KIRKSTEAD traditional Bluefaced Leicester females from Alan McClymont and sons Sam and Oli, were in demand at the Blue Belles sale at Carlisle, achieving a new female high for the breed at 6500gns and several other top prices.
Selling at that record price was the pre-sale champion, a gimmer selected by the judge, Henry Bennett, Carmarthenshire. A member of last year’s show team, having stood first at Biggar, second at the Scottish Progeny show and fifth at the Royal Highland, she is the result of a mating between Leadburnlea M3, a tup bought out of Hexham for 5200gns, and a home-bred ewe.
She changed hands carrying triplets lambs to Bonvilston N11, a tup that stood reserve inter-breed at last year’s Royal Highland, having been bought at Kelso for £3200 the previous year. The gimmer sold to the Campbell family who already run a flock of crossing-type Bluefaced Leicesters at Glenrath, Peebles.
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The second Kirkstead gimmer from the flock based near Yarrow, Selkirk, made 2800gns when selling to Messrs Fleming, Teviot Head, Hawick. She is by the 1800gns Carlisle purchase, Whinnyhall M82 and bred from one of the flock’s best breeding ewes. Second in her class to the champion, she sold carrying a pair again to Bonvilston N11.
Messrs Carr, Burton Road, Low Bentham, forked out 2500gns for another Kirkstead gimmer, bred the same way as the sale leader, and carrying two lambs to the same service sire.
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The first part of a major reduction from Derek Henderson’s Burndale flock, Westwood, Wylam, reached 2200gns. Reserve at the pre-sale show, this 2018-born ewe is sired by Lower Down H3 which was bought in Builth Wells for 3900gns, and out of a home-bred ewe. She sold to Michael and Nicky Gray, of the Espley flock, Morpeth, carrying a single to Burndale N49.
On the debit sire, Espley, sold their fourth prize gimmer for 1700gns. Backed by home-bred genetics, she is sired by Espley M4, out of Espley M38, and sold in lamb to Logie Durno N7 again to Messrs Carr, Burton Road.
Auctioneers: Harrison and Hetherington.
Averages: 22 ewes, £825.68; 29 gimmers, £1129.65 (+£40.27 for one more); four empty ewe hoggs, £525 (-£105 for seven fewer).
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