INTERSTATE judges adjudicating the Poll Merino section chose a superfine March shorn as their grand champion ram of the 2017 Sydney Royal Show.
Then selected a medium August shorn as their grand champion Poll Merino ewe.
The ram had won the six-tooth class for Malcolm Cox and familys Bocoble Poll stud, Mudgee, before rising to March shorn superfine championship, then the sections grand award and eligibility to contest the breeds tri-coloured accolade.
Growing 17 micron wool with a standard deviation (SD) of 2.6 micron and coefficient of deviation (CV) of 15.3 per cent, plus a comfort factor (CF) of 99.8pc, this ram was reserve champion March shorn ram at the Great Southern Supreme Merino Show at Canberra in January and is by a Bocoble sire descending from a Merryville Poll ram purchased at Bendigo several years ago.
The ewe, 18.9 micron Willandra Serena, named after tennis the legend by Willandra Poll studmaster, Ross Wells, Jerilderie, was a member of the studs winning National Merino Pairs and had earlier won the four-tooth August shorn medium wool class.
Judges, John Dalla, Orrie Cowie Poll stud, Warooka, South Australia, (ultrafine, superfine and fine) and Peter Rogers, Mt Yulong Poll stud, Telangatuk, Victoria, (fine-medium, medium and strong) both said they were impressed with the quality of the sheep exhibited 25 March shorn and 26 August shorn from 16 studs.
Bocoble stud also exhibited the reserve grand champion superfine ram with a poddy lamb found abandoned at lambing.
Bec Cox, said she found the lamb without a mother, but saw a dead ewe nearby, so took the lamb home and reared it. It had won the two-tooth class and was growing 18 micron wool, a son of a Bocoble Syndicate sire.
The grand champion ultrafine, a March shorn ram, was also from Bocoble stud while grand ultrafine ewe came from Shalimar Park Poll stud, Wollun.
Merrignee Poll stud, Boorowa, exhibited the grand champion superfine ewe while in the fine wool section grand champion ram was the six-tooth March shorn 17.4 micron woolled ram shown by Steven Bolt, Claypans Poll stud, Carrigin, Western Australia.
Alfoxton stud, Armidale, was successful showing grand champion fine ewe, reserve grand fine ram, plus grand fine-medium ewe.
The Jones familys Darriwell stud, Trundle, picked up a swag full of broad ribbons including Grand medium ram and reserve,plus grand strong wool ram.
Merriman familys Merryville Poll stud, Boorowa, showed the grand champion fine-medium ram and reserve grand fine-medium ewe, both March shorn.
Other grand broad ribbons awards went to Nerstane stud, Woolbrook, for reserve fine wool ewe, Towalba stud, Peak Hill, for reserve strong wool ram, and Greenlands stud, Bungarby, reserve medium wool ewe.
