The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
National sale sees Texel lambs reach six figures
Texel ram lambs hit six figures once again at the Scottish National sale at Lanark where a 76% clearance saw 290 lambs sell to average £3,818.
Following on from last year’s world record breaking price of 350,000gn for Sportsmans Double Diamond, this year’s sale topper was a son of that ram, Auldhouseburn Expression, which sold for 100,000gn.
Bred by Hugh and Alan Blackwood at Auldhouseburn, Muirkirk, Ayrshire – who bought Double Diamond alongside two other breeders – this February-born lamb is out of a home-bred daughter of the 125,000gn Rhaeadr Best of the Best.
He sold to James Theyer’s Clanfield flock at Mill House, Oxfordshire, with the Blackwoods retaining a half share.
A further 22 lambs soared to five-figure prices, with Procters Farm, Lancashire, recouping its third share of Double Diamond and more, selling sons at 80,000gn, 52,000gn and 10,000gn.
Brought out by flock manager Jeff Aiken, the pen leader, Procters El Presidente, sold jointly at 80,000gn to Charlie Boden’s Sportsmans flock and Stuart Barclay, Harestone, Banchory.
The 52,000gn seller, Procters Eureka, went to Northern Ireland buyers Mark Priestley, Alastair Gault and Rodger Strawbridge.
The breeder of last year’s big seller, Charlie Boden, had another successful sale with lambs from his Cheshire-based Sportsmans flock. Sportsmans Express, by Castlecairn Doodlebug, sold at 75,000gn to the Campbells’ Cowal flock, Drimsynie, Argyll, and Welsh breeder Rob Bennett, Upper Hall, Meiford.
A quartet of breeders forked out 38,000gn for Cressage Enforcer – a Mellor Vale Dakota son from Matthew Ellis, Kilchoan, Shropshire.
He went to Aberdeenshire breeders, Kenny Pratt, Hilltop; Jim Innes, Strathbogie and Graham Morrison, Deveronvale, along with Willy Davies, Usk Vale, Monmouthshire.
Father and son, Gordon and David Gray, Sunnycroft, Lindean, Selkirk, received a top of 26,000gn for lambs from their Ettrick flock.
Reserve champion at the pre-sale show, Ettrick Earthquake, a Hope Valley Dazzler son, sold to a consortium of five breeders, from the Clarks, Clinterty, Garngour, New View and Nochnary flocks.
Selling their dearest lamb to date, the Teward family, New View, County Durham, received 24,000gn for their best son of Sportsmans Double Diamond, New View Electrifying, which sold to Ettrick, along with Robert Cockburn, Hill of Errol, Perthshire.
At 22,000gn was the best from George Howie’s Knock flock, from Peterhead, while Stuart Barclay’s Harestone flock sold to 17,000gn.