Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their ‘Anniversary Show & Sale of Gimmer Lambs and Breeding Sheep’ on Tuesday 24th September 2024. Forward were 1835 head including:
1092 Gimmer Lambs sold to £305
367 Shearling Ewes sold to £290
284 Aged Ewes sold to £235
39 Breeding Rams sold to £1350
Show Classes
Class 1 – 10x Mule Gimmer Lambs – The biggest and best show ever witnessed in Darlington assembled before our judges Mr Thomas Hird, Westray and Mr Graham Whitfield, Low Stowbank who we thank enormously for their time and expert opinions. The first prize and Champion pen went to C Hodgson of Hill House West, Westgate with a superb ten lambs with superb colours and confirmation, they look certain to grow in to stunning shearlings next year. Second prize in the class was awarded to another Weardale consignor T E Dobson, Unthank Farm, Stanhope with the leading pen from their incredibly powerful run of lambs. Third prize in the class was won by last year’s winners H W & M Alderson & Son, Howgill Grange, Baldersdale with the fourth ticket heading across to Cumbrian vendors J R & J A Wharton, Segbushwell, Carlisle.
Class 2 – 10x Any Other Breed Gimmer Lambs – A memorable maiden victory at our recent tup sale with her Charollais cross Beltex has opened the red ticket floodgates for Gail Hodgson, Rose Hill, Eastgate as her splendid gimmer lambs the same way bred came out on top today. Second in the class for the second-year running were the Barron family of The Deans, Muggleswick with their eye-catching Lleyn crossed North Country Cheviot lambs narrowly edging out a smart pen of Texel’s from Hexham based T Common & Son, Low Ardley.
Class 3 – 10x Mule Shearlings – Some strong competition in this class with several smart runs on offer, picked as the winners were the top pen from long standing Darlington customers A & B Herworth, Crake Scar Farm, Hamsterley. The second prize ticket headed back to upper Teesdale with C Bell, The Pry whilst the third-place rosette went to D & M Buck, Quarry Grange, Marwood.
Class 4 – 10x Any Other Breed Shearlings – The judges found their reserve champion of the day in this class as Ben Layfield, Nackshivan Farm, Willington produced a pen of brilliant Texels. The second and third rosettes came from Mrs J & Miss E Boocock off the East coast at Freebrough Farm, Moorsholm with some excellently farmed Texel crosses.
Show results as follows:
Champion – C Hodgson, Hill House West £230 to J Sunter, Salisbury St, Willington.
Reserve Champion – J Layfield, Nackshivan £290 to AC Simpson & Son, McNeil Farm.
Class 1 – Best pen of 10 Mule Gimmer Lambs
1st C Hodgson, High House West £230 to J Sunter, Salisbury St, Willington.
2nd TE Dobson, Unthank Farm £220 to P&EB Robson, Middle Horsley Hope.
3rd HW&M Alderson & Son, Howgill Grange £245 to CR Raine & Son, Stanhope Gate.
4th JR&JA Wharton, Segbushwell £200 to RA Patterson & Son, White House Farm.
Class 2 – Best pen of 10 Any Other Breed Gimmer Lambs.
1st G Hodgson, Rose Hill £170 to JG Walton & Son, Rockcliffe Farm.
2nd WR Barron, The Deans £155 to A Wilson, Calf Close.
3rd T Common & Son, Low Ardley £148 to Reed, Moss Kennels.
Class 3 – Best pen of 10 Mule Shearlings
1st A&B Herworth, Crake Scar £255 to SJ Saville, Ravenhill Farm.
2nd C Bell, The Pry £252 to SJ Saville, Ravenhill Farm.
3rd D&M Buck, Quarry Grange £242 to G I’anson, Meadow View.
Class 4 – Best pen of Any Other Breed Shearlings
1st J Layfield, Nackshivan £290 to AC Simpson & Son, McNeil Farm.
2nd Mrs J & Miss E Boocock, Freebrough Farm £285 to J Hird, Thorney Close Farm.
3rd Mrs J & Miss E Boocock, Freebrough Farm £265 to WK Stubbs, Penwell Farm.
Sale
Mule Gimmer Lambs (883) – The significance of this sale in our calendar grows annually and with the vendors both old and new producing better lambs each year it will surely continue to do so. This year’s sale average returned at £141.99 (+£23.59) with the bonnier and stronger lambs enjoying a wonderful day’s trading throughout. The sale proved testament to the terrific job done by our judges as four of the five pens in the £200’s had claimed rosettes in the pre-sale show. Top price of £245 went to the third prize winners from HW&M Alderson & Son, Howgill Grange; our Champion pen from C Hodgson, High House West followed at £230 whilst the thumping sorts from the Dobson’s of Unthank followed at £220 and £200 with Segbushwell also reaching £200. Running lambs are always in the majority at this sale and sold typically £135 to £160 whilst those big enough to tup travelled freely beyond £170, some of the leading consignment averages are listed below, none could live with the high flying Unthank pen.
T E Dobson, Unthank x98 av. £183.28
C Hodgson, Hill House West x30 av. £170.00
HW & M Alderson & Son, Howgill x36 av. £161.39
C & JC Stephenson, Pikestone x20 av. £152.80
J Featherstone, Thornley Park x31 av. £152
JR & JA Wharton, Segbushwell x75 av. £146
GA & J Allison, Cow Helm x42 av. £141.29
J & MJ Walton, West Shotton x20 av. £138.50
W Burton, West Common x49 av. £136.33
Leading Prices
Mule – £245 £140 HW&M Alderson & Son. £230 £140 C Hodgson. £220 £200 £192 £180 £175 £168 £165 TE Dobson. £200 £150×2 £136 JR&JA Wharton. £172 £132 J Featherstone. £158 £150 £142 £138 £134 £130 S Straughan. £155 £150 C&JC Stephenson. £155 £138×2 W Burton. £155 J&MJ Walton. £152 £145 £140 £135 £132 SJ Bell. £148 £142×2 £135 GA&J Allison. £146 £144 £138 £136 £134 £132 £128 JJM Lonsdale. £140 £136 P Wilson. £140 W Emerson. £136 K Sayer. £132 S Beeforth.
Other Breed Gimmer Lambs (209) – The spotties were the hotties as Rebecca Taylor of Trimdon Grange came up trumps selling single Dutch Spotted gimmer lambs to a top of £305. The first prize pen of Charollais cross Beltex lambs from G Hodgson, Rose Hill Farm led the more conventional breeds with a bid of £170 followed by three vendors all reaching £155.
Leading consignments;
Rebecca Taylor, Trimdon Grange x3 av. £293.33
G Hodgson, Rosehill x16 av. £160.63
J C Thwaite & Son, Cragg Hill x6 av. £155.00
W R Barron, The Deans x30 av. £145
J Stewart, Millwood x4 av. £142.50
T Common & Son, Low Ardley x 35 av. £140.29
Leading Prices
Dutch Spotted – £305 £290 £285 Rebecca Taylor. £155 Jess Stewart.
Texel – £155 JC Thwaite & Son. £148×2 T Common & Son.
Continental – £170 £145 G Hodgson.
BFL Cross – £170 R&F Longstaff.
Cheviot Cross – £155 £140 WR Barron.
Suffolk – £152 £150 £138 WL Robinson & Partners.
Shearling Ewes (367) – No matter what breed the key to success is length and power as in similar fashion to the tup sales of late the buyers are fast realising when you stop weighing you stop paying. Top priced shearlings on the day were our wonderful reserve champions from B Layfield, Nackshivan Farm when they sold for £290, the super second prize pen of Texel’s from the Boocock’s of Moorsholm followed closely at £285. A mesmerising Mule trade followed with the top fifty between £250 and £260 and a breed average well over £200, pick of the prices went to ten strong girls from David Rutter, Low Farm, Ingleby Greenhow at £260.
Leading Consignments;
B Layfield, Nackshivan x25 (Cont) av. £242.80
CA&JG Skidmore, Needless x15 (Cont) av. £234.55
Mrs J & Miss E Boocock, Freebrough x68 (Cont) av. £232.32
D Rutter, Low Farm x20 (Mule) av. £255
A & B Herworth, Crake Scar x30 (Mule) av. £251.67
C Bell, The Pry x22 (Mule) av. £240.91
D&M Buck, Quarry Grange x25 (Mule) av. £231.20
JR Mann, High Goosepool x40 (Mule) av. £201.25
Leading Prices
Texel – £290 £235 £225 £205 £195 £180 J Layfield. £285 £265 £260 £248 £200 £170 Mrs J & Miss E Boocock. £255 CA&JG Skidmore. £215 £210 £200×2 AG Laws. £190 Rebecca Appleton.
Beltex – £260 £240 £220 £200 CA&JG Skidmore.
Mule – £260 £250 D Rutter. £255×2 £245 A & B Herworth. £252 £240 £230 C Bell. £242 £225 £222 D&M Buck. £205 £200×3 JR Mann. £185 £170 G Williamson. £180 HS Hutchinson. £158 SM Rigg.
Suffolk – £238 JW&B Firby.
Blue Face Leicester – £255 £185 R&F Longstaff. £230 £200×3 IP Crane.
Continental – £205 CA&JG Skidmore. £195 IP Crane. £180 Mrs J & Miss E Boocock. £165 JW&B Firby.
Scotch Half Bred £200 Rebecca Appleton.
Jacob £135×2 £130×4 D Sizer.
Breeding Ewes (284) – Dickie’s dispersal dominates! The breeding flock from Dickie Mitchell of W B Mitchell & Sons, Howlett Hall, Morpeth generated a frenzy of bidding as genuine opportunities to acquire older ewes often do. Top of the run were a super pen of nine three crop Texel’s out of Cheviot Mules which sold for £235 apiece, the top sixty from this home sold in the £200’s.
Leading Prices
Blue Face Leicester – £200 £190 £148 IP Crane.
Texel – £235 £230 £210 £208 £205 £200 £165 £155 £152 £128 WB Mitchell & Sons. £180 G Gall. £138 £132 £115 JJM Lonsdale.
Mule – £142 WB Mitchell & Sons. £115 SM Rigg. £110 W Emerson.
Suffolk – £140 £135 A Morton.
Continental – £135 SM Rigg. £132 WB Mitchell & Sons. £120 C Dawson. £112 £102 £100 SM Rigg.
Breeding Rams (39) – Something great from J C Thwaite as their tank of a Texel shearling tup led the way selling for £1350, the same good home sold another at £1000 ahead of the in-form Layfield’s of Nackshivan who’s pen topped at £700. Naturally done Texel’s from A & R Thompson, Dimmingdale Farm continued a good day for our Moorsholm consignors when topping at £650 twice whereas top of the lambs was a Texel from P & K Brannen, Scar Top at £600.
Texel – £1350 £1000 £550 JC Thwaite & Son. £700 £520 £500 £480 J Layfield. £650×2 £600×4 £550 £500 A&R Thompson. £600 £400 £350×2 P&K Brannen. £350 N&MJ Parkin. £250 JD Morton.
Suffolk – £500 P&K Brannen.
