Left to right: Annie Brittain, Jamesons; Leo Goss, Lowesby Farm; John Holmes, Ragley Hall Farm (judge); and Mary Stones with Mule gimmers which topped at Leyburn.
Mule ewe lamb record at Hexham
At the Bellingham sale of Mule ewe lambs at Hexham the winner of the Robson and Cowan Trophy for the best pen of 25 lambs was W. and C. Ridley, Shitlington Hall, Wark, which went on to sell for a record £350/head to H.J. and J. Paterson, Lanarkshire.
Messrs Ridley had the day's leading average selling 148 lambs to average £246.84.
Second prize went to the Carry House flock of Martyn Archer, Wark, who is retiring this year.
They sold for £230/head to J.H. and S.M. Mason, Keasden Head.
Mr Archer was also the winner of the Stuart Ridley Memorial Trophy for the best run of 100 or more lambs from North of England Mule Sheep Association members.
He also donated a pair ewe lambs, one of which was the Royal Highland Show champion, to be sold in aid of the Tynedale Hospice at Home. They sold for £750 to David and Harrison Collingwood, Intake.
Outside of the show winners, trade was strong and saw R. English and Sons, Brownsleazes, sell a pen of 25 at £250/head with 60% of the sale breaking the £200 barrier.
Auctioneers: Hexham and Northern Marts.
READ MORE: Solway and Tyne Texel sale tops at 80,000gns for Harestone flock
British Friesian bulls hit new highs at Carlisle
British Friesian bulls broke the centre record twice at the Border and Lakeland Holstein Club sale at Carlisle, which had a 100% clearance.
Topping the sale at 12,800gns was Whinnow Perfect by Inch Jake from the Blamire family, Thursby, which sold to Messrs Richardson, Appleby-in-Westmorland.
Next, also breaking the 10,000gns former record when selling for 12,000gns, was the winning junior bull and reserve breed champion, Nerewater Awesome Admiral, from Richard Bell, Wigton, which sold to Messrs Ward, Lancaster.
The Warnelview herd from Kevin and Christine Wilson, Thursby, had the trade of the day in the Holstein section, selling five bulls to average £8,032, topping at 8,800gns for the youngest bull in the sale, Warnelview Verona by Hardy, which sold to the Allen family, Shropshire.
Warnelview Rembrandt from the same home sold for 8,000gns to Messrs Kellet, Northumberland.
The champion bull was Woodmarsh Omaha, a Unix son consigned by Micky Gould, Shropshire. The buyers were the Dickinson family, Penrith, who bought it for 6,500gns.
The champion British Friesian was Winnoch Picasso, consigned by the Brocket family, Renfrewshire, which made 6,500gns to Messrs Adams, Stranraer.
Averages - 34 bulls, £5,138.43; 17 Holstein bulls, £5,208; 17 British Friesian bulls, £5,077.05.
Auctioneers: Harrison and Hetherington.
Suffolk gimmer tops Melton multibreed sale
The multibreed sale of pedigree sheep at Melton Mowbray topped at 1,700gns for a Suffolk in-lamb shearling gimmer by Sunset Winx from Ali Jackson's Topgun flock, Dumfries. He also sold another in-lamb gimmer at 1,450gns, the winning gimmer at 850gns and the winning ewe lamb and female champion at 850gns.
Suffolk ram lambs sold to 600gns twice for David Inman's Lindum flock, Melton Mowbray.
Mr Jackson also led the trade for Dutch Spotted at 1,500gns for the breed and reserve inter-breed champion, the ewe lamb Tiptop Ivory. He also sold the winning ram lamb and male champion, Tiptop Inblot, for 1,200gns, and the winning shearling ewe, Tiptop Highlight, for 1,000gns. Making 1,150gns was Gemma Stanford, Lutterworth, with her ewe lamb, Spruit Imhappy.
The production sale of 49 Texel shearling gimmers on behalf of Phil Weaver, Newark, averaged £782.25, topping at 1,400gns, with others to 1,000gns, 900gns and 880gns.
Texel rams sold to 900gns for Belsize Hagrid, from C.D. Jarvis and Son, Peterborough, with the winning shearling ram and reserve male champion from Neil Ruby, Boston, making 820gns. Midview Iceman, a ram lamb from George Whitehouse, Ashbourne, Derbyshire, sold for 700gns.
Topping the Blue Texels at 1,000gns was Robert Mawer and Emma Benge, Woodhall Spa, with the shearling ram Premier Knockout. They also sold the winning shearling ram, Premier Jurassic, for 950gns, and the winning shearling ewe, Premier Jolly, for 700gns.
The overall inter-breed title went to Jason and Sarah Wareham, East Sussex, with the winning Beltex shearling ram, which went on to sell for 650gns, with the reserve breed champion from the same home making the section top price of 700gns.
Border Leicester shearling rams sold to 520ngs, for Hallam and Eggleston's Seagrave flock, Walton on the Wolds, Leicestershire, with Hampshire Downs to the same money for an aged ewe from Amy Byford's Lawshall flock, Suffolk.
The consignment of 66 commercial ewe lambs from C.D. Timm, Pickering, averaged £238, topping at £360/head for a pair of Suffolk crosses, with whitehead lambs to £255/head.
Auctioneers: Melton Mowbray Market.
READ MORE: Kerry Hills soar to breed record 12,000gns at Ludlow sale
Centre records set at Dingwall
At Dingwall, the Mule Monday sale included the annual Cheviot show and sale of gimmers and ewe lambs, and the show and sale of Highland and Islands Sheep Health Association-accredited Mules along with non-accredited Mules and Texel crosses.
Centre records were set by Willie and John Brown, New Deer, who sold 26 Texel cross Cheviot gimmers for £440/head to Messrs Campbell, Mayfield. They also sold 11 Texel cross Park Cheviot gimmers for £425/head to Messrs Sutherland, Sibmister.
The champion pen of Cheviot Mule gimmers was from Liam Wink, Dykeneuk, and bred by the Bradley family, Tillminate. They sold for £320 to the judge, Rod Gillies, Charleston. The second prize winners from W.A. and H.V. Stewart, Muir of Ord, sold for £340/head, and the third prize pen from the same vendor made £330/head.
For the second year running, the Cheviot Mule ewe lamb championship went to the Bradley family with their winning pen, which topped the section at £260/head, and their consignment of 60 averaging £253.33/head.
The McKenzie family, Craiglands, offered two Cheviot Mule lambs to be sold for charity, which were bought by Morris Dalgetty, Mulchaich, for £400, with the money being split between Mikeys Line and The Road Rage Cowboy.
Averages – 269 Cheviot mule gimmers, £280.86 (+£60.86); 327 Texel cross gimmers, £300.68; 797 Cheviot Mule ewe lambs, £199.30 (+£53.09).
Auctioneers: Dingwall and Highland Marts.
Worcester multi-bred sale tops at 2,000gns
Leading the multi-breed sale of Blue Texel, Beltex, Badger Face Texel and Rouge sheep at Worcester was a Beltex shearling ram from Aled Groucott, Crumlin, Gwent, which sold for 2,000gns.
The sale topper was Swffyrd Kracker by Aramis de Noblehaye and out of an Ardstewart female by the home-bred Swffryd Express. It sold to Emily South and Harry Bishop, Oxfordshire.
Next, at 1,500gns, was another shearling ram, Huntspill Kingsman, from Stuart and Jenny Clatworthy, Highbridge. By Cothi Halaholo, it was knocked down to B. and S. Powell, Kidderminster.
Also at 1,500gns was the top-priced ram lamb, Statesman Leader, from Ben Stayt, Cheltenham. By Statesman Knockout, it sold to R. Richins, Oxford.
The Blue Texels sold to 1,800gns for the reserve male champion and second place ram lamb, Pollyannas Kitt, from Polly Bishop, Gloucestershire.
By Hardy Blues Greatest Showman, it sold to Nina Smith, Moreton-in-Marsh, and Richard Bett, Louth.
Shearling rams topped at 1,100gns for Sophie Long, Bishops Frome, with Littlebrook Juggler by Beaconsivew Flash Harry, which went to commercial producers Greenfields Lamb, Atherstone.
Leading the female trade at 1,100gns was the female and overall champion, a ewe lamb from Victoria Bowring, Mansfield. This was Wind-Mill Karma by Ettrick Jetsetter, which went to Messrs Barker and Borlase, Church Stretton.
Ram lambs led the way in the Badger Face Texel trade, topping at 1,600gns for one from Dave and Kathryn Thompson, Blandford Forum. By Knockmult Freddie, Eastbury Gary The Unicorn was champion at the Bath and West Show and also sold to Messrs Barker and Borlase. The same buyers paid the top female price of 1,000gns for Look Here Fern by an import from the Ingst flock from Austen and Michelle Lockyer, Highbridge.
Averages - Beltex –18 shearling rams, £828.33; 9 ram lambs, £781.66; 2 shearling ewes, £388.50; 5 ewe lambs, £258.30. Badger Face Texels – 10 shearling ewes, £581.70; 4 ewe lambs, £538.12; 3 shearling rams, £682.50; 4 ram lambs, £687.75. Blue Texels – 11 shearling ewes, £495.41; 6 ewe lambs, £574; 6 shearling rams, £686; 11 ram lambs, £582.27. Rouge – 2 shearling rams, £341.25; 1 ram lamb, £315; 2 aged ewes, £441; 3 shearling ewes, £360.50; 2 ewe lambs, £378.
Auctioneers: McCartneys.
READ MORE: Averages up on the year at Skipton's Mule gimmer lamb opener
Tercrossett sale top at at 4,200gns
The production sale from the Tercrosset flock on behalf of the Whiteford family, Brampton, at Carlisle, saw the 155 rams peak average £1,115.20, up £183.09 on the year.
Top price was 4,200gns for a Texel shearling which sold to John Merrell, Irthington, followed by another Texel at 3,400gns.
The 199 gimmers saw 18 pens sell at 500gns and more to a top of 1,100gns for a pen of three Texel crosses which sold to Ted Skelton, Maryport, with an average of £423.06, a rise of £20.79 on the year.
Auctioneers: Harrison and Hetherington.
Dairy sells to £3,900 at Carlisle
The monthly sale of 255 dairy cattle at Carlisle topped at £3,900.
The sale leader was Brownfield Evermore Heath, a heifer giving more than 40kgs by Denovo Heath from Matthew Gemmel, Dumfries, which sold to West Galdenoch Dairy, Stranraer.
The Wadsworth family, Newton Stewart, sold 10 heifers by Hardball and Captivate, topping at £3,700 to average £3,238.
Kaemuir Holsteins, Falkirk, sold nine cows and heifers and topped the cow trade at £3,650 for second calver, Kaemuir Kenmore Breeze by Denovo Kenmore giving 44kg.
Seven animals sold for £3,650 with several consigned by BF Dairy Farm, Glasgow, which sold 11 cows and heifers to average £3,354.
The Livingstone family, Gretna, sold 22 heifers to average £3,166 topping at £3,650 for Kirtlevale Renegade June.
Cairnhead Farm, Ainstable, sold 33 late lactation New Zealand Friesian cows which had run with the Angus sire since June, topping at £2,200 for a fourth lactation cow by Koepon Raptor giving 255kgs and averaged £1,509.
In-calf heifers topped at £2,900 Soulseat Fancy Man Tallulah, a Brown Swiss heifer from Robert and Sheila McColm, Stranraer, who sold 14 heifers to average £2,507.
Averages - 27 Holstein cows in-milk, £3,035; 112 Holstein heifers in-milk, £2,965.39;12 faulted cows and heifers in-milk, £1,509.09; 33 New Zealand Friesian cows, £1,509.09; 34 Holstein in-calf heifers, £2,308.82; 18 short-bred heifers, £1,717.22; 19 maiden heifers, £1,101.05.
Auctioneers: Harrison and Hetherington.
Strong store cattle trade at Bentham
At Bentham's store cattle sale, black and whites were the trade of the day according to auctioneers.
They averaged £1,894 topping at £2,220 for a pair of British Friesians from J. and M. Cockett, Ingleton.
Strongest feeding cattle were £2,500 upwards with a consignment from P. and J.M. Wilson and Son, Westhouse, averaging £2,630 for 21 sold, with a single Charolais bullock topping the sale at £2,950.
Native bred cattle sold to £2,650 for Aberdeen-Angus from John Beck, Tatha, with Herefords to £2,480 for S.J. and A.L. Dennis, Bentham. J. and A. Lawson, Westhouse, sold bullocks to £2,820.
Wintering cattle from M.B. Fawcett, Burton in Lonsdale, sold to £2,000 to average £1,672 with P.J. Allonby, Windermere, topping at £1,820 for Limousin heifers.
Butcher type heifers from S.J. and C.J. Handley, Ingleton, sold to £2,300. Stronger sorts topped at £2,780 for N.L. and C.J. Brown, Claughton.
Auctioneers: Richard Turner and Son.
Breeding sheep at Lanark
The sale of breeding sheep at Lanark included the show of Scotch Mule gimmers and ewe lambs.
The sale topped at £400 for pure Texel gimmers from C.C. MacArthur and Co, Nunnerie, with a one-crop Scotch Mule show ewe from J. Guild, Laight, making £370.
The 1,414 Scotch Mule gimmers were a flying trade selling to £350/head for the first prize winners from Messrs Stewart, Crookboat, who sold another pen at the same money, and for the second prize pen from J. Paterson, East Dyles.
The winning pen of Scotch Mule ewe lambs for J. and A. Galloway, Lochlyoch, sold for £245/hread to D.W.A. and N.J. Parrish, Hassendean Burn.
Averages - 313 ewes, £144; Hutlerburn dispersal - 251 head, £193; East Hyndshawland dispersal – 261 head, £209; 1,414 Scotch Mule gimmers, £257; 618 Texel cross gimmers, £239; 384 Scotch Mule ewe lambs, £196 (+£40 on 2024).
Auctioneers: Lawrie and Symington.
Pedigree heifers peak at £4,600 in Gisburn
An Aireburn heifer from G. B. Moorhouse, Skipton, made the top price of £4,600 in Gisburn's dairy sale, which saw three of 70-plus head top £4,000.
Pedigree heifers ranged from £2,300, but the sale leader was a 35kg Sandy-Valley R Conway daughter from the Dilys family. At £4,120 was an ASR heifer from G. D. Donkin. Blackburn. By Soureth Conrad, it sold giving 33kg and was closely followed at £4,050 by a Peak Altaizza sired heifer from Lovelyhall herd owner, D. E. Richardson, Blackburn.
Next in the pedigree section at £3,800 was a Heygill prefix heifer, by Wiltor Cosmo, from G. Fairburn, Leeds.
The non-pedigree fresh heifer trade peaked at £3,950 for a 35kg entry from R. W. and M. Walker, Bradford, who also sold at £3,550.
Newly-calved cows sold to £3,700 and £3,350 for two pedigree second calvers, from the Hoole herd of R. and M. Cowgill, Preston.
Averages - Pedigree newly-calved heifers, £3,081; pedigree newly-calved cows, £2,780; non-pedigree newly-calved heifers, £2,666; non-pedigree newly-calved cows, £2,410; in-calf heifers £2,600; cross-bred fresh heifers £2,950.
Auctioneers: Gisburn Auction Marts.
Lleyn rams sell to 1,300gns in Exeter
A selective trade for rams at the Lleyn Sheep Society sale at Exeter topped at 1,300gns, for Borrins Nimble, from H. and M. Dugdale and Son, Settle, which sold to D.B. and H.M. Carr, Crablake Farm, Exeter.
At 1,200gns from Harpers Holdings, Holsworthy, was Trepoyle Nancledra, which was knocked down to G.K. Griffin and Son, Cornwall.
Shearling ewes topped at £285/head, with 45 pens selling in excess of £250/head.
Leading the way was a pen of five from E. and D. Jones, Lluest Wen, Commins Coch. They sold to C. Gay, West Harptree, who also bought a pen from the same home at £265/head and paid £270/head for the pre-sale show female champions, a pen of five from W.J. and D.J. Williams, Bodtacho Ddu.
Also making £270/head was a pen of four from A. and D. Parker, Hemyock, which sold to R.O. and C.A. Davis, Chagford.
A. W. Hughes, Gwynedd, dominated the individual shearling ewe trade with his pre-sale show reserve female champion, and first-place individual ewe, which won its class at the Royal Welsh Show. It sold for £750 to A. J. Carter, Devon.
Messrs Jones sold their pre-sale show individual female for £310 to Harpers Holdings.
Ewe lambs sold to £200/head for the third-prize pen of five from J.M. and G.C. Adams, Gondolin, Truro, which sold to M. and D. Hoskins, Hunters Moon.
Averages - Aged ewes, £151 (-£34 on 2024); shearling ewes, £239.83 (+£14.38); ewe lambs, £155.82 (+£15.91); rams, 686gns (+£46).
Auctioneers: Kivells.
Beltex sell to 4,500gns at Skipton
The Northern Beltex Sheep Breeders Club show and sale at Skipton topped at 4,500gns for the shearling ram, Wannops Kidney Bean, by Brilley Huntsman out of a Matt's Edward daughter from Wannop Farms, Morecambe. The buyers were B. and R. Lawson and Son, Richmond.
Next at 4,000gns was Matthew Burleigh, Co Fermanagh, with his winning shearling ram, Matt's Kibosh by Buckles Fizzy Pop, which was knocked down to W.P. Evans, Anglesey.
Another shearling ram from the same home, Matt's Kracker, made 3,000gns to Ali Sutcliffe, Carlton-in-Cleveland.
James and Gillian Whiteford, Tercrosset flock, Brampton, were female and overall supreme champion with their first prize shearling ewe by Lurg Hang Man. It sold for 3,000gns to G.D. Stephenson and Son, Market Weighton.
Mike Davis, Eldroth, topped his run at 3,000gns with a shearling ram, Rathbone Koko Pops, which sold to Nick and Charlotte Brown, Claughton. Mr Davis also presented the first prize aged ram, Rathbone Joe, which sold at a section top of 1,500gns to M. Gray, Morpeth.
Brian Hall, Ainstable, sold his third prize ram lamb to top the section at 3,000gns, when selling to J. Mulholland, Great Orton.
Champion male and overall reserve champion from Stuart Wood, Skerne, was the ram lamb Woodies Lad by Mellor Vale King Kong, which made 2,000gns to Geoff Ryder, Silloth.
Also making 2,000gns was the class runner-up Lurg Levi from Alan Miller, Aberdeenshire, which went to Dick Harrison, Skipton.
Averages - Shearling rams, £1,233; ram lambs, £1,141; aged rams £945; shearling gimmers, £904; ewe lambs, £595; overall, £1,087.53.
Auctioneers: CCM.
Lowesby Farms top Leyburn Mule gimmers
The show and sale of Mule and continental gimmer shearlings at Leyburn saw an increased entry with the best sheep selling at similar rates to last year, but with some Mules not looking as well due to the drought, the average of £221 was down £19 on the year.
The winning pen of 10 Mule shearlings, judged by John Holmes, Warwickshire, were from Lowesby Farms, Leicester, which also won the Tony and Alan Busby Memorial Trophy for the best single Mule gimmer shearling, with Lowesby Farm's recently retired manager there to receive the trophy. They went on to sell for £280/head.
William Peacock, Hipswell, judged the continental shearlings, awarding first prize to Matthew Bainbridge, Caldwell, with Texel cross Cheviot Mules, also the recipient the Hannah Brown Memorial Trophy. This pen sold for £325/head to the judge.
Chris Hill, Northallerton, took second place with his Texel cross Beltex shearlings, which made £300/head. In third place was John Fawcett, Marske, also with Texel cross Beltex, which sold for £285/head. Continental gimmer shearlings averaged £260/head, up £33 on the year.
Auctioneers: Leyburn Auction Mart.
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