North West Auctions held its annual show and sale of breeding ewes and gimmer shearlings. The sheep today looked on great form today and credit must go to the vendors. There was a good buzz around the auction mart with plenty of people looking to purchase good quality sheep.
The pre-sale show of Mules expertly judged by Peter and Stuart Nelson, Rosgill who had 14 cracking pens of shearlings to cast their eyes over. The champion pen of shearlings winning the John Nelson Memorial Shield was JS & KM Wilson, Helsington who was also awarded the £500 from the Kendal Branch of NEMSA for purchasing Mule Gimmer Lambs from the Kendal Branch Sale and achieving 1st place at this sale with those lambs. There was an equally strong class of Mule ewes with the Derek Cleasby Memorial Trophy awarded to TH Gibson & Son, Staveley.
J36, once again, had a strong trade for Mule breeding ewes. Leading the way was the first prize pen selling to £160 from TH Gibson, Staveley with the second prize pen from JR & LA Capstick, Killington selling to £160. Plenty of pens of those best Mule ewes sold in the region of £140. There was an overall market average of £115 for Mule ewes.
There was a larger entry of Cheviot Mule gimmer shearlings this year that were eagerly bid for. Leading the way was the consignment from JS & KM Wilson, Helsington selling to £165 and £155 with others selling to £150, twice from D Slone, Walney Island. Cheviot Mule Shearlings averaged £134.
The Champion pen of Mule Gimmer Shearlings topped the sale at £180 with others from the same home selling to £170. The second prize pen sold to £175 from JK & BE Townley, Caton Green with the consignment fr4om AR Edmondson, Ulverston selling to £175, £170 and £160. The third prize pen from E Parker, Carnforth sold to £170 and £162 and Mule Shearlings from JR & LA Capstick, Killington selling to £165. Plenty of those best quality shearlings sold in excess of the £155 mark with plenty of pens selling in the one hundred and forties. There was an overall market average for Mule Shearlings of £130.
The show of Continental shearlings saw high quality sheep put before the judge, Mr Ian Kirk of Nottingham, who awarded the first prize rosette to JK & BE Townley, Caton which later sold at £180, with 2nd prize being awarded to Sue Cunliffe and 3rd prize to Gelston Castle, Scotland.
The sale topped at £215 for a pen of ¾ Texel ¼ Charollais shearlings from Sue Cunliffe achieving £215 who sold others at £200 and £195. Well bodied ¾ bred shearlings regularly sold between £175 to £200. First cross Texel shearlings sold to £155 from R & AC Harper with others to £142 from EI, EA & TW Wilson. All Texel x shearlings averaged £147.
Lleyn shearlings saw keen bidding, topping at £132 from Gaitbarrow Farm and averaging £127. Suffolk x shearlings from MJ & K Ayrton sold to £130 and Aberfield x to £120 from Messrs Hodgson. Pure bred sheep sold to £260 for Texel shearlings from R & E Ladds who sold other shearlings at £240. A consignment of pure and cross-bred shearlings from MJ & K Ayrton sold to £210 for Beltex x Texels and £200 for pure Texels. Several pure-bred ewes forward sold to £255 for 1 crop Texels from IM Jaeban who sold others at £255. Older ewes sold to £170 for 4 crop Texels from MJ & K Ayrton and £220 for 1 crop Beltex.