Champions back on top again at the Winter Fair
THERE was a feeling of déjà vu in the cattle ring at the Cornish Winter Fair last weekend as the supreme champions were crowned in front of a packed crowd.
Held for the first time over two days at the Royal Cornwall Showground, the event jointly organised by the Royal Cornwall Agricultural Association (RCAA) and Wadebridge Primestock Show Association saw a first rate entry of breeding and butchers’ beasts battling it out for the top honours.
Taking place on Saturday only, the 144th Wadebridge Primestock Show franked the form of the 150th Helston Fatstock Show held a week previously as exhibitors Chris Eddy from St Erth and Oliver Penellum from Trispen filled the top spots once again.
Having stood reserve at Helston, Chris Eddy’s May 2021-born pure Limousin steer, Superb, went one better here to be named supreme champion in the hands of stockman Roger Pascoe.
Judge Stuart Clatworthy, who made the journey down to Wadebridge from Somerset, was clearly struggling to split the top two but eventually found his reserve in the shape of Oliver and Craig Penellum’s South Devon cross Limousin heifer, Roxy. Born in January 2021, she was supreme champion at Helston and also won the best native prize in the primestock classes at Agrifest South
West earlier this month. Ahead of the championship, Mr Clatworthy described his line-up of class winners as an “absolute credit to everybody”.
After being trampled in an earlier freak accident, Anthony Hart from Stenalees near Newquay was smiling from the sidelines as his homebred British Simmental bull calf, Treverbyn Norman, claimed the young beef championship.
Maintaining his unbeaten record of four wins from four outings, including supreme champion at the Cornwall Pedigree Beef Calf Show, hopes are for the January 2022-born son of Coose Monopoly P to build on this success next summer at shows in the region and further afield.
Competition over in the sheep pens was equally hot with another Helston Fatstock Show winner, Amy Payne, taking the supreme pairs championship with her pure Beltex butchers’ lambs. On what proved to be a fantastic day for Amy, the Cubert-based exhibitor also filled the reserve and third place positions with her Bluefaced Leicester-sired and Beltex-sired lambs respectively.
Sheep judge Matt Darke, from Kingsbridge, said his champions just had that “extra muscle and meat between the legs”.
Erryn Lockett, from Menheniot, won the single lamb championship with a Suffolk cross; and Paul Rea from Wadebridge took home the local championship with his pair of Hampshire Downs.