Broad smiles and ribbons for Spriggs

It was an amazing Williams Gateway Expo for the Sprigg family's East Strathglen stud, of Tambellup, showing the splendid depth of breeding there.

Not only did their rams and ewes win 10 broad ribbon grand champion and champion awards, including the supreme purple broad ribbon, in both Merino and Poll Merino categories, their team of two rams and two ewes won them the inaugural Farm Weekly motorbike.

At the show and delighted with the results were principals Rowland, Rohan and Caroline Sprigg - plus 10-month-old daughter Ellie - and not forgetting East Strathglen's right-hand man, Lenno Farmer.

East Strathglen also won the most points trophy, the pairs trophy, the Arnold & Max Rintoul Memorial grand champion ram trophy and the Toorackie grand championship ewe trophy, plus two reserve broad ribbons.

Undoubtedly, the stud had a good chance when it came to selection of the supreme exhibit - in the ring was the grand champion Merino ram, the grand champion Merino ewe and the grand champion Poll Merino ewe, all from East Strathglen

The other great contender was Clinton Blight's Seymour Park grand champion Poll Merino ram.

But the judges went for the Merino ram which had earlier won his fine-medium wool championship and before that his two-tooth class.

"He is unbelievable in the wool - it's really sirey wool - and he has a strong head. We all agreed on him," said judge Rod Miller, of Glenpaen stud, Horsham, Victoria, on behalf of the other judges, Peter Jackson, of Westerdale stud, Kurt Wise, of Wililoo stud, and Wes Lavender, of Sunny Valley stud.

The ram, by Top Gun, was in the winning pair team with the stud's fine-medium Merino ewe champion.

All up, East Strathglen scored championships in the fine-medium category, the medium category and the strong wool category - as the table of champions shows.

The East Strathglen grand champion Poll Merino ewe was described by judge Miller as very productive.

"She is also pure in the wool which is carried right down to her underline," he said.

It had been difficult to select the grand champion Merino ewe, judge Jackson said.

"She is a strong wool ewe and it's such deep, rich wool. The decision was unanimous," he said.

She was sired by Sir Dick and the strong wool champion at Wagin Woolorama, Rohan Sprigg said.

The reserve grand champion Merino ewe was from Misty Hills.

It was also a great show for comparatively recent star in the stud firmament, Clinton Blight's Seymour Park stud of Highbury.

His rams won both grand champion and reserve grand champion broad ribbons in the Poll Merino section.

"The grand champion's wool quality was outstanding and he has a great constitution," judge Miller said.

The ram won his two-tooth class before being sashed as the champion fine-medium Poll Merino ram.

The ram was by Coromandel Sir Thomas 2 and out of a Shahs ewe with the reserve pure Seymour Park, Clinton Blight said.

Reserve to the grand champion Merino ram was the Mackins' Kamballie entry.

Reserve to the grand champion Merino ewe was the Meatons' Misty Hills entry.

Reserve to the grand champion Poll Merino ewe was the Meatons' Rosedale ewe.