Monday 8th October

The annual show and sale of Bluefaced Leicesters at North West Auctions had a catalogued entry of 224 Rams and Females. This sale continues to grow each year gaining a strong reputation attracting many new vendors and purchasers.

Thanks must go to the sale sponsors Westmorland Accountants and Peter Horn Mobile Sheep Dipping. Thanks must go to our pre-sale judges Shaun Procter, Kirkby Stephen and Jeff Burrow, Grayrigg for giving up their time and expertise. There was some strong classes put forward for our judges, with some classes having into the teens entered. The championship rosette was awarded to lot 63 a ram lamb from Messrs Lord, Kirkby Stephen with the reserve championship rosette being awarded to lot 15 from JH Critchlow, Ashbourne with an Aged Ewe.

There was a buoyant trade throughout the evening for rams, especially shearlings and aged rams with a strong trade for rams with renowned bloodlines. Topping the trade was the Champion lamb from Messrs Lord, selling to £2000, which was sired by H45 Hewgill. The shearling ram trade was topped by AR Edmondson, Ulverston with lot 208, which was sired by the Hundith, selling to £1200. This was closely followed by EW & JR Parkinson, Clitheroe, who was selling at the sale for the first time, selling to £980 for lot 150, sire by the Barley.

Aged Rams sold to a top of £900 from JA & CA Gibson, Selside for a home bred ram, with rams from the same good home selling to £800. Plenty of strong shearling and aged rams sold between £650 and £900.

There was a very selective trade for females with purchasers looking for well-known bloodlines. The female trade was topped by the reserve champion, a Lunesdale bred ewe sired by F3 Hundith, this sold for £520. Gimmer shearlings sold to a top of £420 from Mycock & Bright, Buxton, with Gimmer Lambs selling to £280 from TJ France, Chipping.

Ram lambs sold to an overall market average of £348, Shearling Rams averaging £459 and Aged Rams averaging £409.