A standout ram lamb from Procters Farm, Wennington, Lancaster, stood supreme champion and top price at the 38th Northern Area Texel Sheep Breeders’ two-day show and sale of pedigree rams and females at Skipton Auction Mart.
The February-born Procters Calypso arrived with impeccable breeding credentials, being by the Garngour Alabama son, Sportsman Batsman, a 100,000gns acquisition last year by the Procters flock, which is managed at Moss House Farm close to the Lancashire-Yorkshire border by Jeff Aitken and his wife Jennifer.
The big-hitting Batsman, bred by Messrs Boden and Davies in Stockport,has already scored highly for the flock, with a full brother to the Skipton title winner sold earlier this year for 16,000gns, while one of his first pens of lambs to be sold averaged 8500gns.
Out of dam by a homebred Procters tup, show judge Ben Vernon, who runs Charben Texels in Rocester, Staffordshire, had little hesitation in promoting his red rosette-winning ram lamb to male champion, then overall supreme – the first championship success for Procters Farm at the annual breed highlight, though they have picked up multiple tickets in the past.
“Presence, carcass and size combined to make the ram lamb a clear winner,” said Mr Vernon, whose judgement was later confirmed in the sale ring, where Calypso progressed to achieve the day’s leading price of 2500gns when finding a new home north of the border with Lanark’s Robert Templeton, of Tartan Texels, a small operation with 400 ewes in total, and Robert Leggate, of the larger Silverigg Texels in Strathaven. The friends plan to put Calypso to both flocks.
Procters Farm also consigned the second prize shearling ram, Tatham Hall Batman, a February, 2018, son of the 9000gns Thrunton Younique (by Forkins Viagra), out of a Scrogtonhead U Stoater-sired dam. This, too, proved popular when falling for second top call of 2200gns to local Texel breeder David Towell, who runs the Moor Top flock on Glusburn Moor.
Procters Farm arrived with another strong pen of 13 head, comprising eight shearling rams and five ram lambs, one of the former, again by Thrunton Younique, also hitting 2000gns. Their total consignment averaged £1299.
The adjudicator also spoke highly of his chosen reserve supreme champion, the first prize shearling ram and reserve male champion from South Yorkshire breeders, Peter and Liz Longdin, who run the Wellingley flock at Wellingley Grange, Tickhill, Doncaster.
“A massive and correct sheep, full of carcase right the way through and extremely good on his legs,” commented Mr Vernon on the February, 2018, Wellingley Boss, who had already made his mark in the exhibition arena this year, standing champion and reserve interbreed at the Royal Norfolk Show, as well as winning his show class at the Great Yorkshire.
He is by the homebred Midlock Striker son, Wellingley Whisky Galore, still going strong at four-years-old and shared in partnership with Phil Weaver, who runs the Empire flock in Newark. Out of a homebred dam by Newbie Mains Winston, the reserve supreme sold for 1700gns to D Birkill, of Driffield.
Livestock sales manager Ted Ogden said: “There was a tremendous offering of sheep for this year’s sale with quality at a high level and prices for the top end shearlings and ram lambs reflecting this.”
Fixture regular Richard Wilson, of the Crimple Head flock in Beckwithshaw, Harrogate, stood third in the shearling ram show class with his March, 2018, Crimple Head Belter, sixth in class at this year’s Great Yorkshire Show, by the 6000gns Kimbolton Va Va Voom son, Roxburgh YMCA, out of a dam by Procters Pay As You Go. Belter bagged a solid selling price of 2000gns when claimed locally by T & J Moran in Nappa.
Peter Woof, who runs the Stainton flock at Storth End Farm, near Kendal, and was the 2018 Skipton supreme champion with a recorded ram lamb, returned to win the same show class this year with another youngster from the flock’s best family.
His February-born Stainton Canyon, by the Tophill Wall St son, Knock Yankee, acquired for 30,000gns by a consortium of buyers – Mr Woof among them – is out of a dam sired by Eden Valley Warrior.
Also tapped out as the champion recorded ram and recipient of the Bob Payne Memorial Trophy, presented by his son Joe, the ram made 500gns when claimed by Anne Robinson, of Pannal, Harrogate. A full brother, Stainton Cairo, also stood runner-up in the main ram lamb show class, selling at 400gns.
South Yorkshire’s Joe Payne, who runs the Handbank flock with his mother, Anne, at Hunshelf Bank, Stocksbridge, was himself among the prizes, winning the recorded shearling ram show class with the March, 2018, Handbank Baron, by the Sportsmans Supreme son, Cambwell Trademark.
Out of a dam by Alwent Unbeatable, also purchased by the Paynes, their first prize winner made 500gns when selling locally to Neville Harrison in Slaidburn.
Turning to the females, section champion was the first prize shearling ewe from Sam and Sarah Beachell, who run the Samsar flock at Beswick Hall, Driffield. She is a February 2018, daughter of Drumgooland Adam, bought out of Northern Ireland two years ago and shared in partnership with Peter Longdin, Procters Farm and British Texel Society national chairman, Steve Richardson
The sire, who is himself by Douganhill Young Gun, also bred the champion female at Lincoln and the champion Texel and interbreed at both Driffield and Malton. Out of a dam by Tophill Union Jack and the first of the sire’s daughters to be sold by the Beachells, she became the joint top price female at 1100gns when falling to J and J C Ashbridge & Son, Thirsk.
The Beachells were also responsible for the second prize recorded ram lamb, Samsar Cavalier, March-born by the Midlock Avicci son, Cowal Bentely, out of a dam sired by a homebred tup. He made 550gns when claimed by B J Butterill, Kirkby Overblow.
Peter Woof consigned the other joint top 1100gns female, another shearling ewe daughter of Knock Yankee, out of a dam by Anglezarke Uno. She found a new home in Ayrshire with John T Cunningham.
The prolific Stainton flock was also responsible for the second prize shearling ewe, again by Knock Yankee – this one out of a dam sired by a home-bred tup – which also sold well at 950gns when joining K Pickering, Gowthorpe in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
Reserve female champion was the second prize shearling ewe from James Robinson’s Kaker Mill flock in Carnforth, Lancaster. The February 2018, daughter of Sportsmans Tremendous 11, out of the Stainton Vigilante-sired Kaker Mill Snowflake, a proven performer on the show circuit, was knocked down for 700gns to local buyer William Shuttleworth in Rylstone.
The fifth and sixth prize shearling ewes also made 700gns each. They were consigned by, respectively, David Houghton, who runs the Tophill flock, Bury, and Jennifer Lodge, of the Heyworth Lodge flock, Moss, Doncaster. The former fell to J Simpson, Fadmoor, Ryedale, the latter to the Ashbridge family again.
Mr Houghton also stepped up with the third prize ram lamb, Tophill Caesar, a February-born son of Lower Reiss Blackjack, out of a dam sired by the homebred Tophill Wall St. He made 450gns when joining George Wearmouth a few miles down the road in Glusburn.
Picking up first prize in the ewe lamb show class was Paul Sykes, who runs the New Dunsley flock in Holmfirth with his son, Josh, 20, eight-year-old daughter Chloe also playing her part. The February born daughter of Logram Blitz, out of a Charben Ultra-sired dam, sold for 350gns to G T and P Cookson and Sons, Goole.
Doing better at a class-topping 380gns was the second prize winner from 2018 ewe lamb victors Jack Davies and Carol Wareing, who run the Holly Farm flock at Halsall, near Ormskirk. Their February born daughter of Annan Apollo, out of a dam by Tophill Reality, fell to Northallerton’s R M Kirby and Sons. Local breeder William Watson stood third in class with a Gillians Laithe ewe lamb sold for 300gns.
Back with the boys, breed national chairman Steve Richardson, who with son Adam runs the Stonebridge flock in Houghton, Barnsley – they were responsible for the 3400gns top price shearling ram at the 2018 Skipton showcase – stood second this year in the recorded shearling ram show class with Stonebridge Belter.
The February,2018, son of the homebred Stonebridge Yogi out of a Stonebridge Tiger-sired dam, sold for 900gns to James and Deborah Ogden, Austwick.
Third place fell to Scottish Borders breeders, the Green family’s Greenall flock in Lilliesleaf, Melrose, with their February 2018, Greenall Beam Me Up Scottie, by the Clinterty You Cracker son, Ettrick Arrowhead, since sold for 4800gns, out of a Llyfni Usain Bolt-sired dam who has bred shearlings to 5000gns. Their Skipton shearling ram sold for 900gns to the Sedgley family in Carnforth.
Averages: Shearling Ewes £363.05 (2018 £368.38), Ewe Lambs £246.75 (£241.50), Shearling Rams £740.12 (£757.36), Ram Lambs £388.13 (£402.34).
