Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their 3rd annual ‘Ewetopia’ show and sale of elite female breeding sheep on Tuesday 12th August 2025. Forward were 173 head comprising of…
45 Gimmer Lambs sold to 850 Guineas
124 Shearling Ewes sold to 800 Guineas
4 Warranted Ewes sold to 1200 Guineas
Show Classes
Thanks primarily go to our capable judge Mr Will Summers of Hall Farm, Gainsborough who kindly made the journey North to carry out the duties in hand, he did so in a timely and professional manner. A super offering of quality from all the vendors ensured that the task was both challenging and enjoyable for the Lincolnshire man in the middle. Tapped as Champion was a wonderful Texel shearling ewe from D J Mallon, Pallet Crag Farm; a classy sort with terrific carcass she is sired by an Ayrton bred tup lamb and out of a Loosebeare Yogi bred ewe. The reserve spot went to a superb Charollais ewe lamb from the formidable Foulrice flock of the Marwood family, York; this certain star of the future is sired by the home bred ram Foulrice Valient who himself is a son of a successful Cavick stock ram. Other leading accolades (listed below) included an excellent run of Suffolk’s from the Moorsley flock of P & K Brannen who produced smart shearlings and lambs bred from the stock tup Strathbogie Son of a Gun.
Champion
D J Mallon, Pallet Crag – Texel Shearling – Sold for 800 Guineas to D J Summers & Son, Hall Farm
Reserve Champion
C W Marwood & Son, Foulrice – Charollais Lamb – Sold for 580 Guineas to C Goulsbra, Brickyard Farm
Class 1 – Best Pure-Bred Texel or Beltex Any Age
1st – D J Mallon, Pallet Crag – Texel Shearling – Sold for 800 Guineas to D J Summers & Son, Hall Farm
2nd – E Moralee, Blackburn – Texel Shearling – Sold for 500 Guineas to D Stelling, Thorpe House
3rd – Harry Askwith, Low Mown Meadows – Beltex 1 Crop – Sold for 1200 Guineas to H Murray, The Beeches
Class 2 – Best Pure-Bred Native Any Age
1st – P & K Brannen, Scar Top – Suffolk Shearling – Sold for 800 Guineas to J Lonsdale, Smailesburn
2nd – P & K Brannen, Scar Top – Suffolk Lamb – Sold for 680 Guineas to C Goulsbra, Brickyard Farm
3rd – Anna Herbert, West Shaws – Suffolk Lamb – Sold for 410 Guineas to B Boyle, Coxhoe
Class 3 – Best Pure-Bred Any Other Continental
1st – C W Marwood & Son, Foulrice – Charollais Lamb – Sold for 580 Guineas to C Goulsbra, Brickyard Farm
2nd – C W Marwood & Son, Foulrice – Charollais Lamb – Sold for 480 Guineas to C Goulsbra, Brickyard Farm
3rd – Winsbury Farm Partners, Winsbury House – Black Beltex Shearling – Sold for 300 Guineas to Double O Livestock, Bridge House
Sale
The twenty-nine vendors enjoyed a magnificent trade in front of fifty-two active buyers, numerous unsuccessful underbidders and a monumental crowd of onlookers; the 12th of August certainly proved to be a glorious evening for the third annual Ewetopia sale. The sale sold to an 88% clearance rate with the average per head checking in at £392.71 which is a staggering £127.59 increase on the year.
The top call and new record price for this sale was a wonderful one crop pedigree Beltex ewe from Harry Askwith of Low Mown Meadows, Crook. Making the bid which took home the excellent daughter of the former Great Yorkshire Show champion Logie Durno Gladiator at 1200 guineas was Haig Murray of Canonbie. Top of the ewe lambs at 850 guineas was a super Suffolk from the Moorsley flock of P & K Brannen, a super skinned sheep by Strathbogie Son of Gun she now takes up residence with Jake Lonsdale of Smailesburn Farm, Rookhope. Two sheep followed at 800 guineas as our worthy champion from the Mallon’s of Pallet Crag matched the achievement of the Brannen’s class winning Suffolk shearling ewe.
Other impressive returns went to a great Dutch Spotted shearling ewe from C J & D M Metcalfe, Leighton Hall Farm at 750 guineas plus a classy Texel shearling from the aforementioned Haig Murray at 700 guineas and a very correct Blue Texel lamb from Mel Whitfield-Stout at 650 guineas. Plenty of the other smart pure-bred sheep sold regularly way beyond vendors expectations whilst the undoubted king of the cross-bred sorts was young Ridley Craig who peaked at 400 guineas with his Suffolk cross Beltex shearlings.
Leading Prices (All Guineas)
Ewe Lambs
Suffolk – 850 680 580 P & K Brannen. 480 410 Anna Herbert.
Blue Texel – 650 300 250 Mel Whitfield-Stout. 250(x2) C Newton. 200 Winsbury Farm Partners.
Charollais – 580 480 400(x4) C W Marwood.
Texel – 400(x2) 350(x2) P & K Brannen.
Beltex – 205(x2) 190(x2) N G Beveridge. 190(x2) Winsbury Farm Partners.
NC Cheviot 190(x2) J R Carter.
British Rouge – 350(x2) I E & A C Teasdale.
Zwartbles – 200 190 J C & A Metcalf.
AO Cont – 300 210 Winsbury Farm Partners. 280 K Stead.
Ryland – 280 250(x4) J Sewell.
Shearling Ewes
Texel – 800 500 480 400 D J Mallon. 700 480(x3) 450(x2) 420 400(x2) 380 320 300 Haig Nurray. 650 600 P & K Brannen. 550 500 300(x2) P R & V Barlow & Son. 500 E Moralee.
Suffolk – 800 720 680(x2) P & K Brannen. 380 300(x2) D G Wise. 300 L & M Evans.
Dutch Spotted – 700 580 500 350 C J & D M Metcalfe. 400 L O Stephenson. 370 Winsbury Farm Partners. 280(x2) S Cambage.
Beltex – 420 330(x2) 320 I Craig. 400(x2) 340(x2) R Craig. 360 340 330(x4) 320(x2) 315(x2) 300(x7) C A & J G Skidmore. 300 Winsbury Farm Partners.
AO Cont – 480 D J Mallon. 480 340 Winsbury Farm Partners. 400(x3) 370(x3) 350(x2) R Craig. 375(x3) 370(x7) I Craig. 300 I E & A C Teasdale.
Blue Texel – 380 300 Winsbury Farm Partners.
Cheviot – 350(x2) J R Carter. 350 Double O Livestock.
AO Native – 350 220 Double O Livestock.
Warranted Ewes
Beltex – 1200 520 Harry Askwith
Dutch Spotted – 400 L O Stephenson.
