Dalwyne as a ewe lamb, she is by a £28,000 Glenbeg and out of a dam by a £22,000 Dalchirla.
Leading Awards:
Blackface (Judge: D Gray, Kilsyth). Champion – A Currie, Ballachlaven, with a gimmer that had been bought as a ewe lamb from Dalwyne. She’s by a 28,000gns Glenbeg and out of a ewe by the £22,000 Dalchirla. First outing. Reserve and crofters champion – K Wiggins, Port Charlotte, with a two-crop ewe that had been champion of champions here as a gimmer. She’s by a £900 Auldhouseburn and out of a ewe by an Allanfauld sire. Male champion – E Bowman, Port Ellen, with a tup lamb by a £3000 Pole and out of a dam by a £13,000 Glenrath. Ewe (crofters and open), gimmer (o), ewe lamb (o and c) – K Wiggins. Suckled gimmer (o and c) – D Bowman. Gimmer (o) – A Currie. Tup lamb (o and c), aged ram, ewe with lamb at foot, group (o and C) – E Bowman. Shearling tup – E McMillan-Currie.
Bluefaced Leicester (Judge: S Thomason, Cumbria). Champion – D Currie, Ballachlaven, with a traditional-type gimmer bred by Stuart Nelson, by a West Bolton sire. She cost £700 at Carlisle. Reserve – J Bignal, Bridgend, with a crossing-type gimmer by a Midlock sire. Aged tup, shearling tup, group – M McKerrell. Tup lamb, ewe lamb – J Bignal. Ewe, gimmer – D Currie.
Texel and Beltex (Judge: H Gamble, Northern Ireland). Champion – S and B Woodrow, Port Ellen, with an Allanfauld-bred ewe that had been reserve female at the Royal Highland. By Claybury Dunkirk, she had been overall sheep champion at Islay and Kintyre in 2023. Reserve – Miss O Bowman, Port Ellen, with a home-bred gimmer by a home-bred son of Knap Desperate Dan. Aged tup, ewe, ewe lamb – S and B Woodrow. Tup lamb, pair of ewe lambs – Miss O Bowman.
AOB sheep (Judge: S Thomason). Champion – Miss S MacGill, Coull, with a two-shear Kerry Hill stock ram which had been bought at Carlisle from Woodhouse. Reserve – E Brown, Aoradh, with a home-bred one-crop Cheviot ewe by Ormley Trapper. Aged tup, gimmer – Miss S MacGill. Shearling tup – G and J Archibald. Tup lamb, ewe, ewe lamb, pair of ewe lambs – E and J Brown. Cross ewe lamb, pair of cross ewe lambs – S Young.
Prime lambs (Judge: S Thomason). Champion and reserve – D McCormick, Blackrock, with pens of three Beltex cross Texel lambs. Pen of cont cross lambs – D McCormick. Pen of Blackface lambs – G Cameron. Pen of Suff cross lambs – Islay Estates. AOB cross pen – S Young.
Suffolk (Judge: H Gamble). Champion – J McDonald, Bridgend, with a two-crop ewe bred by Finn Christie. Reserve – J Bignal’s home-bred ewe lamb, by Redbrae Razzle Dazzle. Aged tup – H Fletcher. Shearling tup, ewe, pair of ewe lambs – J McDonald. Tup lamb, gimmer, ewe lamb – J Bignal.
Native pure-bred beef (Judge: A Fitzimon, Dumfries). Champion and reserve overall beef – J Porter, Port Ellen, with the three-year-old Galloway heifer, Blackcraig Blondchen. Champion here last year. Galloway cow, extra stock – J Porter. Galloway calf – E Anderson.
Highland cattle (Judge: A Fitzimmon). Champion – RSPB Kinnabus with the five-year-old cow, Red Grouse of Hartside bought for 3500gns in 2022. Reserve – Mrs M Porter, Carrabus, with a rising four-year-old cow. Cow – RSPB Kinnabus. Three-year-old heifer, pair – G and M Porter. Two-year-old heifer, yearling heifer, calf – Dunlossit Estate, Ceannacroic.
Commercial beef (Judge: G McFadzean, Perth). Champion and overall beef – N McLellan, Kilchiaran, with the pure-bred Limousin bull calf, Kilchiaran Vinny, by Lodge Hamlet, out of Homebyres Opal. Reserve – Islay House, Ballygrant, with a deep red spring-born heifer calf by a Limousin sire out of a Limousin cross dam. Cow, extra stock – N McLellan. Heifer in calf – G and M Porter. Heifer for breeding, yearling continental steer – N and J McDonald. Bullock – RSPB Aoradh. Native suckled calf – J Findlay. Spring-born Limousin steer calf – J Porter. Spring-born Limousin heifer calf – Islay Estates. Spring-born AOB steer calf, spring-born AOB heifer calf – Cornabus Farm. Pair of calves – J Morris.
Young farmers – Young cattle handler’s animal – Lauren Morris. Young cattle handler – Jordie Rountree. Young sheep handler’s animal – Olivia Bowman. Young sheep handler – Rowan Brown.
Highland ponies and Clydesdales (Judge: L Gillan). Champion and overall horse – H McKechnie’s in-hand winner. Ridden champion – H Campbell. Best Clydesdale – E Aitken.
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