Lanark Blackface shearlings achieve 85% clearance rate

However, despite these bumper sales, averages were down on the year and for fewer sold compared to the same sale last year when prices peaked at £45,000. The clearance rate was nevertheless a respectable 85%.

As always, the trade improved as the sale went on with the top priced ram coming from one of the last lots.

MORE NEWS | Plenty to celebrate for Blackface breeders at Dalmally

Selling at £35,000 was the pen leader from Donald MacGregor and his father Jimmy’s Dyke consignment from Milton of Campsie, which was knocked down in a three-way split to the Wights of Midlock, Crawford; Ian Hunter, Dalchirla, Crieff and Malcolm Coubrough, Hartside Farms, Lamington.

Home-bred genetics are behind this lad, with the sire being the £160,000 lamb sold here in 2022 of which a share was retained, onto a ewe by a £38,000 Dyke.

Dyke also sold at £18,000 and £16,000. The pen’s No 3 made the most when selling to Billy and Una Graham and their father Willie of Craigdarroch and Kirkland, Sanquhar, respectively with the remaining third taken by John Marshall, Gosland, Broughton, Biggar. For their money, they get a son of a £12,000 Dyke sold last year at Lanark, out of a ewe by a £3000 Crossflatt.

Making £16,000 to Tommy Renwick and son Tam, Williamhope, Clovenfords was a shearling by a home-bred son of a £17,000 Midlock retained for breeding. The dam is sired by a £4200 Dalwyne.

Shearling sons of the £16,000 Blackhouse lamb bought here in 2022 proved popular for Ian Campbell’s Glenrath consignment brought out by his son in law, Steven Renwick, which produced the second and third highest prices at £26,000 and £24,000. The Blackhouse tup was the sire of most of the Glenrath shearlings which averaged £7540 for 10.

Their pen leader, out of a ewe by a £15,000 Dyke, made £26,000, when selling in a three-way partnership to Burncastle Farming, Lauder, managed by Alan Rogerson; Billy and Andrew Renwick, Blackhouse, Yarrow and Derek Redpath, The Yett, Hownam, Kelso.

The No 2, out of a ewe by a £75,000 Dalchirla, was purchased by Angus Kennedy and son Angus, Mitchellhill, Broughton, Biggar.

On the other side of the equation, Glenrath bought a half share of Richard Carruthers’ pen leader from Merkland, Thornhill, Dumfries, for his Grimmet hirsel at Dalmellington, in partnership with Malcolm Coubrough, Hartside Farms.

For their money, they get a shearling by a home-bred son of a £30,000 Auldhouseburn that was a full brother to the £38,000 Merkland lamb sold here in 2022. The dam is by the £160,000 Elmscleugh.

Helping to finance the previous shared purchases, Hartside Farms sold two at five-figure prices with their No 2 making £14,000 to Alan Smith, Wester Crosswoodhill, West Calder. He is by a £48,000 Allanfauld lamb bought at Lanark and out of a ewe by a £20,000 Dyke.

The pen leader from Hartside which stood second in his class at Abington Show, made £12,000 selling to Glenrath. He is by a £13,000 Allanfauld shearling bought here in 2022, with the dam being a £20,000 Midlock daughter – one of 2000 Blackface ewes bred pure at Hartside and Whelphill.

The Ramsay family’s Milnmark consignment from Dalry, Castle Douglas, was another in the money with sales at £14,000 and £13,000.

Their pen leader, a son of a £5000 Fingland shearling out of a ewe by a £22,000 Lurg, made £13,000 selling to near neighbours James Wallace, Fingland, Dalry and Hartside Farms.

Milnmark’s second shearling which was by an £11,000 Milnmark purchased by Craigdarroch and Kirkland, made £14,000 selling jointly to Sam McClymont and sons William and Scott, Tinnis; cousins, Alan McClymont and sons Sam and Oli, Kirkstead, both Yarrow and Philiphaugh Estates, Dryhope, managed by Alan McClymont. The dam is by a £9000 Grimmet.

Matching that £14,000 sale was a son of a £200,000 Dalchirla from Archie and John MacGregor, Allanfauld, Kilsyth. The tup which was brought out by shepherd Davie Kinloch, is out of a £32,000 Midlock-sired ewe and sold to Willie and Ewan Bennie, Merkins, Gartocharn.

Shearling rams from Willie Dunlop and sons Quintin and William, Elmscleugh, Dunbar, were in the money too with their No 2 making £13,000 to Craigdarroch and Kirkland. The breeding behind this transaction includes a home-bred son of a £60,000 Dyke shearling bought at Dalmally, onto a ewe by a £45,000 Midlock.

Elmscleugh also took £8500 for a son of a £15,000 Dalchirla lamb bought at Stirling in 2020 from John Anderson, Penchrise, Hawick. His dam is also sired by the £45,000 Midlock.

Kirkstead was back in action, buying the pen leader from Iain Renwick and his father John’s Corsebank consignment from Sanquhar at £12,000. This was a son of a £6500 Dunruchan ram bought back in 2019, out of a ewe by a £3000 Midlock.

Minutes later the same home sold a son of the £11,000 Dudlees ram bought here in 2021 for the same price as the sire, to J and MJ Hamilton, Crosswoodhill, West Calder, managed by John and Finlay Robertson. The mother is a daughter of a £10,000 Glenrath.

On the debit side, Corsebank went to £10,000 for Matthew Hamilton and son Matthew’s pen leader from South Cobbinshaw, West Calder. First in his class at Lesmahagow and Carnwath and placed at the Royal Highland, he is sired by a £32,000 Glenrath and out of a daughter of a £2500 Dalblair lamb.

Earlier in the day, Robert and Mairi Paterson, Dunruchan, Muthill, Crieff, took £12,000 for a son of a £5000 Dalblair lamb out of a ewe by a £3200 Silloans. The buyers were John Shearer and sons Gavin and Neil, Croughley.

Top price for the Wight’s Midlock consignment was £11,000 paid for their No 4, a son of a £45,000 Nunnerie shearling ram bought at Dalmally, out of a ewe by a £26,000 Dyke. He sold to a quartet of breeders to include Allanfauld, Merkins; Andrew Kay and sons Robert and Andrew, Gass, Straiton and Neil and Stuart Barclay, Harestone, Insch.

Other Leading Prices

Shearling rams – £7500 – Midlock, by a 19,000gns Tullykeerin to J Graham, Mains of Burnbank, Blair Drummond and A Adam, Auldallan, Glamis.

£7000 – D Redpath, The Yett, by a £5000 Milnmark to WS Robson and Co, Yatesfield, Otterburn.

£6800 – Wester Crosswoodhill, by a £5800 Burncastle, to Burncastle Farming Co.

£6500 – Glenrath, by a £160,000 Dyke, to WJ Douglas and Son, Upper Hindhope, Jedburgh; Tinnis, by a £9000 Hartside, to Messrs Walton, Tofthouse, Rede Valley; Midlock by a £75,000 Dyke, to H Brown, Birthwood, Coultre; Dyke, by a £160,000 Dyke to D MacGregor, Burnhead, Kilsyth and W and E Bennie, Merkins, Gartocharn.

£6000 – Tinnis, by a £9000 Hartside, to W Graham and Son, Craigdarroch, Sanquhar; Dudlees, by a £3400 Dyke to Cramalt and Lauderhill.

£5200 – Craigdarroch, by a home-bred son of a £42,000 Dyke to Glenrinnes Farms

£5000 – Craigdarroch, by an £11,000 Milnmark to Milnmark.

Flock Averages

Farm (No) Top (£) Avg (£)

Blackhouse (7) 3200 1871.43

Yatesfield (3) 2200 1167.67

The Yett (4) 7000 2700.00

Chirmorrie (3) 2000 1016.67

Burncastle (7) 4200 2857.14

Dryhope Hope (5) 1100 550.00

Milnmark (8) 14,000 4781.25

Corriedow (3) 1800 1466.67

Longcroft (3) 4200 2533.33

Westhills (4) 2000 1475.00

Langhaugh (5) 2400 1660.00

Haystoun (3) 2600 1800.00

Hartside, Lamington (3) 14,000 6380.00

Midlock, Glespin (5) 2200 1420.00

Flemington (3) 2000 1066.67

Lauderhill (4) 1000 712.50

Clonrae (3) 800 466.67

Old Kirkstead (4) 1200 1000.00

Fallburns (3) 2200 1033.33

Allanfauld (4) 14,000 5250.00

Corsebank (5) 12,000 5140.00

Larg, Creetown (5) 1400 800.00

Glendorch (5) 1800 950.00

Dunruchan 5) 12,000 3620.00

Elmscleugh (4) 13,000 6875.00

Livet (3) 4500 3000.00

Glenrath (10) 26,000 7540.00

Tinnis (6) 6500 3383.33

Madrissa (3) 1200 1000.00

Moorfoot (3) 3500 1933.33

Kirkstead (5) 4800 2430.00

Dryhope (5) 2000 1090.00

Easter Happrew (4) 1300 737.50

Hillridge (3) 1600 1033.33

Mitchellhill (3) 2200 1933.33

Midlock (9) 11,000 4677.78

Williamhope (10) 5500 2425.00

Dudlees (6) 6000 2425.00

Sweetshawhead (5) 2800 1260.00

Wester Crosswoodhill (5) 6800 2560.00

South Cobbinshaw (3) 10,000 4533.33

Nunnerie (4) 4500 1950.00

Kingledores (3) 1000 700.00

Hartside, Lammermuir (3) 1600 966.67

Windhill (3) 1400 716.67

Gosland (4) 1500 900.00

Parkhall (3) 1400 950.00

Dyke (7) 35,000 11,985.00

Merkland (7) 16,000 3512.50

* Omitted from the Blackface ram sale at Ayr; Larg, Creetown sold five shearlings to a top of £6000 to average £1690.

Auctioneers: Lawrie and Symington.

Averages: 273 shearling rams sold to average £2648 (-£277 for 13 fewer sold).