TAVISTOCK farmer Roy Tucker (pictured) had the Midas touch at last week's Devon County Show — he won best male, best female and overall championship with his rare breed Galway sheep, plucked 'straight from the field'.

Mr Tucker only decided a few hours before the show to enter his sheep, yet his novice animals took to it like a duck to water.

'They had never been haltered but I washed them and took them along and they could not stop winning,' he said.

'They walked like dogs at Crufts — they were wonderful. My only regret was I didn't buy a lottery ticket that day!'

Mr Tucker, who has shown animals at Devon County for 40 years, brought the Galway sheep breed, formally called 'Dishey Leicester', to England from Ireland in 1997. He now has 60 ewes and the breed is becoming more and more popular.

l Richard Cole from Lamerton won first prize ewe lamb, female champion and second prize ram lamb with his Hampshire Down sheep.