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It was the South Country Cheviot which was tapped out as the supreme overall sheep winner in this year's Royal Highland inter-breed sheep judging.

Following an emotional pinnacle after winning the earlier breed judging, it was the icing on the cake for the team at W.J. Douglas and Son, Upper Hindhope, Jedburgh, with the home-bred, three-crop ewe, Kale Camilla, one that Gavin Douglas picked out as part of the show team not long before his untimely death this spring.

A Stirkfield Willie Wastle daughter, a ram originally bought in as a two-shear from Lockerbie, and out of a home-bred ewe, the ewe was brought out by Callum and Ema Caskie, with Gavin's son, Fraser, daughter in-law, Helen, and their son, Archie, six, also at the show.

Tasked with judging the 27 breeds forward in inter-breed line-up this year was Ian Hunter, Crieff, Perthshire, who picked his champion from his shortlist of eight selected earlier in the judging. He described her as an outstanding hill ewe that was very well put together with great character.

Reserve supreme

Reserve supreme overall was the Charollais champion from last year's winner Ben Radley at Loaningfoot, Dumfries. The home-bred gimmer, Loaningfoot Abracadabra, is by Foxhill Vavavoom and out of a Foulrice ewe, with this its second outing, having taken the inter-breed championship at Ayr Show earlier this year.

Second reserve

The second reserve was awarded to the Blue Texel champion, Derg Glitter, from Sam Allen and Allen Short, Co. Tyrone, who were exhibiting at the Royal Highland for the first time. A Sunnybank exchange daughter, out of a 28,000gns Hackney ewe bought at the flock dispersal at Carlisle in January 2022, it also stood champion at Balmoral earlier this year.

Also forward in the final line-up of eight was the Suffolk winner from Finn Christie's Maidenstone  flock, Inverurie, Aberdeenshire, who was in the Suffolk top prize list for a second year running. The home-bred gimmer is by the Lanark-bought ram, Howgillfoot Sniper, the same sire that bred his breed champion in 2022.

Blackface

The Blackface champion, a one-crop ewe from Archie and John MacGregor's Allanfauld flock at Kilsyth, North Lanarkshire, was also in the shortlist. By a 30,000gns McCurdy tup bought in Ireland and out of a dam by a 32,000gns Midlock sire, the ewe was shown by shepherd David Kinloch and Robert Flett is one of 1,200 ewes kept.

Bleu Du Maine

Another was the Bleu Du Maine champion, Maximum Treacle, a one-crop ewe from Sally Shone, Malpas, Cheshire. By Perdi Morris, and out of Maximum Pancake, the ewe also stood champion in the breed's national show at this year's Three Counties showcase.

North Country Cheviot Park

The North Country Cheviot Park champion, a four-crop ewe from Willie Thomson, Kelso, also stood forward in the final eight. A Synton Vespa daughter, out of the 2019 Highland Show champion Victoria, the ewe went one better on its 2022 Highland placing where it took reserve.

Rouge

Also forward was the Rouge champion from Ian Teasdale's Jet flock, North Helmsley, North Yorkshire. The two-shear ram, Fairyglen Utube, is a Glenkeen Viper son bought privately from Sammy Kerr.

Results

Inter-breed (Judge, I. Hunter, Perthshire) Supreme, W. J. Douglas and Son (South Country Cheviot); reserve, B. Radley (Charollais); second reserve, A. Shortt (Blue Texel)

Blackface (J. Macpherson, Argyll) Sup. and female, A. MacGregor; res. and male, J. Wight and Sons; res. fem., J. Wight and Sons; res. male, Hartside Farms.

Suffolk (P. Greaney, Monmouthshire) Sup. and fem., F. Christie ; res. and res. fem., J. Christie; male, S. Lathangie; res. male, The Hiddleston Family

North Country Cheviot - Park type (J. Mackay, Caithness) Sup. and fem., W. Thomson; res. and male, R. and N. Barclay; res. fem., Bardnaclavan Farm; res. male, J. Runciman and Sons.

North Country Cheviot - Hill Type (H. Wilson, Dumfries and Galloway) Sup. and male, W. Douglas; res. and fem., W. D. Allen; res. male, J. Runciman and Sons; res. fem., W. Douglas.

Lleyn (R. Wells, Ceredigion) Sup. and fem., C. and C. Crawford; res. and male, C. and C. Crawford; res. fem., D. and B. Henderson; res. male, Farmstock Genetics.

Ryeland (B. Davies, Powys) Sup. and fem., T. Wright; res. and male, E. and J. Henderson; res. fem., E. and J. Henderson; res. male, A. Hunter Blair.

Commerical (J. Taylor, Creiff) Sup. J. Messenger; res. K. and A. Morton.

Border Leicester (C. Stewart, Fife) Sup. and fem., S. and A. Watson; res. and male, D. Whyte; res. fem., D. Whyte; res. male, N. Howie.

British Berrichon (A. Bowen, Carmarthenshire) Sup. and fem., F. Barbour; res. and male, I. Benyon - Thomas; res. fem., I. Benyoun-Thomas; res. male, F. Barbour.

Jacob (R. Price, Powys) Sup. and male, Connor and Dalrymple; res. and fem., Connor and Dalrymple; res. male, B. Webster; res. fem., H. Ballie.

Cheviot (G. Irving, Selkirkshire) Sup. and fem., W. J. Douglas and Son; res. and male, W. Douglas; res. fem., J. Robertson; res. male, W. Douglas.

Dutch Spotted (A. Short, Co. Tyrone) Sup. and fem., Rigghead Farm; res. and res. fem., H. Jewitt; male, N. Brown; res. male, A. Jackson.

Texel (F. Ryan, Co. Kildare) Sup. and male, J. Aitken; res. res. male, J. Innes; fem., J. and H. Clark; res. fem., N. I. Woodrow.

Hampshire Down (H. Middleditch, Suffolk) Sup. and fem., E. and I. MacKinnon; res. and res. fem., R. A. Rundle; male, A. and D. MacKinnon; res. male, Lochlad Farming Partnership.

Swaledale (M. Allison, North Yorkshire) Sup. and fem., J. Hutchinson; res. and male, R. Hallam; res. fem., T. Brogden; res. male, J.R. Dalton.

Bluefaced Leicester - Traditional Type (F. Johnson, Co. Durham) Sup. and male, Philiphaugh; res. and fem., H. Brown; res. male and res. fem., A. McClymont

Bluefaced Leicester - Crossing Type (J. Cunningham, Lanarkshire) Sup. and fem., R.J. Shennan and Son; res. and res. fem., M.R. Thornborrow and Sons; male and res. male, J. Wight and Sons

Charollais (A. Thomas, Carmarthenshire) Sup. and fem., B. Radley; res. and res. fem. and male, G. and B. Ingram; res. male, W. and C. Ingram

Hebridean (J. Moore, Argyll) Sup. and fem., J. and M. Cuthbert; res. and res. fem., J. Kingston; male, S. Cuthbert; res. male, V. Mason.

North of England Mule (J. Herdman, Northumberland) Sup. P. Elliot, res. J. Robinson.

British Rouge (J. Gate, Cheshire) Sup. and male, J. E. Teasdale; res. and fem., J. E. Teasdale; res. male, E. Campbell; res. fem., P. Imlah.

Beltex (M. Dunlop. Lanarkshire) Sup. and male, L. Swinnerton; res. and fem., Wilodge; res. male, W. and C. Ingram; res. fem., J. Aiken

Zwartbles (K. Robinson, Shropshire) Sup. and fem., N. Henderson; res. and res. fem., A. Baird; male, and res. male, C. Rae.

Scotch Mule (D. Gray. North Lanarkshire) Sup. A. MacGregor; res. J. Wight and Sons.

Bleu Du Maine (B. Buchan Snr, Aberdeenshire) Sup. and fem., S. Shone; res. and res. fem., C. Cruden; male, N. Millar; res. male, A. Wylie.

Shetland (S. Meikle, West Lothian) Sup. and fem., K. Sharp; res. and male, K. Sharp; res. fem., Cronklea; res. male, R. Douglas.

Blue Texel (R. Francis, Carmarthenshire) Sup. and fem., A. Shortt; res. and male, S. Dick; res. fem., N. Millar; res. male, D. Atkinson.

Valais Blacknose (C. Slee, Devon) Sup. and fem., Hardens View; res. and male, R. Taylor; res. fem., S. Dace; res. male, J. Eley Kinaldy Valais.