By Katrina Macarthur

k.macarthur@thesf.co.uk

CENTRE records for a North Country Cheviot were smashed at Aberdeen and Northern Marts' Quoybrae mart, last week, when a shearling ram from first time consignor Jacqueline Mackay, sold for £7500.

With buyers forward from as far south as Wales, right up to Shetland, breeders enjoyed one of the best sales here, as the 67 rams cashed in to average £955.61, a rise of £166.44 on the year for four less sold.

"We had a very good show of Cheviot tups here today and there more south buyers present than normal," said Stuart Slesser, Aberdeen and Northern Marts’ centre manager at the Caithness Livestock Centre. “There was definitely more of a buzz about the sale today for a similar number sold to last year’s sale.”

Setting a new centre record of £7500 for Miss Mackay, who runs just nine ewes alongside her dad's James' well-known Biggins flock at Killimster, Wick, was the apt name Biggins Well-Bred, which stood reserve champion in the pre-sale show. By Biggins Topnotch, a tup that was retained in the flock as a shearling, he is bred out of a ewe by Bardnaclavan Champion, a tup bought at Quoybrae for £4500 four years ago, and sold to relatively new breeders, John and Allison Sandle, who run 10 ewes in their Spring Bank flock at Nether Peover.

Jacqueline's dad, James, also enjoyed a good day when he sold Biggins Wizard for £4000 to James Allan, Durran Mains, Castletown, Thurso. Another by Biggins Topnotch, he is bred out of a ewe by Hilltop Senator, a tup bought at Lockerbie in 2014.

Johnny Campbell's Bardnaclavan flock from Westfield, Thurso, produced sales at £3400 and £2600 with the dearest selling to J and M Macdonald, Tormore, Dunbeath. That was Bardnaclavan Wizzkid, one of the first sons by the Biggins Napier-sired, £1400 Durran Thunder, out of a Shoestanes Pioneer dam. The latter was Bardnaclavan Warlord, by Longoe Regal – a tup loaned from breeder Alan Smith, Orkney, two years ago – and bred out of a £1500 Cairnside Northern Light daughter. He sold to James Mackay's 50-ewe Biggins flock.

Father and son team, Neil and Stuart Barclay, who run 150 Northies at Harestone, Crathes, Banchory, sold Harestone Woohoo for £2800 to James Baillie, Sebay, Tankerness, Orkney. By the Philliphaugh Tevez-sired Biggins Titan, a tup bought for £2000 in 2016, he is out of a ewe which was bought at Quoybrae as a gimmer.

The first shearling through the ring from the Queen Elizabeth Castle of Mey Trust's Longoe flock at Mey, Thurso, sold for £2200 to Welsh breeder, IH Hughes, Pontllyfni. Brought out by brothers Danny and Sandy McCarthy, was Longoe Willie Bebb, a son of Bardnaclavan Trident which is a former Caithness County Show male champion, out of a Sebay Nobleman ewe which has bred well for the 70-ewe hill flock.

Last to hit the £2000 bracket was the best from Alan Simpson's Cairnside flock at Oldhall, Watten, Wick, when snapped up by Chelgrove Ltd, Innergellie House, Kilrenny. He is a son of Longoe Statesman, out of a Bardnaclavan Rooney ewe.

Meanwhile, Caithness Livestock Breeders Association’s multi-breed ram sale held later in the day, peaked at £1200 for the champion Suffolk shearling from the Barnetson family, Lynegar, when sold to the Mackays at West Greenland, Castletown. In all, 40 Suffolk shearlings averaged £550.26; 48 Texel shearlings cashed in at £470.64; five Border Leicester shearlings averaged £500 and three Bluefaced Leicesters levelled at £375.

LEADING flock averages:

Flock (No) Top (£) Averages (£)

2018 2017

Biggins (8) 4000 1368.75 1231.25

Harestone (3) 2800 1300 –

Bardnaclavan (10) 3400 1210 1205

Smerlie (3) 1400 1040 –

Longoe (7) 2200 935.71 –