Show and Sale of In-lamb Females

Averages: 17 ewes, £2646.62; 39 gimmers, £1478.08. Overall, 56 head, £1832.81.

Trade peaked at 10,000gns at the Blackface Sheep Breeders’ Association’s annual show and sale of in-lamb females at Lanark.

A strong demand saw 87% of the entries find buyers, with the sale’s export eligibility allowing several to head across the water to Northern Ireland purchasers.

The sale topper at 10,000gns, came from Eoin Blackwood’s Muirkirk-based Dalblair flock. A one-crop ewe, sired by a home-bred ram named The Bodyguard, and out of a ewe by £52,000 Crossflatt, this one sold carrying twins to the £85,000 Dalblair ram which was sold last October with a share retained. Forking out the 10,000gns for this one were Hugh and Alan Blackwood, Auldhouseburn, Muirkirk.

From the same pen, another one-crop ewe by The Bodyguard and due twins to £85,000 Dalblair, sold at 6500gns to Brian and Christopher Curran’s Glackmore flock in Culmore, Co Derry.

Strabane-based John and Patrick Harkin received a top of 8800gns for a two-crop ewe from their Loughash flock. Sired by £30,000 Loughash, this one is out of a ewe by £24,000 Elmscleugh and sold due twins to £20,000 Auldhouseburn, to joint buyers David Morrison, Dalwyne, Barr, Girvan and Veronica Fullerton, Draperstown.

Hugh and Alan Blackwood’s Auldhouseburn gimmers, from Muirkirk, were amongst the top sellers, with a daughter of £30,000 McCurdy, carrying a single to £160,000 Dyke, making 4500gns to J McCurdy, Broughshane, Ballymena. At 4000gns, another by the same sire and carrying twins to £38,000 Merkland, sold to Charlie and Cathal Harkin, The Rock, Strabane.

The Rock flock also had a successful sale, with their gimmer, by a ram named Top Secret, selling at 4200gns to E Fraser, Balgowan, Laggan, Newtonmore, while another gimmer, by £21,000 Dalchirla, sold at 2500gns to Oliver and Sean Brannigan, Glenbeg, Dungannon.

Best for Archie and John MacGregor’s Allanfauld consignment, from Kilsyth, was a 3800gns bid for a gimmer by son of £3500 Dalchirla, due with a single lamb to £65,000 Crossflatt. She sold to D McMullan, Maghera, Co Derry.

Other gimmers from Allanfauld, by £30,000 McCurdy, made 2500gns to I McLarty, Little Port, St Fillans, Crieff, and 2000gns to Finlay Robertson, The Beeches, West Calder.

Reserve champion at the pre-sale show, judged by Nunnerie shepherd Craig Thornborrow, was a gimmer from Ewen Macmillan, Lurg, Fintry. Sired by £10,000 Loughash and due with twins having been served by £13,000 Greenside, that one sold at 3000gns to D Roberts, Heol Las, Penderyn.

Robert Cockburn, Hill of Errol, Perthshire, sold to a top of 2200gns for a gimmer by £20k Orchilmore, to K McAleer, Pomeroy, Dungannon. Meanwhile, Mr Cockburn’s pre-sale champion , a gimmer by £26,000 Dalchirla, scanned with twins to £24,000 Dyke, made 2000gns to E Fraser, Balgowan, Laggan.

The Aberuchill consignment, brought out by Craig Paterson at Comrie, sold to 2100gns, for a one-crop ewe by £22,000 Auldhouseburn, carrying twins. She went to Neil and Stuart Barclay’s Harestone flock at Insch.

The Aberuchill team donated the proceeds of their pen number three, a gimmer by £14,000 Crossflatt, to Cancer Research UK, in memory of two employees of the estate, who sadly lost their battle with cancer. That one made 1000gns to Allan MacGillivray, Archaracle, Argyll.

The first prize ewe at the pre-sale show, a two-crop from Derek Brown and Ben Cluckie’s Waterhead flock, made 2000gns to Andrew Walker, Cramie, Glen Prosen.

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Craig Wilson Limited