Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their ‘Anniversary Show & Sale of Gimmer Lambs and Breeding Sheep’ on Tuesday 19th September 2023. Forward were 1835 head.
819 Gimmer Lambs sold to £265 (100% clearance)
637 Shearling Ewes sold to £410 (100% clearance)
379 Breeding Ewes sold to £330 (100% clearance)
73 Breeding Rams sold to 850 Guineas (80% clearance)
Champion – Mule Gimmer Lambs from HW&M Alderson, Howgill Grange sold for £160 to RA Patterson & Son, White House Farm
Reserve Champion – Mule Shearlings from JB Luck & Son, Milestone House sold for £245 to WN Stockdale, Middleton Grange.
Mule Gimmer Lambs – A very similar number on the year enjoyed a fabulous trade with the average lifting almost £20 as they levelled up at £118.40. The top pen at £160 were the Champions of this morning’s show classes which were kindly judged by Nick Gill of Moory Lea Farm; the successful vendors showing Mule lambs for the first time in Darlington were H W & M Alderson & Son, Howgill Grange, Baldersdale. A stunning run of lambs from T E Dobson, Unthank Farm, Frosterley proved to be the closest challengers to the winners when their run of ninety-five averaged £140 with a top of £155 and claimed the second prize rosette along the way. An absolute cracker of a trade from start to finish, many more could have sold to vendors advantage, very few tupping sorts available but even the smallest running lambs sold well over £100 more often than not; as is often the case the smaller they are the dearer they looked.
Show Results:
Mule Gimmer Lambs
1st HW&M Alderson & Son, Howgill Grange £160 to RA Patterson & Son, White House Farm.
2nd TE Dobson, Unthank Farm £155 to G Pickering, Thackside Farm.
3rd GA&J Allison, Low Cow Helm £132 to AS&G Donaldson, Little Langton Grange.
Mule Gimmer Lambs:
£160 £120 HW&M Alderson & Son. £155 £150 £148 £144 £142 £132×3 TE Dobson. £155 JB Luck & Son. £135 3134 £132 £128 £120 GA&J Allison. £135 £128 C&JC Stephenson. £130 W emerson. £125 £124 £120×2 £108 S Straughan. £124×2 £122 £96 £94×2 £92×2 £90 JJM Lonsdale. £124 J Burns. £122 £94 J Featherstone. £122×2 £92 S Beeforth.
Other Breed Gimmer Lambs – An excellent trade for all breeds and creeds; congratulations go to the Common family of Low Ardley, Hexham who claimed first and third in the show with their superb Texel crosses, the annual consignment of North Country Cheviot crossed Lleyn lambs from WR Barron, The Deans ensured that all the rosettes in this class headed back to Hexhamshire. Top price in the section went to the fashionable Dutch Spotted Texel’s of M Radford, East Underhurth when this good run sold to a top of £265.
Any Other Breed Gimmer Lambs
1st T Common & Son, Low Ardley – £175 to D&PH Brown Cordilleras.
2nd WR Barron, The Deans – £150 to D&JA Teasdale, Folly Farm.
3rd T Common & Son, Low Ardley – £152 to RN Kirby & Son, Barstow Hall Farm.
Other Breed Gimmer Lambs:
Dutch Spotted Texel £265 £200 M Radford. £200 £155 Winsbury Farm Partners.
Blue Texel £185 Winsbury Farm Partners.
Blue Face Leicester £175 R&F Longstaff.
Texel £175 DM Collins. £175 £152 £140 T Common & Son. £110 JH Johnson.
Continental £172 £158 G Hodgson. £150×2 WR Barron.
Beltex £158 £135 GW Dent.
Suffolk £145 WL Robinson & Partners. £105 £88 J Lonsdale.
Charollais £145 G Hodgson.
Mule Shearlings – Seldom do we see enough confidence in the breeding sheep to achieve 100% clearance rates through all sections but today was simply one of those days. Top price of £245 went to the outstanding Reserve Champion pen from the Luck’s of Milestone House with four other vendors in the £200 club including our top Scotch bred types at £208 from W Burton, West Common Top.
Mule Shearlings
1st JB Luck & Son, Milestone House £245 to WN Stockdale, Middleton Grange.
2nd HS Hutchinson, White House Farm – £195 to L Brown, Westholme Farm.
3rd PJ Tindale, Preston Tilery – £198 to RA Patterson & Son, White House Farm.
Mule Shearlings:
£245 JB Luck & Son. £208 £185 W Burton. £200 £190 £168 £165 W&C Iceton. £200 S Straughan. £200 £195 £192×3 £188 £182 £180 £172 £170 £168 £160 Dyson Farming Ltd. £198 £162 PJ Tindale. £195 £192 £185 HS Hutchinson. £195 R&F Longstaff. £178 £168 JM McManners. £165 £158 D Rutter. £160 3140 JR Mann. £148 £142 JM Sayer. £142×2 £138 £134 G Williamson.
Other Breed Shearlings – Probably the trade of the day went to the continental shearlings in this section; the Radford’s Dutch Spotted Texel’s again came out on top hitting the extraordinary heights of £410 on two occasions. Pure Texel shearlings from I Spedding, Harelaw traded to a top price of £310 whilst DJ Mallon, Pallet Crag sold a pair of Texel crossed Beltex for £280 and Rebecca Appleton’s excellent pen of Texel cross Scotch Halfbred’s followed at £270.
Any Other Breed Shearlings
1st PJ Tindale, Preston Tilery £200 KJ&SS Bell, West Throphill.
2nd R Appleton, Pudding Poke £225 CD Timm, West Farm.
3rd JW&B Firby, Manor Farm £165 AS&G Donaldson, Little Langton Grange.
Other Breed Shearlings:
Dutch Spotted Texel £410×2 £400 £360 M Radford. £180 £150 Winsbury Farm Partners.
Texel £310 £285 £280 £210 I Spedding. £240 £225 Mrs J & Miss E Boocock. £165 JW&B Firby.
Continental £280 DJ Mallon. £270 Rebecca Appleton. £170 PJ Tindale.
Beltex £250 CA&JG Skidmore. £168 R Stapleton.
Continental £228 W&C Iceton. £200 PJ Tindale. £185 CA&JG Skidmore. £155 JR Mann. £140 S Straughan.
Scotch Half Bred £225 Rebecca Appleton.
Suffolk £158 JW&B Firby.
Breeding Ewes – A full complement of buyers remained and bid freely for the older ewes, the pick of this section by some margin came from Gail Hodgson of Eastgate with pure Charollais selling to £330 and £250. Next mention must go to Emma Boocock of Moorsholm who produced excellent two crop Scotch Mules to £188 and Texel crosses to £178. Behind these a relatively plain show which largely just have the one lambing left in them sold incredibly well with £100 and more frequently achieved.
Breeding Ewes:
Charollais £330 £250 G Hodgson.
Mules £188 Mrs J & Miss E Boocock. £110 £98 £95 £72 PJ Tindale. £100 W Emerson. £96 £94 £92×2 £90 £88 £85 £80 £78×2 Habton Farms. £92 £84 £80 W&C Iceton.
Texel £178 £175×2 Mrs J & Miss E Boocock. £130 JL Alderson. £112 £110 W&C Iceton.
Continental £138 JW&J Collin. £128 W&C Iceton.
Blue Face Leicester £122 PJ Tindale.
Suffolk £110 £108 Habton Farms.
Tups – A two tier show met a two-tier trade, once again the better sheep sold easily whilst some of the more unusual breeds somewhat dragged their heels. Top of the day was a strong Texel shearling from J C Thwaite & Son, Cragg Hill Farm, Lartington when he sold for 850 guineas. Another top Texel from the Thwaite pen followed at 820 guineas with the next best again a Texel shearling, this one from T H Richardson & Sons, Low Moor Hill. Best of the aged rams was undoubtedly the terrific three shear Suffolk shown by M Navazi, Redmires Farm when he sold to a phone bid taken from North of the border at 650 guineas.
Ram Lambs – Guineas
Dutch Spotted Texel 270 200 170 M Radford.
Suffolk X Texel 240×2 230 170 160 150 135 M Navazi
Shearling Rams – Guineas
Texel 850 820 500 JC Thwaite. 700 TH Richardson & Sons. 580 520 500×2 400 D Barron. 550 J Layfield. 420 400×3 A&R Thompson. 350 320 J Layfield.
Cross Bred 420 DJ Mallon. 420 400×3 A&R Thompson. 300 C Parker. 300 240 230×5 M Navazi.
Blue Texel 400 JL Alderson. 300 Winsbury Farm Partners.
Suffolk 400(x2) PK&HC Dowson.
Beltex 200 L Wilkinson.
Aged Rams – Guineas
Suffolk – 650 M Navazi.
Texel 450×2 400×2 A&R Thompson. 310 JW&B Firby.
Continental 400 D&M Buck.
Charollais 200 D&M Buck.
