Day Two Royal Welsh Show

Welcome to the second day of the Royal Welsh Show 2012. There has

been our very international feel to the Show this year as eight

countries came together in the main ring to compete for the very first

time in the Royal Welsh will mounted games. I when ringside to

find out who took the top honours. Tuesday is Ladies Day and I have

been to see one of the highlights of the Show at the dairy cows try

to charm the judges. After my experience I am back in

she rings to find out what is happening this year. I came face to

face with a Blue Faced Leicester! When you watch the dairy cows

compete at the Royal Welsh, things can seem pretty black-and-white.

But farmer Geraint Thomas likes a bit of colour in his life. He

prefers a different breed of cattle and is competing with his Ayrshires

this year, hoping to make his mark. Why did you go for the air showers

-- Ayrshires? I had been coming here for years. I have always

admired the Ayrshires. We had big Holsteins, this was it the system

as well. Is it as competitive a world as the Holsteins? Absolutely.

I bring a team up and will flee I will win. We turn them out as good

as we can. Top me through your line of ladies that you have got here.

have three impressive ladies here. We have high hopes for her and we

will see how little goal in a few hours. Unfortunately these two

Hauser in the same class. I do not know which way the judges will go.

I like your confidence. How much sleep did you get last night?

hours. I do not meet the The cows seemed glad to be off

their backs and there was plenty to please the judge. After winning in

his class, he was back in the ring with all the winners for the

Supreme Championship. He won reserve champion with his junior

cow. Fantastic result. Reserve champion.

Fantastic. Great show. Have fantastic line-up. We look forward

to tomorrow. We will have a good day tomorrow as well. And Katie did

a good job. I think it was the looks that did it. Good show?

really pleased. No Royal Welsh Show has more reason

sheet on display than any other agricultural show in the world.

They come in all shapes and sizes but he's a perhaps some of the most

unusual shape you will find here. These other blue face Leicesters

and this year sees the society's 50th anniversary. Michael James is

hoping this year his chic shine in the Show. -- Kishi.

My uncle and his wife and three children have brought aid of the

ugly face Leicester's to the Show from their farm near Builth. --

Blue Faced Leicester us. It is a native breed. It is a big long

sheet, a very big sheet. It does not have big bulk like other

cheaper in this country. There used to graze on hills. Judging is

underway. LR, this is quite unusual. Are you

expecting them to be harvested? is the best way to judge the sheet.

They are free, they can walk around. So you can get the full effect of

the sheep. It starts well with a few wins.

What is different about this particular class? This differs to

the other class. The last class we watched was were aged used, this is

a yearly used, which means their younger female sheet. It is still a

female class and once again the judges have tapped on Michael's

sheep. You are absolutely jokingly! This is unbelievable! Hold on, L.

Three out of the reef. Amazing. we have just seen the red tickets

there. What is next? What is next for us is our three winning female

sheep will go head-to-head against each other for the best female and

then that will go against the best meal or the overall regional

champion. And the shearling ewe was crowned champion. Expectations were

high. And, yes, you have guessed it, what a day for the vice chairman of

the Society of the Blue Faced Leicester us. It has been an

unbelievable day. Every class we have been out in, we have one. And

then to go out and have Rhys are female and champion female, and

then overall Blue Faced Leicester champion, it is unbelievable.

There are over 1000 stands at the sure and up to 100 on the waiting

list. It is really quite difficult to get sent but it is well worth it.

Great to be part of the Show. That is one of the most famous

voices here at the Royal Welsh Show, it is a voice that is synonymous

with the competitions here in the main ring. We will move away from

the judging later. Charles Arch has been commentating

here for 35 years and his knowledge of the competition and competitors

is legendary. We cut up with them in the midst of his preparations

for this year's show. I start picking up titbits from any peak

hour that refers to the Show is going on all the country. And I

store them. So why have there is build up of Winnie's all the time.

But that is the picture you have got to build it you want to do some

commentary work. During the four days, they will have been probably

up to 15 people through the tower. What I have tried to do and what I

have tried to build up is to try and get an expert on a be section.

The work beforehand can be dreary at times! But the Show itself, once

you get into things, it starts to carry you along. And before you

know it, you are welcoming people there are one registering morning.

One thing that I am convinced is that unless you are on top of the

job as commentator, unless you can pick up names and happenings just

like that, you are not doing your job. We have got a full programme

and I could go on and on but it will carry us to 8 o'clock tonight.

And we will be joining Charles later on in the programme.

And coming up: I meet a prison officer who has got his pigs on

parole for the day and say there will be in the main ring to watch

the final of the world mounted against Team Championships.

Not many Royal Welsh competitors can claim to be at the top of their

game but after 11 consecutive golds at Chelsea, I think champion veg

grow our... A lot of time and preparation goes

into making the venture look at taught at leat tantalising and of

course tasty. You are back after a 26 year

absence here at the Royal Welsh Show. What brought you back? I came

back to give a vote of thanks to the Royal Welsh because they kicked

me off into this and I got a gold medal in my first attempt. I stayed

for five years. Without that I would never have achieved Hampton

Court and Chelsea and all the other shows that I have done in America.

I have heard that you have won 11 golds at Chelsea. Is that correct?

That is absolutely Collette -- correct. How have you done today?

We got the silver cup for the best display. And we got there first

Olympic medal. This is to be kept, I can keep up one. Top King of

looking beautiful, do you get is ready yourself? -- topping. We used

2000 cocktail sticks to do this display. Six of us came down to do

this. It takes us two 40 nowadays and I just love it. -- 14 hour days.

A good display stand has to have an interest factor.

Chris Impey is someone who is used to having a captive audience.

Prison officer by day, he has been showing pigs for 20 years and it

all started at Prescoed Prison. When I first joined the Prison

Service I came to work in the prison farm. I did know -- not know

anything about pigs so I went for a job interview and died studied for

a few days and I managed to get my way into the job. -- and I read up.

It allowed me the opportunity to keep my own which what my intention

was originally. Any pigs that I kept, the then became my main heard.

After becoming 10 -- being the pagan manager for 10 years he left.

He now keeps his pigs in another farm. They're bride-to-be --

together with farm staff, crisis and the process of reintroducing

pigs back to Prescoed Prison with a new venture in mind.

We have a new enterprise were we have a high-class restaurant being

placed in the car park. That will employ prisoners and feed, through

the restaurant, locally do right foot. So the plan is to reintroduce

pigs to a prison and then so sing them back into this -- into the

restaurant. It will be nice to be able to offer people locally

How have preparations been going? Really well. We have been preparing

for months and months. What is your role in the team? I help my dad. We

all work together to help my dad. What breed of pigs do you show?

show Middle White instead of a Berkshire. I think they are a

better breed. Cool is the best that showing pigs? It has got to be me.

The confidence of youth. modesty!

How is Joe getting on? He is not doing too bad. He is just walking

her quietly. If anything, I want him to pick up a little bit. I did

shout at him at one point. you're loud? -- is that allowed?

has got to give them a little bit of encouragement. It is Daniel's

turn now. This pig, he did not read this page himself, this is one I

bought for him for his birthday last year. These pigs are all under

his name. And they are behaving beautifully. It is. She is a

plodder. You were dealing with a behaviour which, in prison, you are

dealing with prisoners, and here we are dealing with pigs, and it is

all about behaviour and are trying to predict the behaviour. When it

is bad behaviour, stop it, when it is good behaviour, encourage it.

very professional performance from Daniel and chill in the ring,

supported all the way by a very proud dad. Just enough time to

enjoy the show and the sunshine before going back to prison on

Friday. Still to come in tonight's

programme: I'll be popping down to the

forestry area to help celebrate 40 years of display and competition in

the wood chopping section. And we'll have one of the big

highlights of the week as Rachael watches the various beef breeds

battle it out in the Team of Five competition.

If you were with us yesterday, you'd have seen the initial heats

of the semi-final of the Royal Welsh World Mounted Games, where

teams of five riders from eight countries were battling it out for

a place in the final. Well, the big day has arrived and soon we'll know

which team is to be crowned champions of the tournament. So

let's meet the team representing Wales. Captain, Huw Whitney, tell

me who everyone is. On my left is Jack Evans. Emma Thomas. Aaron

Jones. Jordan Evans. He is the baby of the teams. Jack, have you

completed before? You s, about four times an hour. It gets harder every

year. Jemma, how often do you train? We train twice a week for

about three months before. build up a close relationship with

your horse, especially when you are doing things that are so athletic.

Fax it is all about the bond between the Ryder and the horse.

You have got to have faced the horses going to go in the right

direction. It looks to me as though you have got a great team. Good

So while the team went off to prepare, I made my way to the Main

Ring to be sure of a good spot to watch the competition. And who

better to explain the games and talk us through the event than Alex

Franklin, previous runner up in the Individual World Mounted Games

Championships. What does it mean, being world

champion in the sport? Be in the world champion is the best accolade

you can get. It means everything. I am lucky enough that I have managed

to win three world titles. Unfortunately I have not made the

individual one yet. Where is everybody plays now? We came into

this second part of the final with England two points behind France in

the lead. France have continued to build a lead through this session

Is this getting more popular as an event? It is. We were always looked

down upon because we ride one- handed, we don't ride with our

stirrups all the time, and people looked down upon us, but now they

England, Wales and Ireland are in a line at the very last term. France

are the new champions. It was fast, it was furious, but a very well

deserved winner. France are Royal Welsh Mounted Games champions.

Wales finished 4th. 4th in the world, absolutely amazing. It is

really hot out there, I am really proud of everyone. If we could have

road like this yesterday, we could have been world champions. Well

done, Wales. Thank you very much. Since Saturday, when the animals

first arrived on site, the stockmen have used a staggering 3,500 straw

bales, big and small, to bed their cattle, sheep, horses and pigs.

That's a lot of dirty straw at the end of the week. And whoever has to

clean it up will obviously have had the short straw.

Earlier in the programme, we met one of the great characters of the

Show preparing at home for his duties this week. I'm pleased to

say I'm going up to the commentary box to meet Show commentator

Charles Arch and see him in action. Charles, thank you for inviting us

into the commentary box. This is where it all happens. This is the

last year for you, taking on a full-time basis. It must be very a

poignant time. It is. I am sure on Thursday night I will feel quite

sad but I do feel the time has come to hand over to a younger person

and I will be supporting that person, I will be doing the odd

piece of commentary, but the total responsibility will not be mine any

longer. Perhaps I will have the odd spell over in the grandstand.

you started, did you get any coaching at all? No, I was thrown

into it. The late know well in Phillips, he threw me into it. I

landed up here. I don't think I will ever forget that first day.

is obviously a major part of your life in more ways than one. When

you come back to the show and you are not a full stream commentator,

it is going to be rather odd. and I daresay I will be a critic. I

will go to the grandstand and I will listen and think, why is he

doing that? Perhaps the best thing for me is to go to one of the beer

tents and sit down and talk. Thank you so much for everything you have

done at the Royal Welsh Show and good luck.

For me, this is probably the highlight of the week. I'm

enthralled by the size, power and character of the animals that

represent each breed in the Team of Five animals that compliment each

other in appearance are selected by the judge of each breed to compete

as a team. The winners will be the team of individuals that best match

each other on the day. With me is one Lady President and

one Lady Chairman, or Chairwoman, who share my passion for this

wonderful competition, both called Elizabeth. Elizabeth Rees is

President of the Welsh Black Cattle Society and Elizabeth McCombe is

Chairman of the Highland Cattle Society in Wales. Elizabeth Rees,

you would make you have been converted to farming. Why did you

go for the Welsh Black? When we decided to start farming, we only

had a small farm, we wanted something with a lot of interest

and what better than the native breed? It is not the native breed

of Wales for no reason. We thought we could not go wrong and we have

not regretted it. It is the best decision I have ever made.

there is something about black cattle and green grass. But we have

seen numbers dropped. Why is that? There were a lot of factors

affecting us this year. I would say the greatest reason is the TB

problem. What are numbers like for the Highland breed? TB have

affected us has well but we do the best we can. The cattle are

extremely good this year. The judging is very tight. So we have

got to native Celtic breeds of black cattle. Wouldn't it be great

to see a native breed winning this competition? It would be fantastic,

and it would be lovely to see the Welsh Black a winner. We have got

every chance so we will keep our fingers crossed. But we will have

to go with the judge. Let's see As the judge is drawing his first

short list, bringing them forward, what is catching your rights?

thought the long one Team of Five or is extremely good this year. A

nice size and they walked together really well. But it would be a

great fillip for native Farmers' definitive breed can winner. What

do you fancy? If I am going to say the Welsh Black, but another black

breed is the Aberdeen Angus and they are really good. Whether they

will be brought forward, we will have to wait and see. It would be

It was the limits and that took it in the end about the Welsh back

Scottish reserve. -- limits and -- limousine. A great team effort.

Time to celebrate tonight? happens every night at the Royal

Welsh Show. If in this heat, he will deserve a drink now.

It's been another day full of remarkable stories and highlights

here at the Royal Welsh Show. It has also been the warmest day since

2008. And a record attendance. And don't forget we'll be back again

tomorrow night on BBC Two Wales at 7.30pm. If you miss any of the

programmes this week or want to watch them again, you can catch up

on iPlayer and you can see some great photos from the show and