2019 Southdown Sheep Society National Show at Royal Cheshire Show

2019 National Southdown Champion goes all the way to the top

The 2019 National Southdown Show attracted a record number of entries from a record number of breeders, some of whom had travelled many miles to compete in this year’s National Show.

Judge Susan Harmer commented that it was “an exceptionally good turnout of Southdowns…and the lines of sheep showed true quality from end to end.”

Champion female and the overall Southdown Champion went to Anne Lambert's aged ewe, winning the Northumberland Perpetual Challenge Trophy (RASE). This ewe was sired by a Lunces Hall ram out of a homebred ewe and this was her first show outing.

The Reserve Champion in this year’s National Show was awarded to Goodwood estate Company Ltd’s ewe lamb.

Champion male was Jim Cresswell’s homebred aged ram, Wattisfield Tiptop, who took home the Hazleton Perpetual Challenge Cup (RASE) for the best opposite sex to breed champion. The judge commented that both these older animals were “powerful, well-muscled sheep with a leg in each corner”.

In the shearling section Anne Lambert's ram was awarded first place.  Chris and Dave Rhead's shearling ewe stood first in her class winning the Sheila Colman salver. The judge commented that “this ewe had both size and conformation combined with femininity”.

The January/February born lamb classes were won by G & M Sparke's ram lamb, and Goodwood Estate Company Ltd’s ewe lamb. Both lambs were exceptionally well fleshed with excellent locomotion. The Cooper Perpetual Trophy for the best ram lamb was won by G & M Sparke's ram lamb.

The later born ewe and ram lamb classes were both won by Ruth Judson, with the judge commenting that they “looked like peas in a pod, being in peak condition as fat lambs as well as potential breeding stock, and a credit to their breeder”.

Both the pair of shearlings class, and the group of four, were won by Anne Lambert with Miriam Parker in a worthy second place. Mrs Lambert was presented with the Miller Hallett Perpetual Challenge Cup for the best group of four sheep. 

In the Interbreed competition, Anne Lambert's aged ewe went on to win supreme champion of the Cheshire show 2019. The Interbreed judge David Thornley, from Derbyshire, said "It was a very correct sheep for the breed with a good top and great skin." Under the same judge Mrs Lambert also won the Interbreed Group of Three. 

Please click here to view the results.