A personal best of £12,000 for a crossing-type Bluefaced Leicester ram lamb was achieved by the Reed family’s West Biggins flock at last week’s breed sale at Carlisle.
The sale leader from John and sons, Andrew and Stephen, Lands Farm, Westgate, Bishop Auckland, who have been selling Blue tups for three years, sold in a three-way split to Andrew Hunter of the Steel flock from Bellingham; Martyn Archer, Carry House, Hexham and K and HA Ridgely, Consett, Co Durham.
He is by a H2 Highberries tup purchased at Cockermouth for £3500 that bred the two £7000 lambs at Hexham, as well as 25 out of the top 30 of the farm’s Mule ewe lambs that sold to £290 for a pen of 10 with 700 averaging £120.97. The dam is a Carry House L83 ewe bought privately as a lamb, that goes back to Carry House Jackpot – a huge influencer in the breed.
His full ET brother, West Biggins N4 made £4500 selling to WC Porter, Riddings, Reeth, Richmond, and S Allan, Greenhow, Dufton, Appleby-in-Westmorland.
Joint second top price of £6000 was paid for this ram lamb from Agars Hill
Second equal top price was £6000 achieved for Michael Lee’s last lamb from the Agars Hill pen, Whitfield, Hexham, which sold in a two-way split to Harry and Jeffery Gass, Nunscleugh, Roweltown, Carlisle, and TP Wigham, Hargill House, Coanwood, Northumberland. A son of a Midlock L32 which was purchased here two years ago for £2600, he is out of a Carry House L90 ewe bought privately as a lamb by a Scarrowmanwick K11.
This ram lamb sold for £6000 for the Marriforth flock
Marriforth was again in the money too when Granville and Paul Fairburn, Thornton Stewart, North Yorkshire, matched the £6000 bid selling another ram lamb to Derek Hall, Lilyburn, Penicuik, Midlothian. He is from the first crop of sons by the Greenriggs M4, and out of a home-bred ewe by the £12,000 Smearsett E1. His half-brother sold for £30,000 at Hawes the previous week.
Hanging Wells sold their best for £5000
Two lambs sold for £5000 to include the pen leader from Iain Craig and John Skidmore of the Hanging Walls flock from South Hanging Wells, Eastgate, Bishop Auckland. A son of the home-bred M1 tup which goes back to the £9000 Hewgill L18 bought at Penrith, he is out of a home-bred ewe by a £5000 Hewgill tup which was bought at Kirkby Stephen. He sold down to Redditch with Messrs Brood, Cottage, Brookhouse Lane, Callow Hill.
Attaining £5000 was this ram lamb from BWF Blues
Matching that £5000 sale was a lamb from the BWF Blues pen from Benson Wemyss, Edston, Peebles, brought out by farm manager, Craig Balmbra. He is from the first crop of sons by a Allanfauld M5, a tup bought at Hawes for £4000, that goes back to a Blarnavaid L12. The dam is a home-bred gimmer by an £1800 Hewgill K8 purchase at Hawes. Buying back some of their own genetics, were John and Archie MacGregor, Allanfauld, Kilsyth, who teamed up with Amy Campbell, Glenrath, Kirkton Manor, and the Campbells at Claylands, Kippen, Stirling, to take this lad home.
Martyn Archer’s Carry House flock from Hexham, hit a top of £4500 for his No 2 which was knocked down in a two-way split to Willie Lockhart, Lagganpark, Moniaive, Thornhill and K Park Dalpeddar, Mennock, Sanquhar. This ram lamb is sired by Midlock G34 – a tup purchased six years ago for £10,000 that has bred sons to £23,000, and out of a Highberries Highlander-sired ewe.
Andrew Hunter’s Steel flock, sold to £4000, in a two-way split to Dumfriesshire breeders, W Lockhart, Moniaive, and W Templeton, Glenlaugh, Auldgirth. A Carry House Flash son, he was a triplet-born lamb out of a home-bred gimmer by Firth H3, whose full brother sold for £12,000 at Hawes last week, while his ewe lamb sister has been retained in the flock.
Another two lambs sold for £4000 with Northern Ireland breeder, Charlie McAllister, Elginny, Ballymena, going to that money for the pen leader from D Bright’s Black Edge flock from Buxton. A son of the Hewgill L30, he is out of a Blarnavaid J40 ewe, which goes back to a Highberries H1.
Alan Macarthur, Cretlevane, Balfron, also received £4000 and a personal best for a son of last year’s £7500 Blarnavaid M3 purchase, out of a home-bred ewe by Shittlington J1. The buyer was James Forbes, Clunebeg, Pitlochry, Perhshire.
Leading the shearling trade at £3500 was the best from the Todhills pen of JT and J James, Midtodhills, Carlisle, which sold in a two-way split to AT Dixon, Chirdon,Tarset, Hexham, and I Potts, Redburn, Rookhope, Bishop Auckland. A Penhill K1 son, he is out of a home-bred ewe by Otterburn Lodge J2.
Not far behind and selling for £3200 was a shearling from Harry and Jeffery Gass, Nunsleugh. He is by the £6000 Midlock Big Ben, out of a home-bred ewe by the home-bred D26 sire and headed home with Peeblesshire breeders, C and S Napier, Burnhead.
Auctioneers: Harrison and Hetherington.
averages: 127 aged and shearling rams, £714.02 (+£229.13 for 12 less); 233 ram lambs, £908.30 (+£124.89 for 16 fewer); 12 females, £327.50 (-£101.79 for nine less).
LEADING flock averages
Flock (No) Avg (£)
Aged and shearling rams
Quarry House (8) 1337.50
Kirkton (5) 1140.00
Midtodhills (6) 1033.33
Nunscleugh (11) 1068.18
Hargill House (4) 925.00
Scrogton (5) 870.00
Gapshields (8) 862.50
Kilnstown (7) 828.57
Ram lambs
West Biggins (5) 3860.00
Cretlevane (3) 2366.67
Highside (3) 2266.67
Steel (4) 1950.00
Marriforth (6) 1870.00
BWF Blues (3) 1866.67
Midlock (5) 1610.00
Carry House (9) 1466.67
Emmetts (3) 1466.67
Forebrae (3) 1433.33
Glenrath (4) 1325.00
Black Edge (4) 1287.50
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