South Country Cheviot breeders enjoyed one of the better trades in recent years at the breed's ram sale at Lockerbie, where no fewer than 43 rams sold at £2000 or more, which, combined with a top price of £12,000 buoyed averages by almost £180 on the year.

With a strong ringside of buyers, numbers sold also held up well compared to the same sale last year.

Sale leader was the best from Jim Robertson, The Becks, Langholm, a shearling ram that sold to Norman and David Douglas of the Catslackburn flock, Yarrow, Selkirk. He is a son of this year's Royal Highland Show champion, Castle Crusader, and out of a home-bred ewe.

Outwith Mr Robertson's £12,000 high, the flock sold several other shearlings at good money. Next best at £8000 was a son of Catslackburn Top Spot, a ram which topped the sale here in 2017 at £10,000, out of a home-bred ewe. He headed home with John Paton buying for his Castle flock at Castle Crawford, Abington.

Two Becks rams made £3800, to include a shearling by Unthank Guinness, out of a home-bred dam. He was knocked down to Tim Elliot of the Hindhope flock, near Jedburgh.

The second shearling, a son of Hindhope Cavalier – a tup which sired this year's Langholm Show champion – was purchased by Lorraine Luescher, Megdale, Langholm.

This helped push the Becks' average to £2520.63 for 16 – the highest of the day.

Second top price was £10,000 paid for the pre-sale show champion from Norman and David Douglas' Catslackburn flock, which was in a split between William Fleming at Hislop, Hawick and Walter and Pat Douglas, Carlenrig. Teviothead. This stylish two-shear is by Springwells Henry and is out of a home-bred ewe.

Another from Catslackburn made £5500 and headed home with Alistair Warden at Skelfhill, Hawick. The breeding behind this two-shear includes Caerlan Carter, onto a home-bred dam. In all, Catslackburn sold five two-shears and nine shearlings to level at £1819.28.

Another two rams hit £8000 with the first being a shearling from Eileen Randall from Drycleuchlea, Roberton, Hawick. A son of Stirkfield Zoltan, out of a Castle Crawford sired-ewe, he was knocked down to Blair and Morag Cockburn, Stirkfield, Biggar, buying back some of their own genetics.

The second at £8000 was a two-shear from Walter and Pat Douglas, Carlenrig purchased by Becks. Sired by Hislop Victor, this ram is out of a home-bred ewe and stood male champion at Teviothead Show in 2017.

Top price for Billy Common's Crossdykes flock from Lockerbie, was £6500 paid for his pen leader. A son of Becks Officer out of a home-bred ewe, he was purchased by Stirkfield Farms, Biggar, to boost the Crossdykes average to £1290.58 for 17 shearlings.

Next in the trade stakes was a two-shear tup from Tim Elliot, of the 1100-ewe Hindhope flock, Jedburgh, which sold for £5500. A son of Crossdykes Landmark – a tup which stood champion here in 2015 – he was purchased by Syd Anderson, Easter Alemoor, Hawick. The Hindhope entry cashed in at £1518.18 for 11 two-shears.

Another making his mark for Hindhope was a shearling selling for £3000 to John Hepburn, Crosscleuch, at Selkirk. He is a son of Hindhope Cracksman, out of a home-bred ewe.

Best from Billy Goodfellow, at Townfoot, Crawford, was a Glengeith Lethal Weapon-sired shearling, which sold for £5000 in a half share between William Fleming, Hislop and Alistair Warden at Skelfhill. He stood reserve inter-breed at Abington Show, in August.

Another by the same sire but out of a Hislop Vale-sired dam, from Mr Goodfellow, made £3800 to Becks.

Top price for Craig Weir, of the Mainside flock, at Kelso, was £3500 for a two-shear ram, by Mainside 4X, out of a home-bred ewe. This ram is heading home with Jimmy Irving, Mount Benger, Yarrow, Selkirk.

Also making his mark for Mainside was another two-shear, selling at £3000 to the Callum and Duncan Hume, at Sundhope, Selkirk. He is by Catslack Destiny.

Financing that transaction, Sundhope, received the same money for a shearling by Kale Gordon which sold to Neil Hindmarsh, Rowhope, Harbottle, Morpeth, Northumberland.

Shepherd Mark Little, who owns the small Eskdale flock from Langholm, also had a good day taking £3200 for a shearling by Kale Gold Blend, from Becks.

Two other rams made £3000, with the first being a shearling from Syd Anderson, Easter Alemoor, purchased by John Halliday, Granton, Annanwater, Moffat. He is by Blackburn Flintstone – the 2016 champion at Holm Show. Another shearling from the same home and by the same sire made £2800 to Jan MacKenzie, Langdale, Strathnaver, Kinbrace.

The last of the £3000 sales came for a shearling from George Irving, Mount Benger, Yarrow, selling to Eileen Randall, Drycleuchlea. The pen leader, he is by Castle Criminal.

Averages: 311 rams £980.60 (+£178.63 for two more sold).

LEADING prices

Rams – £12,000, £8000, £3800 (x2), £2500, £2200, £2000, The Becks; £10,000, £5500, £2000, Catslackburn; £8000, Carlenrigg; £8000, Drycleuchlea; £6500, £3000, Crossdykes Farm; £5500, £3000, Hindhope; £5000, £3800, Townfoot; £3500, £3000, Mainside Farm; £3200, Douglas Terrace; £3000, £2800, Easter Alemoor; £3000, £2500, £2200, Sundhope Farm; £3000, £2200, £2100, £2000 (x2), Gateslack; £3000, Mountbenger; £2200, £2000 (x3), Stirkfield Farm; £2000, Castle Crawford; £2000 (x2), Skelfhill Farm.

Auctioneers: Harrison and Hetherington

FLOCK averages

Flock (No) Top (£) Averages

2019 2018

Blackburn (3) 320 313.33 1090

Upper Hindhope (11) 1600 718.18 616.67

Glendearg (5) 1000 690.00 623.33

Stirkfield (14) 2200 1080.00 912.86

Lochurd (8) 650 388.75 344.44

Bloch (9) 1800 772.22 459

North Shortcleugh (3) 1400 1033.33 –

Cossarhill (8) 1400 543.75 357.50

Hislop (9) 1100 467.77 920

Burrows (3) 850 1470.00 –

Becks (16) 12,000 2520.63 1047.37

Castle Crawford (9) 3000 1474.44 1750

Cochrane (4) 2000 1037.50 –

Glenochar (5) 900 456.00 1182.50

Mainside (10) 3500 1340.00 1129.09

Tushielaw (5) 650 430.00 257.50

Hoghill (5) 900 500.00 783.33

Springwells (3) 850 750.00 837.50

Skelfhill (11) 2000 909.09 1025.56

Potholm (8) 700 421.25 607.14

Mount Benger (9) 3000 1044.44 868

Crosscleuch (6) 900 513.33 555.71

Easter Alemoor (8) 3000 1087.50 1037.50

Gilmanscleuch (10) 800 377.00 435.56

Sundhope (9) 3000 1114.44 1252.22

Unthank (3) 700 466.66 700

Hindhope (11) 5500 1518.18 1253.85

Carlenrig (5) 8000 1944.00 1036.67

Shilmoor (3) 700 600.00 920

Crossdykes (17) 6500 1290.58 1072.63

Granton (7) 1000 428.57 310

Megdale (6) 1400 4620.00 –

Cooms (3) 700 650.00 514

Tweedshaws (3) 300 246.66 240

Priesthaugh (6) 800 390.00 330

Catslackburn (14) 10,000 1819.28 873.33

Langhope (3) 330.00 252.50

Chatto (3) 700 526.66 480

Drycleuchlea (8) 8000 1423.75 320

Glendivan (7) 550 277.14 –