Averages: Sportmans – 15 gimmers, £3857; Knap – Nine gimmers, £3850; Strathbogie – 10 gimmers, £3969; Milnbank – 17 gimmers, £2248.24; Cowal – Eight gimmers, £2058; Deveronvale – Nine gimmers, £962.50; Clinterty – Five gimmers, £1050; Eden Valley – Four gimmers, £1522.50; Annan – Four gimmers, £777; Fordafourie – Five gimmers, £678.30; Hilltop – Four gimmers, £708.75; Goldies – Seven gimmers, £694.50.

Pedigree Texel gimmers met a huge demand at the Christmas Stars sale at Carlisle, last weekend, where overall averages broke through the £2000 bracket backed up by no fewer than five sales at or above the 10,000gns mark.

Notably, the top two sales at 15,000gns and 13,000gns were from Charlie Boden's Sportsman's flock, 'herded by Mark Priestley, with the flock from Mellor Hall, Stockport, Cheshire.

More impressive was the fact that Mr Boden's entry which included no fewer than 14 gimmers by the 145,000gns Knap Vicious Sid, saw his flock average level at £3857 for 15.

Dearest at 15,000gns was a substitute entry by Sid, that stood second in her class at this year's Royal Welsh Show. Bred from a Milnbank Special One daughter that was the dam of 8500gns Sportsmans Uni Royal and the 4000gns Sportsmans Young Yin, she changed hands carrying a single to the 52,000gns Clinterty Yogi Bear. The buyer was Jim Innes, purchasing for his Strathbogie flock from Dunscroft, Huntly, and who also later enjoyed a flying trade.

Just behind on 13,000gns, was another Sid daughter carrying a single to Yogi Bear, but one bred from a Tullylagan Tonka-sired dam that is a daughter of a 4200gns Muiresk ewe. She made 13,000gns to R Evans, Fox Farm, Hope valley, Shropshire.

Two other Sportsmans gimmers by Vicious Sid made 3500gns and 3000gns. The former, due with triplets to Yogi Bear, was knocked down to RS and J Bradley, Far Hey, Salterforth, Colne, Lancs, with the latter, carrying a single to Knock Will.I.AM, purchased by DP Delves, The View, Churchstoke, Powys.

Jim Innes' Strathbogie flock, managed by Michael Leggat, produced the lead flock average at £3970 for 10, from a lead price of 12,000gns. This bid was given for the pen's No 2, an ET daughter of Aman Vyrnwy, a 6500gns purchase at Carlisle in 2014, by Teiglum Tornado. Star attraction here was the dam, a home-bred ewe by Glenside Razzle Dazzle which has bred sons to 35,000gns, 15,000gns and 5000gns. The gimmer changed hands scanned with a single to the Millar's Windbrook son, Strathbogie Yes Sir – the £60,000 lamb sold privately this year, of which a share was retained, to Kenny Pratt, buying for his Hilltop flock from Oldtown, Peterculter, Aberdeenshire.

Her full sister, also made the grade, making 5000gns to Sam McCollam, Nutts Corner, Crumlin, Co Antrim, when carrying triplets to the 14,000gns Glenside Wild Boy.

Strathbogie's pen leader was also a cracker, but carrying quads to Yes Sir, made 6000gns to J and E Hendry, Rascarrel, Auchencairn, Castle. A full sister to a 6000gns ram lamb sold to Paul Tippets and Christine Williams, in 2015, she is by Mullan Vivaldi and out of another Razzle Dazzle-sired ewe.

Robert Cockburn's Knap flock from Hill of Errol, Errol, Perth, enjoyed it's best ever female trade too, almost most doubling it's previous best here, when his pen leader made 12,000gns selling to the Campbell brothers, Keith, Allan and Roy, who own the Cowal flock at Lochgoilhead. Their purchase is by the 7500gns Tamnamoney Tuborg Gold which bred Mr Cockburn's 145,000gns Knap Vicious Sid in 2014, and out of a ewe by Baltier Rascal. A maternal sister to the 3100gns Knap Waverly and the 1400gns Knap Yoyo, she changed hands carrying triplets to the 60,000gns Clintery Yuga Khan.

Minutes later, Knap received 6500gns for a daughter of the 14,000gns Tullagh Saracen, from Brian Buchan, Clinterty, New Aberdour, Fraserburgh. Bred from a 1900gns Ettrick ewe by Ettrick Rainbow Warrior, she sold due with twins to Yuga Khan.

Tuborg Gold out of a ewe by Knock Papoose then produced a 3200gns sale to G Pyman, Park View, Stainton, Penrith. She sold scanned for three to Procters Yankee, with the Knap flock producing the third top average at £3850 for nine.

The last of the five-figure sales came for Robbie Wilson's pen leader from the Milnbank flock from Turriff. His Glenside Valhalla daughter which is an ET sister to the 7000gns Milnmank Womaniser, made 10,000gns to Brechin breeder, Kenny Duthie, Woodside of Chapelton. She is bred from a ewe by Teiglum Tornado and sold carrying a single to Strathbogie Yes Sir.

Craig Paterson, Cranna Bridge, Aberchirder, Huntly, bought the second Milnbank gimmer at 7000gns which is scanned for a pair to Yes Sir. The breeding behind this ET includes Aman Vyrnwy onto a ewe by Glenside Razzle Dazzle.

The Campbell's cocky pen of Cowal gimmers, brought out by shepherd, Chris Tonner, hit a top of 7000gns, for a Knap Vicous Sid daughter out of a ewe by Tullylagan Tonka. Graham Morrison, who owns the Deveronvale flock at Inchbruich, Cornhill, Banff, was the last man in on this entry which sold due with twins to the 42,000gns Strathbogie Your Tupped.

The same sire and service sire was also behind a 3000gns Cowal gimmer purchased by Willie Knox, Mid Haddo, Fyvie, Turriff.

Financing half of the 7000gns Cowal gimmer, Mr Morrison's lead gimmer made 3500gns to Welsh breeder, Edward Pugh, Glan Llyn, Bala, Gwynedd. This was paid for a daughter of Deveronvale Undertone, out of a Glenside Razzle Dazzle ewe and served to Strathbogie Yes Sir.

Auctioneers: Harrison and Hetherington.