Improved prime lamb prices – up £8-£10 per head up on the year – ensured Suffolk sheep breeders enjoyed a good commercial trade with sale averages up in both the registered and unregistered shearling sections, while ram lambs met a slightly more selective trade.
“I am delighted with the way our shearling pens performed at Kelso this year,” said Robin McIlrath, chief executive of the Suffolk Sheep Society. 
“Not only were our averages up £158 on last year, there was a consistent level of quality which obviously attracted the commercial sheep breeder.”
While the shearlings enjoyed the best of the day’s trading, it was a ram lamb from first time consignor, Gary Beacom, which sold for the lead  price of £4800, and of all breeds, while also securing the top Suffolk lamb average of £849 for 20.
Mr Beacom, who runs 160 ewes in his Lakeview flock from Fivemiletown, Northern Ireland, saw his best – a full brother to the National champion winner sold earlier in the year at Shrewsbury for 21,000gns – make the big money when selling to Welsh breeder, Dai Harvey who owns the Hawkesridge flock from Erw Bryn, Brynpabuan, Builth Wells. This late February-born lamb is bred from a ewe by Cairness Cyclone and sired by the 13,000gns Rookery Rodeo.
The same sire was behind £3000 and £2000 lamb sales from Lakeview, with the first, a mid February-born lamb bred from a show ewe by Strathbogie Jackpot that is an ET sister to the dam of the 13,000gns supreme champion at the Northern Ireland Premier sale and the reserve champion at this year’s sale at Stirling, which made 10,000gns. The buyers were Robert and Jonathan Neil, of the Stonebridge flock from Co Down, Northern Ireland.
The £2000 lamb also sold back across the Irish Sea, purchased by E Jeffery, Kilbeg House, Ladysbridge. His dam, a Birness ewe by Lakeview Gold Rush, was purchased at the Dark Diamonds sale in 2015 for 3000gns.
Fellow Northern Ireland breeder, Willie Tait who owns the Burnview flock from Lislap, Co Tyrone, also enjoyed a good day, securing the pre-sale championship with a tup lamb that went on to sell for £2500 to new breeder, James Alexander, of the Jalex commercial cattle herd at Toomebridge, Co Antrim. A son of the €11,000 Shannagh Resolve that has bred sons to €31,000, he is bred from a show gimmer by Birness Bacardi.

Leading the registered shearling trade at £4000 was the best from Stuart Jackson, son Alan and his wife Lorna Jackson’s Rugley flock from Alnwick, Northumberland, purchased by Fiona and Colin Wight, Carwood, Biggar. This high index ram, is by Drinkstone sire and out of a home-bred ewe.
Another from the Jackson family’s 100-ewe flock made £2000 selling to HC Derryman, Peter Hayes Farm, Yarcombe, Devon. The breeding behind this transaction includes the sire, Rugley Terrific, a Strathisla Cappie son retained for breeding, onto a home-bred ewe.
For the second year in succession, Alistair Warden’s 15-ewe Skelfhill flock from Hawick, topped the unregistered section, when his best made £3400 selling to commerical producers, Kenneth Sutherland and sons Stephen and Kenneth, Stainland and Sibmister Farms, Thurso, Caithness. 
This was another by the £1700 Allanshaws ram bought here in 2014, which in turn was a son of a Gospelhall ram, that bred Mr Warden’s £4000 sale leader at Kelso last year. The dam, a home-bred ewe, is by a Birness sire.
The exact same genetics were behind a £2700 Skelfhill shearling purchased by Ian Campbell, Glenrath, Peebles.
Mr Campbell also purchased the second highest priced unregistered shearling at £2800 from Bill and Jan Moor, and son Guy’s 45-ewe flock from Nesbit, Wooler. 
Securing a personal best for this commercial unit was a March-born son of a Capielaw tup lamb bought here in 2015, which in turn was sired by Forkins Firestarter. Used at home last year, this big tup was the sire of many of Nisbet’s Suffolk cross Half-bred ewe lambs sold at St Boswells which hit a top of £148 to average £133 for 250.
Two other registered shearlings made £2800 including the lead from Peter and Lynn Gray’s Scrogtonhead flock from Galston. He is by a Roseden sire bought here in 2014, out of a home-bred ewe by Cookstead Class Act, and sold across the Irish Sea to work on commercial ewes for Stephen Thompson, Drumcrow Road, Glenarm, Ballymena.
Arnold and John Park’s high index rams from Drinkstone, Hawick, matched that sale selling a shearling ram backed by home-bred genetics on both sides to John Mauchlen, Spotsmains, Kelso. The sire is Drinkstone Triple John, while the dam is by Drinkstone Napoleon.
Jonathan and Jayne Watson’s Brijon shearling rams from Bowsden Moor, Berwick upon Tweed, again made the grade with a cracking pen sold at the end of the sale which sold to a top of £2000 to average £968 for 35. Best here was a son of Ilwyn Welsh Border out of a home-bred ewe that bred the £4500 shearling ram sold here in 2015. He sold to J Leiper and Sons, Black Heddon, Ponteland, Newcastle. 
Add to that the couple’s cracking trade for Texel rams and the farm sold 83 rams to average £1068.
Jonny Elliot’s unregistered Suffolk shearlings from Roxburgh Mains, Kelso, sold just as well with 31 cashing in at £960. Dearest here was a £2000 sale for a high index ram with 50% New Zealand genetics. He is out of a dam by Roxburgh Mains Lachore and was knocked down to J Jones, Rublestonhall, Haverfordwest, and G Jones, Pencae Felingwm, Carmarthen, Wales.


Averages: 290 shearling rams, £813.41 (+£157.70 for three more sold); 232 ram lambs, £473.32 (-£27.25 for three more); 418 unregistered shearling rams, £666.53 (+£73.14 for 13 fewer).