Tom Boden and family’s Cheshire-based Sportsmans flock went one better than their reserve win at last year's show and sale of Suffolk females at Skipton Auction Mart when landing the supreme overall.
Mr Boden, who runs the flock jointly with his father, Charlie, stepped up with a home-bred gimmer which went on to sell for the top price of 4000gns.
Like last year’s pen leader, their sale topper is again sired by the 200,000gns Salopian Solid Gold, while the dam, a Howgillfoot-bred female was purchased for 9000gns. A full sister to a 6000gns Sportmans ram lamb sold to the Carony flock, the gimmer sold carrying twins to the Irish-bred Annakisha Champ. She sold to the pre-sale judge Stephen Cobbald of the Lavenham flock, Acton, Suffolk. Sportmans averaged in excess of £1575 for seven gimmers.
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John Gibb of the Cairnton flock, Fraserburgh, produced the reserve champion with the first prize ewe. This five-year-old by James Bignall’s Creagisley Cracker, out of a home-bred dam by Cairness Sir William, sold due to the 1700gns Shrewsbury purchase, Strathbogie Showman. She made 750gns selling to the Roberts and Edwards partnership, Oswestry.
Mr Gibb, who works full-time as farm manager at a local farm also took 1000gns, 950gns and 800gns for females. The former, a gimmer by Brigeview Belvenie out of another Creagisley Cracker-sired dam, sold carrying a single to Showman, to South Craven father and son duo David and Josh Isherwood.
Selling at 950gns was the third prize ewe lamb, sired by the Bridgeview Belvenie son, Cairness Fine Star, out of a home-bred Millhouse Remarkable dam. The buyers were again Messrs Roberts and Edwards.
Welsh breeder, Myfyr Evans of the Rhaeadr flock from Denbighshire, sold two ewe lambs with his first and red rosette winner, a daughter of Kexbeck Kick-Start, making 1100gns to Andrew Cross, Preston. She is bred from a home-bred dam by Rhaeadr Raring To Go.
Stephen Bolland's Wharfe flock, Bolton Abbey, sold two gimmers at 1600gns each, both out of Solwaybank Cracker-sired dams and both scanned carrying twins to the 3200gns Kings Superior. The first, which stood second in her class, is by Bridgeview Maximus and sold to Iain Fitzsimon of the Burnhead flock, Shawhead, Dumfries.
The second, by Frongoy Fire Power, was purchased by Aiden Mitchell. Grassknop flock, Penrith.
Mr Bolland's second prize ewe lamb, again by Maximus, out of a Pyeston-bred ewe, made 1200gns selling to Josh Lawn, Manywells flock, Thornton, Bradford.
Top price among the in-lamb ewes was 1800gns paid for a Sitlow ewe from Derbyshire’s Steve Buckley, Dove Holes, Buxton. She is sired by Haddo High Voltage, out of a Strathbogie Peaky Blinder-sired dam and sold carrying twins to the 6000gns Jalex X Factor, to Robert Earnshaw, Killinghall, Harrogate.
The first Sitlow ewe, a four-year-old by Bentley Flyhalf, out of a Salopian He’s The Boy-sired dam and carrying triplets to Jalex X Factor, made 1100gns, again to Neil Bancroft.
Local breeder, Mark Evans, Jubilee flock, Steeton, reached a high of 1000gns, with others to 900gns.
Averages: Gimmers, £948; ewe lambs, £747; ewes, £663. Overall, 94 head, £802.
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