Dalmally Shearling Sale

averages: 482 shearlings and aged rams, £1835 (+£456 for 15 more sold).

Blackface sheep breeders enjoyed a roaring trade at the breed’s annual ram sale at Dalmally, where shearling rams from Ian Hunter, Dalchirla, Muthill, Crieff, attracted five of the 13 five-figure sales including the day’s top at £78,000.

Averages also improved by a colossal £456 per head and for an extra 15 more sold compared to the same sale last year.

While most breeders enjoyed a good day, it was the consignment from Mr Hunter that set the trade alight. His sale leader, brought out with assistance of his brother, Alan, was the pen’s No 2, by a home-bred son of the £45,000 Nunnerie shearling retained for breeding, bred from a ewe by a Dalchirla-bred son of the £68,000 Elmscleugh lamb. He sold to Tommy Renwick and son, Tam, Williamhope, Clovenfords and Ian Campbell, Glenrath, Peebles.from Dalchirla made £70,000

The pen leader, by a home-bred son of the £160,000 Dalchirla retained for breeding, out of a ewe by the £24,000 Connachan, made £70,000 selling to Willie and Ewan Bennie, buying for their Merkins flock, from Gartocharn.

The No 3 Dalchirla shearling also proved popular, making £20,000 jointly to David Morrison, Dalwyne, Barr, Girvan and Oliver Brannigan, Glenbeg. For their money, they get one of the last sons sold by the £24,000 Connachan – a tup that has bred numerous five-figure priced rams for Dalchirla and Midlock – and out of a ewe by £22,000 Lurg.

Charlie Phillips and his daughter, Christine, who run the Finglen flock at Draperstown, also got in on the action forking out £13,000 for a Dalchirla shearling by the £45,000 Nunnerie and bred from a ewe by a £10,000 Nunnerie lamb.

The £45,000 Nunnerie – bought here in 2019 in partnership with Midlock and Dyke, that has produced several top sales for the three flocks – and the £24,000 Connachan were also the sire and behind the dam of Mr Hunter’s final five-figure sale at £12,000. Forking out the cash on this instance was Robert Loughrey, Gortnarney, buying for his Limavady-based flock.Jimmy and Donald MacGregor sold for £75,000

Jimmy and Donald MacGregor, Dyke, Milton of Campsie, also had a cracking sale, achieving £75,000 for their pen leader – later christened Maverick.

Alistair and David Mcarthur, Nunnerie, Elvanfoot; the Wights at Midlock, Crawford and Dalchirla, bought the Dyke tup, which is by a £17,000 Midlock that was purchased at Lanark in 2019 and has bred sons to £60,000, £42,000 and £40,000. The dam is a ewe by an £18,000 Crossflatt ram.

Dyke also sold a second five-figure shearling at £55,000 in a three-way split to Archie and John MacGregor, Allanfauld; John and Iain Finlay, Blackcraig, Corsock, Castle Douglas; and Andrew Kay and sons, Robert and Andrew, Gass, Straiton. Another son of the £17,000 Midlock, he is bred from a ewe by an £8000 Dyke which sold to Duncan MacGregor, Burnhead, Kilsyth, here as a shearling.

Joe and Eddie Burnett, of the Rhodders flock, Stirling, paid £9500 for a Dyke shearling by a £2000 Dyke son of the same £45,000 Nunnerie shared with Midlock and Dalchirla. His dam is by the home-bred Starbuck tup.

It was a day to remember for Willie Dunlop and sons, Quintin and William, too, when their Elmscleugh pen from Innerwick, Dunbar, sold a trio of shearlings at £16,000 apiece.

All were sired by a £38,000 Allanfauld, with the first purchased by Mary McCall Smith, Connachan, Crieff; Tay and Torridon Estate, Amulree, managed by Billy Brady; and Auchnafree Estate, Amulree, managed by Andy Scott.

The second Elmscleugh shearling was knocked down to Billy and Andrew Renwick, Blackhouse, Yarrow, and the MacGregors, at Allanfauld, whilst the third headed home in a share between Scott Lambie, Ashcraig, Selkirk,and Angus Kennedy and son, Angus, Mitchellhill, Biggar.

Ewen Macmillan, Lurg, Fintry was in the money, selling his pen leader for £12,000. A son of a £10,000 Loughash, he is out of a home-bred ewe by a £22,000 Dalchirla. He sold jointly to the Parry family’s Marbrack flock, from Carsphairn, managed by Richard Nixon; Ian Houston, Culbae, Castle Douglas; with a third share retained for use at home.

Earlier in the day, Mary McCall Smith, Connachan, and shepherd, Scott McAulay, saw their No 1 make £12,000 in another two-way split to Cadogan Estate’s Lynemore enterprise at Amulree, managed by Archie and Ben MacKinnon and Aberuchill Estates, Comrie, attended to by Craig Paterson.

The pedigree behind this lad includes a £3800 Auldhouseburn that was bought at Lanark in 2020, and a ewe by a £60,000 Midlock.

Recouping some of their earlier expenditure, the MacGregors of Allanfauld, took £10,000 from Ian McLarty, Little Port, St Fillans, for a son of the 30,000gns McCurdy purchased at Ballymena, with his dam being sired by a £32,000 Midlock ram bought at Lanark.

Dyke also received £55,000 for this shearling

OTHERLEADING prices

Shearling rams – £8000 Pole; £8000 Midlock; £8000 Hill of Errol; £7500 Dullator; £7000 Wester Crosswoodhill; £6000 Blackhouse; £5500 Dyke; £5500 (x2) Elmscleugh; £5200 Burnhead; £5000 Dalchirla; £5000 (x2) Lurg; £5000 Elmscleugh.

FLOCK averages

Farm (No) Top (£) Average

Shearling rams

Letham (3) 150 116.67

Clonrae (3) 800 483.33

Blackcraig (4) 1000 537.50

Overburns (6) 800 383.33

Gass (7) 3500 1571.43

Auchreoch (5) 350 270.00

Marbrack (3) 2000 866.67

Corsebank (7) 650 371.43

Connachan (6) 12,000 2916.67

Ashcraig (3) 1800 883.33

Allanfauld (14) 10,000 1307.14

Whelphill (8) 2800 1343.75

Drannandow (4) 700 487.50

Gosland (4) 500 400.00

Blackhouse (9) 6000 1550.00

Williamhope (9) 4200 1150.00

Dalchirla (21) 78,000 11,009.52

Burncastle (6) 1100 625.00

Kingledores (8) 1000 650.00

Drumbreddan (5) 650 400.00

Silloans (6) 700 383.33

Culdoach (3) 450 283.33

Glen, Gatehouse (5) 550 350.00

Craig (McLaren) (3aged) 500 366.67

Dunruchan (4) 1200 737.50

Mains of Mause (4) 1800 925.00

Auchnafree (4) 450 437.50

Fechan (4) 1400 625.00

Waterhead (4) 1400 837.50

Castles (14 3-shears) 800 332.14

Dalwyne (9) 1100 483.33

Tollishill (6) 600 391.67

Arnicle (5) 1300 660.00

Glenrath (11) 3800 1763.64

North Amulree (6) 1200 533.33

Braes of Ardeonaig (9 two-shears)

650 388.89

Dyke (14) 75,000 11,242.86

Merkins (10) 4500 1490.00

Parkhall (4) 1000 637.50

Dullator (9) 7500 1583.33

Tweeddale (4) 350 250.00

Moorfoot (6) 1500 666.67

Lephinchapel (5) 450 360.00

Burnhead, Kilsyth (6) 5200 1991.67

Remony (5) 350 180.00

Dall (14) 850 389.29

Longcroft (5) 300 225.00

Shenlarich (8 aged) 700 393.75

Bragleenmore (6) 950 475.00

Livet (5) 500 470.00

Merkland (7) 1600 792.86

Stronmagachan (3) 250 1666.67

(10aged) 300 195.00

Aitkenhead (4) 400 300.00

Pole (9) 8000 1888.89

Midlock, Glespin (10) 1400 795.00

Wester Crosswoodhill (4)

7000 2325.00

Mitchellhill (5) 750 490.00

Lurg (7) 12,000 4300.00

Midlock (11) 8000 2386.36

Nunnerie (6) 1500 966.67

Letar (7) 1000 535.71

Hill of Errol (7) 8000 3142.86

Crosswoodhill (3) 2000 1033.33

Shawhead (4) 950 575.00

Chirmorrie (4) 700 575.00

East Bracklinn (10) 1200 610.00

Balliemeanoch (11) 1600 800.00

Elmscleugh (10) 16,000 7100.00

Cromlix (16) 1000 578.00

West Bracklinn (5) 1000 520.00

West Lethans (14) 2000 1085.00