Crossing Leicesters back £66 at Carlisle

Averages were back on the year at the Bluefaced Leicester Sheep Breeders’ Association show and sale at Borderway mart, Carlisle, on Friday (12 October).

Smaller numbers of crossing-type Leicesters saw trade back for both ram lambs, which averaged £843 (back £66.30 on 2017) and shearlings, which made £649 (back £68.48 on 2017).

Crossing female trade held on the year, lifting £3.57 to £333 a head, while shearling and aged rams were dearer in the traditional ring at £485.

Trade topped at £9,000 for a L12 Shafthill from JW Smith-Jackson, Haltwhistle, Northumberland. L12 is a son of Midlock G6 and out of H2 Highberries, a J1 Bailey Mill daughter.

See also: Scotch Mule trade and numbers back as sales kick off

Prices peaked in the crossing ring with a Shafthill ram lamb, which knocked down to a Scottish two-way share © Wayne Hutchinson

This one goes back to E1 Hewgill and caught the eye of a Scottish duo – a two-way bid from Messrs Pirie, Dryman, Glasgow, and Messrs Brown, Thornhill, Dumfriesshire.

At £5,500 was L39 Midlock from J Wight & Sons, Crawford, Biggar, with a bid from Messrs Caton, Skipton, North Yorkshire. He is out of E1 Barf House daughter G68 Hewgill and by E1 Smearsett son K1 Highberries.

The Midlock flock saw a £5,500 bid from Yorkshire breeders Messrs Caton for a K1 Highberries son © Wayne Hutchinson

Then at £5,000 was a Greenhow tup with a winning bid from local breeders Messrs Wilson, Carlisle. L11 Greenhow from M Allan, Dufton, Appleby-in-Westmorland, is by J2 Carry House son K1 Riddings and out of a C2 Hundith dam.

Next at £4,500 was K1 Smearsett son L23 Hundith from Messrs Lawson and Son, Aspatria, Wigton, which caught the eye of Tim Dunn, Breck House, Fadmoor, Helmsley. This one is out of F55 Hundith, a D12 Bull and Cave daughter.

Traditional Leicesters hit £3,900

Aged rams were £76 dearer on the year to average £485, but ram lambs and females were back to £445.90 (back £144.20 on 2017) and  £374.44 (back £72.30 on 2017) respectively.

Two lots from the Ashes flock made £3,000 or more and 13 lamb rams made between £1,000 and £2,400.

The second Ashes lot made a top call of £3,900 © Wayne Hutchinson

Topping trade at £3,900 was L2 Ashes from Mr F Johnson, Hamsterley, Bishop Auckland. This lamb is by H3 Lower Down son K4 Burndale and out of D9 Ashes daughter J13 Shielsknowe and caught the eye of Messrs Bisset, Hexham, Northumberland.

Also of note at £3,000 was L1 Ashes, which is of the same breeding as L2 and was shared between Messrs Gray, Morpeth, Northumberland, and Messrs McClymont, Selkirk, Selkirkshire.

The Ashes flock’s second-best call was for a lamb of the same breeding, which sold to a two-way share © Wayne Hutchinson

Averages: Crossing Type: 290 (-21) ram lambs, £843.52 (-£66.30); 151 (-5) shearling rams, £649.60 (-£68.48); 27 (-15) females, £333.33 (+£3.57); Traditional Type: 200 (-2) ram lambs, £445.90 (-£144.20); 41 (-7) aged/shearling rams, £485.37 (+£76.41); 63 (+20) females, £374.44 (-£72.30)

(Harrison & Hetherington)