Shafthill's £9000 sale leader

Despite a catalogued entry of 1227 Blues of both types selling in three rings at Borderway, only 772 changed hands and averages were down on the year in the majority of sections – as ram lambs failed to hit the three at five-figure prices last year –to follow the industry trend seen at many breeding sheep sales this season.

He may have been born on April 1 but John and Wendy Smith-Jackson’s L11 Shafthill proved anything but an April Fool for the husband and wife duo who run just 18 ewes at High Town, Melkridge, Haltwhistle.

His sire is the G6 Midlock bought for £6000 at Hawes and shared with Harkerside which, last year, sired lambs to £7200 for Shafthill and £24,000 for Harkerside as well as members of Shafthill’s champion and reserve pens of Mule ewe lambs.

Brought out with help from shepherd, Ben Morrilee, he is the result of a flush from a J1 Bailey Mill-sired Shafthill hogg, and his full brother was retained at home with a half share later sold privately to James Herdman, of the Edlingham flock. Forking out the cash were young Jamie Pirie, of the Blarnavaid flock near Drymen, and Alec Brown, of the Macqueston flock near Thornhill, Dumfries.

The Shafthill flock proved popular as Messrs Ridley, Hexham, Northumberland, paid £3200 for L14 Shafthill, another by the G6 Midlock tup and this time out of a ewe backed by home genetics, being by the G7 Shafthill.

Messrs Carruthers paid £3000 to take another by the G6 Midlock home to Rochester, Newcastle upon Tyne. This lad, L13 Shafthill, is out of an E28 Midlock daughter.

In all, Shafthill sold six lambs to level at £3125 and top the averages league.

The ever popular Midlock flock from Allan and Ben Wight produced a top of £5500 for a substitute entry, their L1 Midlock, from the 70-strong flock near Broughton, Biggar.

He shares the same sire as the father and son duo’s record setter at £37,000 last year, the J6 Hewgill that was bought at Hawes for £6000. Selling to Ashley Caton for the Skipton-based Otterburn Lodge flock, he is out of a ewe by the famous Midlock Mustang, a sister to the top G33, G34 and G35 Midlock tups.

Midlock received a further £3000 from Paul Fairburn, Marriforth, Ripon, for L51 Midlock, with the sire of this lad being the £7000 K1 Shafthill bought at Hawes last year. His mother is by the H1 Kirkby Redgate.

This helped Midlock average £2235.71 for the seven sold.

Making £5000 was the L11 Greenhow from Martin Allan’s 30-ewe Blue flock that runs alongside 1600 Swaledales near Dufton, Appleby, Cumbria. Bred from a daughter of the loaned C2 Hundith, his sire is the £23,000 K1 Riddings bought at Hawes last year that has since produced Mule ewe lambs to £220 at the same centre. Notably, L11’s full brother from the same flush sold to £8000 at Hawes earlier in the month, and this chap stays locally with Ron and Fran Wilson, Low Tipalt, Carlisle.

Jack and Adam Lawson, from Hundith House, Threapland, Aspatria, welcomed a top bid of £4500 for their first in, the L23 Hundith, which is a son of the £24,000 K1 Smearsett bought at Hawes last year in partnership with Asby Hall. Selling to Breck House Enterprises, Fadmoor, York, his mother is a consistent breeder by the D12 Bull and Cave.

Matching that £4500 was the pre-sale champion from second time vendor, Amy Campbell and her L2 Glenrath from the flock of just eight ewes at Langhaugh, Kirkton Manor, Peebles. This ET – which sold three ways to Messrs Pattinson and Son, Hott Bank, Messrs Morshead, Harsondale, and A Murray, Grindon, all near Hexham – is by the K1 Drimsynie retained by the Drimsynie flock with a half share later sold to Hewgill, and out of a privately bought Macqueston ewe by the F2 Lunesdale.

Setting a new best for the 20-ewe Hendy flock from Nantyrhendy, Llangurig, Llanidloes, Powys, was Ewan Rees, whose L1 Hendy sold to Messrs Dixon, Morpeth, and Messrs Elliot, Powburn, Alnwick, for £4000. He was more than making up for his sire, the K21 Nunscleugh’s purchase price at just £800, while his home-bred mother is by the G8 Riddings.

Messrs Kerr paid £3200 to take the first in from the Porter family’s Riddings flock from Healaugh, Richmond, home to Maybole, Ayrshire. Sired by the J2 Carry House, L30 Riddings is out of a D41 Riddings-sired ewe.

A total of six ram lambs sold for £3000 with the first of these being the L3 West Biggins from the Reed family, Lands Farm, Westgate, Bishop Auckland. Sired by the H2 Highberries and out of a home-bred ewe by E1 Midlock, he sold to Messrs Raine, Penrith.

Just a few lots later, Jamie Pirie saw his L17 Blarnavaid sell to Northern Irish breeders, Messrs Wright, Ballymena, County Antrim, for £3000. His sire is the £37,000 breed record holder, the K20 Midlock, while his mother is by the F1 Firth.

Another to make £3000 was the L1 Glenlaugh from the Templetons, near Auldgirth, Dumfries. Selling down to Wales with Messrs Roberts, Gaerwen, Gwynedd, his dam is by the F2 Macqueston while his sire is J1 Hanging Wells.

The last of the lambs to hit the £3000 mark when sold to Messrs Lawson, Wigton, was the L1 Shaw Head from K Ridley, Allenshields, Blacnhland, Consett, County Durham. His pedigree features the G17 Gragareth on to a Redburn ewe by the F24 Barley.

The Waugh family’s shearling ram, the L20 Kilnstown from near Bewcastle, Carlisle, was the dearest of the aged and shearling when he matched that £3000 call when knocked down to Messrs Ivinson and Sons, Penrith. Sired by the G2 Gragareth, his home-bred dam is by the L15 Keer.

Another shearling, K13 Hargill House from TP Wigham, Coanwood, Haltwhistle, realised £2400. Sired by the J3 Riddings and out of a Z4 Hundith Elite Plus daughter, he heads to work near Hawick for the Hall family.

Females sold to £1200 when Messrs Steedman, Kippen, Stirling, paid that for the Jones’ K24 Llanilltyd from their flock near Libanus, Brecon, Powys. This gimmer is full of home breeding, being by the J10 Llanilltyd and out of a home-bred ewe by the F4 Low Tipalt.

Averages: 290 lamb rams, £843.52 (-£66.30 for 21 fewer sold); 151 shearling rams, £649.60 (-£68.48 for five fewer); 27 females, £333.33 (+£3.57 for 15 fewer).