It was the longwool interbreed class that kicked off the day in the sheep rings at Balmoral Show 2025 day three.

Here, the special North Country Cheviot shearling ewe from Norman Robinson was tapped out as the longwool interbreed champion by judge Chris Davies.

It was then the mighty aged Border Leicester ewe from Callum Patterson that claimed the reserve champion spot in the longwool interbreed.

As the crowd around the ring grew and the temperature heated up, the standard of competition in the shortwool interbreed stood out, with the best of Northern Ireland's shortwool breed champions battling it out for this title.

After much consideration, judge Chris Davies chose Graham Foster's Charollais shearling ewe as his 2025 shortwool interbreed champion. He then chose the Suffolk shearling ewe from Mark Priestley as his reserve champion.

However, there can only be one overall champion sheep at Balmoral show and, on this occasion, it was the mighty Charollais shearling ewe from Graham Foster that took the coveted title, followed closely by the Suffolk shearling ewe from Mark Priestley to take the reserve shortwool interbreed title.

Interbreed pairs

Taking on the mighty task of judging both the interbreed pairs and interbreed group of three was Geraint Davies.

With each breed putting forward a pair and a group of three, it attracted a huge crowd of spectators to the ringside.

After careful consideration, it was the Beltex pair both exhibited by Elizabeth McAllister that won the overall pairs title and they were followed by the Dorset pair from Rachel Moore and Christian Hill in reserve position.

The group of three was a magnificent sight, with three sheep from each breed lining both sides of the main ring.

It was a very difficult task for Davies, but after close inspection, he pulled forward the Hampshire trio - all exhibited by Sean Doyle - as his interbreed champion group of three. Coming in reserve was the eye-catching Beltex trio.