New Blue record at £37,000

Scottish breeders certainly made their mark at last week's marathon Bluefaced Leicester Association sale at Hawes, where a new breed record of £37,000 was achieved.

The event, which lasted a gruelling 16hours from 9am to 1.15am the following day, saw the best from Allan Wight and son Ben's Midlock flock from Crawford, surpass the previous record of £34,000, selling back up to Scotland with up and coming young breeders, Jamie Pirie, Blarnavaid, Drymen, and Andrew Campbell, Drimsynie, Lochgoilhead.

Attracting all the big money was a lamb bred from the Wight's top breeding ewe. Sired by the J6 Hewgill bought at Hawes last year for £5500, he is out of a ewe by the B4 Tanhouse which had already produced more than £40,000 of tup sales.

A flying trade throughout, with several four figure sales saw the Midlock pen of nine lambs cash in at £6911.

On the other side of the equation, young Jamie received £7500 for his first time selling here. Breck House Enterprises, Bransdale, Fadmoor, York, forked out the cash for his lamb.

Two lambs made £24,000 to include the first from the Booth family's Smearsett flock from Feizor, Lancs. This entry which stood fourth at the pre-sale show, is by the G11 Smearsett – a tup more affectionately known as Ted – which is a son of the D17 Smearsett and out of a good old breeding ewe by the S1 Lunesdale that in turn is a throwback to the old mule bloodlines of Gordon Rawsthorne. He sold in a three-way split to Jack Lawson, buying for his Hundith flock from Threapland, Wigton; KA Brown and Sons, Asby Hall, Appleby; and Alan Lodge, Malham Moor, Settle. The Smearsett flock levelled at £3614 for 14 tups sold.

Late in the evening, the Harkerside flock of WA Dinsdale and Son – managed by Fred and Ruth Prescott – from Grinton, Richmond, sold the second £24,000 lamb. This well bred lamb is a son of the G6 Midlock – a tup shared with Shafthill, that bred eight of the top 10 Mule ewe lambs at the Penrith Progeny Show. He is out of a ewe by the B1 Todhills and sold to Jimmy and Wendy Bell buying for their Cottage flock from Auchengray, Carnwath; Dougie and Lynda Graham, Mains of Burnbank, Blair Drummond and Stewart Park and Eunice Mills, Auchens, Mennock, Sanquhar.

Close behind on £23,000 was the pen leader from WC Porter and Son's Riddings flock from Richmond, purchased by Appleby breeders, Martin Allan, Greenhow, and Craig Taylor, Swathburn. By the Carryhouse Jackpot, a £14,000 purchase last year, he is out of a seven-shear ewe by Z1 Riddings and stood third in his class at the pre-sale show.

The champion – selected by the judge, Neil Marston, Highberries – also came from Riddings and made £5500, to the same buyers.

Bellingham breeders, Andrew and Caroline Hunter, The Steel, enjoyed a great day for their second time selling here, taking £20,000, for a son of a £4000 Firth out of a ewe by the £10,000 Midlock shared with Carry House. The buyers included Tom Willoughby, Penhill, Woodend, Leyburn; J Allinson, Sealhouses, Richmond and Kevin and Rachel Buckles, Buckles, Kirkby Stephen.

It was one of the longest days ever for Michael James' Duhonw flock all they way from Builth Wells, Wales, when his sheep were the last lot through the ring. However, he was well rewarded for his long wait, taking £20,000 for his pen leader, by the G1 Midlock out of a ewe by E1 Swarthburn. He also sold in a three-way split to James Herdman, Edlingham Newtown, Alnwick; Obie Sharp, Newbiggin Walls, Lauder; P Hedley, buying for his Riccalton flock from Earlston and Colin Campbell, Easter Happrew, Stobo, Peebles. Mr James also scooped the lead flock average selling three lambs at £8333.

Messrs Lord's Hewgill flock from North Stainmore, Kirkby Stephen, was another in the money, with a run of top sales peaking at £18,000 for their pen leader. This big lamb is by the home-bred H45 Hewgill, which sired seven out of the 10 top Mule ewe lambs at Hawes as well as lambs in the top pens at Kirkby Stephen and Penrith. Full of homebred bloodlines, this entry is by G49 Hewgill and goes back to E47 Hewgill. On his mother’s side his mother, by G23 Marriforth, is full sister to H30 Hewgill. Final bidders were Keith Ireland, Stackhow, Frizington, and Andrew Nicholson, Swinside, Scales, Cockermouth. Other sons of the H45 Hewgill made £6400 and £6200, to boost the Lord's average to £5460 for 10 lambs.

Martyn Archer's run of show success here for the Carry House flock from Hexham, continued too, with a full brother to last year's champion winner standing second in his class and reserve overall. That was a ram lamb son of G34 Midlock – a Midlock Mustang son – out of a Higherries ewe by Z4 Hundith. He made £12,000 selling to three Scottish breeders to include Archie and John MacGregor, Allanfauld, Kilsyth; Alex Brown, Macqueston, Thornhill, Dumfries and John Park, Dalpeddar, Sanquhar.

The second Carry House lamb, also by the G34 Midlock but out of a ewe by Highberries Highlander, made £9000 selling to Paul and Granville Fairburn, Marriforth, Thornton Steward, Ripon, to bump up the flock average to £4182 for 11 lambs.

Peter Fell's small flock of just 15 ewes from Castle Hill, Pennington, Ulverston, also made its mark with his pen leader, by the H4 Marrifoth, a tup that goes going back to E1 Smearsett, out of a ewe by A1 Smearsett, making £9000 to Messrs Hargreaves, Barley, Burnley, Lancs.

Gordon Rawsthorne, Scargill, Nether Kellet, Carnforth, sold his best at £8500 to Paul Hallam, Derbyshire.

LEADINGprices

Ram lambs – J Wight and Sons, £37,000, £5000, £4200, £4000 x 2, £2800; WA and A Booth, £24,000, £3600, £3200, £3100, £3000; WA Dinsdale and Son, £24,000; WC Porter and Son, £23,000, £5500, £4500, £4200, £3500, £2800; J Hunter and Sons, £20,000, £3800 x 2, £3000; JE and SJL James, £20,000, £4000; Messrs Lord, £18,000, £6400, £6200, £5500, £5200, £4000, £3600; RD Archer and Son, £12,000, £9000, £6200, £3000 x 2, £2800 x 2; P Fell, £9000; G Rawsthorne, £8500, £7200; J Pirie, £7500, £5500; JW Jackson-Smith, £7100; E Fairburn and Sons, £6000, £3000, £2800; Park and Mills, £5500; J and A Brown, £5500, £4500, £3000; CT and JE Willoughby, £5200; J Bell, £5000, £3200, £2800; DJ Abberley, £4800; JA and R Caton, £4200, £3000, £2800; G and HR Shields, £4000; A Campbell, £4000; S Allan and Sons, £3800; WM Hutchinson and Son, £3600, £3000 x 2; MW and CM Ridley, £3600; MR Thornborrow, £3600; DA and MA Brown, £3100; BR Fawcett, £3100; M/S Lawson, £3000; I and P Brown, £3000.

Shearling rams – JA and R Caton, £3000; J Wight and Sons, £2700, £2400; WC Porter and Son, £2000.

Averages: 681 sheep sold of which ram lambs averaged, £1549 (+£125); aged rams, £1081; shearling rams, £793 (+£231); ewes, £755 (+£110); gimmers, £697 (+£175); ewe lambs, £538 (+£24).

Auctioneers: Hawes Auction Mart.