Cheviot Ram sale 2022

South Country Cheviot breeders enjoyed a good day’s trading at Lockerbie, on Monday, where 356 rams cashed in to average £1335.76, with two rams leading the way at £14,000 apiece.

First to hit the big money was a Stirkfield shearling from Blair and Morag Cockburn’s Broughton-based flock, which sold to Alistair Warden buying for the family's Skelfhill unit at Teviothead, Hawick. Sired by the £6500 Shillmoor Defender which was purchased here in 2020 in partnership with George Irving at Mountbenger, he is out of a home-bred ewe by Stirkfield Yielder.

The Cockburn’s were back in the money when their third shearling went under the hammer for £7000. A son of Becks Ronaldo which was bought here in 2020 for £1500, he is bred from a Stirkfield Axel-sired ewe and headed home with Jim Wood, Potholm Langholm.

It was also a good day for Gavin Douglas’ Upper Hindhope-based Kale flock from Jedburgh which matched the day’s top bid of £14,000 with a two-shear ram. Backed by home-bred genetics on both sides his sire is Kale Arthur. He was snapped up by Jim Robertson for use in his Becks flock at Langholm.

On the credit side, Mr Robertson enjoyed one of the best trades of the day selling 19 rams to level at £3473.68, with the flock's best attracting a £12,000 bid. Backed by champion winning genetics, the Becks leader is sired by this year’s South of Scotland Cheviot champion, Eskdale Hit and Run – purchased at Lockerbie in 2019 for £3200 from shepherd, Fred Little. Out of a home-bred ewe, he sold to Billy Common, Crossdykes, Tundergarth, Lockerbie.

Messrs Halliday and Sons, Moffat, Dumfriesshire forked out £8000 for the Mountbenger Almighty-sired shearling, Becks Sensation. Blair and Morag Cockburn, also spent some of their earnings on a similarly aged Becks ram, going to £7500 for a son of GDM Columbia which again is out of a home-bred ewe.

On the other side of the coin, Becks went to £10,000 for the pen leader from Alistair Warden, Skelfhill, Hawick. This two-shear is a son of the home-bred Skelfhill Quantum which sold for £6000 to Crossdykes, in 2020. The dam is a home-bred ewe.

Two tups attracted £9000 price tags, with the first deriving from the vendor of last year’s sale leader, Tom Elliot of the Hindhope flock from Jedburgh. Backed by home-bred genetics on both sides having been sired by Hindhope Boxer, this two-shear was purchased in a two-way partnership between Gavin Douglas, Upper Hindhope and Jim Robertson.

Another Hindhope ram made £8000, in a joint share between George Irving, Mountbenger and Blair and Morag Cockburn. His sire is Crossdykes Oscar. Adding to the Hindhope celebrations, a third ram made £7000. This two-shear by Hoghill Borderman was knocked down in a two-way partnership between Skelfhill and Messrs Fleming, Hawick.

The second ram to make £9000 was Lorraine Luescher’s shearling from Megdale, Langholm, purchased by John Paton, Castle Crawford, Biggar. A son of the Castle Assassin-sired Castle Colonel which was purchased here, he is out of a home-bred ewe.

Almost financing that purchase, the Castle Crawford flock attended by shepherd James Cochrane, sold to £7000 for a shearling ram purchased by Crossdykes. He is by the £2200 Stirkfield Batman purchased here in 2019 and stood first in his class at Abington Show, in August.

The day’s final £7000 bid came for this year’s Royal Highland Show breed champion shearling from Billy Common’s Crossdykes flock, when selling to Mountbenger. This was a son of the £5500 Becks Revolution bought here in 2020, out of a Mainside-bred ewe.

Auctioneers: Harrison and Hetherington.

By permission of the Scottish Farmer