North West Progeny Show – Penrith Show – Traditional Type

Following hard on the heels of the Great Yorkshire Show was the Penrith progeny show…. which over the past few years has meant rain….and plenty of it at times. This year however was different, and the sun shone happily down on all!

It was good to have the classes back after missing a year and there was a great show of sheep for the judges to cast their eyes over in both sections, with plenty of ringside watchers too, it’s obvious that the enthusiasm for the sheep is undiminished, and the quality showed as both types were shortlisted in the strong interbreed line up.

In the Traditional lines it was veteran Frank Johnson who was in charge of proceedings, using all his well-founded knowledge to pick his winners. Top of the pile was the aged ewe from Low Espley. This tidy ewe is no stranger to the show ring, winning the gimmer class and then going on to be reserve female at the Highland Show. She is by N7 Logie Durno and out of a Burndale ewe. The Low Espley flock also went on to take the Res Championship in the progeny class with 3 gimmer lambs by a Sheeoch bought out of Kelso last year for £4500.

The reserve champion came from Scott & Clare Thomason, with a cracking gimmer shearling by the 5000gns T1 Woodcroft, which is doing well for them, siring lambs up to 18,000gns at Carlisle last autumn, with the second placed gimmer shearling a full sister to her. It was also this same combination which won the progeny championship section too. The Woodcroft tup was first in his class and the Piel View flock also took first and third in the tup lamb class. These were by the £7000 Low Espley bought out of Builth last year with the Creel flock. These tup lambs, all out of R1 Hope ewes also went on to win the 3 tup lambs in the progeny classes.