It was double the success at the Sydney Royal Easter Show for Merryville Merino Stud, taking out the 27th Stonehaven Cup and the ram and ewe championships in the fine wool section.
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“There is remarkable size, length of body and barrel in these sheep”, was judge Kim Henderson’s comment when deliberating on the quality of the March and August shorn fine wool sheep paraded before him.
Mr Henderson, Grogansworth Merinos, Bowning, awarded the ram grand championship to one which had graduated from the six tooth, March shorn class, bred and exhibited by Wal and George Merriman, Merryville Merinos, Boorowa.
“He is a powerful ram with quite exceptional commercial fleece and depth of body,” Mr Henderson said.
“To see a sheep of this calibre in the eastern states is most gratifying.”
The Merryville ram, carrying a 19.5-micron fleece is the grandson of the supreme ram shown during the 2010 Royal, and had been judged supreme ram at the 2017 Great Southern Supreme Merinos.
In another epic achievement in the Merino section, the Merriman family’s Merryville stud, Boorowa, took out its 27th Stonehaven Cup group win.
That calculates Merryville winning 33 per cent of trophies in the 82 competitions since 1935 when the cup was donated by Lord Stonehaven.
This year the team of five March shorn sheep – three rams and two ewes, were fine wools of impressive pedigrees and show achievements and stood up to challenges from 14 other groups.
Leading the group was the 19.5 micron son of Merryville EM Supreme (of the 2010 “Royal”) which was supreme exhibit of this year’s Canberra Great Southern Supreme Merino (GSSM) show after taking out March shorn fine wool championship.
His GSSM award was due, according to one judge, Andy Maclean, Haddon Rig stud, Warren, as an exceptional ram with “great” belly wool, length of staple and general outlook.
Merryville’s second ram was also a son of EM Supreme growing 19.2 micron wool. The third ram at 17.7 micron was sired by Merryville Brilliant Example, while the two ewes were by Merryville Grand Monarch 44, the 2013 Sydney Royal supreme ram.
Second prize went to a team from the Davis family’s Demondrille stud, Harden, while Nerstane stud, Woolbrook, of the McLaren family, was awarded third place.