Big was undoubtedly beautiful at United Auctions' massive one-day sale of Blackface rams at Stirling, where a massive entry from Alan Smith, Wester Crosswoodhill, West Calder, topped the shearling trade at £10,500, and a real breeder's lamb from John Murray, Crossflatt, made £20,000.

This bumper sale of 921 south-type shearling and ram lambs, lasting just shy of nine hours, boasted increased averages on the year, albeit for slightly fewer sold, with the shearling ring commanding the majority of top prices.

It was nevertheless a real breedie lamb from Crossflatt, Muirkirk, that topped the trade when selling in a two-way split to Northern Ireland breeders, James McCurdy, Broughshane, and Colm McTeer, Dromore, who earlier in the week led the Ballymena breed sale at 30,000gns and 18,000gns, respectively.

Their purchase, the pen leader from Mr Murray, is by last year's £150,000 Auldhouseburn lamb and out of a ewe by Spectre, a home-bred son of a £90,000 Blackhouse retained for breeding.

Other lambs by the same sire and from the same flock made £5000 and £4000, with the Crossflatt pen of six lambs securing the lead flock average of £5960.

The dearest, again bred from a Spectre dam, was knocked down to Brendan McAllister, Glenarm, Northern Ireland, with the £4000 lamb, out of a ewe by McCoy, a home-bred son of a £160,000 Dalchirla, selling to John Macpherson, Balliemeanoch, Dalmally.

No fewer than 10 shearling rams, all thumpers of tups, sold at or above the £5000 mark with the dearest of the fray at £10,500 consigned by Alan Smith, Wester Crosswood Hill, West Calder. His pen leader, which was producing a new high for the 1050-ewe flock following a £10,000 lamb sale at Dalmally, is by a home-bred son of a £5000 Burncastle and bred from a ewe by a Blackhouse ram. He sold to Jen Craig, chairperson of the National Sheep Association in Scotland, Normangill, Abington.

Home-bred genetics were on both sides of the second top priced south-type shearling at £8500 when Billy Graham and his father William, Craigdarroch, Sanquhar, sold their pen leader to Professor Penny of the Harehead and Bothwell flocks at Cranshaws, Duns, managed by Neil Anderson. The breeding behind this big tup includes a £13,000 Craigdarroch onto a ewe by a £17,000 Craigdarroch.

Just behind, on £8000, Tommy Renwick and son Tam, Williamhope, Clovenfords, sold their No 1 in a three-way split to Billy and Andrew Renwick, Blackhouse, Yarrow; Alan McClymont, Kirkstead, Yarrow and Philiphaugh Estate's Dryhope unit, also managed by Mr McClyont. He is by an £1800 Kirklands and bred from a ewe by a £13,000 Blackhouse.

Shearling rams from Willie and Euan Bennie, Merkins, Gartocharn, always meet a ready demand at Stirling and this year was no exception, with the flock selling 11 to average just shy of £2300, backed up by top prices of £7000 and £5000. Sale leader here was the No 1, a son of a £26,000 Auldhouseburn, bred from a ewe by a £6500 Auldhouseburn. He was knocked down to Ewen McMillan, Traquair Hill, Innerleithen.

Selling at £5000 to Neil Manning, Earlshaugh, was a shearling by a home-bred son of the £6500 Auldhouseburn, out of a ewe by a £5500 Dalwyne.

Burncastle Farming Co, Lauder, managed by Alan Rogerson, again came up with the goods too, with shearlings at £5800 and £5000. The former and No 2 from the pen, by a £42,000 Glenrath and out of a ewe by a £5500 Blackhouse, sold up to Inverness-shire with John and Kenny Matheson, Milton of Aberarder.

Seconds later, Burncastle's No 3, by a home-bred son of the £42,000 Glenrath, sold in a two-way split to Bert Grant, Glendamph, Glenisla and Andy Hunter, Glenarm, Northern Ireland, for £5500. His dam is by a home-bred son of an £11,000 Happrew.

Shepherd Stuart Blaikie, who has been attending to Professor Penny's Bothwell flock of 600 ewes at Duns for the past five years, enjoyed his best to date too, with a £6500 sale jointly to Sandy Macpherson, Abersky, Dores and A MacDonald, Ess and Dalbuick, Carrbridge, both Inverness-shire. The sire was a £3200 Crosswoodburn bought in 2018, with the dam being a daughter of a £1000 Crosswoodhill ram.

Mr Macpherson, Abersky also bought the lead priced shearling from Alan McClymont, Kirkstead, at £5500. This was a son of a £13,000 Blackhouse, bred from a ewe by a £6500 Dunruchan.

Top price for the Wight family's Midlock flock from Abington, was £5000 paid for a shearling by a home-bred son of a £24,000 Connachan retained for breeding, out of a ewe by a £44,000 Crossflatt. Forking out the cash were father and son duo, John and Richard Wood, Kingledores, Tweedsmuir.

Back amongst the lambs and Hugh and Alan Blackwood, Auldhouseburn, Muirkirk, sold to £6500 and £6000. Dearest was their No 2, a son of the £160,000 Elmscleugh lamb, out of a ewe by a £160,000 Dalchirla, purchased by John Marshall, Gosland, Broughton, Biggar.

Selling at £6000 was the pen leader, a son of the £150,000 Auldhouseburn, bred from a ewe by an £85,000 Auldhouseburn. He was knocked down to Thomas Muirhead, Orchilmore, Comrie.

Martin Wood, West Bracklinn, Callander also enjoyed a cracking day, selling a lamb by a home-bred son of a Dall tup by a £2200 West Bracklinn, for £3800, to K Menzies, Corrylorn, Kilninver, Oban.

OTHERLEADING prices

Shearling rams – £4800 – Dalchirla, by a £24,000 Connachan, to Auchnafree Estate, Amulree and L and P McNickle, Gartincaber, Drymen. £4500 – Dalchirla, by a £26,000 Dyke, to A Paton, Craig, Straiton.

£4000 – Dyke, by a £10,000 Glenrath, to S Duncan, Livet, Glenlivet.

£3800 – Craigdarroch, by a home-bred son of a £3800 Allanfauld to S Bradley, Draperstown, Northern Ireland.

£3500 – Midlock, by Midlock Hawkey, to E Macmillan, Lurg, Fintry and R Cockburn, Hill of Errol, Perth; Kirkstead, by a £10,000 Tinnis, to A Provan, Parkhall, Douglas, Lanark.

£3200 – Bothwell, by a £3200 Crosswoodburn to J Macpherson, Knockandhu; Crosswood Hill, by a £3600 Crosswoodburn, to A Smith, Wester Crosswood Hill.

£3000 – Craigdarroch by a £14,000 Dyke, to EAJ MacLean, Woodside of Culloden, Westhill, Inverness; Dryhope, by a home-bred son of a £17,000 Happrew, to K Menzies, Corrylorn, Oban.

Averages: 506 shearling rams, £959.10

FLOCK averages

Farm (No) Top (£) Average

Shearling rams

Ess (5) 900 580.00

Gosland (8) 1200 662.50

Dalchirla (12) 4800 1725.00

Millhouse (4) 1000 675.00

Gass (5) 700 520.00

Connachan (5) 750 510.00

Midlock (18) 5000 1197.22

Lynemore (6) 700 558.33

Glen Cally (7) 700 528.57

Whelphill (14) 2200 992.86

Easter Happrew (5) 1300 730.00

Quickening Cote (5) 800 510.00

Meggethead (3) 1000 716.67

Blackhouse (12) 1400 820.33

Mitchellhill (7) 2200 1128.57

Nether Scythie (4) 550 525.00

Blackcraig (6) 1000 500.00

Allanfauld (14) 1300 703.57

High Staward (4) 750 550.00

Mountbenger (4) 1000 737.50

Burncastle (12) 5800 1912.50

Dyke (18) 4000 980.56

Shawsknowe (7) 2000 707.14

Merkins Westside (6) 1000 828.33

Craigdarroch (14) 8500 1592.86

Kirkstead (6) 5500 2416.67

Croft Na Garn (4) 1000 737.50

Headshaw (3) 600 483.33

East Bracklinn (12) 1200 779.17

Corsebank (8) 1000 525.00

Hillridge (5) 1400 790.00

Fechan (8) 1700 762.50

Longcroft (7) 1200 635.71

Wester Crosswood Hill (8) 10,500 2168.75

Mid Crosswood (8) 1600 875.00

Livet (13) 1000 500.00

Elmscleugh (11) 2500 1504.54

Wanwoodhill (3) 500 383.33

Merkins (11) 7000 2295.45

Nunnerie (14) 2500 796.43

Bothwell (10) 6500 1560.00

Letar (12) 1500 733.33

Remony (4) 1000 612.50

Ashcraig (6) 1600 1000.00

Parkhall (7) 1300 971.43

Midlock, Glespin (5) 450 430.00

Glenrath (12) 2200 1233.33

Dryhope (6) 3000 1250.00

Hill of Errol (3) 700 516.67

Glenlude (4) 350 307.50

Aitkengall (5) 900 690.00

Outerwards (6) 1400 983.33

Cromlix (14) 1600 785.71

Croughly (6) 550 475.00

Williamhope (12) 8000 1637.50

Tinnis (6) 1700 875.00

Larg, Creetown (5) 500 360.00

Tollishill (9) 2000 722.22

Gosland, Cleugh (5) 400 330.00

Dunruchan (5) 1800 970.00

South Cobbinshaw (3) 450 383.33

Crosswood Hill (8) 3200 1150.00

Silloans (4) 350 325.00

Kirkland (6) 1200 666.67

Glenfernate (3) 1400 966.67

The Stobbs (5) 2800 940.00

Ram lambs

Lurg (3) 2000 906.67

Braes of Ardeonaig (8) 350 281.25

Elmscleugh (5) 1100 700.00

Auldhouseburn (3) 6500 4333.33

Knock O'Ronald (4) 1800 595.00

Lurgan (3) 320 226.67

Dyke (3) 800 683.33

Burnhead, Darvel (3) 200 200.00

Dall (8) 1400 480.00

Crammie (3) 500 316.66

The Glen (3) 650 350.00

Steading Cottage (3) 420 306.67

Burnside (4) 200 125.00

Gosland (3) 380 260.00

Crossflatt (5) 20,000 5970.00

West Bracklinn (5) 3800 1433.33

Midlock (3) 2500 800.00