The return of Balmoral Show this week saw strong competition in the Texel classes, with former Society chairman Henry Gamble, Springwell, tasked with working through the entries on the first morning of the show.
Taking the Balmoral championship was for the first time was the Lakeview flock of Gary Beacom, Co Tyrone, with a shearling ewe, LKV2108181.
This one is sired by the 38,000gns Castlecairn Doodlebug which bred lambs to 75,000gns in his first season and was the second placed Sire of the Year last year.
She is out of a Plasucha-bred dam by Plasucha Aberfeldy which is also dam of the first prize shearling ram at the Northern Irish National Sale last year and a gimmer sold to 2300gns at the Scottish National Sale last year.
In a remarkable feat all of the top three placed shearling ewes came from the Lakeview flock with all three being by Castlecairn Doodlebug.
Henry Gamble said his champion had been an easy winner in her class and the championship, being an exceptionally good sheep all round. “She has a tremendous body, combined with correctness and femininity. She stood out.”
Following on from her triumph in the Texel classes the gimmer went on to lift both the shortwool interbreed and overall interbreed championships of the show under judge Brian MacTaggart of the Douganhill flock, Castle Douglas.
Taking the reserve overall championship and leading the male classes was Eugene Branagan’s ram lamb from his Largy flock, Co Down.
This lamb, ELL2202857, is by the noted 17,000gns Sportsmans Cannon Ball and out of a homebred dam by Knap Abracadabra.
Reserve championship in the female classes went to another from the Largy flock of Eugene Branagan, this time a ewe lamb, ELL2202873. She is similarly bred to the Larghy ram lamb, again being by Cannon Ball and out of a different Abracadabra-sired dam.
In the male classes the reserve championship went to Philip Dodds with his shearling ram, Auldhouseburn Eye Catcher.
Privately purchased last year, Eye Catcher is a Sportsmans Double Diamond son out of a dam by Strathbogie Untouchable and goes back to the Cowal ewe which has bred so significantly at Auldhouseburn.
In the aged ewe class the winner was HNB2003451 from the Hamill family’s Ballynadrenta flock. This one-crop ewe is by Bellefield Cobra and out of a Cheeryvale Popeye-sired dam.
Class Results
Shearling Rams
1 – Philip Dodds’ Auldhouseburn Eye Catcher
2 – Mr Roy Hamilton’s RCV2101283
3 – Mr Roy Hamilton’s RCV2101288
Ram lambs
1 – Eugene Branagan’s ELL2202857
2 – Gary Beacom’s LKV2208607
3 – J Wilson and J Wilson Moses’ WWB2201765
4 – Martin McConville’s MNV2200375
5 – Stephen McNeilly’s SPF2200774
Aged ewes
1 – Messrs Hamill’s HNB2003451
2 – Barry Casement’s BCM2000801
3 – Edward Laurenson’s DOD2000322
4 – Messrs Hamill’s HNB2003452
Shearling ewes
1 – Gary Beacom’s LKV2108181
2 – Gary Beacom’s LKV2108076
3 – Gary Beacom’s LKV2108068
4 – S and J McCollam’s MSY2101622
5 – Mark Priestley’s PRQ2101845
Ewe lambs
1 – Eugene Branagan’s ELL2202873
2 – Mark Patterson’s PTT2201351
3 – Martin McConville’s MNV2200402
4 – Martin McConville’s MNV220412
5 – Gary McClelland’s GXM2200025
Female champion – Gary Beacom’s shearling ewe LKV2108181
Reserve female champion – Eugene Branagan’s ewe lamb ELL2202873
Male champion – Eugene Branagan’s ram lamb ELL2202857
Reserve male champion – Philip Dodd’s shearling ram Auldhouseburn Eye Catcher
Overall champion – Gary Beacom’s shearling ewe LKV2108181
Reserve overall champion – Eugen Branagan’s ram lamb ELL2202857
