Crieff breeder’s ram lamb shines at Stirling

A Hampshire Down ram lamb from Crieff breeder Helen Shepherd topped the ram lamb trade at the show and sale at Stirling when he sold for 420gns.

Showing for the first time at an official sale, she headed off a strong class of seasoned competitors and impressed the judge who bought the lamb for his Ashley Flock in Northern Ireland.

The day’s leading bid of 650gns was made for the champion, a shearling ram by Thorbeck Heineken from the Middleditch family’s St Paul flock, Sudbury, Suffolk.

The buyer was Jodi Hooks and Liam Gouldthorpe who took him home to their Halikeld flock in North Yorkshire. Another Heineken-sired shearling ram from the same breeders made 450gns to Kenny Dickson, Fintry, Stirling.

At 600gns Scottish breeders R Brand & Son, East Fortune, North Berwick, sold a shearling ram by Wattisfield What If to Michaela Cornish, Shamrose Flock, Thirsk.

The Middleditch success continued in the female ring where they topped the section with a Heineken-sired shearling ewe which sold at 520gns to Rob Dewey, Lathockar Flock, St Andrews.

Another shearling ewe by the same sire went for 300gns to Bruce Steel, Powblack Flock, Thornhill, Stirling. Junior member Bruce bought a total of five females, reinvesting his proceeds from sales of his cross-bred Hampshire Down lambs through the market earlier in the morning.

Heading the ewe lamb trade at 500gns was the reserve champion by the homebred Graylen Harley from Graham and Judith Galbraith, Kendal. The buyer was Trevor Todd, Ballynahinch, Co Down, who also went to 400gns for another ewe lamb from the same breeders, this time by Yarcombe Iceman. The Galbraiths sold two Iceman-sired shearling ewes at 420gns each. The first went to A and H Rae, Ellon, Aberdeenshire, and the second to Glass and Robinson, Alford.