A record entry of Bluefaced Leicesters females and rams for the 2021 sale as this sale grows from strength and continues to attract new vendors and buyers each year. The sale record was smashed this year at £6,000 by a much-admired ram lamb from J Wight and Son of the renowned Midlock flock. This lamb’s full brother and the only other ram on offer for sale to the £40,000 ram lamb sold in Hawes in the previous week. This lamb had created much attention, Midlock P4 sired by the 2020 sire of the year, Riddings M001 and out of a L027 Midlock sired ewe, saw some rapid bidding with the final bid of £6000 from the Walker family, Dunsop Bridge.
The quality at this sale grows from strength to strength each year and a great pre-sale show for our judge, Mr Rob Walker, Dunsop Bridge to cast his expert eye over, whom we thank for his time and expertise. He awarded his championship rosette to R Lawrence, Grange Over Sands with Bob-On P001 sired by the renowned Midlock G034 and the dam a ewe purchased from the Smearsett flock by their Smearsett G011 (Ted), despite being the second to last lamb into the ring, trade held firm throughout and this much sought-after ram lamb flew away to £3,800 to Messrs Browell, Hexham. The reserve champion rosette was awarded to a very flashy gimmer lamb from J Bell of the Cottage flock with Cottage P066, sire by Cottage M025. This gimmer lamb went onto sell for £2000 to Messrs Lawson of the Gragareth flock.
A strong trade throughout the sale with a great buzz and atmosphere around the sale ring. The shearling tup trade is always strong at J36, in which more could have been sold to the advantage to the vendors, with this years average of £780. Selling to a joint top in the shearling tups was J Wight and Son of Midlock achieving £2800 with Midlock N028, sired by Asby Hall M2. Also from the same stable was Midlock N023 selling to £2400 sired by Midlock L027. Achieving the joint top price of £2800 for a shearling tup was from local well know legend Ian Dixon of Low Newton. This big powerful shearling Nether Newton N1 named “Lucky Lucky Lucky”, that sired the Cartmel Show champion mule gimmer, sired by Langstroth L002 with other shearlings from this consignment selling to £1600, as this powerful run averaging just shy of £1,000. The consignment from James Taylor of the Lunesdale flock topped at £2400 for a powerful shearling N011, sired by Lunesdale Legacy with the Lunesdale flock also topping the aged ram section selling two shear Lunesdale M035 sired by Legacy sold for £2100. The first prize Shearling came from AJ Benson with Rosshead N8 that went onto sell for £1,800 sired by K021 Lunesdale. This was followed by £1,700 for the pen leader from DR & JE Wood, with Wilcocks N004 sired by Harland W002, with this flock dispersal of tups attracting much attention.
Following on from a successful Autumn for Mule gimmer lambs, breeders saw many looking to purchase fresh bloodlines, with tup lambs in strong demand and eagerly bid for with the following leading prices. RH & C Ayrton sold Tarnthorne P001 to £2600 for this well-bred ram lamb sired by Highberries H2, siring a lot of prize-winning mule lambs and mother sister to one of the Ayrtons main stock tups Cottage J015. Next call for a tup lamb was £2400 from WM Reed & Sons, with West Biggins P014 sired by Carry House M1. Selling tups lambs at J36 for the first time Neil Marston of the Highberries flock saw his consignment top at £2200 with P012, sired by the new main stock tup Highberries Golden boy N010 with P019 selling to £1900 sired by M009 Carry House. A stylish pen of tup lambs from J Bell of the Cottage flock peaked at £2200 for pen leader Cottage P018, sired by the stock ram Cottage K013. Following on from their success of winning the Bruce Willison trophy for the best run of Mule gimmer lambs at J36, TA & JA Dixon, Selside saw much interest in their tup lamb Selside P001 sired by Highberries K011 selling to £1800. This was closely followed P & A Fell selling Castle Hill P003, sired by their new stock tup Asby Hall N6 to £1700. All tup lambs forward sold to a market average of £758.
We thank you for your continued support and are looking forward to the Bluefaced Leicester female sale on Saturday 29th January 2022 with many top quality consignments promised for the sale.