Lleyn record broken at Ross on Wye
The Lleyn society sale at Ross on Wye saw a new centre record after a higher number of rams entered enabled buyers to be more selective with those rams picked out before the sale, making a firm trade.
Topping trade at 6,200gns was a Ballylinney ram from DJ Steen, Lockerbie, both parents of this ram are homebred with the grandsire being a Sackville-Hamilton ram.
Top priced Ballylinney ram sold for 6,200gns
With interest on the phone as well as in the ring, he was bought by a Skelton Farming, North Yorkshire.
Next highest at 3,500gns and selling to E and S Radcliffe, Swansea, was Plasucha Declan from DN Bennett and Son, Meifod. Both parents are homebred prize winning stock.
DJ Steen’s second Ballylinney Ram, sold for the next top of 1,500gns to joint purchases D Stacey and CM Crudge from the West Country. This ram was sired by a Tacho ram.
The champion ram from JA and R Geldard and Sons, Kendal, Wraycastle Darcy, sired by a Norman Lawrence ram sold for 1,200gns to J Davies, Macclesfield.
Females
Demand for females was also evident with pens busy prior to the sale. The demand continued from the older ewes through the shearlings and into the ewe lamb section. The shearling ewes and older ewes met 100% clearance with only a couple of pens of ewe lambs unsold.
Shearling ewes saw a top of £225 a head for the first prize pen of five from JF Robinson, Church Stretton.
First prize pen of five shearling ewes
These were purchased by the pre-show judge Richard Twose, Whitland. Next to top was Helen and Roger Wells, Cardigan with a pen of ten selling for £202 a head to A Naylor, Cowbridge. JA and R Geldard and Sons, Kendal, sold the first prize pen of ten for £182 a head to DA and T Pyke, Whitchurch. Their second prize pen of five sold for £185 a head to D O’Brian, Argoed. Ten pens in total realised over £170 a head with many pens selling in the £160’s.
Older ewes also met good trade as George Cullimore, Bath, sold two year olds and three year olds for £130 a head and £120 a head. Phyl Hale, Tibberton, sold a pen of two year olds for £125 a head.
Ewe lambs topped at £130 a head twice. The first pen was the first prize pen of ten lambs from TP Radford, Heydour. These sold to Jo De’Meyst, Belgium. The same buyer bought all Mr Radfords lambs including the first prize pen of five for £118 a head. Next to realise £130 a head was from Mr and Mrs C Price, Upperchapel, they sold to J and W Grigg, Cornwall. DW and CF Morris, Carmarthen sold a pen of five for £125 a head to DA and TJ Pyke, Whitchurch.
Commercial type shearings could be picked up from £130 to £160 depending on size and skins. Ewes which had been summered hard and/or lambed as ewe lambs but were ready to move forward were being picked up for £130-£140. Larger tupping lambs were easily realising £100 plus. The spike in the prime lamb this week seems to have boosted confidence hence helping the base price for lambs with nothing sold for under £72. With new classes for pens of ten females, commercial buyers were finding it easier to gather their required numbers.
Averages: ewes to £130, av. £113.71 (-£16); shearling ewes to £225, av. £155.18 (+£13.82); ewe lambs to £130, av. £100.05 (+£8.44); rams to 6200gns, av. £784.24 (+£115.87).