Demand for Bluefaced Leicesters rams hit new levels at the breed sale at Hawes when 15 sheep attracted five-figure prices and no fewer than 41 sold at or above the £5000 bracket.
Such was the demand for crossing-type Bluefaced Leicesters that ram lamb averages rose by a massive £766 per head on the year with only 16 failing to find new homes. Add to that 200 fewer entered and it was a much earlier finish compared to previous years with the event starting and concluding on the same day.
Top price was £30,000 paid on two occasions, with the first of those coming for the No 1 lamb from Messrs Lord’s Hewgill flock from North Stainmore, Kirkby Stephen.
This was Hewgill N1, by the Hewgill E1 son, Hewgill M39, a tup that was retained for breeding last year and sired six of the Mule ewe lambs at Hawes and five at Penrith.
His mother is Hewgill H113, which goes back to B41 Hewgill and M8 Hewgill. The lamb sold in a four-way split to Shaun Procter, Spurrig; Paul Brown, Oak House; and Northern Ireland breeders, Gary Beacom, Lakeview, and Dominic McCrystal, Drummuck, Maghera.
A flying trade for the Hewgill lambs, all of which were by the L7 Riddings bought at Kirkby Stephen a couple of years ago, saw others sell for £10,000, £9000 and £8000, with the pen averaging £9255 for nine.
ALSO HITTING the £30,000 tag was this ram lamb from the Marriforth flock
Granville and Paul Fairburn’s Marriforth flock from Thornton Steward, Ripon, also produced a £30,000 ram lamb in the N24 Marriforth, a late March-born twin bred from a gimmer.
He is by a Greenriggs tup bought at Hawes last year from Colin Dent, which sired 12 of his top 40 Mule ewe lambs that averaged £175.
Bred from a gimmer by the £9000 Carry House, his grand dam is the best breeding ewe in the flock by the E1 Smearsett. He sold a two-way split to Graham Pears, Flash House Farms and the Wight family, Midlock, Crawford.
SALE LEADER from the Midlock pen sold for £26,000
On the flip-side, Midlock enjoyed another cracking sale, selling nine lambs to average £8788 with a top price of £26,000 paid by the Marriforth flock.
The first two entries from Allan and Ben Wight were by the £13,000 Riddings M1, a son of Carry House Jackpot bought here last year. The first lamb is bred from the same family lines as the Wight’s £37,000 record priced lamb being bred from a ewe by Midlock H12.
ANOTHER FROM the Midlock pen reached £25,000
The second Midlock lamb made £25,000 selling in a four-way split to Northern Ireland breeders, Graham and Julie Loughery, Seamus Laverty, Ian Montgomery and Jonathan Loughery. He is out of a ewe by the H1 Kirkby Redgate.
RON AND Fran Wilson sold their best at £17,000
Personal bests were achieved by Ron and Fran Wilson of the Low Tipalt flock, Carrholme, too when they sold their best ever at £17,000.
This lamb is got by semen from the J1 Carry House tup bought at Julie Loughery’s Temain charity night sale. The Carry House sire boasted Midlock Mustang on the father’s side and Z4 Hundith on the other, while the dam is by the F1 Oak House. He caught the eye of Michael James, Duhonw, Wales.
Also achieving a personal best at £16,000 was a full brother to last year’s reserve champion at Hawes from Will and Gillian Sedgley of the Langstroth flock from Barbon, Carnforth. This boy, a son of the J46 Midlock, sold to Richard Wood, Kingledores, Biggar; Midlock and James Herdman, Eldingham, Newtown.
Brothers, Paul and Raymond Ayrton, also had a field day when their No 1, Hayshaw N3 from Yates Farm, Lancaster, sold for £15,000. He is by the Barley J35, and sold to Jack Lawson, Hundith and Richard Harker, Grayrigg Hall.
Equalling his best trade to date was young George Shields of the Skeughdale flock, Ravenstonedale when his first lamb made £14,000, selling to the Porters from Riddings, Richmond and J Allison and Sons, Sealhouses, Arkengarthdale, Richmond.
He is by L33 Hewgill which was purchased at Penrith as a shearling last year after standing champion. Skeughdale averaged £7200 for five.
Auctioneers: Hawes Auction Market.
averages: 393 ram lambs, £2206 (+£766); 38 shearling rams, £829 (+£8); 16 aged rams, £1248 (+£71); 13 ewe lambs, £309 (-£107); 30 gimmers, £687 (+£272).
Leading flock averages
Flock (No) Top (£) Avg (£)
Hewgill (9) 30,000 9255.00
Midlock (9) 26,000 8788.00
Skeughdale (5) 14,000 7200.00
Steel (3) 12,000 7000.00
Hayshaw (3) 15,000 6833.00
Farden (4) 12,000 6250.00
Low Tipalt (4) 17,000 5975.00
Asby Hall (10) 10,000 4320.00
Buckles (4) 6800 3700.00
Kirkby Redgate (13) 12,000 3553.00
Marriforth (12) 30,000 3425.00
Langsroth (6) 16,000 3283.00
Hundith (10) 12,000 3040.00
LEADING prices
Ram lambs – £30,000, £10,000, £9000, £9000, £8000, £7500, £4500, £3500 Messrs Lord; £30,000, £2600 E Fairburn and Sons; £26,000, £25,000, £7000, £7000, £5500, £3000, £2400, £2400 J Wight and Sons; £17,000, £5500 RJD and FJ Wilson; £16,000 WA and GR Sedgley; £15,000, £3500 P Ayrton; £14,000, £10,000, £8000, £2200 G and HR Shields; £12,000, £9000, £5500, £4500, £2500, £2500 WM Hutchinson and Son; £12,000, £9000 RJ Shennan and Sons; £12,000, £5000, £4000 J Hunter and Sons; £12,000, £4500, £4000, £3000, £2600 Messrs Lawson; £10,000, £8000, £4200, £4000, £3800, £3400, £3000, £3000, £2800 KA Brown and Sons; £9500 MW and CM Ridley; £8000, £3600, £2600, £2600, £2400, £2300 WA and A Booth; £7500, £3800, £3400 MR Thornborrow; £7000, £2500, £2500 JA and R Caton; £6800, £4200 J Buckle; £6500, £6000, £2200 WC Porter and Son; £5500, £3500 W and D Lawson and Son; £5200, £3600, £2300, £2200 RD Archer and Son; £5000, £4000 A Campbell; £5000, £3400 Breck House Ent; £4500, £2800 N Laing; £5000, £2500, £2500, £2200 S Allan and Sons; £4500 H Huddleston and Son; £3500 WA Dinsdale and Son; £3200 DJ Abberley; £3000, £2200 J McQuistin and Son; £2800 (x2) RW and JH Emmott; £2500 WJ and LA Barker; £2200 (x2) JH Pedley; £2200 (x2) GA and BB Ainslie; £2200 JC Walker and Son; £2200 R and PE Hargreaves and Sons.
Aged rams – £6000 JA and R Caton; £1800, £1000 SD Thompson; £1600 (x2), £1400 R and PE Hargreaves and Sons; £1500, £400 RJ Bell; £1300 late JC Heseltine; £1200, £500 K Adams; £600 BD and A Horner.
Shearling rams – £2600, £1400 J Wight and Sons; £1700 PE Hargreaves and Sons; £1600 A Rickaby; £1600, £1000, JS Cloughton; £1500, £900 RA Busby and Son; £1400, £700 JA and R Caton; £1100, £900 T Ladds; £1100 J Allison and Sons; £1000, £900 SD Thompson; £1000, DA and MA Brown and Son; £1000, £800 BD and A Horner; £950 late JC Heseltine; £850 C and JC Stephenson.
Gimmers – £1800, £1200 NJ and L Allan; £1500 E Fairburn and Sons; £1400, £1200, £1100 RA Busby and Son; £1100, £900, £800 A and H Watson; £1000 (x2) WA and GR Sedgley; £900 JA and R Caton; £700 K and C Ward.
Ewe lambs – £600 JA and R Caton; £500, £450, £250 WC Porter and Son; £400, £350 GW Whitwell.
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