Cheviot RAm Sale 2020

South Country Cheviot breeders enjoyed a flying trade for their ram sale at Lockerbie on Monday, where averages rose a whopping £310.63 on the year, to produce a new record of £1286.15 for 304.

A strong commercial trade backed up by three rams selling at or above the £10,000 mark, ensured a buoyant demand for all, with prices hitting a ceiling of £16,000 for the pen leader from David Douglas and his father Norman’s Catslack flock from Yarrow.

Their two-shear ram from the 800-ewe flock, was used in the flock as a shearling and attracted the lead bid from Tom Halliday, Granton, Annan Water, Moffat, who gets for his money a son of Catslack Firefly, which was purchased in 2018 at Lockerbie for £2000. The dam is a home-bred ewe.

Catslack’s No 2, a shearling ram, left the ring at £4000 selling to Jim Robertson, The Becks, Langholm. He is by the £2200 Sundhope Imperial, and again bred from a home-bred ewe. A cracking trade throughout saw the Catslack flock average £2461.76 for 17.

On the flip side, Jim Robertson’s 1000-ewe Becks flock produced a top price of £11,000 – despite being the first ram through the ring. One of the first sons by the £4200 Mainside Yielder, which goes back to Castle Angus, he sold to Tom Elliot, Hindhope, Jedburgh.

Another from the same flock realised £5500 to Alan and Billy Common, Crossdykes, Lockerbie. Bred from a home-bred ewe and by the £5000 Castle Crusader, which bred last year’s sale topper at £12,000, he also goes back to Crossdykes Juggernaut. Mr Robertson sold 16 shearlings to average £2356.25.

Not far behind and matching his previous best of £10,000 was a shearling ram from George Irving’s 500 Mountbenger ewe flock from Yarrow. He is by the former Lockerbie champion, Crossdykes Optimus of which a half share was purchased for £7000, and out of a Becks Legend sired-ewe. Becks teamed up with Messrs Jackson, Blackburn, Newcastleton, to buy him.

Bolstering the Mountbenger flock average to £2104.55 for 11, was the pen’s No 3 which made £4200 to Eileen Randall, Drycleuchlea, Hawick. Another by the same sire, he is out of a home-bred ewe which was a former first prize winner at the Highland Show, by a home-bred son of a £12,000 Becks tup.

On the debit side, Mountbenger teamed up with Blair and Morag Cockburn, Stirkfield, Broughton, Biggar, to take home the pen leader from John Paton’s Castle flock from Abington at £7500. This shearling, brought out by shepherd James Cochrane, is by the £5000 Potholm Harrier, and out of a home-bred ewe.

Another shearling the same way bred from Castle Crawford, headed home with J Hepburn and Co, Crosscleugh, Yarrow, for £4000, which boosted the flock average to £2400.00 for 13.

Mountbenger and Stirkfield again teamed up to take home a £6500 two-shear from FT Walton’s Shillmoor flock from Flotterton Hall, Morpeth, brought out by shepherds, Daniel Wood and John Cowans. He is a son of Mountbenger Xtra which was purchased here two years ago for £1500, and out of a home-bred ewe.

Hitting the £6000 mark was the best from Alistair Warden, Skelfhill, Teviothead, Hawick. His two-shear is one of the first sons of the £7500 Stirkfield Zoltan, and out of a ewe by Potholm Forceful. He goes out to work at Crossdykes.

On the same money was a shearling from Billy Goodfellow’s 30-ewe flock based at Townfoot, Roberton, Biggar. A son of North Shortcleugh Moonshine, out of a Hislop sired-ewe, he sold to the Flemings of Hislop, Teviothead, Hawick.

Just behind on £5000, Crossdykes sold a shearling son of the £4000 Stirkfield Ace, bred from a ewe by a £12,000 Becks to John Paton, Castle Crawford.

Another shearling from Crossdykes made £4000 selling to Catslack. He is by Hindhope Crackajack and out of a ewe by Castle Wizard.

Three others made £4000 to include a shearling from brothers, Callum and Duncan Hume, Sundhope, Yarrow, who sold 10 to level at £1270.00. Their tup is a son of Stirkfield Airforce One, out of a ewe by Stirkfield Wipeout, and was another bought by the Castle flock.

The pen leader in the Cockburn’s Stirkfield flock, matched that price selling to Tom Tenant, Gilmanscleuch, Ettrick. A son of Kale Hamish, he is out of a Mainside Ust sired-ewe.

The last of the £4000 sales came for a two-shear ram from Upper Hindhope, which sold to Sundhope. He is by Kale Huntsman.

(by kind permission of the Scottish Farmer)

Sale Averages

118 Shearlings averaged £1,346.16

116 Two-Shears averaged £1,198.26

304 averaged £1,286.15 which is up £310.62 on the year

Catslack Golden Boy Sold for £16,000 to J Halliday & Sons, Granton.

Becks Ring Leader sold for £11,000 to T Elliot, Hindhope

Mountbenger Almighty sold for £10,000 to J Robertson, Becks

Castle Firepower sold for £7,500 to J F Irving & Son, Mountbenger & Stirkfield Farms

Shillmoor Defender sold for £6,500 to J F Irving & Son, Mountbenger & Stirkfield Farms

FLOCK AVERAGES