Top end Texel rams met a bumper trade at Lawrie and Symington's rescheduled 'Kelso Ram Sales' at Lanark, selling to £12,000, £11,000 and £10,000.

The sale of the usual Kelso Rings 9 and 7 consignments, also included Hexham and Northern Marts' Border Texel Group entries that would normally be sold in Ring 5.

However, while there was a huge demand for the cream of the crop, with a good number of tups having been sold privately prior to the event, clearance rates were not the best. And, while averages were up in all rings, there were fewer sold compared last year's Kelso event.

Sale leader at £12,000 was a shearling ram from Wester Walston team of James and Mara Orr and family of Robbie, Alison, Robbie and Emma, from Carnwath. Producing a personal best for this up and coming flock was a son of the £16,000 Blackadder Albertz, bought at Kelso in 2018, in partnership with Toftcombs and Townhead.

He is bred from a home-bred ewe by Scrogtonhead Yerman and sold in a two-way split to Ken Hodge, buying for his 100-ewe Greenarch flock based at Huntlywood, Earlston and John Elliot, Roxburgh Mains, Kelso.

The pen's No 3, then made £8200 selling to Cheshire breeder, W McCaffrey, Brookside, Malpas. He is by the same Blackadder ram, but bred from a ewe by Scrogtonhead Uproar. The Walston flock also produced the lead average of £2909 for 10.

Second top price was £11,000 paid for Gordon and David Gray's pen leader, Ettrick Cocky Bob from Selkirk, which also sold in a two-way split, to Jim Innes, buying for his Strathbogie flock from Dunscroft, and James and Sandy Hunter, Wedderburn, both Huntly. Full brother to the 5500gns Ettrick Cockney Rebel ram lamb sold last year at Lanark, he is by the £29,000 Garngour Awesome and out of a home-bred ewe by Castlecairn Vital Spark.

Steven Renwick's Craig Douglas flock from Peebles, was another in the money, securing £10,000 for his No 2, a shearling ram by Knock Bantastic, bred from a Haddo Whisky Galore daughter. The Whitefords from Tercrosset, Brampton, Carlisle, were the final bidders.

Mr Renwick also received £5200 for his No 4, another by Bantastic but bred from a Tamnamoney Tuburg Gold daughter. He sold down to Wales with Robin Ellis, Gwern-y-Marl, Ffordd.

The 9000gns Knock Bantastic tup which was bought in a three-way split at Carlisle between the Craig Douglas, Midlock and Clark's flocks, was also behind a 9000gns shearling from Karen and Allan Wight and family's Midlock flock from Crawford. Their pen leader, is bred from a ewe by Deveronvale Warrior and was knocked down in a three-way split between Esmor Evans, Tan-yr-Accar, Denbigh; Ben Marsden of the Liley flock from Sheffield, and Jonathan Watson, Bowsden Moor, Berwick upon Tweed.

Shepherd Brian Gilchrist was also in the money, selling the first shearlings by the 4600gns Mitchellhill Actionman, again out of a ewe by Deveronvale Warrior for £7000. The buyers were Russel and Gil Watkins, Upper Cwm, Craswall, Herefordshire.

There were more celebrations to come when John and Archie MacGregor, Allanfauld, Kilsyth, produced their best shearling price of £8000, selling a son of Knap You're The Man, to Alasdair and David MacArthur, Nunnerie, Elvanfoot; Meikle Jackson, Wolfclyde and Tom Cockburn, Kingside, Leadburn. His dam is a daughter of Garngour Ultimatum.

Malcolm Coubrough's Hartside consignment from Lamington, Biggar, also enjoyed a cracking trade despite being one of the last lots through the ring, with sales at £7500 and £4400 and an average just shy of £2000 for 12.

Dearest here and producing a personal best was a shearling son of Halbeath VIP, bred from a ewe by Scrogtonhead Unbeatable, purchased by GV and JA Hardman, The Clamp, Shrawardine, Shrewsbury.

Matching that £7500 bid was the pen leader from Willie Dunlop and sons Quintin and William's 100-ewe Elmscleugh flock from Innerwick, Dunbar, purchased by Steven Renwick, Craig Douglas. This big tup is by the £10,000 Plasucha All In One which was bought at Carlisle and last year bred sons to 5500gns. The dam is by the £8000 Milnbank Wisconsin.

A good, level pen from the Procters flock, Slaidburn, Lancs, managed by Jeff and Jennifer Aiken, met a steady trade peaking at £6200 to average £1800 for 17. Their top seller, a son of the £9000 Thrunton Younique, out of a ewe by Scrogtonhead Ustoater sold jointly to Dougie Fleming for his Burnhead flock from Nisbet at Biggar, and Jimmy Bell, Highfield, Auchengray, Carnwath.

John Gray, Unthank, Whittingham, Alnwick, then went to £4600 for a Procters shearling by the same sire.

Andrew and Evelyn Provan, Robiesland, were in the money too with sales at £4800 and £4600. Dearest here for the 30-ewe Prime Star flock established nine years ago was a son of Craig Douglas Braveheart, a Mullan Amigo son bought at the Lanark Club sale. He is bred from a ewe by Lower Reiss Warlord and heads south with GL Howells of the Shadog flock from Pentrecwrt, Carmarthen

The £4600 shearling is bred from a Claybury War God daughter and sold across the Irish Sea with William McAllister, Parkgate, Kells, Ballymena.

Matthew Seed’s Auchry shearlings from Cuminestown, Turriff, sold to £4800, for a son of the Builth-bought Canllefaes You Are The One, out of a ewe by Stainton Yes Sir. He sold south with C Cornthwaite, Closes Hall, Clitheroe.

Top price in Hexham and Northern Marts' usual Ring 5, was £5200, for the best from Jonathan Watson’s Brijon consignment from Bowsden Moor, Berwick-Upon-Tweed. A son of Midlock You’re The One, out of a College-bred ewe by Brackenridge Strongbow, he sold in a two-way split to Robin and Caroline Orr, Halbeath, Dunfermline, and Matthew Jack, Carriston, Glenrothes.

Best from the Douganhill flock at Castle Douglas, managed by Brian and David MacTaggart, was a £4200 sale for an AI son of the old 25,000gns Glenside King II which sold in a two-way split to Jack and Tom Arnott, Haymount, Kelso, and Rory Arnott, Butterdene, Duns. His dam is a home-bred ewe by Glenside Razzle Dazzle.

Selling at £4000 to Neil Harvey, Blackadder Mains, Duns, was the best from Arthur and Diane Proctor, and son Andrew's Swarland flock . He is a son of Gyrhos Bulb, which goes back to Sportsman Tremendous, and out of a Crookholm-sired ewe.

Lambs peaked at £3100, for a Knock Yardsman son from Robbie Wilson's Milnbank flock from Turriff, purchased jointly by Northern Ireland breeders, Alastair Gault, Forkins, and the McAllisters, Artnagullion.

Averages: Lawrie and Symington – Ex Ring 9 – 168 shearling rams, £1297.80 (+£272.92 for 129 fewer); 35 ram lambs, £526.57 (+£156.87 for three more sold). Ex Ring 7 – 142 shearling rams and one aged ram, £1101.69 (+£381.56 for 13 fewer sold); 75 ram lambs, £510.53 (+£36.87 for 37 fewer sold). Hexham and Northern Marts – 219 shearling rams, £839.36.

Flock averages

Flock (No) Top (£) Average

Lawrie and Symington

Ring No 7

Blackhouse (6) 850 536.66

Prime Star (7) 4800 2388.57

Milnbank (12) 3100 725.00

Bennan (9) 850 547.77

Auchencorth (5) 400 314.00

Topnotch (3) 820 606.66

Clantibuies (4) 700 480.00

Kingside (10) 1000 730.00

Easton (9) 600 353.33

Dalwyne (L) (3) 1000 617.00

Townhead (12) 3800 1322.50

Courthill (3) 400 393.33

Haddo (L) (8) 750 567.50

Silverigg (6) 400 358.33

Moorsley (L) (6) 450 328.33

Walston (10) 12,000 2909.00

Kedzlie (8) 1600 1080.00

Auchry (15) 4800 1038.66

Kininmonth (4) 1000 812.50

Crookholm (L) (3) 400 333.33

Tullylagan (L) (5) 350 340.00

Strawfrank (L) (14) 450 343.57

Knap (L) (6) 520 483.33

Harestone (6) 720 574.00

Harestone (L) (5) 1000 440.00

Thackwood (3) 1200 800.00

Nab Point (9) 3400 991.11

Craig Douglas (10) 10,000 2402.00

Ring 9

Blackadder (7) 1500 904.00

Midlock (11) 9000 2604.00

Yarrow (6) 1150 825.00

Garngour (L) (3) 250 216.00

Ettrick (9) 11,000 2577.00

Ettrick (L) (5) 2100 850.00

Allanfauld (8) 8000 2175.00

Cowal (L) (7) 380 288.00

Artnagullion (9) 2000 1111.00

Toftcombs (14) 850 675.00

Mitchellhill (8) 2500 975.00

Clarks (L) (5) 600 400.00

Dechmont (4) 1500 800.00

Procters (17) 6200 1800.00

Langside (6) 4000 1115.00

Teviot (4) 600 550.00

Drinkstone (7) 850 464.00

Elmscleugh (8) 7500 1787.00

Campsie (3) 1350 1233.00

Rusha (14) 1000 695.00

Wolfclyde (16) 1400 646.00

Hartside (12) 7500 1985.00

Hartside (L) 4 550 357.00

Teiglum (L) 3 500 343.00

Cambwell (5) 1000 764.00

Cambwell (L) (5) 1100 684.00

Hexham and Northern Marts

Flock (No) Average (£)

Ring 5

Haymount (21) 1092.85

Rosebrough (11) 592.72

Lauder (10) 820.00

Douganhill (11) 1200

Lindlar (24) 252.91

Castlebank (8) 645.00

Roxburgh (15) 976.67

College (17) 1038.23

Greenarch (11) 745.45

Rugley (8) 618.75

Hexel (3) 766.67

Glenway (4) 1257.50

Brontemoor (7) 554.28

Swarland (7) 1714.28

Loosebeare (8) 1593.75

Brijon (32) 936.87

Castlecairn (5) 434.00

Callerton (6) 241.67

Empire (8) 963.75

Auctioneers: Lawrie and Symington and Hexham and Northern Marts