Texels once again proved popular at Kelso Ram Sales, achieving the top price of £35,000, the lead average and most sold across all the breeds. In all, 547 registered Texel shearlings sold to average £1844, up £191 on the year, while 39 ram lambs levelled at £915, an increase of £178 per head.
Lawrie and Symington auctioneer Brian Ross, said tups were easily sold on the day, adding: “There were plenty of commercial bidders and I’d say the sheep were a more level quality right through.”
The Ettrick pen from Gordon and David Gray, Sunnycroft, Selkirk, got the trade going early in the day, peaking at £35,000, for Ettrick Gruffalo, a full ET brother to their 42,000gns lamb sold at Lanark last year, Ettrick Grey Goose. Making a record shearling price for the Grays, this one is sired by Sadlerhead Fury, which had been bought for 1000gns at the Scottish Club sale at Lanark, while the dam, a homebred daughter of Midcombe Brigadier, also bred the 17,000gns Ettrick Everest. Gruffalo sold to large scale commercial sheep producer Paul Slater, Whiteley Hey, Macclesfield.
From the same pen, Ettrick Gaucho, another by Sadlerhead Fury, out of a Claybury Dunkirk daughter, sold at £18,000. Champion in the pre-sale texelplus show the previous evening, this one was knocked down to the James family for their Duhonw flock in Builth Wells. He had stood first at the Great Yorkshire and Lesmahagow shows.
Meanwhile, another from Ettrick, by Claybury Dunkirk, sold at £7000, to Norman Douglas, Catslackburn, Yarrow.
Third top was one at £13,000 from Steven Renwick’s Craig Douglas consignment, from Peebles. The first shearling son to sell off the £52,000 Midlock Express, he is out of a ewe by Sportsmans Cannonball. A third prize winner at the Textravaganza show, he went to Ted Fox, St John’s Kirk, Symington, and Jonathan Watson, Bowsden Moor, Berwick.
Two shearlings hit the £10,000 mark – the first coming from Jim Innes’ Strathbogie flock, based at Dunscroft, Huntly. His pen star, a son of the £11,000 Ettrick Cocky Bob, out of a ewe by Broomknowes Comrade, sold to Robert Rennie, Attonburn, Kelso.
The other at £10,000 came from the Harehead flock, managed by Neil Anderson, at Cranshaws, Duns. Making a best ever price for the flock, this son of the £6500 Mitchellhill Dynamo, out of a homebred ewe, sold to Russell and Gill Watkins, Millend and Nicky and Jim Hartwright, Whitehart.
The Gray family, Scrogtonhead, Galston, had a successful day, selling 28 shearling rams to average out at £2910. Top for them was one at £9500, which sold in a three-way split to Ian Hunter, Dalchirla, Crieff, Archie and John MacGregor, Allanfauld, Kilsyth and Hugh Jackso and Son, Wolfclyde, Biggar. He is sired by Midlock Flockstar, the ram sold for £22,000 at Kelso last year, which the Grays had used on loan. The dam is a homebred daughter of Knock Brutus.
From the same home, a son of last year’s pen leader, the £6000 Scrogtonhead Funky G, sold at £7000 to Messrs Thornton, Cornhills, Hexham. He is out of a Clinterty Yuga Khan daughter. Two more from Scrogtonhead sold at £6000 each. Both sons of Midcombe Firefly, one sold to W J and V J Case, Plumpton Cottage, Newland, while the other went to E J C Dean, Kirkhouse, Brampton.
The Ingrams’ Logie Durno shearlings, from Inverurie, averaged £4540 for 15 lots. Best there was a £9000 bid for one by the homebred Logie Durno Braveheart, which has previously sired sons to 32,000gns. He sold to S W Robson, Buckholm, Galashiels.
Another from Logie Durno sold at £8500, to Rodney Blackhall, The Green, Raemoir. He’s by Douganhill Extra Special, which also sired one at £7500 that sold to R and B Smith, Slapton Manor, Towcester.
Two from the Logie Durno pen made £7000 apiece. One, by Logie Durno Braveheart, sold to R G and R A Jones, Robleston Hall, Pembrokeshire, while the other, by the Douganhill sire, went to Sue Cunliffe, Broughton Grange.
Leading the Prime Star consignment, from Andrew Provan, Parkhall, Douglas, was a shearling son of Harehead Epic, which sold at £8500 to Jonathan Wales, Thackwood, Carlisle. His dam is by Wester Walston Crackerjack.
Also at that price was the best from Malcolm Coubrough, Hartside, Lamington. A Knock Eastwood son, out of a Teiglum-bred ewe by Knock Yardsman, he sold to three Lanarkshire flocks, Toftcombs, Wester Walston and Townhead.
Sandy Hunter continued a successful sale season with tups from his Wedderburn flock at Huntly, selling his best shearling for £7200, to Martin Furness, Oldhall, Buxton. A first prize winner at the Textravaganza show in July, he is sired by Claybury Dunkirk and out of a ewe by Deveronvale Aftershock.
Making £7000, was the pen leader from Robert Laird, Cambwell, Biggar. That was Cambwell Gus, a Deveronvale Fastrac son that had been used on the flock as a lamb, out of a Cambwell Belter daughter. Buyer was C D Timm, West Farm, Pickering.
Best for Jonathan Watson’s Brijon entry, was one at £6500, by Wilodge Ex Factor, which was another to sell to Martin Furness, Oldhall, Buxton.
The Wight family, Midlock, Crawford, sold to a top of £6200, for a son of Claybury Dunkirk, which was knocked down to Gerwyn Jones, Graig Goch, Conwy.
And, not far behind, James Orr, Wester Walston, Carnwath, sold a son of the £20,000 Mitchellhill Diamond Star, for £6000, to the Grays’ Scrogtonhead flock.
Leading averages:
Flock (no.) Top Average
Ettrick (9) £35,000 £8378
Craig Douglas (6) £13,000 £4783
Logie Durno (15) £9000 £4540
Strathbogie (5) £10,000 £4460
Prime Star (6) £8500 £3583
Wedderburn (3) £7200 £3467
Midlock (10) £6200 £2920
Scrogtonhead (28) £9500 £2911
Strawfrank (5) £5000 £2800
Hartside (5) £8500 £2700