EASTGATE sheep farmer Bill Wearmouth is wondering just how long his veteran champion Blue Faced Leicester ewe can keep on winning.

The home-bred, six-shear ewe was again the breed winner at his local Stanhope show, on Saturday, after making a comeback at Wolsingham the previous week.

The veteran ewe, called Spiky, was beaten by younger animals at the earlier St. John's Chapel and Blanchland shows but then regained her form.

Mr Wearmouth said: "This could be her last season for showing, but that is what I said last year. She had three lambs this year and recovered well. It is the oldest ewe I have ever won with, but she likes to show herself off."

Another veteran animal was judged the top Swaledale Sheep, a five-shear ewe, shown by Colin and Ann Martin, of Stanhope. This completed a hat trick of Weardale show victories for the animal after winning at St. John's Chapel and Wolsingham.

The Martins also had the reserve champion, a gimmer shearling.

John Skidmore, of Eastgate, took the breed trophy for North of England Mule sheep with his home-bred gimmer lamb, also taking the reserve prize with another gimmer lamb. There was no overall inter-breed sheep prize this year, as the trophy alternates with other sections year by year.

The Thompson Trophy for the champion animal in the beef cattle section went to Keith Metcalf, of Piercebridge, for his 15-month old Belgian Blue cross steer, a winner earlier this year at Leyburn, Sedgefield and Reeth. The animal, by a Limousin mother, was bred by Brian Lawson, of Richmond.

The Lurcher and Terrier show, in its second year as part of the Stanhope Show, attracted an entry of nearly 200 working dogs of various breeds and mixtures. Most lurchers are greyhound-based, often crossed with sheepdogs.

Local man Geoff Wilson, lamping secretary of the Upland Lurcher and Longdog Club, said: "We hunt rabbits and control vermin for local farmers. It is legal and we do not use guns. Lamping involves hunting at night."

There was a big attendance on the Saturday, but numbers on Sunday were reduced due to intermittent rain and overcast skies.

Show secretary Mike Robson said: "We will take a hammering this year but we live to fight another day."

The weekend's trophy winners were as follows:

Horses: Dales ponies; J Daley & Sons. Hunters; H Surtees. Welsh ponies; J Bennet. Pony breeding classes; R Wilkinson. Clydesdale horses; C G Barron. Heavy horses; J Owens, M. Ramage (best decorated pair.) Coloured horses; Claire Merrigan Martin. Horse and pony driving classes; G Hutchinson.

Sheep: Swaledale; C & A Martin. North of England sheep; MW Skidmore. Blue faced Leicester; W Wearmouth.

Beef cattle: K & M Metcalfe.

Goats: Female goat in milk; E Woodmass. Female goatling A Davison. Female kid; J Winspear.