Cuil Blackface shearling ram tops Ayr sale at £11,000

Last year’s event saw prices peak at £18,000 for a ram lamb from Craignell with shearlings selling to £14,000 from Cuil, which combined with another four five-figure sales ensured averages improved on the 2022 sale.

However, with only one five-figure sale at £11,000 from Colin McClymont and son Angus, Cuil, Newton Stewart, averages were markedly back on 2023 values.

Gordon Porter received his long service award for 30 years working with the McClymont family, Cuil. Pictured from left are Colin McClymont, Gordon Porter, Angus McClymont and Jim Craig managing director at Craig Wilson This year’s sale leader from Cuil was also by the same sire as their £14,000 shearling best here in 2023 – a £9000 Elmscleugh lamb bought at Dalmally in 2021 in partnership with Drannandow Farms. Bred from a daughter of an £8000 Chirmorrie, the shearling sold in a two-way split to Gerard McGinn, Chirmorrie, Barrhill and the Mitchell family of Little Larg and Cairnerzean, New Luce, Stranraer.

Mr McClymont’s Clanary hirsel from Creetown, peaked at £5000, for the pen leader brought out by shepherd Gordon Porter who is celebrating 30 years working for the family. The tup, by last year’s £14,000 Cuil which had been used as a lamb, is out of a home-bred son of an £8000 Chirmorrie and sold to Christopher Bond, Glen, Gatehouse.

Second top price was £7000 paid for a shearling and a ram lamb. The shearling from Davie Ferguson and Jimmy McEwan, Drannandow Farms, Newton Stewart, sold in a two-way split to Norman Hurcomb, Barnvannoch and Danny Hair, Drumbreddan, both New Luce, Stranraer. Selling at this price was Drannandow’s No 3 shearling which is sired by a Gass-bred son of a £48,000 Midlock used on loan and out of a ewe by a home-bred son of an £18,000 Dyke.

The pen leader from the 1200-ewe flock at Drannandow Farms which is run alongside a further 750-strong ewe flock at Markdhu, made £5500 selling to Stuart McDougall, Millhouse, Kelty, Fife. This was a son of a £6500 Midlock out of a ewe by Peroni – a £20,000 High Creoch.

Top priced lamb from Aberuchill made £8000 Ref: RH091024028 Rob Haining / The Scottish Farmer ​Peroni was also the sire of the dam of a £6000 Markdhu from Mr Ferguson and Mr McEwan, which sold earlier to Norman Hurcomb, Barnvannoch. He is sired by a £4000 Milnmark.

Sons of a £28,000 Elmscleugh bought at Lanark in 2022 in partnership with Drannandow, proved popular for the Mitchell family, Little Larg, New Luce, with their first three shearlings sons selling for £5000, £6500 and £5500.

The dearest and No 2, out of a ewe by an £11,000 Milnmark, was knocked down to Andy Paton and family, Craig, Straiton.

The No 3, which made £5500 selling to the late James Murdoch, Knockdon, Straiton, ‘herded by Ian Fergie, is out of a ewe by a £2000 Auldhouseburn, while the pen leader headed home with Mrs Susan Archibald, Larg Farmers, Creetown, Newton Stewart, at £5000.

More than fianancing that transaction, Larg, Creetown, which is ‘herded by Robin Duncan, sold their pen leader for £6000 to Markdhu. The breeding behind this lad includes a Drannandow tup used on loan by £9000 Dyke that sold last year for £3000 to Miltonise. His dam is a daughter of a £4000 Milnmark.

Matching that £6000 price tag, Willie Lockhart who runs just 75 Blackface ewes pure at Culdoach, Kirkcudbright, alongside a much larger enterprise breeding Scotch Mule ewe lambs, sold a son of a £5000 High Staward bought at Lanark in 2021, out of a ewe by a £14,000 Auldhouseburn. The buyer was Robert Ferguson, Barlaes, Dalry, Castle Douglas.

Drannandow sold the second top priced shearling at £7000 Ref: RH091024025 Rob Haining / The Scottish Farmer Later in the day, Chirmorrie, which is ‘herded by Tony Dalton took £5000 from R and M Dunlop, Pinvalley, Girvan. Sheep bred by Alastair and David Macarthur are behind this shearling with the sire being a £1500 Nunnerie which was a son of a £130,000 Allanfauld, while the dam is by a £5000 Nunnerie.

Minutes earlier, Andrew Kay, Knockeen, Barr, sold shearlings at £4800 and £3800. The dearest and No 2, is a son of a £700 Grimmet, out of a daughter of a £3200 Cuil. He was knocked down to TE Hutchinson, Chapel, Moffat.

Selling at £3800 was a son of a £5000 Allanfauld purchased by Christopher Bond, Glen. The dam is a daughter of a £2200 Midlock.

Top price for Billy Graham and his father Willie, Craigdarroch, Sanquhar, was £4200 for the pen leader purchased by Alan Baillie, Challochglass, Kirkcowan, Newton Stewart. For his money, he gets a son of a £2200 Midlock, bred from a ewe by a £6500 Little Larg.

Just behind on £4000, Rob Hannah and son Robert, High Balyett, New Luce, sold a shearling son of Drumbreddan tup used on loan to Robert Fergusson, Barlaes, Dalry, Castle Douglas. The dam is a £13,000 Cuil-sired ewe.

Ram lambs peaked at £8000 for the pen leader from first time consignor, Aberuchill Estate, Comrie, Crieff, brought out by shepherd Craig Paterson. The flock of 700 pure-bred Blackface ewes, saw their best by an £18,000 Allanfauld lamb bought last year, bred from a ewe by a £12,000 Nunnerie, sell to Drannandow Farms.

Selling at £7000 was the No 2 from John Murray’s Crossflatt pen from Muirkirk purchased by Gerard McGinn, Chirmorrie. The pedigree behind this transaction includes Titan – a home-bred son of a £160,000 Dykes retained for breeding – onto a ewe by a £32,000 Dalchirla that also produced last year’s £10,000 ram lamb purchased by Elmscleugh.

Sons of last year’s £45,000 Auldhouseburn lamb sold at Lanark to Blackcraig, Balrazzie, Little Larg and Cairnerzean and Milnmark, also sold well with sales at £4500 and £3000. The former from Willie Stevenson, Balrazzie, Colmonell, headed home with Martin Wood, West Bracklinn, Callander.

The pen leader from the Mitchell’s Cairnerzean hirsel made £3000 selling in a two-way split to Willie Lockhart, Culdoach, Kirkcudbright and Colin McClymont, Cuil.

Later Thomas Muirhead, Orchilmore, Comrie, took £4200 for a son of last year’s £32,000 Auldhouseburn, from Robert and Mairi Paterson, Dunruchan, Muthill, Crieff. The dam is by a Crossflatt ram.

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Other Leading Prices

Shearling rams – £3200 – Drannandow Farms, to TE Hutchinson, Chapel. £3000 – Messrs Ramsay, Milnmark to Messrs McIlwrick, Balmurrie, New Luce; M Coubrough, Whelphill, to J Walker, Drumbuie; A Paton, Craig, to Larg Farming Co, Creetown.

Ram lambs – £2000 – Messrs Burns, Craignell, to Messrs Moses, Challoch, Newton Stewart. £1400 – Messrs Hair, Drumbreddan, to Messrs Ramsay, Ardoch, Dalry; Glenrath Farms, Grimmet to J McWhirter, Linfairn, Straiton; Balrazzie, to Drannandow Farms. £1300 – Glenrath Farms, Grimmet, to S Guild, Ashmark. £1100 – Messrs Mitchell, Cairnerzean, to D Henderson, Sweetshawhead, Elvanfoot. £1000 – Dalreoch Farms, to Messrs Moses, Challoch, Newton Stewart; Messrs Blackwood, Auldhouseburn, to Gartincaber Farms, Drymen; Glenrath Farms, Grimmet, to High Creoch Farmers; Crossflatt, to H Smith, Wileysike, Gilsland; A MacGregor, Allanfauld, to A Robb, Westerhall, Dollar.

Auctioneers: Craig Wilson.

Averages: 150 shearling rams, £1496.66 (-£53.28 for 53 fewer sold); 29 ram lambs, £1629.89 (-£1226.74 for seven more sold).

Flock Averages

Shearling rams

Farm (No) Top (£) Avg (£)

Dyke (3) 1300 833.33

Corriedow (6) 2200 933.33

Drumbreddan (5) 900 580.00

Markdhu (5) 6000 1964.00

Gallowhill

(Carscreugh) (4) 120 105.00

Blackcraig (4) 2600 1070.00

Clanary (4) 5000 1642.50

Little Larg (9) 6500 2384.44

Lagghead (3) 1600 1166.67

Garchew (3) 900 666.66

Milnmark (14) 3000 1397.14

High Balyett (4) 4000 1540.00

Whelphill (4) 3000 1625.00

Barnvannoch (4) 2800 975.00

Cuil (9) 11,000 2381.11

Drannandown (9) 7000 2494.11

Craig (3) 3000 1400.00

Gass (5) 2200 1500.00

Grimmet (3) 2000 1166.66

Fingland (10) 2800 1520.00

Dalhabboch (3) 1000 750.00

Allanfauld (3) 1100 850.00

Craigdarroch (5) 4200 1560.00

Miltonise (4) 1500 812.50

Knockeen (4) 4800 2400.00

Ram lambs

Drumbreddan (3) 1400 866.66

Balrazzie (3) 4500 2200.00

Grimmet (3) 1400 1233.33

Orchilmore (4) 4200 1437.50