Cheviot Ram sale 2024

Sale Report

Averages improved by nearly £200 per head at the South Country Cheviot annual sale at Lockerbie, with more sold on the year achieving a fantastic 98% clearance rate and a joint top price of £16,000.

Achieving a personal best of £16,000 was Syd Anderson and sons, Ross and Scott, Easter Alemoor, Roberton, Hawick, doubling their previous best of £8,000. This shearling having stood third in the pre-sale show, is sired by Castle Geronimo, which was purchased here for £10,000 and goes back to Glenochar Knockout. He stayed in the Lockerbie area having been sold to Billy Common, Crossdykes.

Joint sale leader came from Jim Robertson, Becks, Langholm, when his shearling sold to Tom Elliot, Hindhope, Jedburgh. A son of Eskdale Hit and Run, a tup bought in 2019 for £3,200, which had previously sold sons to £12,000.

Billy Common, Crossdykes, was back in the buying seat at £7,500 for one of the first crop of sons by the £4,500 Shillmoor Endeavour. Becks also sold another shearling for £7,000 sired by the £10,000 Mountbenger Almighty. Buying back some of his own genetics, this one sold to George Irving, Mountbenger, Yarrow, Selkirk.

Father-and-son duo, Craig and Stuart Weir, Mainside, Hownam, were next in the money at £14,000. Their two-shear ram is one of the first crop of sons by Castle Godfather which was purchased here for £5,000. Buying back their own breeding, this boy was knocked down to John Paton, Castle Crawford, Abington.

The excitement of the sale carried right through to the end when the last pen in the ring, from Robert and Alastair Warden, Skelfhill, Hawick, reached £14,000, a personal best for the team. This two-shear ram is a son of Skelfhill Supreme which sold two years ago for £2,000 and goes back to Kale Foreman. Tom Elliot, Hindhope took this boy home.

The pen also received £6,000 on two occasions, both by the first sons of the £5,500 Catslack Invincible. The pen leader stood reserve champion in the pre-sale show and was knocked down to Blair and Morag Cockburn, Stirkfield, Biggar. The other which had stood third in the show was purchased by John Paton, Castle Crawford.

On the flip side, Blair and Morag Cockburn achieved £9,000 for their pen leader, when selling to Jim Robertson, Becks. This shearling is a son of Becks Tank, which was purchased here two years ago for £7,500 while the dam is by Kale Hamish.

Jim Robertson was back in the buying seat at £8,000 for a two-shear from John Paton, Castle Crawford. Castle Highlander is the sire behind this tup, having been used as a shearling before selling for £18,000 last year, with the dam being a daughter of Castle Destroyer. Another bred the same way made £7,500 when selling to John Halliday & Sons, Granton, Moffat.

Castle Crawford shepherd, James Cochrane, achieved £8,000 for his own ram, when the hammer fell to W J Douglas & Son, Upper Hindhope, Jedburgh. He is again by the same sire and out of a Castle Assassin bred ewe.

The pre-sale show judge Tom Elliot, Hindhope, Jedburgh, also produced a strong pen of two-shear rams selling to £7,200. This was for a Hindhope Anthem son which sold two years ago for £7,000. He sold in a three-way split to Hugh and Jan MacKenzie, Kinbrace, Caithness; Messrs Matherson, Alness, Highland; and Messrs Robertson, Lairg, Sutherland.

The same home took £6,000 from Sandy and William Fleming, Hislop, Hawick. He is from the first crop of sons by the £8,000 Hindhope Apache.

The Upper Hindhope pen from W J Douglas & Son, Upper Hindhope, Jedburgh, brought out by Callum Caskie, started the sale strongly with a £7,000 price tag. This two-shear ram from the first crop of Kale Dealer sons, was sold to W C Anderson & Son, Easter Alemoor.

Show Results

Group of three rams

1st – I H G Warden, Skelfhill

2nd – W N Douglas, Catslackburn

3rd – J Common & Sons, Crossdykes

Two-Shear rams

1st – W N Douglas, Catslackburn, £4,500

2nd – I H G Warden, Skelfhill, £6,000

3rd – I H G Warden, Skelfhill, £6,000

4th – J Hume & Son, Sundhope, £2,600

5th – J T Fleming & Son, Hislop, £4,000

Shearling rams

1st – W N Douglas, Catslackburn, £5,500

2nd – J F Irving & Son, Mountbenger, £3,000

3rd – W C Anderson & Son, Alemoor, £16,000

4th – G Jackson, Toftholm, £2,000

5th – W N Douglas, Catslackburn, £1,000

Champion – W N Douglas, Catslackburn

Reserve Champion – I H G Warden, Skelfhill