Hampshire Downs hit new centre record at Stratford

Leading breeders prepared to bid strongly for the pick of the sheep on offer dominated trade for Hampshire Downs ram lambs at Stratford on Sunday, setting a new centre record in the process.

The £1320 sale leader was a Yarcombe bred ram lamb by Yarcombe Sovereign and out of a

homebred ewe by Yarcombe Brave, the breed’s highest SRS indexed ram for 2005. This lamb which was within the breed’s top 1% with a Terminal Sire Index (TSI) of 291 was bred by the Derryman family, Henry, Hilary and sons, Yarcombe, Honiton and went to join Alymer Power’s 10 ewe flock at Askeaton, Limerick, Eire.

The day’s second highest call of £1180 came from Jennifer Atkinson and David Smith, Kelsey, Market Rasen for a ram lamb from the Charles and Sally Horrell’s Pode flock, Thorneuy Peterborough. This one by Yarcombe Hussar, last year’s Stratford sale topper has an index of 288 and is out of a home bred ewe.

Selling for the next best price of £940 was the pre-sale show champion from the Derrymans, a Wattisfield Topper son out of a dam by Owlesbury Rapier. This one, which also stood breed champion at last month’s Devon County, Show has an index of 306 and was commended by judge, Kevin McCarthy, Comber, County Down, for his ‘tremendous conformation and length and depth of gigot’ he then backed his judgment, buying him for his flock.

 Next from the Derrymans at £740 was another Sovereign son out of a homebred ewe by Yarcombe Highjack which sold to Chris Westlake, Cadeleigh, Tiverton. Accompanied by an index of 298, earlier in the day the lamb headed the breed’s 2010 SRS Ram Selection section.

Selling at £620 was a Dunraven Jewel son out of a homebred ewe from Jean Ritchie’s Partstock flock, Wambrook, Chard. Out of a  a homebred ewe by Yarcombe Warrior, he traded to Jim Cresswell, Suffolk, for his Wattisfield flock.

Another Hussar sired ram lamb with an index of 294 from the Horrells made £560 to Paul and Tracy Rea, Edmonton, Wadebridge, Cornwall. The Derrymans went on to invest some of their takings when they paid £520 for a ram lamb by Owlesbury Xenophon from Jim Creswell.

The Horrells also headed the female section with a couple of ewe lambs, both out of homebred ewes by Pode Hole Victor. First lot to sell at £560 was the female champion selling to Andrew and Caroline Ivinson, Ousby, Penrith, was by Owlesbury Xerxes, while Denise and David Middleditch, Belchamp St Paul, Sudbury, paid £420 for the other entry, a Yarcombe Hussar daughter.

Averages: one shearling ram £360; 18 ram lambs £542; 12 shearling ewes £322; 11 ewe lambs £274, (Brian Pile, c/o Henry H Bletsoe and Son).