Firth flock to the fore at Carlisle

Selling late on in the day, that top price was paid for the number two from Derek Hall's Firth pen from Lilyburn, Penicuik. This second prize crossing type gimmer is by the £6000 G37 Midlock bought at Hawes that has been a 'steady and honest breeder' of both pure Blues and Mules. The gimmer's dam line is strong too as her mother is by the B4 Tanhouse that has done well in the flock. After some spirited bidding, she was knocked down in a two-way split to Amy Campbell and Colin Campbell, for their Glenrath and Easter Happrew flocks, respectively, near Peebles, scanned with a pair to the H1 Kirkby Redgate, a tup bought for £34,000 in partnership with the Hamildean and Midlock flocks. 

Derek received a further 4500gns for his number one, with this one carrying triplets to the H1 Kirkby Redgate, which has bred sons to £11,000. This gimmer, which sold across the Irish Sea with A Christie, Benvardin Road, Ballybogy, County Antrim, is by the G1 Nunscleugh shared with Midlock, out of a ewe by the £11,000 E1 Hewgill, again shared with Midlock. 

         Midlock's 5500gns gimmer

The three generations of the Wight family – Allan, son Allan and his son Ben – from near Biggar, enjoyed a good day trading, selling 19 gimmers to average £2376.32, with a top of 5500gns paid by D McCrystal, who takes the first prize crossing gimmer home to Galladuff Hill, Drummuck, Northern Ireland. Her dam, by the E1 Barff House, has bred rams to £4000 while the sire is the £23,000gns H1 Carry House. She heads across the water scanned with triplets to the former breed record holder, the £34,000 H1 Kirkby Redgate.

That service sire was behind the Wights' second prize gimmer which also heads over the sea, this time to Newtait Road, Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, with L Harden for 3500gns. Considered once of the best females in her age group with full sisters retained at Midlock, her dam, by the E1 Hewgill, is a full sister to Midlock Gmac, and this girl was scanned with a pair to K57 Midlock, a son of the G19 Highberries. 

The Steels at Kepculloch, Balfron Station, paid the same price for another H1 Kirkby Redgate-sired Midlock gimmer. She was carrying twins to K3 Midlock, and is bred from the same B4 Tanhouse Farm daughter that bred sons to £5000. 

                 Kirkby Redgate's 5000gns hogg

Among the first lots to sell through the ring was the Hutchinson family's Kirkby Redgate flock from Redgate, Rookby, Kirkby Stephen, which peaked at 5000gns for the number one which heads across the water to Lakeview Farm, Ballagh Road, Fivemiletown, County Tyrone, with Lee Beacom. This hogg, which is a full sister to the Balmoral Show champion, is among the first crop by the £3000 J1 Sealhouses bought at Hawes two years back while the dam is by the G1 Hewgill – a £6500 purchase which has sired Mule champions at the Great Yorkshire, Smithfield and Agri-Expo, as well as the £11,000 record-setting ewe hogg sold at the same sale in 2016. 

Brought out by Richard Hutchinson, the very next lot then sold to local breeders, A and J Riley, Whinney Brow, Roweltown, Carlisle, for 4800gns. There's money in the breeding behind this hogg as she's by the G17 Marriforth that also sired Kirby Redgate's £34,000 ram, while the dam, another by the G1 Hewgill, is a full sister to the £11,000 hogg. 

The Hutchinsons also presented the reserve crossing champion, a two-shear ewe by the G1 Hewgill, which went on to realise 3800gns when snapped up by P Davies, Hilltop, Durham. With six full sisters retained in the flock and bred from the same family as the pen leader, she is by the A5 Gragareth which has bred rams to £14,000 as well as females to 5000gns. She's a breeder too, having bred last year's £2000 ram, and sold carrying a pair to G17 Marriforth. 

A further two Kirkby Redgate ewe hoggs realised 3000gns apiece, with the former, by the G17 Marriforth, selling to M Brood Ltd, Cottage Farm, Callow Hill, Redditch. She is out of a daughter of the G1 Hewgill. Selling to Lee Beacom for the same price was a daughter of the J1 Sealhouses bred from a mother by the E28 Hewgill. 

         Hewgill's 5000gns hogg

Matching a previous call of 5000gns was the pen leader from the Lord family's Hewgill flock based at West Dowgill, North Stainmore, Kirkby Stephen, brought out by John. This second prize crossing hogg, which sold to Kirkby Redgate, is by the home-bred H45 Hewgill, which sired the £18,000 lamb sold at Hawes as well as the £4400 ewe hogg sold at Hawes a few days previously. She is out of a ewe by the 'Green Tag' ram, the E47 Hewgill which has been a consistent breeder of males and females. 

The crossing champion, a ewe hogg from the Porter family's Riddings flock from near Reeth, Richmond, was next at 4200gns, when purchased by A and N Bennett, Hollins Farm, Dockray, Penrith. Among the first crop to sell by the J2 Carry House known as Jackpot – which was bought for £14,000 at Hawes with a half share retained by Carry House and has since sired lambs to £23,000 – this hogg is out of a daughter of the F3 Scarrowmanwick, a ram which has sired top draw Mule ewe lambs. 

The Porters – Jeffrey and Valerie, together with James, Marian and William – also received 3800gns from M Wright, Slane Road, Carnlough, Ballymena, for their number one. This hogg, which stood champion at last year's Reeth Show, offers different genetics to the champion, being by the home-bred E22 Riddings Domino that has sired ram lambs to £6500, and out of a daughter of C3 Midlock Badger. 

         Macqueston's 4000gns hogg

Father and son team, Alec and Anders Brown, received a top of 4000gns for the pen leader from their Tyron, Thornhill-based Macqueston flock, which heads to a new home at Midlock. A full ET sister to a £2500 ram lamb as well as a female which has bred rams to £5500, she is by the G19 Highberries shared with Midlock and Cottage, while the mother goes back to the C13 Firth. 

Just behind with a final bid of 3800gns was the number one from John Smith-Jackson and wife Mandy, which sold to ED Harkin, Sallowilly Road, Dunamanagh, Strabraen, County Tyrone. Sired by the £6000 G6 Midlock bought in partnership with Harkerside, which has bred rams to £21,000 for the latter, this hogg is out of a Z4 Hundith daughter, a ewe which has bred well with three rans retained in the duo's Shafthill flock at Hightown, Melkridge, Haltwhistle.  

Despite being one of the last consignments to sell, the Pedley brothers, Stephen and Martin, saw their number one hogg sell to Lee Beacom for 3800gns. A show winner last year, this daughter of the H2 Drimsynie is bred from a ewe by the B2 Duhonw, which won the 2016 Penrith progeny show and has been a good female getter in the flock near Lunds, Sedbergh. 

Two from Robin and Martyn Archer's Carry House flock from near Hexham matched a previous 3000gns price tag when sold to the Thornborrow lads at Easter Dawyck, Stobo, Peebles, and Amy Campbell, Glenrath. Notably, both are by the G34 Midlock bought at Hawes for £10,000 in partnership with The Steel which went on to sire rams to £23,000. Selling to Dawyck was a gimmer bred from the same C29 Carry House Cracker daughter that also bred the £10,000 H10 Carry House. She changed hands scanned with three to G1 Highberries Highlander. 
The latter, which sold to Glenrath, was a hogg that is a full sister to the £12,000 K1 Carry House as well as Carry House Jackpot, being out of a Z4 Hundith daughter.

Averages: 28 ewes, £626.63 (-£63.37 for seven more sold); 66 ewe hoggs, £1484.64 (+£255.95 for nine fewer); 63 gimmers, £1515.50 (+£303.53 for 24 fewer).