Carlisle – Traditional Type – 9th October 2026

Carlisle Bluefaced Leicester sale

Kindly sponsored  by Allflex UK Group Ltd

Borderway Auction, Carlisle hosted the final association sale on the mainland for the season, with a catalogue of over 1100 sheep entered in both the Traditional and Crossing rings. Trade was brisk throughout with the auctioneers find good strong tups best to sell.

In the Traditional ring it was the very first tup lamb, from the Woodcroft flock, into the ring which set the standard. The Peart family had already won the John Dykes memorial trophy for the best pen of lambs, and all morning the pen was full of interested parties, and the ring filled to capacity ahead of the entrance to their consignment. Their first lamb was a full brother the Champion from 3 years previously, by the £4500 Towdy Potts which has done exceptionally well for the renowned flock. Its mother is a 5-year-old ewe by the N9 Low Arkland tup and a very consistent breeder. The bidding was strong and the auctioneer, Oliver McClymont, dropped the hammer at £18,000, selling to the Bennett family of the Springwood Flock, Carmarthenshire. The Woodcroft flock enjoyed a great trade right through with a lamb by last years Champion, Burndale V1 selling for £5000 in a two-way split to Matthew Seed, Auchry and Messrs Goldie, Kilmarnock. The Woodcroft pen levelled out at a very healthy £3510 for 10 lambs.

The judge, Oliver Jones, Y-Ddol, did a very through job picking out his choices. He had around 40 tup lambs forward to pick through, showing the depth of the Traditional breed at this moment in time. The Champion came from Dewi and Meinir Parry, Nant-y-Glyd, Anglesey. Not only was it their very first ticket at Carlisle it was also fitting that it was 20 years to the day that they first established their flock, when Dewi landed back from the sale with his foundation gimmer….. A bit like the old Guiness advert… “Good things come to those who wait!” Their Champion is by Piel View T1, bought out of Builth a couple of years ago for a bargain 2200gns. On his mothers’ side he is full of old bloodlines, going back to Plas-y-Ward W3, who did ever so well for Shrewbridge and also back to the Mossvale W2. The hammer fell at £9000, a personal best for this flock too, with the Judge backing his decision, and taking his Champion home with him. The Nant-y-Glyd flock enjoyed a nice trade throughout, with another by the R1 Philliphaugh hitting £2400 to give them a healthy average of £2114 for their 7 lambs.

The Ashes flock is always one to keep an eye on, and this year was no different, with his first lamb into the ring fetching £8000. This sharp lad was by the Woodcroft R2, who frank bought out of Builth last year as an old tup of the Blackett House flock, where he had done a great job after Dewi bought him out of Carlisle in 2022 for £3800. Frank had to dig deeper than that at Builth, shelling out 6000gns for this monster of a tup, which is by the Towdy Potts tup. He was snapped up by the Logie Durno team. Frank enjoyed a solid trade right through with a pen average of £2107 for his 7 lambs forward.

A 3 year-old tup bred by David Henderson, S4 North Burndale, enjoyed a canny trade fetching £4200 for James Common & Son, Crossdykes. He was bought by Daisy Williams from the Daisy flock. He has done a great job for the Crossdykes flock, and this was proved later in the day when the top priced female which came from the flock, was sired by him and sold for £3800.

A brace of tup lambs sold for £4000. The first of these came from Derek Henderson with W2 Burndale, a march born lamb by S21 Burndale. This sold to Tudor Harris, Bonvilston. The other to hit £4000 came from Scott & Clare Thomason, who enjoyed a great day’s trade, averaging £1921 for their 7 lambs. Their pen leader was by the 7000gns V1 Espley, bought out of Builth last year and out of a ewe by the R1 Hope. He won his class at the Penrith Progeny show earlier this year and another that they had there, which stood third in the class, also by the Espley made £3200.

The females enjoyed a strong trade too, with the 1^st placed lamb fetching £3500. This sharp lamb was from Sean Mitchell of the Grassknop flock. She is by the R8 Leadburnlea and purchased by Lisa Fleming heading to the Falnash flock, Teviot Head.

The Champion female came from the Springhill flock, with a really smart gimmer shearling by R15 Kirkstead, which sold for £3000 to Alfie Benbow, the female judge.

Once again it has been a good season for the Bluefaced Leicester tups, underlining the demand and versatility of the breed, which remains right at the heart of the British sheep industry, proving time and time again that you really cant beat the mule, from what ever breed or type of sheep, the Bluefaced tup is the best proven crossing option out there.