CROSS-bred cattle came under the scrutiny of an enthusiastic ringside yesterday at Royal Smithfield, although the crowd numbered well short of what would have been expected at this event a decade ago.
The judge, Jim Goldie of Dumfries, fairly rattled through the classes in the manner of one who knew what he was looking for.
An early Scottish success came when Caprice, from John MacGregor, The Binn, Glenfarg, Perth, and his sons, George and John, won the first for heifers sired by a Charolais bull. This one, sired by Loganbar Herdsman, was bred by J Duncan, Jacobshall, Gamrie, Banffshire.
Hugh and Lyn Dunlop, Thornhill, Stirling, followed on from their Scottish National Winter Fair triumph, winning with the Charolais cross heifer, Wispa Gold, sired by Deon and bred by DW Semple & Son, Dippen, Campbeltown.
Limousin-sired cattle have provided many recent champions and one tip for the top, which duly won its class, was the steer Clansman, the reserve supreme cham pion at the winter fair.
He was bred and exhibited by Archie MacGregor, Allanfauld, Kilsyth. His sire is the noted, but now deceased, Shatton Pedro.
Many of the dams of the cross-bred class winners carried a touch of Aberdeen-Angus blood, but it was left to Colin Soutter, South Feorline, Arran, to come up with an Angus-sired victory.
His smart heifer, Sharp Shuffler, sired by Roscoe of Blelack, and out of a short-horn cross cow, rounded off a useful day for the Scots in the cattle lines.
The supreme champion will be chosen today. Scottish hopes are high, but so are those of the Welsh.
In the sheep hall, Douganhill Farms, Castle Douglas, came out on top in Texel section, with a pair of super lambs. In the carcass hall, the cattle were clearly not up to the standard of finish normally associated with Scotch Beef.
One noted Scottish expert described most of the entries as being ''blue''. In other words, lacking sufficient cover to produce real eating quality.
The overall champion was a Limousin cross heifer from MH Miller, Northampton House, Bicester, Oxon. This carcass graded R4L and weighed 311.5kg. Reserve was another Limousin cross heifer from DB Matthews, Greenfield, Bridgend, Glamorgan, weighing 303kg, grading -U3.
The sheep carcasses in contrast were outstanding. Here the overall championship went to a Beltex cross Texel from Thomas Whiteford, Tercrosset, Brampton, Cumbria. This one weighed 22kg and graded E3L.
Reserve was a Texel from Peter Dixon Smith, East Norton, Leicester, weighing 21.5kg, grading E3L.
Other notable winners in- cluded James Thomson, Hownam Grange, Kelso, with a North Country Cheviot. The Campbells from Thrunton took a first with a Suffolk cross Texel, while Tom and Malcolm Stewart, of Sandyknowe, Kelso, saw their Texel cross Suffolks take a red ticket on both a live and deadweight basis.
The combined live/dead champions were Beltex crosses, weighing 22.5kg grading E3L from R Hall & Son, Inglewood, Edge, Carlisle.
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