Averages: Females – 18 gimmers, £529 (+£91 for four more sold); 19 lambs, £421 (-£39 for two more). Rams – Four shearlings, £703 (+£265 for one more); 25 lambs £653 (-£20 for two more).

PRICES peaked at 1500gns on three occasions at the Hampshire Down association's national show and sale at Stratford, last weekend.

Scottish producers, S and A Moore, Mains of Boghall, Brechin, Angus, were the first to fork out this money for a tup lamb in the top 1% of the breed by Thorbeck Hurricane, from Jim Birkwood, Grimsby, Lincolnshire, who also sold another lamb by Kelsey Nobleman, at the same price to E and A Jones, Wymondham, Norfolk.

Also making 1500gns was a ram lamb from Co Down breeders, A and V McFadden, Banbridge, who sold a son of their home-bred Royal Ulster Show champion, Ashley Blackjack, to D Cormack, Billesdon, Leicestershire.

Shearling rams sold to 1180gns for an entry from Grant Brand's East Fortune flock from East Lothian, purchased by S Harries, Whitland, Pembrokeshire. Ranked within the breed’s top 25%, he is by the homebred East Fortune Balfour.

The Brands enjoyed a buoyant trade, selling a ram lamb at 880gns and a gimmer at 650gns with both sired by East Fortune Balfour. The former was knocked down to P Meredith, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, while the latter headed home with Richards Bros, Cilmery, Powys.

Suffolk-based breeders, D Middleditch and Son, Sudbury, headed the gimmers at 820gns with an entry by St Paul Impreza selling to D Cormack, Leicestershire, with another from the same home, by Thorbeck Heineken making 800gns to E and A Jones, Wymondham.

Back amongst the ram lambs, Northern Ireland breeders, KP and AE McCarthy, Comber, Co Down secured a Ballycreelly Murphy sired ram lamb bred by A Brown and G Beckley, Templecombe, Somerset, at 800gns.

The McCarthys recouped the majority of their spend with their leading homebred ram lamb by Ballycreelly Devil’s Revenge making 780gns to N Haley, Buckfastleigh, Devon.

Auctioneers: Bletsoes