Ballymena – 21st September 2024

Ballymena Ram & Female Sale

After a great week of weather, which put everyone in much better spirits, there was a lot of optimism around the ringside as the Bluefaced Leicester sales rolled into town. There was a packed ringside and many a packed pen as the enthusiasm for the breed continues apace here. The optimism wasn’t misplaced as there were a string of cracking prices, including a new centre record for the breed, including five tups selling into 5 figures, and saw averages jump in the lamb section by just shy of £100 and by nearly £300 in the Shearling section, albeit for fewer sold.

Topping the days trade was a monster of a shearling tup from the Mills family, Ballytober. He stood out in his class and went on to win first prize in the shearling section and stood as the days reserve Champion. He was full of great crossing bloodlines, by the R14 Hewgill, bought for 7500gns out of Carlisle and his mother, bred at Midlock and bought at J36, was by Midlocks own tup, “Big Yin” Bidding was strong from the off, and when the hammer finally fell, it had set a new breed Record at the sale of 28,000gns, selling to the Judge, Martyn Archer, Carry House and Andy Hunter, Steel, who saw him when he judged in Antrim and was impressed with him, where he placed him first, and his mule lambs, which he felt were outstanding, giving them the champions at the progeny show. He had 5 lambs in the Ballytober top pen at Ballymena this autumn too. He will certainly get his chance to make an impression on those two flocks over in Northumberland.

Late on in the sale there was a run of good pens, but one pen which stood out most was the Drummuck flock from Dominic McCrystal, who had a great run of lambs, and enjoyed a trade to go with them too. His pen topper was his second lamb into the ring, by the £8000 Cottage bought off Jimmy Bell last year at Hawes, which has proved to be a very shrewd investment, doing exceptionally well for them, with 12 of the 15 Drummuck lambs by him. This lamb, renamed “Ya Dancer,” full of power and length, was out of a ewe by the £30,000 N1 Hewgill, out of a Midlock ewe by K1 Shafthill, which they paid 6500gns for at Carlisle, so again, full of good breeding and crossing bloodlines. This one too went back over the water, selling to the Cottage flock, bringing back a bit of his breeding, Midlock and Overburns, who joined forces to shell out 16,000gns for his services. His full brother sold for 10,000gns to Tom Staunton, Mask View, and another S2 Cottage son sold for 7400gns. This one was out of the homebred ewe which bred last years top priced tup, and sold to SJ Duncan, Hill Vale & R Topping, Rocklynn.

The Midlock influence was again in full force for the next of the five figure tups. This came out of the Deerfin shearling pen from S & J Wilson. He was by the 7500gns Temain, which is a son of Carry House Ronaldo and out of a ewe by M2 Asby Hall which was in a £4500 Midlock ewe when they bought her to add to their flock of 12 ewes. This solid, coloury tup was bid to 14,000gns, a high for this flock, selling through the online system, to Mark Douglas.

The Champion of the day came from Timothy Wray, who had a great pen of lambs, which won the highly coveted trophy for the best run of sheep at the sale. His pen leader was quite an exceptional lamb, standing out in the show, with Martyn getting his eye on it early in the proceedings, is by the Overburns Farm Hitman, bought out of Hawes last year for £7500, and out of a homebred ewe out of a Firth bred ewe. Taking home this beauty, for a bid of 10,000gns was a combination of Steven Wilson, Deerfin, Graham & Julie Loughery, Temain, with Timmy keeping a share too. His pen saw another Overburns Farm son bid to 3000gns.

Despite the jump in the average, buyers were picky and very selective, looking for the best tups, with good back breeding along with good clean colour and skins.

Averages

Aged/Shearling Rams – 182 Sold Average £1450.56

Ram lambs – 176 Sold Average £1332.96

Females – 20 Sold Average £393.23