John and Jack Webb’s Cooyal Pastoral Company near Mudgee has won this year’s Chris Naake Memorial Tablelands Flock Ewe Competition, their first win since 2001.
The judges, Jono Merriman, Merrignee and Koonwarra studs, Boorowa, Rodney Kent, Kurrajong Park stud, Delungra, and associate judge, Audra Field, Mudgee, travelled about 600kms in two days inspecting 13 flocks.
The Webbs picked up the superfine-finewool section and then defeated the winners of the medium-strongwool division, Stuart Watts, Bolinda Vale Pastoral Company, “Bolinda Vale”, Dunedoo, for the major prize.
About 60 people attended the presentation dinner at the Mudgee Golf Club.
Both senior judges praised the evenness of the 16.5-micron Cooyal Pastoral flock which has been based on Bocoble bloodlines for the past 40 years.
“This is a big mob of ewes that are very true to type. There is not much difference in them,” Mr Merriman said.
“You have spent 40 years sticking to a game plan, the type that works. You have stayed the course (in superfines),” he said.
Mr Kent described the Webbs’ flock as a “fantastic true line of young hoggets”.
“There are not too many you would take out (cull). There are ewes here that could go into a stud,” Mr Kent said.
The judges were impressed with the “Bolinda Vale” flock which has been on Haddon Rig blood for 30 years which was reflected in the big-framed, stretchy two-tooth ewes.
Mr Merriman said the Bolinda Vale ewes were “thick and woolly” with clean heads.
Mr Kent agreed, saying the large line of more than 800 ewes were a credit to their breeders.
The “Bolinda Vale” flock cuts an average seven kilograms of 19.5 micron wool.
Second in the superfine-fine section were Frank and Mary Blackwell, “Waterview”, Ilford, with Eric and Dawn Colley, “Wyoming”, Hargraves, highly commended.
Runner-up in the medium-strongwool division were prolific past winners, the Inder family, Wattle Grove Partnership, “Mayfield”, Dunedoo.
The Wattle Grove flock won the competition five years in a row from 2012-2016.
Highly commended were Peter and Tina Doherty, “Roine”, Goolma, who won the competition in 2007.
The wool on many of the sheep were dusty from running on failed grain crops and dry paddocks.
The competition was co-ordinated by the Mudgee Show Society with Brett Cooper, AWN, in charge during the two days of judging.