A centre record price of £28,000 was paid for a North Country Cheviot hill-type ram at Lockerbie, matching the breed high paid at Lairg in 2022.
Setting the trade alight at last week’s sale was for the two-shear ram, Whitehope Dark Knight, from Norman and David Douglas, Catslackburn, Yarrow, brought out by shepherd, Matt Carryer. The sale matches the £28,000 Attonburn Bonnie Lad sold by Robert and Becca Rennie, at Lairg purchased by the Douglas’ and the Dunlop family, Commonside.
Champion at the Royal Highland Show as a shearling last year, Dark Knight is backed by home-bred genetics being a son of Whitehope Batman – a tup which the family used before selling him at Lairg for £5500. Out of a home-bred ewe this ram travels home with Martyn Cook, Dorrery Farm, Halkirk. The sale also surpasses the family’s previous best of £12,000 paid for a Cheviot last year and six years ago.
The team sold a another two two-shear rams at £5500, both out of home-bred dams. First was a tup sired by Suisgill Vanguard, a £12,000 Lairg purchase, which sold to Stewart and Katherine McIntosh, Borthwickshiels, Hawick.
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The second was an Attonburn Xotic son which found a new home with Willie and Laura Thomson, Hownam Grange, Kelso.
Whitehope Destroyer then made £4800 selling to Pete Tweedie, Buchtrig, Jedburgh. A son of Badanloch Va Va Voom which was the grand-sire of the pen leader, he is out of a home-bred ewe.
Check out more of these photos in our Photo Sales section here
Gillesbie Davinci was next in the money at £12,000 for Gillesbie Farms, Boreland, Lockerbie, who also beat their previous best of £10,000 achieved last year. Brought out by shepherd, Alistair Stewart this boy is sired a home-bred tup that goes back to Stouphill breeding and out of a home-bred ewe. Messrs Bridgewater and Wood, of the Esk flock, Potholm, Langholm, took him home.
On the same price tag was Benger Dambuster from George Irving, Mountbenger, Yarrow. This two-shear ram brought out with assistance of John Allan, is a son of £4500 Attonburn Apollo and out of a home-bred ewe. The buyers were David and Ian Walker, Alticane, Girvan.
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Dambuster’s triplet brother, Benger Duke then realised £7000 when selling to the Raehills flock, Annandale and Lochwood Estates LLP, Lockerbie. The third triplet is destined for Lairg this month.
David Baillie, Calla, sold to a top of £10,000 which well and truly smashed his previous best of £2500. Brought out by shepherd, Jamie McInnes, was Calla Donald, a two-shear ram from the first crop of sons by the £5000 Hownam Grange Almighty, out of a home-bred ewe by a Blackside tup. He was knocked down to Jen Craig, Normangill, Crawford.
Robert Rennie of Bowmont Farming, Attonburn, Kelso, had a field day trading selling a pair of two-shear rams for £10,000 each with both being sons of Hethpool Xceed, a £2200 purchase at Lairg. First was Attonburn Dynamic, which is out of the flock’s show ewe and sold to Andrew Elliot, Bedshiel, Galashiels.
Check out more of these photos in our Photo Sales section here
Atttonburn Draco made the same money when selling to Ian Hepburn, North House, Hawick.
Mr Rennie also took £5000 for Attonburn Double 07 from the Flintofts of Sourhope, Kelso. He is from the second crop of sons sired by Badanloch Wild Fire – a £5000 purchase at Dingwall – and out of a home-bred ewe.
It was a day to remember for David and Ian Walker, Alticane, too when they not only achieved a personal high of £10,000 but also surpassed their previous record of £3800 achieved two years ago, on three occasions with further £8000 and £5000 sales. The team also secured the lead flock average of £4983.33 for six.
All are first crop sons from the Dingwall purchase, Attonburn All Night Baby, with the pen leader, Alticane Dynomite, out of a Hownam Grange Virgin daughter, selling to James Rock of the Hethpool flock, Wooler.
Bob and Kay Adam and sons, Andrew and James of Auldallan, Newhouse of Glamis, Forfar, gave £8000 for the two-shear, Alticane Dynamic.
Check out more of these photos in our Photo Sales section here
The Walkers sold Alticane Defender for £5000 to RJ and LA Acton of the Housesteads flock Bradley, Hexham.
Ruth and Dallas Allen, Stouphill, Humbleheugh, Alnwick, had sales at £9000 and £7500, with the dearest being a son of Badanloch Tip Top Tup, a tup purchased in Lairg for £11,000 that stood champion at the Highland Show in 2019. Alan Cowens of Philiphaugh Estate, Selkirk, was the final bidder.
The second is sired by a home-bred son of the Tip Top Tup and was knocked down to Cashlie Estate, Arbroath, Angus.
The excitement of the sale continued right through to the last pen when CM Reid’s Portmore flock sold a two-shear for £9000. Portmore Dynamo, brought out by Stephen Little, is from the first crop of sons by Raehills Apollo, a tup purchased here for £4500, and out of a home-bred ewe by £1000 Instack sire that is a former champion and twice reserve winner at Peebles Show.
Check out more of these photos in our Photo Sales section here
Auldallan then sold their two-shear ram for £7000 to Achentoul Farms, Kinbrace, Sutherland. He is sired by the £7000 Lairg purchase, Achentoul Avicii and out of a home-bred ewe by a £10,000 Stouphill sire.
Woodside Diamond shined to £5000 for Michael and Lillias Elliot of Woodside, when selling to Ben Edmondson of the Clerkhill flock, Eskdalemuir, Langholm. He is from the first crop of sons sired by Auldallan Accused – a£5500 purchase at Lairg and out of a Hartside Hill Vettel daughter.
Check out more of these photos in our Photo Sales section here
North Country Cheviot hill females sold the previous day were topped by entries from Dallas and Ruth Allen, Stouphill, who sold ewe lambs and ewes at £380 and £242 respectively.
Gimmers peaked at £295for RJ Tweedie, Buchtrig, Jedburgh.
Auctioneers: Harrison and Hetherington.
Averages: Rams 378 sold for £1579.89 (+£85.89 for 10 more sold); 1911 ewes, £182.92 (+£30.09 for 260 more); 1365 gimmers, £219.35 (+£11.52 for 169 more); 767 ewe lambs, £122.55 (-£5.52 for 86 more).
Omitted from last week’s NSA multi-breed ram sales at Builth Wells, South Country Cheviots sold to 2800gns for T Elliot, Hindhope, Roxburghshire.
Leading Prices
Draft ewes – £242, £200, £185 Humbleheugh; £240, £200, £195 Archwood; £225, £210 Newbank; £220, £200 Castlehill; £212, £205 Greenbank; £210 Sourhope; £205 (x2), £202, £190 Whitehill; £198 Buchtrig; £198, £185 Thompsons Walls; £195 (x2) Sorbietrees; £190 Attonburn; £185 Hownam Grange; £185 Lawesknowe; £185 Muirhouse; £185 Woodside; £185 Blackhaugh.
Gimmers – £295, £260 Buchtrig; £290, £275, £260 (x2), £255, £240 Cocklawfoot; £290, £280 (x2), £270, £230 Attonburn; £270 Potholm; £270 Mountbenger; £260, £255 Humbleheugh; £255 Wedderlie Farmhouse; £250 Woodside; £250, £245 (x2) Newbank; £245 (x2), £235 Vendace Drive; £240 Gillesbie House; £235 Greenbank; £230 Whitehill; £230 Archwood.
Ewe lambs – £380, £190 Humbleheughl £170, £160 Attonburnl £155, £125 Newbank; £138 Mountbenger; £135 Hethpool House; £130 Woodside; £128 Carcant; £1245 Aimshaugh.
Flock averages
Flock (No.) Top (£) Avg (£)
Alticane (6) 10,000 4983.33
Whitehope (14) 28,000 4314.29
Mountbenger (6) 12,000 4016.67
Stouphill (8) 9000 4012.50
Attonburn (12) 10,000 3683.33
Gillesbie (6) 12,000 3166.67
Dalrachie (4) 4000 2900.00
Calla (6) 10,000 2666.67
Portmore (7) 9000 2414.29
Brachmont (5) 4000 2300.00
Achentoul (5) 3200 2000.00
Auldallan (9) 7000 1788.89
Commonside (12) 3200 1741.67
Buchtrig (15) 4000 1600.00
Hethpool (13) 2800 1553.85
Hownam Grange (17) 3800 1547.06
Woodside (10) 5000 1490.00
Borthwickwater (6) 2000 1416.67
Kelso (13) 3500 1400.00
Heatherhope (7) 3500 1242.86
Sorbietrees (12) 2200 1241.67
Boreland (5) 1600 1240.00
Newbank (12) 4200 1191.67
Carruthers (7) 2200 1150.00
Hillhead (5) 2200 1140.00
Raehills (8) 1800 1062.50
Esk (7) 3000 1050.00
Bedshiel (8) 1600 1050.00
Swinhope (3) 1400 950.00
Philiphaugh (6) 1800 933.33
Sykes (4) 900 900.00
Clerkhill (9) 1400 877.78
Pengroes (4) 1400 862.50
Widdybank (3) 800 733.33
North House (6) 1000 716.67
Hartside Hill (4) 1000 700.00
Kinaldy (4) 1200 687.50
Aimshaugh (3) 800 666.67
Plasucha (10) 1000 660.00
Mansefield (4) 800 637.50
Cocklawfoot (3) 850 616.67
Greenbank (5) 700 560.00
Sourhope (10) 900 535.00
Crmraeg (3) 600 533.33
Ingram Mill (4) 650 525.00
Lawesknowe (8) 750 475.00
Cairnsmore (6) 500 416.67
Elsdonburn (7) 500 414.29
Normangill (7) 450 400.00
Cumberland (6) 400 350.00
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