Suffolk Sheep Society sales 8500gns high
31 July 1998
Suffolk Sheep Society sales 8500gns high
By Jeremy Hunt
THE Suffolk Sheep Societys move to the Three Counties Show-ground for its national show and sale seemed to pay off when bidding rose to 8500gns and 149 ram lambs averaged just short of £1300.
Jimmy Douglas came to Malvern from Aberdeenshire with more than a trailer-load of ram lambs from his noted Cairness flock. As judge for the first days proceedings he sorted through some strong classes finding his champion in one from the Crosemanor flocks consignment from Shropshire breeders Robyn and Stan Hulme.
This lengthy, powerful lamb is a son of a ram making a big impact at Crosemanor, Stockton Stardust – himself a son of the 26,000gns Cairness Court.
The champion is bred out of a Pankymoor Prelude ewe and won the ram lamb class at the Shropshire and West Midlands Show. Bidding hesitated at around 3500gns for this lamb but suddenly took off to settle at the days best of 8500gns. Buyer was Rob Ainsworth, Stafford, who will use the ram as a service sire for his Chebsey flock which is to be dispersed this autumn.
The Crosemanor pen included another Stardust son at 3800gns taken by Michael Gliksten, Bury St Edmunds, who caused a stir at the Royal Show with his tall, Canadian-bred Suffolk ewes. The eight Crosemanor lambs averaged £2080.
A good run of lambs from the Mair familys Muiresk flock produced an average of £3189 for 12 ram lambs. Top call of 6500gns came from Messrs Redhead and Watson (Berwick) and Kevin Stewart (Coldstream) for one by Cairness The Best bred out of a ewe by Garrowby Greavsey.
David Timm was in the market for a stock tup for his Boothferry flock in North Yorks and staked a claim on the first Muiresk lamb in the ring. Looks combined with breeding were on offer here; the lamb, which made 4500gns, is by the Cairness Cristar son Castlewellan Caffray and out of the ewe that bred the famed 68,000gns Cairness King of Diamonds.
Muiresk also sold at 4000gns (by Stockton Storm) to A Gray and Son, Lanark, and at 3500gns (by Stockton Slocum) to R Weston, Cardiff.
The highest-priced lamb from Worcester breeder John Sinnetts Stockton was bought by leading Hereford cattle breeder Clive Richards for his Lowerhope flock based near Hereford. The lamb is by Stockton Star and from the female line that bred the 48,000gns Stockton Mega Ram. Stocktons eight lambs averaged £1850.
Mr Douglas levelled his 10 lambs at £1869 selling a Cairness Gold Dust son out of a Stockton Sir John ewe for 6000gns to Iain Barbour for his Solwaybank flock in Dumfriesshire.
Robbie Wilsons Glenisla flock from Turriff could be the one to watch for the future. This performance produced a creditable average of £1777 for seven with a best of 3300gns for a son of the promising sire Muiresk Marci Marvellous (14,500gns). This lamb heads for Lancs to join the Kitchens flock of Mrs S M Tootle, Clitheroe.
Averages: 149 ram lambs £1297; 17 shearlings £834; 11 shearling gimmers £453 and five ewe lambs £275. (M Walton) *