Throughout the last week of June alongside Thomas Wright, I had the privilege to carry out what has been my biggest honour within the breed to date. We travelled to all four nations where we were met by both familiar faces as well as people from flocks that were lesser known to us. The start of our tour took us right up to visit a flock in Keith in Scotland. We then saw sixteen flocks in England spread far and wide. We took a very scenic route to the North West of Wales for a flock and finally a trip across the water to visit seven flocks in Northern Ireland. Everywhere we went, we were greeted with incredible hospitality and Dorset sheep of a very high standard.
The Champion Flock, Best Large Flock, Best Ewe Lambs and Best Shepherded Flock is awarded to Sam Driver and his Sandy Lane Flock
From the moment we entered the first field, with a large group of Polled Hoggs which had just finished rearing, we knew we had a very strong contender. To see such a young group of ewes that had been working, look as strong, and beautifully balanced as they did was a perfect example of what I think the Dorset breed should be about. The next field with the horned equivalent looked equally as well and their freshly weaned lambs in the next field were a credit to the great job they had done!!
We then had a long drive to the next block, what we were met with did not disappoint. Once again the ewes were split into groups of Polled and Horns. The uniformity within the groups were like no other flock we visited. Years of selective breeding for both type and functional sheep was very evident. This also showed through in Sam’s ewe lambs which we awarded first prize, they were like peas in a pod. The pen of rams backed up the quality of the flock, it was very clear that every ram had the qualities and character required to maintain such an exceptional flock.
The last group of sheep we saw were the females Sam had picked out for the summer sales. These are a true reflection of the entire flock. I’m sure when people see them throughout the summer, they will appreciate the real quality that we saw.
Given the scale of the Sandy Lane Flock and the vast area that it is spread over, to see the level of attention to detail it was an easy decision to award Sam the award for Best Shepherded Flock.
Best Medium Flock and Reserve Champion is awarded to S & S Lyons Bencran Flock
This category was very closely contended. Running alongside the dairy herd, the big strong ewes at Bencran showed quality and power throughout. For Thomas and myself, the Bencran ewe lambs with which we placed second overall were what edged it. Although not the largest group of lambs we had seen, it was clear that only the very best lambs had been retained. Each lamb contained the power, size and character that in time you knew would go on to fit into the flock nicely.
Best Small Flock is awarded to Geoff Riby and his Stonehills Flock
Hidden out of the East Yorkshire coast and a little unknown to us, we had a very pleasant surprise awaiting us. Geoff has a great flock of big strong Dorset ewes with true Dorset character. Spring lambing, the ewes were in fine form and the lambs reflected this. The other breeds of sheep and cattle on the farm highlight what a good job Geoff is doing and we really hope that we will see more Stonehills sheep out and about going forwards.
Best Senior Stock ram is awarded to Sheila Gray for her ram Richhill Fraser
Richhill Fraser should need no introduction, as a previous Mayfair champion and also last year’s winner of this category. Given his credentials, there was a little bit of expectation and he certainly didn’t disappoint. Fraser was a clear winner and he possessed everything we would want from a ram. This came through to his progeny with a very smart group of daughters which helped place Sheila into second place in the small flock category.
As the foundation for any flock, we felt this category along with the Group of rams was very important. We were really pleased to see the quality of stock rams throughout all of the flocks we visited particularly on the English side. Although we have only placed the top three rams, we wanted to name a few other rams that we felt were very worthy due to the influence we think they can have on a flock. These can be seen in the list of results.
Best Group of Stock Rams and Best Junior Stock Ram awarded to Rob Hole and his Sherborne Flock
As previously mentioned, the rams were important to us due to the bearing they have on a flock. Rob presented us with a large group of very big strong rams. All of them were worthy of being part of such a group and that came through to the ewes that we placed second in the large flock and the ewe lambs placed third. Named as one of the standout rams we had seen, we felt Sandy Lane Fever Tree was the pen leader. This was backed up with a son, Sherborne Idaho being the best Junior Stock Ram.
Sherborne Idaho is a Ram lamb that got me quite excited, he has everything that I would look for in a ram. Extremely well fleshed, size, great on his legs with a lot of presence. Certainly one to watch for the future.
Best Horned Sheep awarded to Francis Fooks for his ram Blackhill Chopper
I’d not class myself as an expert on horns by any stretch. However myself and Thomas felt that having seen plenty of good horned sheep, it was only right that we recognized the heritage of the breed. As a six-shear ram, Blackhill Chopper was held together exceptionally well. He had a great set of horns, perfect mouth, good on his legs, length and tremendous loin. For a ram of this age to still be put together so well, this just highlights what a great breed we have and how we should be aiming to breed our sheep.
I would like to give a big thank you to the breed council and everyone from within the society for giving me the opportunity and trust to judge the competition. Thank you to Tommy for an amazing week with plenty of laughs and fun. Amazingly we agreed with each other most of the time!!!
The biggest thanks though go to everyone that took part and welcomed us to see what they were doing. I would urge all of you to continue to take part in future years, along with everyone else. It is a great way to learn about your own flock and gauge how you are progress over the years.
Congratulations once again to Sam Driver our Champion Flock!
Jeremy Durrrant