The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Beauty in and outside the ring
Crowds flock to Argyll for ever-growing show in spectacular location
There are few more scenic settings for an agricultural show than Dalmally, which nestles beneath the spectacular backdrop of Ben Cruachan and is home to one of the best displays of Blackface sheep and Highland cattle in the country.
Situated on the roadside, Dalmally Show always attracts huge numbers of spectators not only to take in the fantastic views but also see the quality of livestock on show and some extremely competitive shinty competitions.
The Blackface section is always the biggest here, with three competitions to include confined, open and young farmers.
Judge Alastair Macarthur, Nunnerie, however, soon whittled the numbers down to size, finding his supreme overall in a gimmer from Sandy and Tommy Paterson, Auchloy, Crieff.
Champion here last year as a ewe lamb, she is by a £38,000 Auchloy ram sold at Lanark as a lamb, of which the Patersons retained a share, and out of a ewe by a £5,000 Dalchirla. She was on her first outing since last year’s big win here.
The new competition for the any other native breed of sheep also proved popular with North Country Cheviots all the way from the Isle of Mull, from Iain Mackay, Torloisk, taking the top two awards.
His show stopper brought out with assistance from Claire Simonetta, was the big show ram, St John’s Kirk Red Mist, a Castle Grant Jackpot son bought at Lairg in 2015, from Ted Fox.
This four-shear, which stood supreme overall at Lochaber, the previous week and at Salen, also triumphed to take the new Auchnagoul Trophy, for the best any other sheep breed, presented by Mr Mackay’s father, Angus.
For that big win, the tup which also bred Mr Mackay’s reserve native champion, a home-bred North Country Cheviot gimmer, stood in front of the continental champion, a three-quarterbred Beltex ewe lamb from young Jack Simpson, Berrydyke, Braco.
Previously unshown, she is by a homebred sire and is to be retained for breeding in the 220 commercial flock, alongside Mr Simpson’s reserve continental winner, a Beltex cross gimmer.
Young Dougie MacDonald, Tyree, Benderloch, also had plenty to celebrate, winning the overall cattle championship for the second year in succession with a home-bred calf. This was an end-of-May-born Limousin cross bullock that was champion at Appin and reserve at Mid Argyll Shows.
A son of the privately purchased Limousin bull, Huntershall Jimbo, he is out of a home-bred Limousin cross cow and is destined for the Christmas Show and Sale at Oban.
For the supreme cattle championship, he saw off strong competition from a Highland cattle section, which saw the championship trophy presented to Michael Poland’s Eion Mhor 17 of Mottistone, shown by stockman Willie MacLean and his two daughters, Amanda and Lynne.
This two-year-old bull from West Ferlochan, Benderloch, is another big winner, having stood male champion and reserve overall at the breed’s National Show at Perth, and champion at Appin. He is by Eion Mhor of Mottistone and out of Solach Moladh 4 of Mottistone.