Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their Great Annual Anniversary Show & Sale of Mule Gimmer Lambs and Breeding Sheep on Tuesday 23rd September 2025. Forward were 1672 head.
754 Gimmer Lambs sold to £250
827 Gimmer Shearlings sold to £360
79 Ewes sold to £300
12 Rams/Ram Lambs sold to £500
Show Classes
Sincere thanks go to our master judge for the morning, Mr Norman Story, Fell End Farm, Roadhead. The ten pens of Mule show lambs forward were certainly a sight to behold as the quality of breeding would be every bit as good as anything we have ever seen in DfAM. The champion rosette went to long standing and loyal Darlington customers TE Dobson of Unthank Farm, Stanhope with their tremendous top pen of ten. A good day for the Weardale folk materialised as taking the reserve championship was last years winner C Hodgson, Hill House West, Westgate. Third place in the hard-fought Mule gimmer lamb class went to JR & JA Wharton, Segbushwell, Blackford with fourth going to SK Wilson, Rose Cottage, Boldron and fifth to GM & V Bayles, Haithwaite, Barningham.
The any other breed gimmer lamb class was won by regular vendors at this sale Messrs T Common & Son, Low Ardley, Hexham with their familiar stamp of quality Texel lambs, following closely were ten lovely Beltex cross Charollais lambs from yet another Weardale consignor Gail Hodgson, Rose Hill Farm, Eastgate.
Taking the top honours in Mule shearlings was a super pen from Tim Reed at Moss Kennels Farm & Stables, Haydon Bridge whilst the any other breed shearlings were dominated by the Boocock ladies from Freebrough Farm, Moorsholm with an exceptionally well presented run of sheep.
The show results are listed below, followed by a comprehensive sale report.
Champion Pen of Mule Lambs
TE Dobson, Unthank Farm sold to £235
Reserve Champion Pen of Mule Lambs
C Hodgson, Hill House West sold to £210
Class 1:
Best pen of 10 Mule Gimmer Lambs:
1st TE Dobson, Unthank sold to £235
2nd C Hodgson, Hill House West sold to £210
3rd JR&JA Wharton, Segbushwell sold to £200
4th SK Wilson, Rose Cottage sold to £170
5th GM&V Bayles, Haithwaite sold to £180
Class 2:
Best pen of 10 Any other breed Gimmer Lambs:
1st T Common & Son, Low Ardley sold to £170
2nd G Hodgson, Rosehill sold to £182
3rd J Burns, Coquet Close N/A
Class 3:
Best pen of 10 Mule Shearlings:
1st Moss Kennels Farm & Stables sold to £250
2nd RG Johnson & Son, Summerfield Farm sold to £260
3rd HS Hutchinson, White House Farm sold to £210
Class 4:
Best pen of 10 Any other breed Shearlings:
1st Miss J & Miss E Boocock, Freebrough Farm sold to £325
2nd Miss J & Miss E Boocock, Freebrough Farm sold to £290
3rd Miss J & Miss E Boocock, Freebrough Farm sold to £275
Sale of Gimmer Lambs
The Mule gimmer lamb trade looked every bit as good as last year, that in itself is no mean feat given that Darlington’s prices in 2024 would be way in front of the majority of other centres. This year’s sale averaged £148.53 (+£6.54). As mentioned, the show pens were of exquisite quality, behind these a lack of size was apparent with tupping types very few and far between. The top price of £250 went to a super Scotch bred lamb from Will Burton of West Common Top Farm Ettersgill who kindly donated all proceedings to the Darlington branch of the MIND charity. The lamb was generously bought by RD & D Elders, High Farm, Bradbury with the sale price matched by DfAM in support of this most worthwhile and topical charitable organisation. The thumping champion lambs from the Dobson’s of Unthank Farm Unthank Farm sold at £235 and were followed by both C Hodgson, Hill House West and HW & M Alderson & Son, Howgill Grange at £210. Twice pens of lambs sold at £200 apiece as fifteen more from the high-flying Unthank joined the top pen from the Wharton’s of Segbushwell.
Away from the Mule lambs an eclectic mix sold well, top of them all at £190 was a smart Dutch Spotted from Winsbury Farm Partners whilst cracking pens from the Common’s of Low Ardley and G Hodgson, Rose Hill look a nicely improved trade on the year.
Top Averages – Mule Gimmer Lambs
C Hodgson sold 37 to £210 average £188
TE Dobson sold 103 to £235 average £186
JR&JA Wharton sold 69 to £200 average £160
SK Wilson sold 23 to £170 average £152
GM&V Bayles sold 32 to £180 average £148
W Burton sold 54 to £250 average £133
Top Averages – Any Other Breed Gimmer Lambs
G Hodgson sold 10 to £182 average £182
Winsbury Farm Partners sold 6 to £190 average £176
N Demuschamp sold 4 to £180 average £170
T Common & Son sold 32 to £170 average £159
S Falls sold 9 to £140 average £132
Mule Gimmer Lambs £250 £170 £145 £140 £132 £122 £98 W Burton. £235 £200 £190×2 £185 £175 £160 TE Dobson. £210 £122 HW&M Alderson & Son. £210 £195 £162 C Hodgson. £200 £172 £162 £160 £130 £122 JR&JA Wharton. £180 £135 £132 GM&V Bayles. £170 £142 £120 SK Wilson. £165 £140 J&MJ Walton. £132 £125 £122×2 S Straughan. £130 W Emerson. £125 JB&LM Knight. £125 C&JC Stephenson. £120 RL Carter. £120 J Featherstone.
Any Other Breed Gimmer Lambs
Dutch Spotted £190 Winsbury Farm Partners. £140 £124 S Falls.
Continental £182 G Hodgson. £160 Winsbury Farm Partners. £148 Josh Burton. £125 £118 K Sayer.
Beltex £180 £175 Winsbury Farm Partners.
Blue Texel £180 £160 N Demuschamp.
Texel £170×2 £160 £145 T Common & Son. £160 £100 K Sayer.
Ryeland £130 V Wilson.
Masham £115 A Wilson.
Gimmer Shearlings
Quality counts as the best end of the shearlings proved immensely easy to cash, some obvious casualties of the drought this summer all found new pastures but a noticeable two-tier trade occurred with buyers certainly prepared to fork out for the better grown sheep. Top of the pile at £360 were two special singles; Texel’s from both CA&JG Skidmore, Needless Hall and Teward Bros, New View Farm set the pace. Runs of sheep traded beyond £300 as the aforementioned Skidmore’s were joined by the prize winning Boocock’s plus some cracking Beltex from Moss Kennels Farm & Stables and a smart offering from the Stones Family of Nun Cote Nook Farm.
The best of the Mule shearlings sold typically between £230 and £280 although it was noticeable amongst the increased annual offering that the dry summer hasn’t aided many of them. More joy for Moss Kennels as they led the way with their first prize pen at £280, following at £260 was a strong pen from RG Johnson, Summerfield Farm, Harrogate at £260 ahead of more from Moss Kennels at £250 along with ten from C Bell, The Pry at the same price.
Top Averages – Mule Shearling
RG Johnson sold 10 to £260 average £260
Moss Kennels Farm & Stables sold 20 to £280 average £250
C Bell sold 10 to £250 average £250
CM&TF Seymour sold 38 to £235 average £225
I&RA Watson sold 25 to £210 average £210
JR Mann sold 40 to £200 average £195
Top Averages – Any Other Breed Shearling
CA&JG Skidmore sold 37 to £360 average £319
KO Stones sold 4 to £355 average £315
Mrs J & Miss E Boocock sold 71 to £325 average £268
Moss Kennels Farm & Stables sold 50 to £330 average £249
P Langstaff sold 11 to £235 average £235
D Rutter sold 20 to £235 average £230
Mule Shearlings £280 £250 Moss Kennels Farm & Stables. £260 RG Johnson & Son. £250 C Bell. £235 £225 £215 CM&TF Seymour. £220 £195 £180 PJ Tindale. £215 £210 £182×2 £180 HS Hutchinson. £210×2 I&RA Watson. £205 B Bell. £200 £195 £188 £182×2 DH Dick & Sons. £200×2 £195 £185 JR Mann. £185 T&A Walton. £182 £175 D Rutter. £180 M Whorlton. £170×2 AF Smith. £160 AG Williamson.
Shearlings – Any Other Breed:
Texel £360 £355 £340 £325 £320 £315 £312 £305 £300 CA&JG Skidmore. £360 Teward Bros. £325 £290 £280 £275 £260 £245 £210 Mrs J & Miss E Boocock. £325 £320 KO Stones. £250 £200 £195 £185 £160 Moss Kennels Farm & Stables. £245 PJ Tindale. £235 P Langstaff. £235 £225 D Rutter. £180 £175 £150 AF Smith. £175 T&A Walton.
Continental £355 £260 KO Stones. £345 £335 £330 £315 £310×2 £290 CA&JG Skidmore. £270 £210 £200 IE&AC Teasdale. £245 V Wilson. £215 £175 £170 B Bell. £192 JW&B Firby. £175 AF Smith.
Beltex £330 £320 £255 £215 £200×2 Moss Kennels Farm & Stables. £300 £280 CA&JG Skidmore.
Suffolk £315 £295 CA&JG Skidmore. £245 IE&AC Teasdale. £200 JW&B Firby.
Rouge £200 IE&AC Teasdale.
Zwarbtles £170 J Burns.
Blue Faced Leicester £160 N Barker.
Jacob £130×4 D Sizer.
Breeding Ewes
Size and power is at the forefront of most sheep trades as the heavier lambs have scooped the biggest rewards for quite some time now. Little suprises then that the top spot amongst the older ewes went to a thumping pure Texel from Teward Bros at £300.
Top Breeding Ewe Averages
Teward Bros sold 3 to £300 average £268
IE&AC Teasdale sold 6 to £210 average £193
T&A Walton sold 37 to £190 average £154
W Coatsworth sold 15 to £145 average £135
W&V Bryson sold 6 to £120 average £120
Top Prices:
Breeding Ewes:
Texel £300 £260 £245 Teward Bros. £175 £150×2 £132 T&A Walton.
Continental £210 IE&AC Teasdale. £135 T&A Walton.
Blue Texel £205 IE&AC Teasdale. £120 W&V Bryson.
Mule £190 T&A Walton. £165 £130 M Whorlton. £145×2 £98 W Coatsworth.
Suffolk £130 T&A Walton.
Breeding Rams
A handful of tups and tup lambs were moved to new homes easily, top of the day at £500 were two smart Texel tup lambs from P&K Brannen, Scar Top.
Breeding Rams:
Texel £500 £400 P&K Brannen. £500 DJ Mallon.
Suffolk £400 £350 R Grice.
Dutch Spotted £200 £120 CA Hodgson.
