A MORE commercial show of Blackface ram lambs saw averages slip £19 on the year with top prices of £6000 paid on two occasions and three more sold compared to the 2023 event, which saw two five-figure sales.

First to make that money was the pen leader from Eoin and Kirstyn Blackwood, Dalblair, Muirkirk, purchased by J Graham and Son, Kirkton, Pentland. He is sired by last year’s £22,000 Dyke lamb bought at Lanark in partnership with Nunnerie and Upper Wellwood, and out of a ewe by £6000 Dyke.

Another Dalblair lamb by the same sire but out of a ewe by a £52,000 Crossflatt made £3000 to Robert and Mairi Paterson, Dunruchan, Muthill, Crieff.

Later, Richard Carruthers’ Merkland consignment from Thornhill, Dumfriesshire, received the same money for a lamb by a Rock-bred son of an £18,000 Dalchirla. He is out of a ewe by an £160,000 Elmscleugh that has already bred an £11,000 ram lamb purchased by Greenside.

The Stirling lamb sold jointly to Willie Stevenson, Balrazzie, Ballantrae, and Richard Nixon, Marbrack, Carsphairn.

Second-top price was £4800 paid for the pen leader from the Wights’ Midlock pen, Crawford, Abington, which headed home with Duncan MacGregor, Burnhead, Kilsyth. A son of the Emperor – a home-bred ram retained for breeding by a £30,000 Crossflatt – the lamb is out of a ewe by an £8000 Dyke.

Their No 2, by the same sire but out of a ewe by a £200,000 Dalchirla, made £3000 to David Morrison, Dalwyne, Barr and Alan Frame, Dullator, Amulree, Dunkeld.

Alister and Alan Mclarty, who manage the Firm of Shawhead based at Douglas, Lanarkshire, took £4200 for their pen leader from Dan McLaughlan, Castles Farm, Dalmally. For his money he got a son of a £2200 Cromlix bought at Dalmally, out of a ewe by a West Letham sire.

Matching that price, brothers Lewis and Ryan Smith, Towiemore, Keith, sold a son of last year’s £35,000 Orchilmore lamb, out of a ewe by an £18,000 Auldhouseburn, to Willie Dunlop and sons Quintin and William, Elmscleugh, Innerwick, Dunbar.

On the other side of the equation, Elmscleugh sold to £4000 for a son of a £4000 Nunnerie. He is out of a ewe by a £60,000 Dyke and was knocked down to Jimmy and Graeme Sinclair, Crookston, Heriot.

Top price for David Morrison, Dalwyne, was £3000 paid for a lamb by a £15,000 Auldhouseburn, out of a ewe by a £22,000 Dalchirla. The buyers were Alastair and David MacArthur, Nunnerie, Elvanfoot.

averages:

114 to average £936 (-£19 for three more sold).

FLOCK averages

Farm (No) Top(£) Average(£)

Blackface ram lambs

Sidlaw (4) 1000 637.50

Aberuchill (3) 4000 400.00

Cornalees (3) 600 416.67

Mains of

Burnbank (3) 1200 866.67

Littleport (3) 800 400.00

Braes of

Ardeonaig (5) 900 520.00

Elmscleugh (4) 4000 1900.00

Upper Wellwood (3) 2000 1433.33

Crossflatt (4) 2200 1400.00

Dalblair (4) 6000 2475.00

The Glen (3) 2000 1250.00

Balliemeanoch (3) 1000 633.33

Shankhead (4) 300 162.50

Towiemore (3) 4200 2166.67

Dall (11) 1700 1004.55

Kepculloch (3) 300 233.33

Aitkenhead (3) 1200 566.67

Rhodders (3) 750 360.00

Greenside (3) 1500 850.00

Dalwyne (3) 3000 1733.33

Rowanhill (3) 120 106.67

Drumgrange (3) 150 116.67