A beautiful autumn Saturday set the scene for the thirtieth anniversary Carlisle sale, where breeders and buyers had travelled from across the UK for what proved to be an extremely successful day at Borderway.

After a busy per-sale show, the Shealing ewes were first to go under the hammer, which saw the first pen from DJ Steen being knocked down at £330/head and his second away at £345/head. The Goldie family, Ruthwell reached £350/head twice to M & E Lavender, Preston and a further three pens at £345/head to PS Wood & Sons, Shrewsbury and another at the same money to Watson Farming, Melrose, they had a tremendous run of over 100 Shearlings and achieved an average of £323/head. The demand for ewes continued throughout the sale with the 1^st prize pen of 5 Shearling Ewes and Champion females from regular vendors HM Wells, Ferwig being one but last through the ring securing this year’s top price and venue record selling away at £400/head and were knocked down this year’s judge AG Selway, Stalbridge. The Wells’ sold their next pen at £340/head to Watson Farming, Melrose.

As little as 7 pens were sold for less than £300/head showing that the demand for females was strong, and confidence in the Lleyn breed remained evident throughout the day with many buyers after large numbers needing to bid up to secure their purchases. A clearance of 100% was achieved with the Shearling Ewes and the demand for females continued into the Ewe lamb section which saw no lambs selling under £195, the average rise to nearly £69/head up on the year and another clearence of 100%.

The 1^st prize pen of 5 Ewe lambs and Reserve Champion females from Farmstock Genetics sold to a staggering £250/head to Myerscough College, Preston. The second prize pen from J Morton were knocked down at £230/head to S Keir, Ynys Mon and Mr Morton selling another two pens for £220/head one D & B Henderson, Stonehaven and the other to Watson Farming, Melrose.

There was 100% clearance in the female section of the sale this year with averages exceeding expectations, reinforcing the Lleyn ewe place in many commercial farming systems and being MV accredited brought many new faces around the ring.

Nothing but electric is the only way to describe the trade for Shearling Rams with sixty four rams selling for 1000gns and above and seeing the overall clearance rise 8% on the year.

C & A Kennedy, Ballyclare who had travelled over from Northern Ireland topped the trade with Mileview Oscar (01618/2504159) sired by a home bred ram Mileview Knightbridge bred from a Thrussendale ram, he caught the eye of many breeders and was finally knocked down at 9,000gns to Farmstock Genetics, Selkirk. E & D Jones, Machynlleth sold their Lluest ram (00599/2516491) sired by Whitelaw Landmark for 8,500gns to newly established breeders C Timm, Pickering. Another ram from Wales a Tacho ram (00350/2509921) sired by a Lluest ram from WJ & DJ Williams, Nefyn stood 5^th in the final pre-sale show line-up and sold for 6,000gns to the Goldie family, Ruthwell. H Goldie, Ruthwell sold Lochar Outstanding (01312/2508297) sired by a homebred ram to H & M Dugdale & Sons, Settle. M & R Cursiter had travelled the long distance down to Carlisle from Orkeny and sold a Lagas ram (00971/2520789) sired by a Lluest ram for 4,500gns to E & D Jones, Machynlleth.

Averages

Shearling ewes to £400 av. £314

Ewe Lambs to £250 av. £212

Rams to 9,000gns av. £1,576

Top Prices

Shearling Ewes

DJ Steen - £330, £345

JD Dugdale - £340

JK Goldie & H Goldie - £345 x3, £350 x2, £330 x3, £325, £320, £315, £310 x2, £305

R Johnston - £330 x2, £320

L Jenkinson - £330

Farmstock Genetics - £330

L Scanlon - £305, £310, £315

H & M Dugdale & Son - £310 x2, £305 x2, £315

HM Jenkinson - £345

Laga Farms - £335

JJ Kingan - £320, £305

TP & RL Swinbank - £300

E Robinson - £300

H Wells - £400, £340

S Kavanagh - £320, £300

Ewe Lambs

GH Blakey - £205, £210 x2, £215

Farmstock Genetics - £250

E Robinson - £210 x2, £205

J Morton - £230, £220 x2, £210

WJ & DJ Williams - £215

Shearling Rams

T & B Fort - 2200gns, 1000gns, 1700gns

Farmstock Genetics - 1000gns, 3500gns, 1200gns

J Moffat - 3200gns, 1000gns

I Walling - 900gns, 3200gns, 1200gns, 1600gns, 1000gns

JK Goldie - 1200gns x2, 1400gns x2, 1000gns x2

CD Timm - 1100gns, 900gns

H Goldie - 5000gns, 1600gns, 1200gns x2, 3200gns, 900gns

JA & R Geldard & Sons - 1200gns, 4000gns, 900gns

Laga Farms - 1400gns, 2200gns, 2000gns x2, 1800gns

GH Blakey - 1400gns, 1000gns

L Jenkinson - 1000gns x2, 1600gns, 900gns

M & R Cursiter - 1000gns, 4500gns, 1400gns x2, 1100gns

H & M Dugdale & Son - 1800gns, 1000gns, 2800gns

G & A Fort - 2500gns, 1200gns

R Peterkin - 2200gns, 900gns, 4400gns

Ed Robinson - 1100gns x2

Orchard Lleyn - 1400gns, 1100gns

WJ & DJ Williams - 6000gns, 3000gns, 2800gns

Charles & Andrew Kennedy - 1600gns, 9000gns, 1800gns

E & D Jones - 8500gns, 900gns, 3200gns

D Knowles - 900gns

HM Wells - 3000gns, 2400gns, 1000gns

Pre Show Results

Judges:

Rams – Mark Jenkinson, Cumbria

Females – Aston Selway, Dorset

Pen of 5 Shearling Ewes

1st - HM Wells

2nd - L Jenkinson

3rd - JK Goldie

Pen of 5 Ewe Lambs

1st - Farmstock Genetics

2nd - J Morton

3rd - GH Blakey

Champion Females (Barclays Bank Trophy) – HM Wells (Pen of 5 Shearling Ewes)

Shearling Ram

1st - Farmstock Genetics (9)

2nd - G & A Fort (88)

3rd - JA & R Geldard (58)

4th - AW Davies (1)

5th - WJ & DJ Williams (110)

6th - T & B Fort (4)

Champion Ram (Barclays Bank Trophy) – Farmstock Genetics

Best Pen of Shearling Rams shown by S & B Member

1st - Farmstock Genetics

2nd - David Knowles

3rd - Charles & Andrew Kennedy

*photogarphs taken by Hutchinson Photography