THE predicted Indian summer ended abruptly in the early hours of Saturday morning with monsoon-like rain – but the conditions did improve slightly for Horton-in-Ribblesdale’s annual agricultural and horticultural show.

A new showfield layout was a great success and different parking and unloading facilities were a huge improvement.

There was a good standard of entries in the sheep section despite the clash of dates with both Keighley and Bentham Show and the Moorcock Show the following day.

The judges of each section combined to choose the winner of the young handlers section and the supreme champion, both extremely difficult tasks.

There was a good turnout of young handlers and for some it was their first outing in the role but seasoned campaigner Abbey White stole the show as neither she nor her Mule faced gimmer lamb moved a muscle.

The supreme champion award went to the champion Texel – a four shear ram - shown by Myerscough college student Ryan Middleton.

The reserve champion was a Blue faced Leicester gimmer lamb shown by Stephen Sutcliffe.

Breed champions were Neil Jackson in the Dalesbred section, Barrie Thomas in the Swaledales and Jessica Lambert in the Zwartble class.

Other accolades in the sheep section were pretty evenly distributed with most exhibitors getting a share of the spoils.

Young handler winner Abbey White also won the trophy for the best five mule gimmer lambs while Debbie Robinson – daughter of show president, Mike Pearson - had the best fleeced sheep and the best pair of gimmer lambs in the Swaledale ring.

Also, in the Swaledale section, Steve Raine had the best male and best tup lamb and Barrie Thomas won trophies for the best female and the best local. Neil Jackson had the best Masham gimmer lamb, the best male and the best group in the Dalesbred section.

Other winners came from further afield. New exhibitor David Lambert, of Bainbridge, was awarded the trophy for the best fleeced Dalesbred and Richard Brown, of West Burton, had the best Dalesbred female.

Alec Morphet and his family, of High Birkwith, enjoyed some success in the Swaledale arena but his finest hour was to come from his entries in the horticultural section.

Since taking a slightly smaller part in the day to day running of the hill farm, Alec has turned his talents to the soil and has produced some prize-winning vegetables. His weeding, digging, planting and tending paid off when he gained most points in the section and was awarded a trophy for his endeavours. Not bad for a man of 89!

Horticultural judge Steve Hodgson said it was the best display of vegetables he had seen at any of the shows over the summer.

Best exhibit in the horticultural section was won by Jessica Lambert with her four tomatoes.

Presenting the trophies was this year’s gala princess, Victoria Johnson, but, at one point, she had to hand over the duties to vice chairman Barrie Thomas as she had won a couple of trophies – for the best exhibit in the confectionery section and most points in the junior confectionery classes.

Other up and coming winners were Grace Chenery who had the best children’s handicraft with an article made from string, Sierra Manning who had taken the best photograph by a child, Ruby Thomas who had most points in the under 11 section and Class Two pupil Ryan Maudsley who exhibited the best piece of handwriting.

Show secretary and skilled needlewoman Paula Swainson had the best exhibit in the needlecraft section and daughter Hannah exhibited the best overall photograph. Dianne Armstrong had the best exhibit in the flower section with her miniature garden and Heather Huddleston gained most points in the section.

A metal work sculpture from Chris Holmes won the top accolade in the adult handicrafts section. The cup for most points in the confectionery section was won by Helen Armstrong and the Sargison Cup for the tea for two on a three tier cake stand was won by Gill Sandiford.

The judge of the vintage machinery class must have had one of the most difficult judging tasks of the day with an incredible line up of 12 vintage tractors and six old vehicles.

The winner of the vintage tractor class was local farm contractor Malcolm Campbell of Studfold who had a prize winning 1955 TEF 20 and winner of the vintage vehicle was show treasurer Peter Shackleton.

Refreshments were provided by the Friends of Horton School and thanks are extended to all the committee and their friends who worked so hard to make the event possible.

Sheep: local: Masham, gimmer lambs – 1 N Jackson, 2&3 C Middleton; Mule, gimmer lambs -1 A White, 2 SH Sutcliffe, 3 J Millman; fat crossbred lambs – 1 R Hewitt; Swaledale, gimmer lamb - 1&3 S and D Robinson, 2 B Thomas; two Sgimmer lambs - 1 S and D Robinson, 2 JA Morphet, 3 D Wood; ram lamb - 1 JA Morphet, 2 B Thomas, 3 S and D Robinson; gimmer shearling - 1 &2 B Thomas, 3 D Wood; suckled ewe - 1 JA Morphet, 2 S and D Robinson, 3 B Thomas; shearling ram – 1 D Wood, 2&3 JA Morphet; Dalesbred, gimmer lamb - 1 N Jackson; two gimmer lambs - 1 N Jackson; Dalesbred ram lamb - 1 N Jackson; gimmer shearling - 1 N Jackson; suckled ewe - 1 N Jackson.

Open to any farmer in the UK: Blue Faced Leicester, ram - 1 J Millman; ram lamb - 1&2 Abbey White, 3 J Millman; gimmer lamb - 1&3 SH Sutcliffe, 2 A White; shearling and upwards - 1&2 SH Sutcliffe, 3 J Caton; Mule, five gimmer lambs - 1 A White, 2 J Caton, 3 J Millman; two gimmer lambs – 1 SH Sutcliffe, 2 J Caton, 3 A White; single gimmer lamb - 1 SH Sutcliffe, 2&3 A White; Dalesbred, gimmer lamb - 1&3 R Brown, 2 D Lambert; shearling gimmer - 1 D Lambert, 2 R Brown, 3 N Jackson; aged ram - 1 D Lambert, 2 D Charnley; shearling ram - 1 N Jackson, 2 R Brown, 3 D Lambert; ram lamb - 1 D Lambert, 2 N Jackson, 3 R Brown; suckled ewe - 1 N Jackson, 2 D Lambert, 3 R Brown; group - 1 N Jackson, 2 R Brown, 3 D Lambert; Swaledale, gimmer lamb - 1 S and D Robinson, 2 S Raine, 3 B Thomas; shearling gimmer – 1 and 2 B Thomas, 3 D Wood; aged ram - 1 JA Morphet; shearling ram - 1 D Wood, 2&3 JA Morphet; ram lamb – 1 S Raine, 2 JA Morphet, 3 S and D Robinson; suckled ewe -1 JA Morphet, 2 S and D Robinson, 3 B Thomas; group - 1 B Thomas, 2 JA Morphet, 3 S and D Robinson; Zwartbles, male shearling - 1 T Sutcliffe; female shearling - 1&2 J Lambert, 3 T Sutcliffe; suckled ewe - 1 J Lambert, 2 R Middleton, 3 T Sutcliffe; gimmer lamb - 1 J Lambert, 2 R Middleton; rare and minority breed - 1&3 R Middleton, 2 J Millman; Texel, aged ram - 1&2 R Middleton, 3 A and E Dickinson; suckled ewe – E Dickinson; gimmer lamb - 1 R Lambert, 2 I Mounsey; ram lamb - 1 A Dickinson, 2 R Lambert, 3 I Mounsey.

Vintage machinery: tractors – 1 M Campbell, 2 I Mounsey, 3 P Sutcliffe; cars - 1&2 P Shackleton, 3 P Stevens.

Dogs and pets: large pet dog - 1 J Brown with Pax, 2 W Armstrong with Heidi, 3 G Swale with Bennyboy; small pet dog - 1 E Summersgill Smith with Sky, 2 T Wilson with Tan, 3 L Graham with Pupz; sheepdog - 1 L Graham with Smut; other pet - 1 E Dunkley with KitKat, 2 A Dunkley with Wispa, 3 C Wilson with Fluffy.

Confectionery: fruit cake - 1 D Wood, 2 C Teal, 3 K Chenery; gingerbread - 1 L Graham, 2 D Wood, 3 M Middleton; chocolate cake - 1 C Lambert, 2 C Teal, 3 E Dickinson; no bake tray bake - 1 H Armstrong, 2 C Teal, 3 S Mounsey; novelty cake - 1 C Middleton, 2 H Armstrong, 3 K Chenery; tea loaf - 1 L Graham, 2 B Suttie, 3 H Huddleston; lemon drizzle - 1 B Jackson, 2 T Dunkley, 3 H Armstrong; fruit scones - 1 W McCarthy, 2 S Lambert, 3 H Armstrong; muffins - 1 H Armstrong, 2 S Hughes, 3 H Armstrong; chocolate brownies – 1 C Teal, 2 H Armstrong, 3 B.Jackson; traybake - 1 H Armstrong, 2 C Teal, 3 S Hughes; fruit pie - 1 M Middleton, 2 H Huddleston, 3 B Jackson; victoria sandwich -1 K Chenery, 2 K Gudgeon, 3 H Huddleston; butterfly buns - 1 V Johnson, 2 S Lambert, 3 P Swainson; biscuits - 1 J Davis, 2 J Campbell, 3 S Mounsey; cold sweet - 1 T Dunkley, 2 S Swainson, 3 H Armstrong; lemon meringue pie - 1 L Graham, 2 D Wood, 3 C Middleton; tea for two - 1 G Sandiford, 2 H Armstrong, 3 P Swainson; quiche - 1 B Jackson, 2 D Wood, 3 K Jackson; cake using vegetables - 1 J Campbell, 2 M Middleton, 3 D Wood; lemon cheese - 1 M Middleton, 2 H Sergeant, 3 H Huddleston; jam - 1 S Mounsey, 2&3 H Huddleston; marmalade - 1&3 H Huddleston, 2 M Middleton; chutney - 1 S Mounsey, 2 H Huddleston, 3 C Teal; item made by a man - 1 G Bolger, 2 J Davis, 3 M Gudgeon.

Junior confectionery: seven and under: decorated cupcake - 1 R Thomas, 2 T Chenery, 3 Z Thomas; decorated biscuits - 1 R Thomas, 2 Z Thomas, 3 O Newhouse; currant buns - 1 L Pilkington, 2 O Newhouse, 3 R Wilson. Eight to 11: muffins - 1 W Armstrong, 2 A Dickinson, 3 G Chenery; biscuits - 1 D Pilkington, 2 A White, 3 E Dickinson; flapjack - 1 A Dickinson, 2 E Dickinson, 3 A White. Twelve to 16: novelty cake - 1 V Johnson, 2 E Palmer, 3 D Palmer; chocolate brownies - 1 V Johnson; traybake: 1 V Johnson; tea for two - 1 V Johnson, 2 K Gudgeon.

Needlecraft: hand knitting -1 M Middleton, 2 A Lambert, 3 K Chenery; tapestry or cross stitch -1&2 P Swainson, 3 C Middleton; patchwork – 1 and joint 3 P Swainson, 2 and joint 3 M Middleton; soft furnishings - 1&2 P Swainson; other item - 1&2 S Mounsey, 3 J Woods.

Horticulture: vegetables: white potatoes - 1 A Morphet, 2&3 J Lambert; coloured potatoes - 1&3 J Lambert, 2 A Morphet; peas – 1 A.Morphet, 2 J Lambert, 3 H Huddleston; one Vegetable and one flower -1&3 A Morphet, 2 M Lambert; onions - 1 A Morphet, 2 H Armstrong, 3 J Lambert; carrots - 1,2 &3 A Morphet; cabbage -1 M Lambert, 2&3 J Lambert; swede turnips - 1&2 A Morphet, 3 J Lambert; beetroot - 1&2 J Lambert, 3 M Lambert; tomatoes - 1&3 J Lambert, 2 H Armstrong; cucumber - 1 A Morphet, 2 J Lambert, 3 H Huddleston; other vegetable - 1 J Lambert, 2 J Campbell, 3 A Morphet. Flowers: home grown flowers - 1 H Huddleston, 2 G Bolger; one bloom -1 H Huddleston, 2 S Swainson; flowering house plant - 1 H Huddleston, 2 R Pilkington, 3 P.Swainson; foliage house plant - 1 L Graham, 2 P.Swainson, 3 H Huddleston; succulent or cactus - 1 L Graham , 2 P Swainson, 3 B Jackson; rose -1 K Chenery; saucer of flower heads - 1 H Huddleston, 2 P.Swainson; miniature garden, over 11 - 1 D Armstrong, 2 A Humphrey; under 11 - 1 T Chenery, 2 G Chenery, 3 LPilkington; arrangement - 1 H Huddleston.

Eggs: hen - 1 W Armstrong, 2 R Pilkington, 3 P Swainson; bantam eggs - 1 J Lambert, 2 D Wood.

Children’s section: seven and under: decorated egg – 1 T Chenery. 2 R Wilson, 3 O Newhouse; decorated wooden spoon - 1 Z Thomas, 2 T Chenery, 3 S Manning; Duplo or Lego model - 1 Z Thomas, 2 R Thomas, 3 Alex White. Eight to 11: decorated wooden spoon - 1 G Chenery, 2 E Dickinson, 3 A Dickinson; Lego model - 1 M Gudgeon, 2 G Chenery, 3 Abbey White; article made from string - 1 G Chenery, 2 Abbey White, 3 C Wilson. Twelve to 16 years: article made from string - 1 T Wilson; decorated wooden spoon - 1 T Wilson.

Animal picture (nursery class) - 1 L Postlethwaite, 2 O Newhouse, 3 H Maudsley; daffodil picture (class one) - 1 M Gudgeon, 2 R Thomas, 3 R Wilson, Alex White; animal sewing (class one) - 1 M Gudgeonm 2 I Mezzanotte, 3 L Pilkington; parrot picture (class two) - 1 E Dickinson, 2 W Maudsley, 3 G Pilkington; lizard clay model (class two) - 1 Abbey White, 2 C Stewart, 3 J Bloom; handwriting (class two ) - 1 R Maudsley, 2 E Palmer, 3 J John-Baptise,

Handicrafts: 11 and under : handwork - 1 C Wilson, 2 Abbey White, 3 Alex White; artwork - 1 L Swainson, 2 R Thomas, 3 L Pilkington. Over 12: handwork - 1 H Arkell, 2 S Jackson, 3 V Johnson; artwork - 1 H Arkell, 2 L Sunter, 3 S Jackson; article made by a gentleman - 1&2 C Holmes ;display of WW1 - 1 P Swainson; sugarcraft - 1 P Swainson; 2&3 L Sunter; poster for 2015 show - 1 V Johnson,2 K Gudgeon, 3 E Palmer.

Photographs: waterfalls - 1 M Lambert, 2 A Lambert, 3 J Woods; stormy weather -1 J Woods, 2 M Lambert, 3 A Lambert; down on the farm – 1 H Swainson, 2 L.Graham, 3 T Wilson; on holiday - 1 J Woods, 2 R Pilkington, 3 B Jackson; captioned - 1 M Lambert, 2 H Sergeant, 3 R Pilkington; photo taken by a child - 1 S Manning, 2 G Chenery, 3 R Thomas, Z Thomas, T Chenery; show day - 1 A Lambert, 2 L Graham, 3 M Lambert.