A roaring trade for Texel shearlings saw the breed secure the majority of top prices and the lead average for the highest number sold, with 591 registered entries cashing in at £1653.54 – up £166.76 on the year albeit for 30 fewer sold.
The breed also produced the day’s lead price of £36,000 for the shearling ram, Teiglum Firefly, from Andrew Clark’s flock based at Crossford, near Lanark. He is sired by the 26,000gns Seaforde Egyptian Warrior, bought at Ballymena two years ago with the Harestone and Allanfauld flocks and has bred ram lambs to 10,000gns. Paul Slater, Whiteley Hey, Cheshire, was the final bidder for Firefly which is bred from a dam that goes back to Craighead Crusader.
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Mr Slater also went to £5000 for another Teiglum shearling by the same sire, but out of a Knock Bantastic daughter.
Second top price was £22,000 paid for Midlock Flockstar from Allan and Karen Wight, and son, Ben, Midlock, Crawford. He is a son of Bradleys Executioner and bred from a Mullan Amigo daughter that bred last year’s £52,000 shearling sold here. He sold in a two-way split to Alan Clark, Garngour, Lesmahagow, and Malcolm Coubrough, Hartside, Biggar.
His full brother, Midlock Freestyle made £12,000 selling to Gerwyn Jones, Graig Goch, Conwy.
Robin Orr and his daughter Caroline, Halbeath, Dunfermline, went to £16,000 for the No 3 from the the Lancs-based Procters flock brought out by Jeff and Jennifer Aiken, Proctors Farm, Wennington.This shearling is by the home-bred Coniston Elmo – a tup that belongs to young Robbie Aiken, with this being the first crop of shearlings sold. The dam is a daughter of Caereinion Bonus.
Procters had a field day selling 14 shearlings all by the same sire to average £4378.57. Next best at £6500 from the flock was the No 2, bred from a Thrunton Yonique sired-ewe. Teaming up for this lad were Meikle and Ross Jackson, Wolfclyde, Biggar and Tom Cockburn, Kingside, Leadburn.
Just behind on £6200 was a shearling bred from a Smithy Ben daughter, purchased by Messrs Dean, Kirkhouse, Carlisle.
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Messrs Buchan, Torrax, Kirriemuir, gave £5500 for another, with the dam being sired by Thrunton Younique.
Jonathan Watson Brijon flock from Bowsden Moor, Berwick upon Tweed, sold his best at £15,000 to a trio of Lanarkshire breeders to include Jim and Andrew Gibb, Toftcombs, Biggar, Iain Minto, Townhead, Dolphinton, and James and Jamie Orr, Wester Walston. He is by Harestone Emperor and out of a gimmer by Pant Wolf.
On the credit side Mr Watson then went to £12,000 for a shearling from Ken Hodge, Greenarch, Upper Huntlywood, Earlston. He is by Wolfclyde Dynamo and bred from a home-bred ewe.
Selling for the same money was a shearling from Robert Laird, Cambwell, Biggar, which sold jointly to Angus Kennedy, Mitchellhill, Biggar and Ian Hunter, Dalchirla, Crieff. The dam was bought at the Wilodge dispersal as an in-lamb gimmer for 5000gns, with this shearling inside her, being a son of Blackadder De Boer.
One of the last pedigree shearlings sold made 10,000gns for Archie and John MacGregor, Allanfauld, Kilsyth. Their tup is by the same sire as the sale leader being a son of the 26,000gns Seaforde Egyptian Warrior, and bred from a Knock Bantastic dam purchased from the Teiglum flock for 7500gns. He was knocked down to Billy and Andrew Renwick, Blackhouse, Yarrow, with a half share taken by Steven Renwick buying for his Craig Douglas flock, Glenrath, Peebles.
After their successful day in the ring, Allan and Karen Wight went to 9000gns for the pen leader from Donald MacGregor and his father Jimmy, Dyke, Milton of Campsie. He is sired by Ettrick Eastern Promise, a tup bought at Lanark as a lamb, and bred from a home-bred dam.
John Green, The Craggs, Lilliesleaf, sold a Knock Yardsman son out of a ewe by Langside Stiffler at £7200 to the Procters flock.
Next at £6400, Jim Innes’ Strathbogie flock from Dunscroft, Huntly, sold a shearling son of Canllefaes Bright Spark, bred from a dam by the £7500 Brijon Buster to the Quick brothers of Loosebeare Manor, Devon, and Nicola Hartwright of the Whiteheart flock, Springfields, Worcestershire.
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On the credit side, Loosebeare took £6000, for a son of Loosebeare Chief, from the Watkins’ Corras flock.
Loosebeare was back in the buying seat forking out £6000 for a Scrogtonhead shearling from Peter and Lynn Gray, and sons, James, Billy and Scott, from Cowgrove, Galston. He is sired by Cornmore Diamond, which was purchased out of Lanark for 2600gns, with the dam being a Rusha female.
Another the same way bred achieved the same money when selling down to Wales with Messrs Davis, Cardigan.
Iain Minto’s Townhead flock from Dolphinton, West Linton was another to hit the 6000gns bracket selling a son of Thinacres Etype out of a ewe by a Scrogton sire. He found a new home with Jim and Andrew Gibb, Toftcombs.
Malcolm Coubrough sold to a top of £5800 from his Hartside flock, Biggar. He is from the first crop of shearling sons by Knock Eastwood, out of a Halbeath VIP sired-dam, and found a new home with Ted Fox, St John’s Kirk, Biggar.
The Ingrams from Logie Durno, Inverurie had a cracking day with all breeds, with their Texels peaking at £5500 for the pre-sale champion in Ring 5. A son of the home-bred Granite Chieftain, he was knocked down to Winter Bros, Clickham Farm, Appleby-in-Westmorland.
Another at £5500 in the same ring from John Elliot, Roxburgh Mains, Kelso, made the same money shen selling to Messrs Williams, Welshpool. He is by the 12,000gns Walston Clansman.
Top price in the ram lambs was £2000 paid for a Mossknowe Focus son from the MacGregors, Allanfauld, purchased by Messrs Hudson.
A new centre record was also achieved for an unregistered Texel shearling when Robert Rennie, Attonburn, Kelso, took £6000 for a son of an £8000 Dyke, bred from a College Edward daughter. He sold to Messrs Robson, Yatesfield, Otterburn.
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Mr Rennie also sold unregistered tups the same way bred at £3800 and £3400 and produced a new average high in Ring 18, selling 28 shearling rams at £1882.
Averages: 591 registered shearling rams, £1653.54 (+£166.76 for 30 fewer); 58 registered ram lambs, £737.07 (-£15.98 for 37 less); 531 unregistered shearling rams, £959.40 (+£115.07 for 55 fewer).
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