One of the first gimmers sold at the Dark Diamonds sale of pedigree Suffolk females, produced the top price of 7000gns for Andrew Wilson's prize winning Castleisle flock all the way from Co Donegal, Eire.

The sale at Borderway Mart, Carlisle, which comprised of entries from no fewer than 12 flocks, saw Mr Wilson's entry by Birness Murray – the 2016 Sire of the Year which has bred three five-figure priced lambs to include former champion and reserve winners at Stirling, Shrewsbury and Roscrea – sell to Stephen Cobbald, buying for his pedigree unit at Acton, Sudbury, Suffolk. Bred from one of the best ewes in the flock, by Shannagh Resolve, this big girl changed hands carrying a pair to Limestone Aston Martin – the champion at Stirling in July that was jointly purchased for 40,000gns.

Notably, all bar one of Mr Wilson's gimmers were daughters of the 5500gns Birness Murray bought in 2014, which sold to produce the lead flock average of £2562 for five.

The breeders of Birness Murray, George and Melvin Stuart, Milton of Birness, Ellon, were also in the money, selling the second top priced gimmer at 5500gns and another at 2400gns. Both are daughters of the Ardlea Atomic son, Redbrae Rambo – a tup bought at Stirling in 2015 for 10,000gns, that has bred lambs to 3400gns and females to 2600gns. The dearest, which is out of a ewe by Thurston Urastar, sold carrying twin lambs to the jointly purchased Limestone Legacy, a tup bought for 9500gns last year that has bred sons to 30,000gns and 24,000gns, to Messrs Paterson, Huntly, Aberdeenshire.

The 2400gns gimmer is out of a ewe by Annaskisha Apache and again sold carrying a pair to Legacy, to Messrs Skidmore, Billingham, Cleveland.

It was a long trip north for Devon breeder, Robin Irwin, to sell two gimmers from his Kings flock at 3800gns and 3600gns, and it was just as long a trip home, when they sold to SK Elsworthy, buying for the Monkleigh flock from Barnfield, and Ross Lawrence of the Roundacre flock from Winkleigh, also Devon, respectively.

The former, an unbeaten show gimmer that is maternal sister to the 3000gns Kings Karakter, while her grand-dam was the top priced ewe lamb at the Plasllewlyn dispersal, is a daughter of Burnview Ballistic, an 11,000gns purchase in 2016, while her dam is by Cariness Carbon. She sold in lamb to 10,000gns Birness Bang Tidy, bought earlier in the year in partnership with the Roundacre flock and with a recipient ewe carrying a single embryo from her and sired by Bang Tidy.

The 3600gns Kings gimmer is also by Ballistic but bred from a ewe by Kings Kabul. She changes hands carrying a pair of lambs to the Shrewsbury purchase, Lavenham Aven'um.

Top priced ewe lamb at 3000gns was Leslie Liggett's third prize winner from Balmoral Show, from the Carony flock from Drumquin, Co Tyrone. Bred from the best breeding ewe in the flock, by Rhaeadr Red Bull, and the dam of the 4000gns Carony McIlroy, which stood reserve champion at the National, in 2014, along with ewe lambs to 2000gns last year, this entry is by Rhaeadr Readymix, and sold to Messrs Knox, Co Donegal, Eire.

Stewart Craft who purchased the Lakeview prefix and flock from Gary Beacom earlier in the year, also came up with the goods, selling a gimmer from his Lomondview flock for 2800gns to Northern Ireland breeder, Mark Priestley, Downpatrick, Co Down. This was a daughter of Burnview Whirlwind, bred from a Manordale-bred ewe sired by Birness Barbican. She sold carrying a single lamb to the 22,000gns Strathbogie Stradivatius.

Females from Alastair Gault's Forkins flock from Newtownabbey, Co Down, proved popular too, peaking at 2400gns for a ewe lamb by the Cloontagh Chieftain son, Forkins Black Gold – a maternal brother to the 9000gns Forkins Tan, bred from the best ewe in the flock that bred the 9500gns Limestone Legacy. The buyers were Messrs Alexander, Tinbridge, Northern Ireland.

Mr Gault's top priced ewe at 2200gns was a 2016-born Forkins Fandango daughter that sold carrying twins by Mullaghboy Goliath, a tup that has bred sons to £20,000, to Mark Priestley, Downpatrick.

Averages: Castleisle flock – Five gimmers, £2562.00. Forkins flock – Six gimmers, £1452.50; three ewe lambs, £1260.00. Balquhain – Nine gimmers, £1073.33. Birness – 10 gimmers, £1643.25. Cairness – 10 gimmers, £863.10. Carony – Five ewe lambs, £913.50. Redbrae – Six gimmers, £449.75. Lakeview – Three gimmers, £1295.00. Cairnton – Five gimmers, £756.00. Benrafton – Seven gimmers, £1357.50. Kings – Four gimmers, £2533.13.

Auctioneers: Harrison and Hetherington.