Llanfyllin Show – Progeny Show

Llanfyllin Show – Welsh Progeny Show. – Saturday 9th August 2025

A new venue for the Welsh progeny show at the picturesque Llanfyllin Show near Oswestry proved to be a success as classes buzzed with atmosphere and drew in a healthy crowd of onlookers and competitors, despite the early showers and breeze. The judge, Andrew Walton, Alnwick, has a good connection with the Welsh Bluefaced Leicester crew, having sold at the Builth sales for around 40 years. He enjoyed the day, first judging the open classes and then after an interlude for the shows Interbreed championship came back to run his eye over the progeny classes, hastened somewhat by a looming and threatening sky!

Taking the championship in the open classes was an aged ram making his debut in the show ring, from Aled Jones from the Craig Yr Orsedd flock with Blackett House S21. This monster of a tup was bought last year in Builth, with Aled taken by his sheer scale as well as a fantastic mouth and skin. It was this that caught the judges’ eye, making him stand out from the crowd and hard to go past. He then went on to claim the reserve place in a very strong interbreed championship too.

It was another eye-catching sheep which took the female championship and the Reserve Overall too. It was an aged ewe from veteran breeder Tudor Harris, Bonvilston, which had previously taken the reserve female champion at the Royal Welsh just a few weeks earlier. By the Craig Yr Orsedd tup which has been doing well for him. This ewe is a natural show sheep, with a smart, sharp head which just stands out. She bred one of the best tup lambs from this year’s crop of lambs, which he is retaining to use on his flock.

The reserve male champion went to Helen Roberts from the Prenafal flock, who brought out a massive 17 sheep for the BFL classes. This powerful shearling was bought last year out of Carlisle as a lamb from the Kingennie flock for a knockdown 750gns and is by the Parton P43. The reserve female was a sharp gimmer from the legendry Phil May. This sweet sheep won her class at the Royal Welsh last year as a gimmer lamb and is by the P6 Kildalloig which has been doing so well for the flock and out of the homebred P22.

Other winners saw Dewi & Meinir Parry win the tup lamb class with a son of the Piel View T1, which won the progeny class at Penrith last year, so kept the family tradition going. They bought him last year out of Builth with the Dolfechlas flock. His mother is by P6 Shrewbridge which they bought privately, and this smart lamb will be heading to Builth later this autumn whilst his triplet brother, who stood 5^th, will be heading North to Lockerbie. In the recorded class, the first-place tup lamb was a joint effort from the Gornal and Healthy flocks from the Davies family, brought out and shown by grandson Alfie Benbow. He is by Hope R4 and will be their pen leader at Builth next month, alongside the powerful Hope tup who will be on the market too. The gimmer lamb class was won by Aled Jones with a classy lamb by the Elian R3 which is full of great breeding, her mother the lead lamb in the 2022 progeny champion group and full sister to the first placed tup lamb and gimmer lamb at last years progeny show, with T1 going on to sell for 3200gns. Her full brother V1 Craig yr Orsedd, will also be heading to Builth, so looks like there will be some quality lambs on offer!

After the Interbreed classes had taken place at the show, the progeny show recommenced, with the Andrew Walton placing the Bonvilston flock at the top of the pile with their 3 tup lambs by the Kirkstead S4 which was the Male Champion at this years Royal Welsh show too.

Reserve progeny group went to Messrs Jones from the Y-ddol flock with 3 gimmer lambs by the the 20,000gns Kirkstead lamb that they bought last year out of Builth. Indeed, all the flocks’ lambs at the show were by this superstar, which is looking like passing on his great genetics.

Other winners in the progeny classes saw the Gornal and Healthy flocks take first price in the recorded class with the Hope tup and a tup lamb and gimmer lamb by him. The gimmer shearling class was won by Dewi Parry and Miss GH Ruggeri, with a trio of smart gimmers by the Philiphaugh R1, who was 1800 out of Kelso a couple of years back. He has proven to be a very consistent breeder and last year he had semen exported over the pond to the USA.

That concludes the summer shows for the BFL and now its not long to the sales roll around again!!