NSA Wales & Border Ram Sale – Builth Wells – 18th September 2023

Builth Wells  – Monday 18th September 2023

Show & Sale Kindly Sponsored by British Wool

After the fireworks of last years sale, this years sale at Builth was always going to be a difficult act to follow, and so it proved. Whilst the ring was crowded all day and pens were as busy as ive ever seen them, the purse strings were tightly controlled. Despite this there was a good demand and in the shearling tup rings there was a great clearence rate of 96%. The average was down around £98 on the year, but this was down more to there not being a high flying top price like last year, rather than less demand.

There was a shared top price, with the ceiling being a more modest 3000gns, as opposed to last years 26,000gns sale topper. The first of the 3000gns came from the show champion, judged the preceding night by Edward Peart, Woodcroft and Stuart Nelson, Medwyn. The champion was a great shearling from Sophie Harding and her renowned Shrewbridge flock. He is by the Ashes tup which they purchased out of Welshpool at the 2020 Covid sale for 6200gns and is proving to be a strong breeder, with gimmer shearlings by him taking the first three places at the Welsh progeny show earlier in the year, and all her pen of nine shearlings at the sale were sired by him, including her second placed ram. With the bidding being on the cautious side, the bids didnt exactly fly, but they reached the 3000gns mark quite quickly, and despite the auctioneers best efforts, he couldnt draw out any more bids from the packed ringside. The final bidders for this powerful shearling out of a ewe by the Cassington, were Aberdeenshire breeders, Matthew Seed and Gary Hall for the newly established Pinmoor flock. The second prize Shrewbridge, a very flashy shearling, made 2800gns, this was by the Ashes again, and out of a ewe by the old Lydbury Marcus Elite + which has been a mainstay of the flock, selling to Mike Anderson, Aberdeen.

The next at 3000gns was a smashing tup lamb from the Kirkstead flock, who made the long trip down from the Scottish Borders with their annual consignment of lambs and shearlings. The pen leader, Kirkstead Impeccable, stood fourth in the presale show, and was the first progeny offered for sale by the 23,000gns Espley lamb bought out of Carlisle last autumn, and out Kirkstead N34, a daughter of the Ashes L1, which also bred the reserve Champion at Kelso last week. It travelled back up into the Borders to Teviot Head to the Falnash flock from the Fleming family.

It was another long journey down for Michael and Nicky Gray from the Espley flock all the way from Morpeth on the Northumbrian coast. Their sole entry was a big powerful shearling which had stood second at the Highland show earlier in the season and had swelled out since then into a monster of a tup, long, clean and with a great skin. He was by the Logie Durno, same as last years tup at Carlisle and out of a ewe with homebred bloodlines on both sides. He sold in a 2500gns deal in a two way split with the Bonvilston and Tyhir flocks delighted to have bought a half each in such a great tup, full of potential.

More or less following the Espley flock into the ring was Lewis Rees from the Gludy flock, who enjoyed his best trade yet with his strong shearling ram. This boy is by the P2 North Burndale and out of a homebred ewe by the P1 Piel View, so is full of strong traditional bloodlines. He was knocked down for 2000gns to Ian Campbell. Lewis also enjoyed a strong trade for his gimmers too, topping the female trade with one by the same sire fetching 1000gns.

A further brace of lambs fetched 2000gns, the first of these was from Aled Jones and the Craig-yr-Orsedd flock with a tup lamb which took the first prize in the recorded lamb class. He is by a 3800gns Elian and out of a gimmer by the N3 Crossdykes. He was knocked down to the Espley flock. Aled enjoyed a good day at the office, taking 2nd place in the recorded lamb class too, which saw this son of Daisy N3 get sold for 1900gns, selling to the Y Ddol flock. He saw his pen of shearlings average out at £1180 for his 14 forward, showing a good demand for performance recorded sheep as shepherds look to improve the performance of thier flocks.

The other lamb hitting 2000gns saw Sophie Harding reinvesting some of her days income as she bought a much admired lamb from the Piel View pen. This lovely lamb, with a great skin and outlook is by the Hope R1 tup bought in Builth last year for 15,000gns and out of a ewe bythe Espley N1. He had been succesfully shown through the summer and was part of the champion progeny group at Penrith on a very damp day.

A couple of other notable prices saw a bid of 1800gns for a Cernyw lamb by their homebred “Muscleman” and Messrs Griffiths got 1800gns for a shearling by the N1 North Burndale. Meanwhile Eifion Thomas, Dolfechlas offered a smart tup lamb (Alix) for a very worthy cause, the sports charity “Head For Change” which sold for 1550gns.

The Reserve Overall Champion on the day was an Aged Ewe from the flock of Mr D W Henderson, Burndale. 65/L020 was sired by 891/H003 Lower Down, she sold for 1000gns, which was the joint top price female on the day. The other female selling for 1000gns was a shearling, 4717/R015 from Mr L W Rees of the Gludy flock.