Personal bests were achieved by several at the North Country Cheviot hill-type ram sale at Lockerbie with the leader of the pack at £9000 from George Irving’s Benger flock from Mountbenger, Yarrow, smashing his previous high of £5500 attained just last year.
With this being just the third year of selling rams from the Benger flock, there was no disappointment when this two-shear tup, brought out with assistance of shepherd, John Allan, was sold.
He is by a Woodside tup purchased here three years ago for £1200, and bred from a Whitchesters ewe. He was knocked down to Jimmy Thomson buying for his Kelsocleugh flock from Yetholm, Kelso.
Commonside X-Factor from the Dunlops made £7000 Ref:RH230920344
Despite the increased entry, strong demand for the breed saw three rams sell for £7000 with the first of those coming for Commonside X-Factor from the Dunlop family’s Commonside flock from Hawick.
Another attaining a personal best price, this two-shear, is from the first crop of sons by Philiphaugh Target, a ram purchased here for £3200, and out of a home-bred ewe by a Seaforth tup. He sold to William and Laura Thomson, Howman Grange, Kelso.
Howman Grange Xavier achieved £7000 for the Thomson family
Howman Grange enjoyed a flying trade, with a £7000 lead bid and a whopping average of £1413.64 for 22 two-shear rams. Pen leader here was Howman Grange Xavier purchased by the Adam family – Bob and Kay, and sons, Andrew and James – of Auldallan, Newhouse of Glamis, Forfar. He is a son of the 2018 Highland Show champion and 2017 National winner, Newbank Spitfire purchased for £8000 which also bred a lot of the flock’s high priced rams last year. The dam is also a previous show ewe.
Helping to keep the average up, Hownam Grange Xackery then made £4500 to Gillesbie House, Boreland, Lockerbie. Another son of Newbank Spitfire, he is again out of a home-bred ewe.
Innes and son, Gordon Graham’s Carruthers flock, Waterbeck, Lockerbie, were the final bidders of Howman Grange Xpert, which realised £4000. This two-shear is a son of Howman Grange Virgin, which goes back to Hethpool Napan.
Howman Grange Xperiment then made £3800 to Annandale Estates, St Anns, Lockerbie. He is a son of Howman Grange Versace.
Hethpool Xpat sold for £7000 Ref:RH230920357
Bill Elliot who is retiring from Hethpool, Wooler, and was selling for his last time at Lockerbie, also came up with the goods, selling his best at £7000.
This was Hethpool Xpat, a two-shear son of Hethpool Tower – a tup sold at Dingwall as a four-shear for £3400 that goes back to the £5000 Brackside Major tup – purchased by Robin Taylforth of Side Farm, Patterdale, Penrith.
Another by the same sire, Hethpool X Factor made £4500 selling to Hugh and Sandy Wilson, Newbank, Beattock, Moffat.
Top in the Sorbietrees pen was this tup which sold for £6000
Hitting £6000 was the best from Drew Oliver’s Sorbietrees flock from Hillend, Newcastleton. Sorbietrees X Rated, is a son of Sorbietrees V6 which was used as a shearling before being sold at Lairg for £6000 to Newbank, while the dam is a Woodside Para sired-ewe. He heads to Jedburgh with RJ Tweedie, Buchtrig, Hownam.
Jimmy Thomson of Kelsocleugh, also had a field day after his big purchase when he sold to £4500 on two occasions.
First to make that money was the two-shear, Kelso Xtra Special, a son of Howman Grange Nemesis. He was chapped down to the Elsdonburn flock of Cheviot Farming, Kirknewton, Wooler.
The second at £4500, this time by Bedshiel Rockall, a tup purchased at Lockerbie for £2900 which has already bred sons to £4500, sold to Raehills flock at Mollin, Johnstonebridge, Lockerbie.
Two, two-shears from Mr Thomson made £4000, with the first Kelso Xylocarp, selling to Alan Cowens, Philiphaugh, Selkirk, while the second, by Kelso Chancellor, was knocked down to Peter Iredale, Greenbank, Patterdale, Penrith.
New breeder, Robert Rennie, from Attonburn, Yetholm, also sold two at £4000. First to achieve a personal best for this flock was Attonburn Xquisite, a son of Hethpool Tweed, gifted to Mr Rennie when he took over the farm. He also sold to Philiphaugh.
The second at £4000 was purchased by Rae Flintoft, Sourhope, Yetholm, and his son, Rob Flintoft at Cocklawfoot. Attonburn X-Tradite is a son of Thistle Venturer, a tup bought at Dingwall for £2100.
READ MORE: NCC sell to £6500 at Lockerbie
Topping the female trade at £260 was a gimmer from Messrs Ward, Whitestonehill, Tundergarth with others to £250 from Kelsocleugh, Yetholm and Cocklawfoot, Yetholm.
Among the ewe lambs, trade peaked at £200 from C Mackinnon, Druim Bhailr, Sutherland.
Draft ewes met a huge demand, selling to a top of £165 from the Allens at Stouphill, Alnwick and Robert Rennie, Bowmont Farming Co, Attonburn Farm, Yeltso
Some 375 unregistered females were also forward, which saw draft ewes sell to £150 from A MacDougal and Co, Muirhouse, Kirkmacolm.
Gimmers attained £210 and £200 from Messrs Aitchison, Mossdale Farm, West Linton.
Last weeks female topper, a £5000 Hightae XTC ewe lamb daughter from the Davies’ Synton flock, attained £1000 and was purchased by Cameron Jackson of Woodyett farm, for his own future flock, and not as previously reported.
LEADING prices
Draft ewes – £165 Stoophill; £165 Attonburn; £160 , £155, £150 Hethpool; £155 Cocklawfoot; £155 Potholm; £155, £145 Buchtrig; £152, £145, £140 (x2) Sourhope; £150 Woodside; £150, £145 Humbleheugh; £145 Byers; £145 Greenbank; £145 (x2) Hownam Grange; £145 Sorbietrees; £142 Yew Tree Lane; £140 Maidencots; £140 Catslackburn.
Gimmers – £360, £225 Whitstonehill; £250, £210, £190 Yew Tree Lane; £250, £245, £220, £205, £200 Cocklawfoot; £240, £230, £210, £190 (x2) Maidencots; £220 Hillhead; £200 Longburgh Fauld; £200, £190 Newbank; £200 Kinaldy; £200 (x2), £195 Bedshiel; £200 West Blackbyres; £195 Yew Tree Lane; £195 (x2), £190 Hownam Grange; £190 Kelsocleugh.
Unregistered ewes – £210, £200 Mossdale; £195, £180 Horseclose; £195, £190 Sunnybraes; £190 (x2), £180 Cumstone; £190, £160 Raggiewhate; £150 Muirhouse,
Ewe lambs – £200 Druim Bhailr; £190, £150 Wester Jawcraig; £170, £168 Philiphaugh Estate; £165, £125 Hownam Grange; £160 Bradley; £150, £140 Wester Jawcraig; £150, £135, £125 Stoophill; £135 (x2) Annandale and Lochwood Estates; £135 (x2), £125 Yew Tree Lane.
Flock averages
Flock (No) Top (£) Avg (£)
Rams
Hillhead (3) 500 416.67
Hullockhowe (5) 450 322.00
North House (12) 2500 916.67
Rawburn (4) 3000 1275.00
Portmore (3) 2000 1150.00
Commondside (5) 7000 2240.00
Esk (5) 1000 640.00
Kelso (11) 4500 2172.73
Hartside (4) 3200 1850.00
Auldallan (4) 2800 2050.00
Buchtrig (11) 2000 1004.55
Sorbietrees (10) 6000 1330.00
Woodside (9) 3200 1014.44
Sykes (3) 2200 1167.67
Cashlie (7) 750 592.86
Calla (9) 1000 580.00
Cymraeg (3) 1800 983.33
Boreland (3) 650 600.00
Stouphill (6) 2000 1258.33
Heatherhope (5) 2500 1150.00
Gilston (7) 1200 492.86
Whitehope (9) 2800 1316.67
Mowhaugh (5) 500 460.00
Gillesbie (6) 1600 758.33
Glan-Ithon (3) 1000 766.67
Attonburn (11) 4000 1909.09
Howman Grange
(22) 7000 1413.64
Old Newton (3) 700 583.33
Bedshiel (6) 700 533.33
Raehills (6) 800 463.33
Clerkhill (9) 3000 811.11
Hethpool (16) 7000 1706.25
Housesteads (6) 600 386.67
Whitstonehill (3) 1000 500.00
Greenbank (8) 650 387.50
Newbank (8) 1000 650.00
Philiphaugh (8) 1800 575.00
Elsdonburn (7) 600 350.00
Benger (4) 9000 2587.50
Auctioneers: Harrison and Hetherington.
averages: 287 rams, £1055.97 (+60.37 for 37 more); 1365 draft ewes, £137.85 (£51.59 for 411 fewer); 653 gimmers, £207.34 (+£74.02 for 253 less); 1133 hill ewe lambs, £118.58 (+£23.32 for 414 more).
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