Home  Hebridean Breed  Badgerface Breed  Showing  Gallery & Stock for Sale  Latest News  Links & Contact 2010 Show Year Anglesey Show, 10th/11th August An early start at 5:30 am, followed a cold, and disrupted night’s sleep on a rapidly deflating airbed in the trailer for this popular two day show. Badgers judged by Mrs. Jenny Langford, Chester: Competition was again very tough as is to be expected at one of the biggest shows in North Wales. With breeders like Bob Parry fresh from winning reserve male champion in the Royal Welsh, John Toppan and Tudur Roberts all with top class stock I wasn’t expecting great things this year. Glyn our aged ram strutted his stuff and came first in his class as was our aged ewe. Our ewe lamb came second with high praise from Mrs Langford and thirds for our shearling and ram lamb. Glyn was then awarded reserve male champion for our breed and we also achieved reserve group champion. Once again a very enjoyable show.   Photos by David Roberts Primitives judged by D Walton: Gifford was first out and as usual showed himself well eventually placed second to Jenny Frost’s Shetland Ram. In the shearling ram class, Llew made a fantastic show debut, taking first place, with Morgan the four horn in fourth. Brightside the ewe took first, Rufus the ram lamb second, and Magi-Ann the ewe lamb third. Llew the shearling went on to reserve male champion, and accompanied Edna and Brightside to reserve group champions.     Photos by Nerys Roberts Eglwysbach Show Last years glorious sunshine was replaced by rather overcast conditions. This is one of our favourite shows, always well organised, with a strong entry to beat any county show. Badger face judged by Huw Williams, Banc Farm, Llandeilo: Once again Eglwysbach was full of sheep – even more than the Anglesey show, and again there was stiff competition in all classes. Mr. Williams the judge was very particular with special regard to the ears and tail markings. Unfortunately due to the lesser numbers of Torwens the classes couldn’t all be split. Efa was on hand to help to help with the preparations and also took over the showing of the ram lamb and ewe lamb in readiness for her pet lamb class later on. Efa won first prize with our ewe lamb which was our only first prize of the day with Glyn coming second and the others winning third prizes. Primitives judged by Mrs. Y Evans, Gaerwen: The rams were first out as usual with Llew placed second, Gifford and Morgan unplaced. The ewe and ram lambs were placed second as was Edna the shearling. Brightside Inchrory the ewe continues to have a good year, taking first, and was part of the winning group of three. Pet lamb judged by Gareth Roberts, Cwrt, Aberdaron: The pet lambs took centre stage judged in the main ring just before the inter breed. Efa took along Tom, and was awarded second place from four entries, but was disappointed to be announced as Eira on the tannoy! North Wales Show, Caernarfon, 3/7/2010 A lovely sunny day greeted a show blighted for the last couple of years by heavy rain. A trailer full of hebs and badgers made the trip, including a few of this year’s lambs to be shown for the first time. The show was also an inspection venue for the Badgerface rams. Primitive class judged by Gwyn Williams, Corwen. The primitive class was first up with a good turn out of mostly Shetlands. The rams were first out with Gifford taking third, Morgan the four horned sadly not placed. Brightside the ewe was placed second, as was the ewe lamb Magi-Ann, Edna the shearling and Rufus this year’s first born lamb were placed first. The group of three was given first place, and Rufus the lamb was judged reserve to the Shetland ewe lamb of John Toppan. I must thank fellow competitors Gerwyn and Dylan for helping out with the group and in the championship lineup, the badger class overlapped so help had to be recruited. BadgerFace class judged by Gwyn Jones Competition was very strong with many competitors going the whole hog for show and for passing their stock in the afternoon. The Torwens were the minority breed, but with Mr Jones being a Torwen man we were hopeful of good placing. This proved quite true with our aged ram, aged ewe, ewe lamb and ram lamb all coming first in their class against stiff competition with our shearling ewe letting the side down by coming third out of 12 and the class being won by Elgan Jones with a Torwen shearling ewe. With a few borrowed hands the championship lineout was quite a sight and shame we didn’t get a photo. The champion and the Society rosette went to our aged ram (TWRO 17) and he then asked Henry Jones to bring his shearling ram, who was second in the same class,  out for the reserve champion. We were also fortunate to pass our torwen ram lamb who ad obviously shown some promise in the show ring. Shearling ewe class                     Henry, Gwyn Jones and Robin with TWRO 17 Our eldest daughter Efa wanted to show her pet lamb Tom in the Badgerface class, but as Tom is not the biggest of lambs we felt the pet lamb class would be better. There were about 15 entered with some lambs born at Christmas which meant that they had a huge size and weight advantage over poor Tom, and he was the only one with colored wool. The judge started at the opposite end of the lineup and was seemingly checking the lambs for meat as well as chatting to the children, which made us worry, but to our great surprise the three smallest lambs were picked out with Efa awarded third, something that we are all very proud of. Efa won’t tell us what the judge asked or how she replied, but she must have done something right. We must thank Huw the sheep secretary for allowing her late decision, and also for drawing attention to the competition on the PA, and encouraging people to come and see the children who are the future of such shows. Efa with her pet lamb              Society ram inspection by Wendy Morgan & Emlyn Roberts Trefor Show Terrible downpours depleted the turnout for this, one of our most local of shows.   Primitives judged by Eurwyn Edwards Again a good turn out of primitives with Gifford leading the way with a third place. Morgan the shearling was adjudged to be down on his pasterns and was relegated to second place, Brightside was not placed and Edna was second as was Magi-Ann the lamb. Rufus the ram lamb kept his winning streak going with the only first of the day. Morgan, Brightside and Edna took the group championship. Badgerfaced judged by H Roberts, Rhyllech Uchaf, Efailnewydd. Unfortunately a poor turnout of badgers on the day however quality not quantity proved to be true. With the judge renowned for judging the sheep as a breeding animal regardless of markings we were a bit worried that ours were slightly lacking on the meat side due to the dry spell we’ve had. However we did manage 3 firsts with the ram lamb, ewe, and aged ram. We also took first in the group. However champion went to Henry Jones with his Torddu shearling ram, and reserve to John Toppan and his Torwen shearling ewe. We now have a months break to re assess and to train up the rather jumpy lambs ready for the Anglesey Show. Shearling ewe class Ram lamb class   Smallholders Show 15th & 16th May 2010 We always look forward to the Smallholders show and this year was no exception. With the Hotel Ifor Williams loaded and ready to go with 3 of the best torwens and Hebrideans, we set out for Builth. The crowds and fellow competitors were as warm as always which is more than I can say for the accommodation! Saturday was the judging for the Torwens and against excellent competition as always we came away quite pleased with second for Glyn the ram and fifth for the shearling ewe (champion in Nefyn) and a close second with the aged ewe. We also came a very close second in the Group of three but unfortunately the sheep had lost a bit of condition and weren’t at their best.  Robin then celebrated his win with a swift glass of wine or two with the Badger face society in a little get together to introduce new members. Congratulations must go to Mr King for an excellent turnout and for achieving the interbreed reserve champion of the show with his Torwen Shearling. Sunday arrived far too early – especially as it was a long very cold night next to a refrigerated lorry whose compressor kicked in every half hour!! The pressure was on for the hebs, a few days earlier we had received a call from a TV company who wanted to follow us through the competition, so being moved down the line-up was not an option.  Giffard the ram was first out, walking well on the halter as always, and he was duly awarded first place as was the ewe Brightside Inchrory. Edna the shearling was a disappointing fifth, and together the group took third place. We therefore had two in the championship line up with Brightside awarded reserve champion to a Shetland shearling. Brightside & Giffard   Robin with Glyn and Meinir on TV   Preparing the shearling ewe Sioe Nefyn - 3rd May A gloriously sunny, if on occasions, blustery day for a show infamous for its bad weather. A new show field layout and attractions drew in the crowds for the most successful show in years. The chief steward John Owen was celebrating 50 years service and was given the honor of judging the sheep interbreed. Celebrating 21 years service was the secretary and collegue Eirian- Lloyd Hughes, we may tease you mercilessly but we do appreciate the work that you do. S4C were also there as part of the Digwyddiadau 10 series, and the sheep were filmed being unloaded from the trailer. The primitive section was judged by Neil Adams resplendent in a newly acquired bowler hat. He awarded first place to Brightside Inchrory the ewe, an emergency replacement following the death of the intended show ewe after giving birth to triplets. Morgan the 4 horn shearling, Gifford the ram and Edna the shearling all came in second, and also took the group championship. Brightside was placed overall reserve champion to Helena Searson’s Shetland ram. The badger class was judged by Gwyn Williams of Corwen, and he immediately awarded our shearling ewes first and third place. Charlie, our shearling ram was second to John Toppan’s Torddu, and Glyn the senior ram won his class, as did the ewe. We, therefore had 3 in the championship lineup, so fellow competitor Olwen Ford was drafted in to show Wendy the shearling who ended up taking the crown, with the torddu ram as reserve. The group of three were also awarded the group championship. Our eldest daughter Efa had entered her Torwen lamb Tom in the pet lamb class, and she defied all expectations by actually joining the line up. Although not placed, it was an achievement for her to stand there in front of strangers. She is extremely proud of her rosette, and took it to school the next day to show to her friends. 2009 Show Year Eglwysbach Show - August 8th Badgerface section judged by John Price, Garnfach, Llanelli.   At last, a dry and sunny show with an excellent turn out of competitors and visitors, but an early start, again, with 7 Badgers and 5 Heb up for show. First out were the rams, with Siwgr paced second with praise from the judge for his excellent confirmation, but Glyn just pipped it because of his stronger eye stripe. Owie the ram lamb was a disappointing fifth in a strong class, and the ewe lamb came in third. The ewe was placed third and the two shearling ewes third and fourth. The group of three were awarded reserve champions to a Torddu trio exhibited by Sioned Owen, Llwydfaen and the overall champion went to John Toppan’s torddu ewe lamb, reserve to Sioned Owen. We would like to thank John Price for his constructive comments at the end of each class; it always helps to know why a particular sheep has done well or otherwise.   Primitive class judged by Peter Tetley, Eccleshall. 5 Hebs made the trip, and it proved to be a very worthwhile one. Barny, the senior ram, took first in the ram class with Gifford, the shearling, third, Brightside Inchrory was second in her class as was the very badly behaved shearling ewe. Spot the ewe lamb kept up her record of winning her class, third on the trot, and accompanied Barny and Brightside to take the group championship. Barny and John Toppan’s Portland were pulled forward from the championship line-up, and after a few tense moments Barny was declared the champion. An excellent result on a lovely day, when the hebs attracted a lot of attention, and were again photographed for the Daily Post. Judge J. Price casting a long look over TWP03 Sioe Sir Fon / Anglesey County Show - August 13th. Torwens : Miss W. Morgan   Primitives : Someone said that there was a beer tent and a great night out to be had in the Anglesey show so I decided to leave very early on the Tuesday evening to ensure I had a enough time in the morning to prepare! Meinir was working so I had my work cut out taking both breeds up to Mona. It was the first time I had shown in Anglesey and with the pens deserted I unloaded both groups off with minimal swearing. The morning after came a bit early – the few beers to help me sleep in an uncomfortable van resulted in a bit of a headache. It was straight to work at 6am, with 5 Torwens and 3 hebrideans so sort out before 10, I was hard pushed. Unfortunately both breeds were on at the same time but in separate rings. Fortunately Dylan Jones from Betws y Coed took care of showing the hebs with a first place for Brightside the ewe, third with Barny and the shearling and reserve group champions. Meanwhile I was busy with the Torwens, Glyn the shearling ram continuing his winning streak, fourth for the ram lamb, third with the ewe and fourth and fifth with the shearlings. Glyn went on to win best male exhibit and a very close second with reserve group champions. All in all a very tiring yet enjoyable event which both of us hopefully will try again next year. Sioned Owen , Dyfrig Jones & Robin with the Judge - Reserve Group Champions (Primitives) Sioe Llanrwst – 15th August 2009 Another very wet and miserable day! Meinirs lead at the top of the sheep of the year competition was very slim and needed at least a champion position to remain on top. Unfortunately, it was not to be, however Spot the ewe lamb continued with her winning streak, as did Gifford but only third place for Brightside and Barny. The torwens did fair a bit better with Glyn again winning his class with siwgr second then second with the ram lamb and ewe lamb third with the ewe. The shearling ewe created a bit of a stir beating John Toppan to first place on home ground  - no hard feelings I hope John! The trio of torwens also took the best group and the shearling ewe went on to win champion overall with Bob Parry reserve with a fine torddu ram lamb. Robin in the interbreed championship with the shearling ewe.   Sioe Sir Dinbych a Fflint Our first time at the show ended with a disappointing brace of 3rds and 4ths for the hebs. Not wanting it to sound like sour grapes, but the quality of judging was, at best, poor and the no-show of a steward for the class, requiring the mother of a fellow competitor to step into the breach, was for a large county show unacceptable. Sioe Sir Meirion With the tail-end of a hurricane due to hit, things did not bode well for our first attempt at this show, but thankfully the worst of the weather held off. The hebs were entered into the rare breed class, as no primitive section was scheduled, and the class was dominated by some fine Llanwennogs, one of which went on to reserve in the hill interbreed. Barny the ram was second in class, as was Brightside the ewe, Gifford was placed first, but Spot was for the first time unplaced. Giffard, Brightside and Spot were awarded reserve group champions to the dominant Llanwennogs. We hope that the organisers will take our plea for a primitive class for next year as it is unfair on both judge and competitor to try and compare the breeds, and at the end of the day the meatier, larger rare breeds will always win. Trefor show, July 11th Judge Mr. Lyn Williams, Fronhaul, Llandeilo Another wet and miserable day, but a good turnout of sheep all the same. Judge Mr Lyn Williams, fresh from success at The Royal, travelled a fair way to judge a good class of Badgers. Glyn, the shearling, repeated his success of last week, taking first and Siwgr third. Bubba, last years show ram, had his last run out (again!) coming second in class, and the ewe took first. The shearling ewes were placed second and third, the ram lamb second, but our ewe lamb was unplaced as were the group of three. The championship, and group crown, went to G H Jones, Nefyn and reserve to J Jones Toppan. Primitives Judge Mr.N Adams, Mynydd Llandygai Another good day for the hebs, Brightside Inchrory, the ewe was awarded first, Barny the ram was second and Gifford on his first run out was first. Mandy the shearling was second, and we took first and second in the ewe lamb class with Spot and Branwen. Two groups went out and were placed first and second, Gifford was crowned reserve champion to John Toppan’s Shetland ram. Meinir with Barny, 2 yr old ram (For sale) - Meinir with group in Interbreed - Robin with 2 yr old ewe North Wales Agricultural Show, Caernarfon 4/7/09 Judge: Mr Myrddin Parry An early start and a full trailer of hebsnbadgers made their way to Caernarfon show. Unfortunately it was bucketing down with the forecast predicting heavy showers all day. We soon offloaded and got the tent up over the pens to try and keep the fleeces dry. There was a good turnout as always and with the inspection of the ram lambs taking place at the show a large group of ram lambs. First out were the rams and very surprisingly against the Nefyn show champion Glyn was awarded first and siwgr third place with the judge commenting on his teardrops being a bit small. Then came the main shock of the day with our Shearling ewe finally managing to pip Toppan to first place (told you to watch out John!). The ewe was awarded third place as was Owie the ram lamb, who’s class was livened up when Efa, our 4 year old daughter, decided to let go of Macsen the ram lamb she was showing. Society Ram inspection day was also taking place and thankfully both the ram lambs passed.  Meinir had a good day with her Hebs in the primitive section packed with Shetlands, winning first prize with her shearling ewe – Brightside Inchrory and first place with a home bred ewe lamb who later went on to win reserve champion. Looking forward to Trefor next weekend. Left: ram lamb class. Right: Meinir with Anelog Spot. Sioe Sir Ceredigion, Aberystwyth 13/6/2009 Although regular visitors to the Dyffryn Ogwen show in Bethesda, due to lack of an official Badgerface Judge we decided to venture further afield and made the long trip down to Aberystwyth. With the time, effort and costs involved with the preparation of show sheep it is only fair to ask for classes with official breed judges. Although raining when we set off at 7 it soon brightened up to a fine sunny day and the temperatures soared.  Unfortunately there were no primitive or rare breed classes for the hebs so only the Torwens made the trip. There was a strong line up of Torwens and a handful of Torddu’s. After a brief television interview for ‘Ffermio’ it was time to show. It turned out to be a blue day and we had second places in all the classes entered. One of the main surprises was second for our ewe lamb – which was a last minute replacement with rather poor markings but as her mother was going we thought we’d bring her along too. We now have a three week break from the shows – until Caernarfon Show in July where we also have two ram lambs which we will try to get passed in the society  inspection to be held at the show. Lets just hope Caernarfon Show will be as good as the Ceredigion show which had something for everyone and obviously very popular. Judge Mr Neil Dillon. Siwgr All hands on deck Shearling Ewe Class against D. Williams Shearling Ewe Class against D. Williams Email us: robin@hebsnbadgers.co.uk - meinir@hebsnbadgers.co.uk