Carlisle – Traditional Type – 11th October 2024

Judging Thursday 10th October 2024

Sale Friday 11th October 2024

Show & Sale Kindly Sponsored by Allflex Livestock Intelligence

The final major sale of the Blue Faced Leicester sale took place at Carlisle, where over 1000 sheep were catalogued for sale, going through three rings. Buyers and sellers from all over the UK were there and a packed ringsides drew plenty of bids as the Harrison & Hetherington team ripped through the lots on a glorious autumnal day.

A slightly changed format for the Traditional Blue Faced Leicesters as they held the pre-sale show on the Thursday night before the sale which gave more room for the judging than in previous years and gave buyers a longer look at the options available to them.

The highlight of the sale, however, didn’t appear in the show ring, but the pen of lambs from Frank Johnson, Ashes, didn’t go home without any recognition, as his lambs were presented the new trophy, the John Dykes Memorial trophy for the best pen of Traditional lambs, judged by Hazel Brown. And what a pen it was too, with the pen buzzing all day. Unfortunately, Frank couldn’t make it to the sale as he was recuperating at home from surgery, but his son Michael held the fort well, and Frank watched the sale at home via t’internet, and would have been well set up with his trade. The sire to all his lambs in the pen was the Parton M31, which he bought as an old tup a couple of years back. He was the sire of the year last year and he put a great claim in for the same again this year! The first lamb in the pen set off at an initial bid of £5000 and after a little bit of uncertainty, climbed all the way to £12,000 selling to Mike Anderson, Aberdeen, who started the bidding off as he was determined to get his tup! This one was out of a homebred ewe by the K4 Burndale. The next tup into the ring continued the great form. This one was considered by Frank to be one of the best he has ever bred. He had a lovely, sweet head on him and out of a ewe by the Whinnyhall tup which has done well for Frank. This one was bid to £9000, selling to David Henderson, North Burndale. Another of his lambs sold in a £3800 deal, selling to Procters at Nether Aucharnie. Franks pen levelled at £3115 for his 10 lambs and certainly deserved the title of “Best Pen of Lambs”

Earlier in the sale another veteran breeder of note, Derek Henderson, enjoyed a great trade with his single entry. This was by the home bred S21 Burndale, and out of one of the good old ewes which he retained following his major reduction, by the J4 Street. This smart tup, full of breeding and plenty of power quickly headed north, selling to the Logie Durno flock in a £7500 deal.

Next up in the price stakes was a tidy lamb from the renowned Woodcroft flock, one of the oldest flocks in the breed, full of great bloodlines and a great reputation for going away and doing well. Their first lamb in was the star of the show, landing a bid of £5000. This smart lad is by the P1 Towdypotts, which bred the champion last year, and out of a homebred ewe by another Towdypotts, this one M4, full of Ashes breeding again. This sold to the Piel View flock, who enjoyed a good trade themselves with one at £3000 and another at £2200. The Towdypotts tup was behind the Woodcroft second lamb which sold for £2500 and helped the pen level at a shade over £2300 for their five lambs.

The Kirkstead pen is always to watch out for and again at this sale they didn’t disappoint, with their second lamb in which made £4000. He stood second in the show and sired by the Blythbank S1, which is proving to be shrewd investment after he was bought out of Carlisle last year for £2200, and is doing a canny job for the flock, also siring the 20,000gns lamb at Builth earlier this year. His mother is by the L37 Middle Dukesfield. This strapping lamb sold to Messrs Blackhall, Banchory. The Kirkstead lambs levelled out at an even £2000, making more than a satisfactory end to the season for the McClymonts.

The overall champion in the Traditional section came out of the recorded lamb class from Welsh breeder Aled Jones, Craig Yr Orsedd. This lovely lamb is no stranger to the showring, already making his mark earlier in the autumn at the Welsh progeny show, where he was part of the progeny Champion group. He is by the 3800gns Elian sire which has done so well for him and out of one of the flocks’ best ewes, J86, which is 8 years old and still going strong. This lamb is just another in a good line of sheep out of her, as she had two in the progeny champion group back in 2022 and in the winning gimmer class at this years progeny show too. Hazel Brown had no hesitation in awarding this lamb the red, white and blue ticket and followed up her judgement by taking him home in a deal for £3200.

Trade was strong on the day for the best lots, but buyers were always looking for strong, powerful tups with good clean skins. If sheep didn’t quite measure up to this they were harder to shift.