Slade’s Texels Take Trio Of Top Titles At English Winter Fair

Robin Slade, who has enjoyed considerable success in the winter show arena continued his winning ways taking both champion, reserve champion pen of lambs, and pedigree sheep champion at the recent English Winter Fair prime-stock show, Stafford.

Robin Slade’s champion pen of lambs with Mr Slades team and championship sponsor Peter Phillips of Blue Merle

His winning pen of matching ewe lambs came from a 400 ewe flock of Dutch Texels were entered in the EWF’s Trimmed Butchers Lamb class. Weighing a combined 80kg these then made their way through to the championship under judge David Albutt, who procures stock for East Yorks-based Dawn Meats.

Mr Albutt described the pair as “full and well fleshed”. Later in the event’s auction of prize-winners the pair made £500 apiece to South West-based Court Farm Butchers.

Mr Slade’s reserve champions were also ewe lambs and winners of the pedigree section of the EWF’s sheep competition weighing a combined 90kg. Completing the trio of titles the Gloucestershire-based showman also topped the pedigree classes before adding a win in the Live/Dead lamb competition.

In classes sponsored by the Texel Sheep Society and topped by Mr Slade Herefordshire-based exhibitor S & S Gibbons took 2nd, Gloucester-based P J Houdley 3rd and Carmarthen-based WA & AJ Windsor 4th.