North West Auction’s held its Annual Show and Sale of Mule and Continental Breeding Ewes and Gimmer Shearlings with an entry of 4478, meeting a large demand from throughout the United Kingdom.
Breeding ewes and mule gimmer shearlings sold through ring number one. The pre-sale show of Mules was judged by David Moorhouse, Natland, whom we thank for his time and expertise. The quality of Mule gimmer shearlings was one of the best seen at J36 and huge praise must go to our vendors for the quality of sheep on offer.
The Derek Cleasby Memorial Trophy for the Champion pen of Mule ewes was awarded to FI & ME Little, Barrows Green with a pen of two crops that went on to sell for £155.
The John Nelson Memorial Trophy for the Champion pen of Mule shearlings was awarded to RA Batty, Selside selling to £210 who also won the second prize rosette selling to £180.
The ewe trade saw buyers looking to purchase powerful ewes and were eagerly bid for. They peaked at £160 for the consignment of Mules from FI & ME Little, Barrows Green who sold other pens to £155 twice and £150 three times. Also selling in the one fifty regions was J Dickinson, Woodhouse, achieving £155 followed by TA & JA Dixon, Selside and at £150 twice was S Jackson, Penrith. Texel ewes sold to £160 from T Bunting, Gatebeck closely followed £155 from R & AC Harper, Lambrigg.
Mule gimmer shearlings saw strong demand for good quality sheep with buyers looking to take home good quality sheep. The Champion pen topped the sale selling to £210. This was followed by the consignment from JR & LA Capstick, Killington selling to £200 and £190. TH Gibson and Son, Staveley sold to £195 followed by £190 from E Parker, Carnforth and JK & BE Townley, Brookhouse. There were plenty of pens of best quality sheep selling to £170 and beyond. Well grown, lambed, shearlings often selling in excess of £150. There was an overall market average of £144.45 an increase of £14 on the year.
Cheviot mule gimmer shearlings saw strong interest for the top-quality shearlings, peaking at £185 and £180 from JS & KM Wilson, Heslington closely followed by £170 from DE & J Waine, Longsleddale.
The show of Continental shearlings saw a high-quality show of sheep put before our judge Mrs Elaine Dent, Barnard Castle. After much time she awarded the first prize rosette to TJ Jackson, Preston with a cracking pen of ten Texel cross gimmer shearlings.
The sale of Continental shearlings sold to a tremendous trade from start to finish. The sale topped at £320 for the first prize pen from TJ Jackson who sold his next pen to £290. JR & LA Capstick’s run of Texel cross shearlings peaked at £255. First cross Texel shearlings sold to a strong demand today. This section topped at £245 from JK & BE Townley. With other strong pens selling to £195 from JR & LA Capstick. All Texel shearlings forward averaged £171, £24 up on the year.
W Stamper’s run of Millennium Blue shearlings peaked at £230 with others from the same good home selling to £205. Kerry Hilsl saw a top of £180 from L A Middleton. Lleyn shearlings saw keen bidding topping at £155 from JA & R Geldard + Son.
Pure bred shearlings sold to a marvellous trade, with some real top sheep on offer. This section topped at £390 for a Texel x Beltex shearling from JT & J Kelsall. A run of 1 crop Beltex ewes from Ben Thompson sold to £360 twice. Blue Texel ewes from W Stamper sold to £280. William Barker sold a pen Beltex shearlings to £230.