Cheviot rams sell to £22,000 for Dorrery at Lairg sale

It was a memorable day for Martyn Cook and family of the Dorrery flock, Scotscalder, Halkirk when they sold the top two highest priced lots at £22,000 and £20,000.

Sale leader was a two-shear sired by the £10,000 Attonburn Antidote, which was purchased the Adam family, Auldallan, Glen Isla.

Another two-shear ram by the same sire from Dorrery made £20,000 selling to Robert and Becca Rennie, who were buying back some of their own genetics for the Attonburn flock from Yetholm, Kelso.

Dorrery Dazzler from Martyn Cook sold for £8,000 Ref: RH071024034 Rob Haining / The Scottish Farmer...

The remainder of the pen also proved to be highfliers with another Antidote son realising £8000 selling to Paul Spencer, Rhifail, Newton of Ferintosh.

At £7000, Dorrery sold a two-shear son of Attonburn Bitter Sweet – a sire used on loan that sold for £10,000 at Lockerbie to Michael and Lillias Elliot, Woodside, Yetholm in 2022 – to John Blackhall of East Brachmont, Durris.

Borgie pen Lead from W Robertson sold for £18,000 Ref: RH071024032 Rob Haining / The Scottish Farmer... Local breeder Wilma Robertson, 3 Borgie, was another in the money taking £18,000 for a two-shear ram from Andrew Elliot, buying for his Balnakeil flock, Caithness. Brought out by shepherd Charlie Henderson, this two-shear is sired by Inverbroom Thor and was bought in Dingwall for £6200 in 2020.

Badanloch Estate also had a successful day with a pen average £5739. Managed by Hughie McKenzie, the Kinbrace-based flock took £11,000 for Badanloch Destroyer, a three-shear ram by a Stouphill tup used on loan. He’s off to the Borders with George Irving, Mount Benger, Yarrow.

Hethpool Danger Mouse from the Rocks sold for £11,000 Ref: RH071024027 Rob Haining / The Scottish Farmer... The second five-figure price of the pen came for Badanloch Champion, another three-shear ram and a son of the £16,000 Badanloch Xtra Special. Aptly named Champion, he took the tricolour honours at Sutherland Show in 2023 as well as male champion at Lairg in November. He was knocked down to Norman and David Douglas of the Whitehope flock, Catslackburn, Yarrow for £10,000.

Other top prices from Badanloch, included a three-shear son of Badanloch Aristocrat which sold to AJ Beaton, Gesto, Skye for £7500, and another three-shear by Suisgill Santa Klaus made £6500 to Welbeck Farms, Ousdale.

Badanloch Destroyer sold for £11,000 Ref: RH071024041 Rob Haining / The Scottish Farmer... Hughie’s other half and some would say better, Jan McKenzie of Langdale Croft also took advantage of the busy ringside when her pen leader and 2023 Black Isle champion, Langdale Cavalier, made £9000. Having already proved himself as a strong breeder at home, this three-shear show tup sold to David Baillie, Calla, Carnwath.

On the debit side Jan went to £9000 for a two-shear ram from Bob, Kay, Andrew and James Adam, Auldallan. His dam is by the £10,000 Stouphill Tam while his homebred father goes back to a Migdale bloodline.

Inkstack pen topper sold for £10,000 Ref: RH071024030 Rob Haining / The Scottish Farmer... Also hitting the £11,000 bracket was Hethpool Danger Mouse, the pen leader from David and Alison Rock’s Northumberland-based Hethpool flock. A grandson of Hartsidehill Alonzo which was bought in Lockerbie in 2021 for the then record-breaking £18,000, Danger Mouse’s sire Hartsidehill Baxter was used the same year on loan. The two-shear was chapped down to WW Dunlop, Commonside, Hawick.

Another by the same sire from the couple realised £6000. The two-shear Hethpool Double Trouble was purchased by SJ Harrison and is heading to Aimshaugh.

The Rennies sold Attonburn Drop Out for £10,000 Ref: RH071024033 Rob Haining / The Scottish Farmer... It was also a two-shear that topped Leslie Robertson’s Inkstack trade and achieved the first five-figure sale of the day when selling at £10,000. Bred by Ted Fox, Symington, St Johns Awesome, sells down to Beattock with M and S Wilson, Newbank.

Inkstack’s pen leader then realised £8500, selling to Michael and Lilias Elliot, Woodside, Yetholm, Kelso. He is sired by North Loch Navar tup.

Badanloch Champion sold for £10,000 Ref: RH071024040 Rob Haining / The Scottish Farmer... The long trip north from Kelso proved lucrative for Robert and Becca Rennie, Attonburn Farm, too when their pen leader, Attonburn Drop Out reached £10,000. A two-shear by Badanloch Xtra Special he is heading to Sutherland with Hugh McKenzie.

Rounding off the big money lots, Dallas and Ruth Allen of Stouphill, Alnwick, sold their pen leader for £7500. This two-shear was completely homebred and is a grandson of Badanloch Tip Top Tup. Buying back some of his own genetics he was also knocked down to Hughie McKenzie of Badanloch Estate.

The Adams tup sold for £9000 Ref: RH071024024 Rob Haining / The Scottish Farmer... Top price for George Irving’s Benger flock from Yarrow, was £6500 for a two-shear by Attonburn Apollo. A triplet brother to Benger Dambuster which sold for £12,000 at Lockerbie, he sold to by Philiphaugh Estate, Selkirk.

John Blackhall of East Brachmont took £5200 for a two-shear that has been used successfully at home. He is by Stouphill Admiral and sold to Achentoul Farms, Kinbrace.

Inkstack three shear sold for £8500 Ref: RH071024029 Rob Haining / The Scottish Farmer...

Auctioneers: United Auctions

Averages: 271 rams, £1776.53 (+£286.53 for 28 more sold)

Leading Flock Averages

Flock (No) Top (£) Average

Dorrery (11) 22,000 7750

Badanloch (10) 11,000 5739

Hethpool (5) 11,000 4640

Borgie (6) 18,000 4083

Langdale (3) 9000 3650

Stouphill (5) 7500 3360

Inkstack (10) 10,000 3155

East Brachmont (5) 5200 2750

Bardnaclavan (4) 5000 2537

Benger(4) 6500 2162