UA Stirling South type Shearling Sale 2021

UNITED AUCTIONS STIRLING SHEARLINGS

Averages:

587 shearlings, £1210.94 (+£251.84 for 81 more sold).

Blackface sheep breeders enjoyed a flying trade at United Auctions’ massive one-day sale of rams at Stirling on Saturday 9th October, where the south-type shearling rings attracted three five-figure sales and a further 10 selling at or above the £5000 bracket.

A predominantly commercial sale of hill tups, saw the top end of breeders’ rams command premium prices and this year’s high of £16,000 was derived from Burncastle Farming Co, Lauder, managed by Alan Rogerson.

The tup, brought out by shepherds James Brady, Peter Lothian and Ben Carter, is by the £42,000 Glenrath and out of a £21,000 Glenrath-sired ewe that bred a £7000 ram here in 2019. He sold up to Inverness with Peter Junor from Ballaggan.

Glenlivet-based breeder, Stephen Duncan and son, Stephen, have had a busy couple of days, selling no fewer than 48 tups off their north-type Achdregnie unit and south-type Livet flock at Dingwall the previous day, and Stirling, with their best sold through UA, making £14,000.

This big lad purchased by Angus Kennedy and son Angus, Mitchellhill, Biggar, is a son of £5200 Elmscleugh, bought at Lanark in 2019, and out of a £10,000 Allanfauld-sired ewe shown successfully as a ewe lamb.

Two shearlings were knocked down at £10,000, with the first coming from Duncan MacGregor, Burnhead, Kilsyth, selling in after the Perth-type shearlings. Used at home as a lamb, his pen leader is a son of a £17,000 Midlock ram owned by Dyke, and out of an £18,000 Easter Happrew-sired dam. He headed home with John and Richard Wood, Kingledores, Tweedsmuir.

Another from Burnhead realised £7000 selling to Robert Cockburn, Hill of Errol, Perth. Another by the same Midlock ram, he is bred from a £16,000 Nunnerie-sired ewe.

Ian Hunter’s Dalchirla flock, from Muthill, Crieff, enjoyed a thumber of a trade and matched the £10,000 price tag with his pen leader selling in a three-way split to Malcolm Coubrough, Whelphill and Hartside, Lamington; Derek Brown of the Madrissa flock and Ben Cluckie, Waterhead, Biggar. Sired by one of the flock’s most consistent breeders, a £24,000 Connachan owned in partnership with Midlock, he is out of a £24,000 Elmscleugh-sired dam.

Mr Hunter and his brother Alan sold another three at big money with the next best of £7000 paid for a son of a £45,000 Nunnerie bought at Dalmally in 2019. Bred from a ewe by the £24,000 Connachan, he was knocked down to Mitchellhill.

Another the same way bred then made £4000 to neighbouring breeders Tom and Mairi Paterson, and son Robert, buying for their Dunruchan flock based at Muthill, Crieff.

Dalchirla’s No 2, made £6000 selling to Jimmy and Graeme Sinclair, Crookston, Heriot. His pedigree features a home-bred son of a £26,000 Dyke onto a ewe by the £24,000 Connachan.

Euan and Willie Bennie, Merkins, Gartocharn, were also in the money, selling their best at £8000. Used as a lamb, last year, he is a son of last year’s £7000 Merkins and bred from a ewe by an £1800 Loughash ewe. He sold in a two-way split to Jimmy and Donald MacGregor, Dyke, Milton of Campsie and Andrew Kay and sons Robert and Andrew, Gass, Straiton.

Matching that £7000 was another by the £45,000 Nunnerie bought at Dalmally, in 2019, this time from the Wights at Midlock, Crawford, who bought a share of the tup that day with Dalchirla and Dyke. Buying back some of their own genetics were Alastair and David MacArthur, Nunnerie, Elvanfoot, who get for their money a shearling out of a ewe by a home-bred son of a £12,000 Aitkenhead.

Just behind on £6500, Willie Dunlop and sons Quintin and William, Elmscleugh, Dunbar, sold a son of the £21,000 Auldhouseburn lamb bought at Dalmally, in 2019, out of a £7000 Crossflatt-sired ewe, to James Murdoch, Knockdon, Straito.

Elmscleugh also took £5500 from Una Hodge, Kirkland Farming, Kirkconnel, Sanquhar. A son of the home-bred £5500 ram which was sold to Netherwood at Lanark in 2020, his dam is a £160,000 Dalchirla daughter.

Michael Wood, Shawsknowe, Straiton, also received £6500 from Richard Carruthers, Merkland, Thornhill, Dumfriesshire.

Malcolm Coubrough, of Whelphill and Hartside Farms, Lamington, sold his best at £6000 to the Taylor family, from Dall, Killin, Perthshire. Sired by a 2200gns McAlmont tup bought at Ballymena, he is bred from a ewe by a home-bred son of £12,000 Dyke.

OTHER LEADING prices:

Shearling rams – £5000 – Kirkstead to Aikengall and Parkhall.

£4200 – Outerwards, by a £160,000 Dalchirla-sired Auldhouseburn ram to Dall, Killin.

£4000 – Craigdarroch, by a £10,000 Allanfauld to the J Kay and Sons, Hartside, Lammermuir; Craigdarroch, by a £10,000 Allanfauld to A Smith, Wester Crosswoodhill, West Calder; Craigdarroch, by a home-bred son of £6000 Allanfauld, to B and N Menzies, Corrylorn, Oban.

FLOCK averages: