GARY and Angela Lock, Linda-Vista, wrestled back the prestigious Team of Two fleeces award at the Mundulla Hogget Competition last Friday.
They ended the four-year reign of Greg Growden, Wangoola Downs, Mundulla West, with their two medium wool fleeces, valued at $142.98.
Enthusiasm at the state's oldest hogget competition, coordinated by the Mundulla Ag Bureau, is still strong.
The Locks, from Mundulla, also won the Fleece of the Day with a 21.5-micron, 10-kilogram fleece yielding 71 per cent. It was valued at $77.11.
Twelve teams of three hoggets had been run on Philip and Phyllis Salmon's property at Cannawigara, near Bordertown, for the past year. On competition day, the participants selected their best two hoggets.
Mr Lock, also one of the event's coordinators, had initially culled the sheep with the highest-scoring fleece from his team of two, but the other committee members decided to allow it to be included in the competition.
It was the fourth win in the Team of Two Fleeces for Linda-Vista.
Mr Lock and his brother David had also won the competition twice when they were in partnership, first entering in 1981.
The competition has been running in its present form since 1971, but dates back to 1950.
Dalgety wool manager Tony Kidman and colleague Steve Grant were the wool judges.
Mr Kidman was impressed with the quality of entries, describing the Upper South East as "one of the best dual-purpose sheep-growing areas in Australia".
He said there was little difference in the wool market between 19 micron and 22M fleece: it came down to yield and wool cut.
A fleece valuation competition was also held to test the skills of those attending, including Bordertown High School students.
* Full report in Stock Journal, August 7, 2014 issue.
Catherine Miller
Stock Journal's livestock editor and South East correspondent.
Stock Journal's livestock editor and South East correspondent.
