Royal Welsh Show – Crossing Type

Moving swiftly on and down the road from the Penrith progeny show, it was the new format schedule at the Royal Welsh Show, where there were separate classes for the Traditional and the Crossing types for the first time, which proved to be a winning formula, with some strong classes in either section. Once again, the judging was under a cloudless sky, as the sun continued to cast its spell.

The Crossing Type classes took place in the afternoon, where Geoffrey Porter, Riddings was the man in charge. Despite a shortage of space in the ring, he managed his job well, avoiding placing any Valais Blacknoses which traversed the ring as he was judging the classes.

Following on from their tremendous success at the sales last year, the Mcffi flock once again produced the goods. Last year they took the Championship tickets in the Bluefaced classes. This year they took a step further, taking both the Champion and Reserve Champion positions in some strongly contested classes. Their Champion was again, like the Traditional classes, a homebred tup shearling, V3 Mcffi, sired by the S1 Temain, a son of Beeches Wingman, and out of a ewe by R4 Dawyck, who’s sister was the Reserve Champion at the 2023 Royal Welsh, and its grand dam bred last year’s sale topper at Hawes, so full of great bloodlines. He will be heading to Kelso in 6 weeks’ time. The Reserve Champion was taken by their sharp gimmer lamb, out of that old ewe, P12 Mcffi, and full sister to last year’s £40,000 and £7000 lambs at Hawes. They also took the ewe class with last year’s Champion, also by the S1 Temain, which has proved to be a very shrewd investment for the Richards family since they paid £8000 for him out of Hawes in 2023.

The Reserve male Champion went to Ewan Rees with a smart tup lamb By Sealhouses T018 and out of ewe bought off Neil Marston, Highberries T056 she was bought out of Hawes and her grandmother is a full sister to K001 Smearsett

The reserve female came from Tom Jones, with a sweet gimmer shearling, which was the first prize gimmer lamb last year at the show. She is by the M1 Smearsett.