Twin highlights at the Northern Area Texel Sheep Breeders’ 36th annual two-day show and sale of pedigree rams and females at Skipton Auction Mart were a top price of 4500gns for a shearling ram from Richard Wilson’s Crimple Head flock in North Yorkshire and a supreme championship success for another shearling ram from Steve Richardson’s Stonebridge flock in South Yorkshire. (Thus & Fri, Sept 14 & 15)
Mr Wilson, of Beckwithshaw, Harrogate, took top call with his second prize winner, the March, 2016, Crimple Head Your The Man, who was among four first crop shearling rams in his pen by the Parkholme Telegram Sam son, Parkholme Van Dyke, bred by Thirsk’s Graham Taylor and purchased out of the Skipton sale two years ago.
Crimple Head Your The Man from Richard Wilson selling for 4,500gns.
Mr Wilson, the fourth generation of the Wilson sheep farming family – they are also renowned for their Dalesbred hill sheep – established his flock a decade ago and now runs 55 breeding ewes, along with a Texel-cross holding.
He is also a contract sheep shearer. “That’s how I first became interested in Texels while shearing them for Mark Keighley in Leathley and in Hellifield for John Mellin. I bought my first ram lamb from the Keighleys’ Manderlea flock and my first tup at Skipton – a son of the 2015 Great Yorkshire breed champion and reserve interbreed, Lakeside Thunderbird – from the Mellin family’s Hull House flock in partnership with Green Hammerton’s Derek Pickles.
“I focus only on natural breeding techniques and concentrate on producing shearling-makers for both the pedigree and commercial markets,” explained Mr Wilson, who rates his top price performer as the best tup he has ever bred. In fact, Your The Man had already made his mark in the show arena, finishing first at this year’s Otley Show and fourth in class at the Great Yorkshire.
Out of an Arkle Underdog-sired ewe from David Towell Moor Top flock, the classy ram fell to one of Mr Wilson’s early mentors, John Mellin, who said he was looking to introduce new bloodlines into his celebrated local flock, which he runs with his wife Linda and son Duncan. It was established in 1979 and now comprises 200 breeding ewes.
“He is a valuable acquisition. I liked him when I first saw him at the Great Yorkshire Show and he has done well since. He is a good balanced ram,” said Mr Mellin. Mr Wilson’s three other shearlings sold at 1100gns, 1000gns and 750gns, producing a pen total of 7350gns and an overall selling average of £1929.
Steve Richardson, a former Northern Area chairman who runs his pedigree flock at Mount Pleasant Farm, Great Houghton, near Barnsley, was crowned supreme champion with his February, 2016, Stonebridge Ya Belter, which first won its show class and the male championship, before being tapped out as best in show by pre-sale show judge Richard Wilson, of Eden Valley Texels in Appleby.
“He really stood out for me, a big, massive and powerful sheep, with shape, size and power – and an unbelievable carcase,” said Mr Wilson.
The title winner had already proved his mettle in the show arena, standing second this year at both the Lincolnshire and Great Yorkshire Shows. By Newbie Mains Winston, a 6000gns tup acquired in 2015 and shared by a four-strong syndicate of breeders, the victor is out of one of the best-ever ewes in the Stonebridge flock, an ET daughter of Allanfauld Rockafella. The 2017 supreme sold for 2000gns to NG Bailey & Co, of Denton Park, near Ilkley.
In addition, Mr Richardson claimed the runners-up slot in the Signet recorded shearling ram show class with Stonebridge Your The One, a full brother to his supreme champion. This one sold for 1200gns.
The Stonebridge flock, which also clinched the Skipton supreme championship in 2008 and the reserve championship in 2015, was established in 1994 and now comprises 30 breeding ewes. Mr Richardson also keeps pigs – 300 Landrace and Large White Duroc breeding sows, growing, milling and mixing grain for them on his own 300-acre arable farm.
The first prize ram lamb, reserve male champion and reserve supreme champion came from Cumbrian show regular Peter Woof, who runs the Stainton flock at Storth End Farm, near Kendal. He described his first-time shown Stainton Amplify as “the best lamb I have ever bred out of the best ewe in the flock.”
He is by the 32,000gns Hexel Wildcard, bought and now shared by a syndicate of six in 2015, out of a home-bred daughter of Sportsmans Tremendous 11. Mr Woof, who at last year’s highlight achieved top price of 2600gns with another ram lamb, saw his latest leading performer fall for 1500gns to Skipton regulars T B Moorhouse and Son, of Dacre.
The same vendor also achieved 1400gns with a second ram lamb, Stainton Anitbody, a February-born son of his own Stainton Wasdale, by Anglezarke Uno, out of a dam again sired by Sportsmans Tremendous 11.
Mr Woof established his flock in the late 1980s and currently runs 40 breeding ewes. He, too, is a well-known pig breeder, running Saddleback sows with a Pietrain boar and selling their meat mainly to local hotels and restaurants. A man of many parts, he also owns Laund Road Garage in Kendal.
While David Towell, the 2015 supreme champion, gave the show arena a miss this year, his Moor Top flock on Glusburn Moor was yet again one of the leading performers on price in the shearling ram section with an eight-strong pen, in which two March, 2016, sons of his Moor Top Wildfire, starred to each make 3500gns, joint second top price.
First up was Moortop Yahoo, out of a dam by the 3500gns Moor Top Star, which found a new home in Cumbria with the Brontemoor flock of the Priestley family, who farm in Kirkambeck, Brampton, while the second, Moor Top Ya Belter, out of a daughter of Moor Top Union Jack, joined Angela Nairey’s Meinspride flock at Luisey, Blackburn.
She is a February, 2016, daughter of Hexel Wildcard – Mr Spyrou is also one of the sire owners’ syndicate – out of a home bred Deveronvale Superb-sired dam who is a full sister to the 2013 title winner. The reserve female sold for 1,000gns, again to the Symes family, who are looking to introduce new bloodlines into their well-known flock.
