Beltex females from Andrew and Becky Bishop’s Bishops flock, from Gloucs, were the pick of the trade at last weekend’s pedigree sheep sale at Newark, where a top price of 4000gns was achieved for a gimmer.
Bishops Best Before, a line-bred daughter of the imported sire, Ouragan Des Pres de L’Ernard and out of a dam by the same sire, sold to Emily South, Kidlington, Buckinghamshire.
Miss South also bought the next best from the Bishops at 3000gns. Bishops Bootylicious, by Bishops Arnold, is out of another Ouragan Des Pres de L’Ernard daughter and had been breed champion at Newark, Lincoln and Norfolk Shows during the summer. 
And, at 1600gns Bishops Concertina, a ewe lamb by Cochrane’s Nimrod, out of another ewe by the imported sire, sold to Andrew Wood, buying for his Withy Trees flock at Preston. She was first at Royal Bath and West and Lincoln Shows.
Best of the Texels saw a 1000gns call for the shearling ram, Melton Constable Yehudi, from Tom, Joe and Alex Lockhart. This son of Millar’s Valiant is out of a Mitchellhill Toby daughter and sold to JH Grundy, Spalding.
The Lockharts also led the gimmer trade at 1000gns, when a Garngour Wall Street daughter out of a dam by Strathbogie Stonker, was bought by M Morris, South Kilworth.
William Timms’ Tima Blues flock topped the Blue Texels at 550gns twice. The first of these, an imported ewe by a Kreuze sire, sold to Josh Bustance, Spalding. The second, a daughter of Sunnybank X-Factor, sold to David Roberts, Shrewsbury.

Averages: Beltex – 13 gimmers, £958.73, six ewe lambs, £633.50, 24 shearling rams, £481.68, six ram lambs, £525. Texel – 22 shearling rams, £595.29; 20 gimmers, £440.47; eight ram lambs £409.50. Blue Texels – 14 ewes £287.25; six shearling rams £385; eight ewe lambs £210.