After 22 years showing cattle at the English Winter Fair, two Derbyshire farmers have finally won their first championship.
Stripe, a British Blue cross, claimed the Supreme Champion title for Andrew Dickinson and Lisa Powdrill in front of a packed crowd at the Staffordshire County Showground.
The 17-month-old heifer was bred by Bainbridge Brothers of Marrick Abbey, Swaledale, and bought by Mr Dickinson – of Mackworth Village near Derby – at Leyburn market.
It beat Fancy That, a Limousin cross heifer from Phil Sellers of Thorpe Tilney in Lincolnshire, which was awarded the Reserve Champion title.
Mr Dickinson said: “It was my dad who picked it out at the market. We knew she was special but to come here and beat the other fantastic cattle on show is amazing, we’re over the moon.”
Another British Blue-X-Limousin, Sparks, won the Baby Beef championship for NE Slack from Cumbria while EH Pennie & Son took the National Pedigree Calf Show title back to Powys for their August 2017-born British Blue heifer Sarkley Minellie.
Entries were up by 10% on last year’s event with more than 300 cattle paraded through the ring in a busy two days of judging.
Richard Williams, chief executive of the Staffordshire and Birmingham Agricultural Society, which organises the show, said: “We’ve seen exhibitors and visitors from across the UK come to experience the quality and variety of the English Winter Fair which continues to go from strength to strength.”
Yorkshireman Mark Horsley continued his Winter Fair winning streak in the pig pens. The Skirpenbeck farmer won the champion single with a pure Pietrain and champion pair with a Pietrain cross.
There was a reserve championship for Dorset farmer Steve Loveless who also won the pig carcass competition.
A pair of home-bred Beltex ewe lambs won the sheep championship for R Hall & Son from Cumbria who came to the show off the back of winning at AgriExpo earlier in November.
The dream team of livestock farmer Michael Wynne and butcher Nick Coates – both from Derbyshire – led to a double success in the Royal Smithfield Club rib of beef and saddle of lamb competitions.
Father and son team David and Chris Timm took the lamb carcass championship back to Goole in east Yorkshire while JL White & Son caught the judge’s eye in the beef carcass category.
