averages: 495 shearlings, £1102.46 (+£167.46 for 43 fewer); 216 lambs, £1285.74 (-£927.01 for 28 more)

By Julie Wight

Sheep breeders travelled from all across the UK to the last of the main UK sales of Blackface sheep at United Auctions' sale at Dalmally and it proved a worthwhile trip for many, with big strong shearling rams getting the best of a mix of pedigree and commercial trading, though tup lambs proved harder to cash.

The older sheep sold to £60,000 while the lambs hit £22,000 – both of which were from Ian Hunter's Dalchirla flock. Such was the demand for top end rams, that shearling averages improved by almost £170 per head, while ram lambs slipped by £900, though that section was without last year's £50,000 and a couple in the £30,000s.

Ian Hunter's Dalchirla flock, from Muthill, Crieff, had a phenomenal day, topping both sections and attaining an average of £3152.78 for 36 shearlings and £8957.14 for seven ram lambs.

The consignment, brought out with assistance of Mr Hunter's brother, Alan, was topped at £60,000 by a Dalchirla shearling by a home-bred son of a £24,000 Connachan retained for breeding, out of a dam by a £15,000 Midlock. He was knocked down in a three-way split to the Wights, Midlock, Crawford; the MacArthurs, Nunnerie, Elvanfoot, and the Barclays of Harestone, Insch, Aberdeen.

Second top from the pen was £18,000 paid for a direct son of the £24,000 Connachan, bred from a ewe by a home-bred son of £50,000 Dalwyne – the sire that bred the £160,000 equal record priced tup lamb sold here in 2015. Billy McFarlane and sons, Joe and Alfie, Drumgrange, Patna, forked out the cash.

Topping the Dalchirla ram lambs at £22,000 was the pen leader, puchased by Northern Ireland breeders, Eoin McKenna and Charlie Phillips, of the Tullykeeran and Finglen flocks. He is by a home-bred son of Boris – a Dalchirla-bred son of a £10,000 Nunnerie retained for breeding – and out of a ewe by the £24,000 Connachan.

Just behind, on £19,000, Tommy Renwick and son Tam, Williamhope, Clovenfords, bought a Dalchirla son of the £26,000 Dyke shearling bought last year at Lanark. His mother is a daughter of the £24,000 Connachan.

The last of the five-figure sales from Dalchirla came for a ram lamb by the £20,000 Midlock shearling purchased last year, bred from a ewe by a £10,000 Nunnerie. The Wights, from Midlock forked out the cash.

Having set a record for a Blackface shearling at Lanark just a few days before, Alastair and David MacArthur, Nunnerie, Elvanfoot, were again to the fore selling another shearling to £45,000. This time the hammer fell in a three-way split to Jimmy and Donald MacGregor, Dyke, Milton of Campsie, Glasgow; Ian Hunter, Dalchirla; and the Wights, Midlock. He is by a home-bred son of Nunnerie Wise Crack, which is sired by a £36,000 Midlock, and out of a home-bred ewe by a £50,000 Dalwyne.

Best out of the Elmscleugh pen, Dunbar, for Willie Dunlop and sons, Quintin and William, was a shearling which was knocked down at £26,000 in a two-way split to Andrew Kay and sons, Robert and Andrew, Gass, Straiton, Ayr, and John Harkin, Dunamanagh, Strabane, Co Tyrone. He is by a home-bred son of the £9000 Elmscleugh and out of a £5000 Dalwyne sired-ewe.

Another shearling from the same home realised £7000 to John Little, Letar, Callander. He is by a home-bred son of a £12,000 Gass and out of a ewe by a £11,000 Aitkenhead sire.

On the flip side, the Dunlops purchased the next three top prices – firstly a £22,000 Connachan shearling from Mary McCall-Smith and shepherd, Scott Macaulay, Crieff. A son of the home-bred Wheelbarrow ram retained for breeding by a £5000 Gass, he is out of a £1000 Lurg sired-ewe.

The Dunlops also bought the second top priced ram lamb at £21,000 from Hugh and Alan Blackwood, Auldhouseburn, Muirkirk, Cumnock. He's backed by record money, being by the £160,000 Elmscleugh and out of a home-bred ewe by a £160,000 Dalchirla sire.

Also heading home on the same lorry load to Elmscleugh at £15,000 was the Gass pen leader from the Kays. This lamb is by a home-bred son of the £20,000 Auldhouseburn and out of a home-bred ewe by the £24,000 Midlock.

Another hitting £15,000 and achieving a personal best for Thomas and Glen Muirhead, Orchilmore, Comrie, was a ram lamb knocked down in a four-way split to John Marshall, Gosland, Broughton, Biggar; George Irving, Mountbenger, Yarrow; and the Grahams, Willie and Billy, from Craigdarroch, and Una, who farms at Kirkland, both Sanquhar. He is sired by a son of the £85,000 Elmscleugh.

The last of the five-figure sales came from Ryan Jackson, Pole, Lochgoilhead, Argyll, with his shearling selling at £14,000 in a three-way split to the Campbells, Glenrath, Peebles; Glen, Gatehouse, Kirkcudbright; and Burncastle, Lauder. This shearling took a first prize ticket at Drymen this year and is a son of a £20,000 Crossflatt, out of a £5200 Allanfauld sired-ewe.

Back amongst the shearlings, it was Billy and Andrew Renwick, from Blackhouse, Yarrow, Selkirk, that took the next best as the hammer fell at £8000 to Mitchellslacks, c/o R Colley, Thornhill, Dumfries. He is a son of a £25,000 Elmscleugh and out of a £5500 Nunnerie sired-ewe.

On the same money, Lewis Smith, Mill of Towie, Drummuir, Keith, got that in his first time selling at Dalmally, with this lamb heading home with the Blackwoods to Auldhouseburn. He is a son of 'Jo Co', and £11,000 Auldhouseburn and out of a home-bred ewe by a son of a £160,000 Dalchirla.

Flock averages

Flock (No) Top (£) Averages

2019 2018

Shearlings

Balrazzie (3) 300 300.00 –

Dyke (15) 6000 1576.67 2681

Drimsynie (6) 600 333.33 1240

Outerwards (5) 1000 400.00 –

Tayvallich (6) 250 175.00 267

Gartincaber (3) 250 200.00 –

Chirmorrie (5) 700 460.00 –

Troloss (11) 6200 1277.27 1317

Williamhope (10) 1800 740.00 756

Lephinchapel (6) 600 400.00 400

Burnhead (7) 1200 478.57 –

Madrissa (5) 450 310.00 3025

Parkhall (5) 650 430.00 –

Gass (7) 1600 542.86 1567

North Amulree (5) 600 360.00 358

Letar (8) 900 468.75 405

Quickening Cote (6) 550 325.00 –

Lurg (7) 1000 671.43 1100

Drumbreddan (4) 800 537.50 463

Burncastle (6) 1800 933.33 –

Glen Fruin (5) 2000 1060.00 486

Tollishill (4) 550 425.00 250

Midlock (15) 4000 1136.67 1032

Glenrath (9) 4000 1472.22 2938

Dall (17) 800 382.35 371

Wester Crosswoodhill (5) 5500 1800.00 410

Abersky (3) 350 250.00 317

Auchloy (4) 1400 475.00 533

Arnicle (6) 1000 641.67 594

Livet (4) 2000 1000.00 –

Blackhouse (9) 1300 644.44 1305

Corsebank (4) 300 225.00 –

Allanfauld (10) 3200 1060.00 936

Bragleenmore (7) 700 392.86 538

Gosland (6) 350 300.00 363

Elmscleugh (11) 26,000 4404.54 6333

Shields (3) 300 250.00 –

West Bracklinn (7) 1200 578.57 619

Glen Cally (3) 600 450.00 436

Remony (7) 300 257.14 300

Waterlands (3) 400 283.33 –

Braes of Ardeonaig (11) 350 236.36 425

Beoch, Loch Doon (5) 2000 780.00 570

Crosswoodhill (4) 2200 937.50 533

Dunruchan (6) 900 525.00 –

Grains (4) 450 350.00 –

Midlock Glespin (6) 500 333.33 3030

Dalchirla (36) 60,000 3152.78 1742

Burnbank (5) 300 220.00 –

Balliemeanoch (11) 2200 754.55 786

Balernock (5) 1000 600.00

Whelphill (5) 2000 820.00 400

High Croach (4) 400 250.00 1333

Connachan (5) 22,000 4910.00 2233

Castles (4) 800 475.00 –

Dullator (7) 2000 792.86 –

Kingledores (4) 1750 1400.00 –

Dalwyne (7) 2200 760.00 657

Crakaig (8) 150 101.25 380

Pole (6) 14,000 3975.00 733

Blackcraig (3) 800 400.00 450

West Lethans (8) 1500 518.75 –

Merkins (12) 5500 1079.16 675

Hill of Errol (6) 500 358.33 1575

Marbrack (3) 300 266.67 –

Nunnerie (16) 45,000 3896.88 550

Little Blairlusk (3) 40 40.00 –

Moorfoot (4) 600 275.00 –

High Staward (5) 5000 2140.00 –

Ballindalloch (3) 200 166.67 –

Nether Scythie (3) 100 83.33 –

East Bracklinn (9) 650 472.22 773

Cromlix (14) 1200 385.71 –

Shenlarich (8) 550 381.25 –

Arnicle (3) 300 300.00 –

Lamb rams

Hatton (3) 220 113.33 –

Windhill (3) 160 133.33 –

High Staward (5) 600 420.00 500

Dyke (5) 3000 1300.00 513

Auldhouseburn (4) 21,000 7400 19,241

Wester Crosswoodhill (4) 5200 1587.50 –

Dalblair (3) 5500 2266.67 1017

Nunnerie (3) 1200 733.33 575

Culbae (3) 4200 1516.67 –

Dalwyne (3) 320 190.00 –

West Lethans (5) 400 260.00 213

Soroba (6) 40 40.00 –

Allanfauld (5) 3000 1500.00 –

Midlock (12) 5500 1216.67 1176

Troloss (9) 1400 533.33 1000

Drumnessie (3) 1000 733.33 633

Easter Happrew (3) 800 550.00 2117

Dall (5) 350 260.00 273

Drumgrange (6) 300 148.33 –

Harestone (5) 650 490.00 –

Craignell (4) 1000 512.50 –

Craigend (3) 500 333.33 –

Shawsknowe (3) 800 483.33 –

Largie (3) 4200 1470 –

Knock o'Ronald (8) 1500 746.25 407

Glenrath (5) 2500 1260.00 1940

Dalchirla (7) 22,000 8957.14 13,175

Whelphill (3) 3500 146.67 –

Upper Wellwood (3) 1800 1500.00 483

Burnhead (Darvel) (3) 550 383.33 200

Pole (3) 2000 1300.00 –

Orchilmore (3) 15,000 5650.00 –

Elmscleugh (7) 3200 1442.86 –

Gosland (4) 300 205.00 240

Mitchelhill (3) 250 223.33 –

Millpark (3) 320 153.33 –

Saulmore (5) 550 404.00 540

Crossflatt (4) 4500 2825.00 1900

Midlock Glespin (6) 450 400.00 583