Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their 5th annual ‘Tup Tup Chalice’ evening show and sale of breeding rams and ram lambs on Tuesday 8th September 2026. Forward were 376 head.
11 Aged Rams sold to 850 guineas
294 Shearling Rams sold to 2200 guineas
71 Ram Lambs sold to 800 guineas
Huge gratitude firstly goes to Neil Noble of Skelton-in-Cleveland who took on the judging duties in the MV accredited ring and to William Wardman, Yearby for presiding over the non-MV tups. Great numbers appeared before both judges who each carried out their duties in a most professional and timely manner. Secondly thanks must go to the 81 sellers and 126 buyers who attended and this annual evening event from far and wide, they are all very much appreciated.
The top price of the evening certainly vindicated the judges call when William Wardman selected our non-MV champion as the pick of his pack. A powerful, stretchy and very classy pure Texel shearling tup produced locally by Phil Dawson, Park Head, Bishop Auckland stole the non MV show and the sale also, taking the tri-coloured rosette and later selling to Thomas Dinning, Watch Currock, Hexham for 2200 guineas. The excellent tup from the Dawson family is sired by a Robert Cockburn bred tup, namely Knap General and he is out of a homebred ewe by Duncryne Chancellor.
Tapped out as champion in the MV ring was an excellent Charollais shearling from the long established Foulrice flock of Mr Charles Marwood & Family, Whenby, York. The Marwood breeding requires little introduction with skins, scope, power and shape a consistent theme within their consistent conveyer belt of high-quality Charollais sheep. Tonight’s MV accredited champion, by the homebred sire Foulrice Aristocrat, ticked all the aforementioned boxes, he then went on to sell as the top price in his breed when he was bought for 1200 guineas by Grants Agri Ltd, Easingwold.
Reserve champion in the MV accredited section went to a super strong Suffolk shearling from another successful Yorkshire based flock. Farmers, Suffolk producers, butchers and purveyors of truly exceptional pork pies are the well-known Glaves family of Brompton, Scarborough. The pork pies were delicious and the cracking tup certainly looks a real breeder in the making, perfectly mixing modern Suffolk traits with some real old-fashioned power and presence about him, he is sired by Rhaeadr Rolex 1 out of a Lakeview bred ewe. He went on to be the top priced Suffolk of the evening at 1500 guineas when he sold to Helen Walton of RL & HC Peacock, Ripon.
Other show ring success headed far and wide; reserve champion in the non-MV ring was a smart Texel crossed Charollais shearling from K Pickering, York. Red rosettes also went to T&D Harrison, Stocksfield with a non MV Charollais lamb; to Will Summers, Lincolnshire with his non-MV Suffolk shearling and twice to Deborah Whitcher, York in the MV accredited with a classy Charollais lamb and a hefty Charollais crossed Texel shearling.
Highlights in the sale certainly included the annual run of superstar shearlings from Newark based Phil Weaver’s Empire Texel flock, clearly and rightly many peoples pick of the pens. A delicious dozen from Phil averaged 1154 guineas with a top of 1600 guineas for a great sheep sired by Westgate Gentle Giant out of a homebred ewe by Uskvale Fernando. More joy in the Texels included five from the successful Dawson’s of Park View which averaged 1162 guineas and five of the best skinned tups you’ll see anywhere in the land from JC Thwaite & Son, Lartington sold to average 1050 guineas.
Three tups sold at 1500 guineas, the aforementioned Suffolk from Messrs Glaves was joined by another Weaver wonder and a very correct and stretchy Texel from the dispersing DR & RL Burns, Leicestershire. At 1400 guineas were a further two tups, yet another Texel from the flying Phil Weaver and a lovely Suffolk from first time seller Isaac Suddes of South Farm, Cornsay, quite some start in the tup game for the young man. The brilliant Burns’s were back amongst the money makers, as were the thriving Twaite’s who each sold Texel’s at 1300 guineas whilst those at 1200 included yet another two from the phenomenal Weaver run and a pair of quality Texel shearlings from BI & BM Mosey, Gilling East a Texel from Teward Bros, Staindrop and the earlier noted champion MV from CW Marwood & Son. All the other four figure tups were pure Texel’s with the exception of three powerful crossbreds, a shapely Texel/Charollais from Deborah Whitcher, York at 1000 guineas and a Texel/Beltex from CS Noble, Lincolnshire at 1050 guineas plus a gargantuan Blue Faced Leicester/Texel from T Common & Sons, Low Ardley also at 1050.
An increased entry of tups across the sale would see averages fall on the year; that said the drought of a summer had noticeably reduced quality on the whole, the best tups were still in high demand with thirty-one selling for four figures. Heavy lambs are the talk of every prime stock report in the land, little wonder then that size and power in the tup ring is absolutely paramount to success. Good feet, legs and tight skins always have, and always will demand a premium. The best and biggest pure Texel, Suffolk and Charollais tups undoubtedly proved the most popular on the night, the Beltex clearly still has an influence and a leading part to play in the industry but… if crossed, they must be crossed with something big. An eclectic mix of coloured, longwool and less mainstream breeds would look much harder to sell as customers definitely stuck to the long established, tried and tested terminal sires.
Show Results
Non Accredited
Champion – P Dawson, Park Head (Texel)
Reserve Champion – K Pickering, Longacres (Cross Bred)
Best Tup Lamb (any breed)
1st – T & D Harrison, The Old Potato House (Charollais)
2nd – J Sewell, Knavesmire (Blue Texel)
3rd – S Hamilton & Son, Salt Kiln Farm (Zwartbles)
Best Pure Continental Shearling
1st – P Dawson, Park Head (Texel)
2nd – CS Noble, Grange Farm (Beltex)
3rd – B Cowton, Low West House (Beltex)
Best Pure Native Shearling
1st – DJ Summers & Son, Hall Farm (Suffolk)
2nd – RN Kirby & Son, Barstow Hall (Suffolk)
3rd – DJ Summers & Son, Hall Farm (Suffolk)
Best Cross Bred Shearling
1st – K Pickering, Longacres (Texel/Charollais)
2nd – DJ Summers & Son, Hall Farm (Suffolk/Texel)
3rd – G Hodgson, Rose Hill (Charollais/Beltex)
Show Results
MV Accredited
Champion – CW Marwood & Son, Foulrice (Charollais)
Reserve Champion – AE & FS Glaves, Brompton (Suffolk)
Best Tup Lamb (any breed)
1st – D Whitcher, Foulrice (Charollais)
2nd – BI & BM Mosey, Blackdale (Texel)
3rd – CW Marwood & Son, Foulrice (Charollais)
Best Pure Continental Shearling
1st – CW Marwood & Son, Foulrice (Charollais)
2nd – PR Weaver, Little Manor (Texel)
3rd – GP Addison, Heyberries (Beltex)
Best Pure Native Shearling
1st – AE & FS Glaves, Brompton (Suffolk)
2nd – D Whitcher, Foulrice (Suffolk)
3rd – I Suddes, South Farm (Suffolk)
Best Cross Bred Shearling
1st – D Whitcher, Foulrice (Charollais/Texel)
2nd – CW Marwood, Foulrice (Dutch Texel/Charollais)
3rd – CW Marwood, Foulrice (Dutch Texel/Charollais
Leading Prices (Guineas)
Aged Rams
Charollais – 850 CW Marwood & Son
Suffolk – 500 ME Dowson
Hampshire – 450 TA Greensit & Sons
Belex – 400 J McLaughlin & E Colling.
Lleyn – 350 S Beachell.
Texel – 350 AW Dixon. 330 310 DR & RL Burns.
Shearling Rams
Texel – 2200 1100 P Dawson. 1600 1500(x2) 1400 1200(x2) 1100 1000(x5) PR Weaver. 1500 1300 DR & RL Burns. 1300 1100 1050 JC Thwaite & Son. 1200 Teward Bros. 1200(x2) BI & BM Mosey. 1050 PR & V Barlow & Son. 1000(x2) C Foxton. 1000 Stephens.
Suffolk – 1500 900(x2) 800 AE & FS Glaves. 1400 I Suddes. 950 900 800 D Whitcher. 800 PK & HC Dowson. 700(x3) I Spedding. 700 JT & E Midgley. 700 K Beal. 700 JR & J Crowe.
Charollais – 1200 950 900(x2) 800 CW Marwood & Son. 750 D Whitcher. 580 520 T & D Harrison. 500 E Scaman.
Cross Bred – 1050 800 750 T Common & Son. 1050 850 800 750 CS Noble. 1000 D Whitcher. 700 C Foxton. 680 TW Hutchinson. 650(x2) 600 G Hodgson. 650 DJ Mallon. 600(x2) CW Marwood & Son.
Beltex – 900 L Van Geffen. 850(x2) 800 650 600 500 450 400 R Craig.
NC Cheviot – 580 500 KO Stones. 500(x2) L Bell-Percy.
Berrichon – 500 ABP Wilsons. 500 D Whitcher.
Blue Texel – 450 ABP Wilsons. 400(x2) Ivanhoe Livestock.
Dutch Spotted – 400 M Radford.
Zwartbles – 300(x2) C & K Milburn.
Bluefaced Leicester – 400 300 J Shadforth.
Ram Lambs
Texel – 800(x2) J Ashbridge. 800 P & K Brannen. 700 650 BI & BM Mosey. 500 Mown Meadows Texels.
Suffolk – 600 420 P Lupton. 550 500 R Grice. 500 MC & MD Sparke. 480 380 D Whitcher. 450 420 JT & E Midgley.
Charollais – 550(x2) 500(x3) CW Marwood & Son. 500(x2) 450 D Whitcher. 400(x2) T & D Harrison.
British Rouge – 400 IE & AC Teasdale.
Dutch Texel – 380 280 M Radford.
Badger Face Texel – 300 K Stead.
Blue Texel – 300 J Sewell.
Dutch Spotted – 280(x2) M Radford.
Zwartbles – 250 S Hamilton & Son.
