Prices peaked at £52,000 and £50,000 at the annual two-day sale of registered Swaledale shearling rams at Hawes where an overall average of £2241 was achieved for 484.
An unprecedented demand saw no fewer than 29 rams sell at five-figure prices with only nine failing to find new homes.
Read more: Swaledale transforms Co Derry business – more lambs and weight
Topping the trade was Usha Gap Setmabanning 1, from the father, son and grandson team of Tom, Phillip and James Metcalfe, Usha Gap, Hawes. He is by a £6000 Hutton tup bought out of Kirkby Stephen in 2019 while the dam is by a Stevie Clarkson ram sired by their top breeding Bull and Cave tup. Fourth at the pre-sale show on the Thursday, he sold in a three-way split to David Allinson, West Briscoe; Peter Lightfoot, Gillside and Geoff and Carol Marwood, Hill Top.
Usha Gap’s No 2, by the same sire made £22,000 selling in a four-way split to Messrs Allison, Sealhouses; Mark and Linda Rukin, Stonesdale; Brian and Dot Thornborrow, Frith and Chris Rukin, Park Lodge.
Sale leader on the first day at £50,000 was a ram from Jack Lawson and his son Adam, Hundith. Their Hundith B and C 5, by a £38,000 Bull and Cave tup and out of a ewe by a Quarry ram, stood first in the large breeders and was knocked down to near neighbours, Robert Wear and Peter Lightfoot from the shores of Ullswater in the Lake District .
Robert Hutchinson, Valley Farm, was back in the money after a cracking sale at Kirkby Stephen, selling his fifth prize winner in the large breeders for £24,000 to Neil Richardson, Big Ferneyford, Derbyshire. Valley Jewel, by a £19,000 Kisdon shared with Stanhope Gate, is out of an old favourite ewe by a £42,000 Oakbank.
The Marston family of the Easegill Head flock, Kirkby Stephen, secured a personal best when their sole entry, Easegill Head Majestic, made £20,000. This tup is by an £18,000 Bail Hill and bred from the flock’s best ewe by a Paul Hallam tup. Fourth in the pre-sale show he was knocked down to a quartet of breeders to include Owlands Farm; K and HJ Fawcett, Argill House; S Buckle, Bleathgill and H Crocker, Town End Farm.
Another at £20,000 was Fawcetts Diamond from Graham Scarr. By a home-bred son of an Aygill tup and out of a ewe by the old £34,000 Bull and Cave tup, he headed home with the Porters, Low Oxnop.
Two shearlings made £18,000, with the first from Paul and Sue Hallam, High Birkwith. Their Hundith 1 ram by a £3000 Hundith that went back to Ewbank bloodlines and out of a ewe by the £92,000 Kisdon, was bought by S Reynoldson and Son, Fell View.
Paul Ewbank also took £18,000 for a son of a £30,000 Clive Dent here in 2019, out of a ewe by the old Grayrigg Hall tup. He sold to the Porters from Riddings and Jack Lawson, Hundith.
Just behind on £17,000, Neil Richardson, Fernyford, sold a son of a £4000 Oakbank, bred from a ewe by the £42,000 Eric Coates tup to JR Walton, Swarthymere and Michael Watson, Stoney Hill, both Middleton in Teesdale.
averages:
Wednesday – 238 shearling rams, £2091. Thursday – 246 shearling rams, £2387. Overall, 484 rams, £2241 (-£81 with 55 more sold).
Read more: Blackface and Bluefaced Leicester ram sales photographs from Ballymena and Hawes
LEADING prices
Wednesday – Messrs Lawson, £50,000; D and CE Marston, £20,000; N Richardson, £17,000; AD Coates and Son, £15,000; RT Tennant, £14,000, £11,000; M/S Lightfoot, £12,000, £11,000, £6000; J Nelson and Son, £11,000; JG Brunton, £10,000; MR and LE Rukin, £10,000; Hunter and Whitehead, £9000; B Thornborrow, £8500, £5200; AD Coates and Son, £8000; F and MP Allinson and Son, £8000, £7000, £7500, £6000; W Richardson and Son, £7000; JW Porter and Sons, £6500; RW Clarkson and Son, £6000;
Thursday – T Metcalfe and Son, £52,000, £22,000; R Hutchinson and Son, £24,000; GJ and JM Scarr, £20,000, £6000; P Ewbank, £18,000, £10,000; P Hallam, £18,000, £9000 x2; MA Bainbridge, £15,000; RS Harker and Son, £14,000, £13,000, £11,000, £9000, £6500, £6000; JS Cloughton, £12,500; PE and K Sowerby, £12,000; SW Porter, £12,000; WM Hutchinson and Son, £11,000, £10,000; RM Dixon, £10,000; TA and JA Dixon, £10,000; Messrs Brogden, £7200; SA Raine, £7000; MR Ewbank, £6500; M and EM Wilson, £6000; JS and D Cloughton, £5600; JW Dent and Sons, £5500; TS Brogden £5200.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here