Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held a sale of prime lambs and cast sheep on Sunday 29th December 2024. Forward were 2080 head.
1878 Prime Lambs sold to 411ppk or £210
202 Cast Ewes & Rams sold to £300
Prime Lambs (1878) – The lambs signed off the year in scintillating form as the whole sale averaged a weighed straight 341 pence per kilo and an impressive £157.11 per head. Top of the day at £210 was a wonderful single 56kg Beltex lamb from R Atkinson, High Greenbury Farm, Scorton; five vendors following between £190 and £193 were namely W A Wardman Ltd, G M Blair & Partners, A C Simpson & Son, J Layfield and W Denham. Top per kilo were five tidy lightweight Beltex lambs from J C Hope & Son, Cornhow Farm, Loweswater when they sold at 411ppk; following closest at 393ppk were four fine 45kg Beltex from W K M M Lamb, Doe Park, Cotherstone ahead of eight other vendors sitting in a tight knit chasing pack and all reaching at least 380ppk. Of the hill gotten lambs today the most impressive would-be Cheviots reaching £160 whilst Mule lambs peaked at £146; below are listed some of the vendors signing off for 2024 in fine style.
G M Blair & Partners sold 5 to average £191.20 (313ppk)
J R Knox & Son sold 14 to average £180.14 (314ppk)
A C Simpson & Son sold 45 to average £177.96 (329ppk)
R Atkinson sold 307 to average £176.78 (361ppk)
J E Lockey & Son sold 45 to average £174.98 (347ppk)
W F Dove & Sons sold 54 to average £174.02 (335ppk)
J Layfield sold 55 to average £173.09 (344ppk)
W L Robinson & Partners sold 22 to average £170.05 (333ppk)
Lambs – Top prices ppk 411 362 JC Hope & Son. 393 W.K M.M Lamb. 389 N Demuschamp. 389 369 361 Messrs Sayer. 387 P Hutchinson. 385 383 375 372 370 369 366 362×2 361 360×2 358 R Atkinson. 382 375 362 360 J Layfield. 381 K Hall. 381 373 364 W Ramsay & Sons. 380 JH&D Wise. 377 361 PJ&MP Gilhespy. 375 365 W Denham. 374 372 367×2 365 WA Wardman Ltd. 370 C&N Waters. 370 JE Lockey & Son. 370 T Sayer. 369 361 AC Simpson & Son. 366 M Madrell. 365 A&PA Jopling.
Lead Grossing Lambs £210 £188 £185×2 £184 £181×2 £179 £178 R Atkinson. £193 £181×3 £180×3 £179 WA Wardman Ltd. £192 £190×2 GM Blair & Partners. £191 £186×2 £185×2 £183 £181 AC Simpson & Son. £190 £180 W Denham. £190 £185 £184 £180 £178×3 J Layfield. £189 K Tallentire. £187 K Hall. £186 P Hutchinson. £186 W Ramsay & Sons. £185 JE Lockey & Son. £185 WL Robinson & Partners. £185 £179 JR Knox & Son. £183 £180 WF Dove & Sons. £180 JH&D Wise. 179 JA&A Herbert. £178 J Burns.
Cast Ewes & Rams (202) – Jackpot at the Bingo during Chrimbo Limbo for the ewe sellers as a stunning £146.95 average was achieved for the whole show today. A wonderful Texel ewe from P J & M P Gilhespy, Ponteland topped the sale at £300, she was followed twice at £290 by excellent pairs of pure Texel’s from Whitby based J P Floyd. A further dozen of the better ewes passed £200. Mule ewes topped at £144 and averaged £126 whilst the hill breeds were led by a marvellous pair of Herdwick’s at an astonishing £126.
J P Floyd sold 4 to average £290
J Layfield sold 4 to average £190
P J & M P Gilhespy sold 25 to average £181.92
W A Wardman Ltd sold 5 to average £178.80
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep £300 £200×2 £190 £184 £176 £150 PJ&MP Gilhespy. £290×2 JP Floyd. £238 £150 WA Wardman Ltd. £234 £168 £164 £148 £130 W.K M.M Lamb. £222 £182 £178 J Layfield. £188 £170 £162 £160 £150×2 AC Simpson & Son. £186 £150 £140 J Hicks. £180 DG&PD Ayre. £178 £162 JC&A Hutchinson. £172 £144 W Denham. £168 £144 T&C Smith. £160 J Burns. £160 T&HA Barrass. £158 £142 £132 £130 M Madrell. £142 P Hutchinson.
Wishing all our customers a happy, healthy and prosperous 2025. We are back to normal with a red market of prime bulls, clean cattle and sheep on Thursday 2nd January.
