NSA Wales & Border Ram Sale – Builth Wells – 21st September 2026

NSA Wales & Border Ram Sales – Builth Wells

Kindly Sponsored by British Wool

The annual pilgrimage to Builth Wells of sheep breeders from across the UK took place as usual on the Royal Welsh showground, but there was a shiny new location for the Bluefaced Leicesters this year, in the main ‘Hall 1’. It was a fittingly prime location for what is unquestionably one of the breeds premier sales.

Rising to the top this year was the traditional champion from the show held the night before. Judge Lindsay Currie, Braegarrie, had his work cut out for him, but Monday’s sale more than vindicated his decision, when the shearling tup from Aled and Aron Jones, Craig-yr-Orsedd flock sold away for 11,000gns. There’d been a bit of buzz about this tup, Craig-yr-Orsedd V13, leading up into the sale ever since his sire, Blacket House S21 had swept all before him at the Llanfyllin progeny show at the beginning of August. He’s as good an aged tup as many reckon they’ve seen in Wales, and his first shearling son to be offered for sale certainly carried his father’s stamp. His tremendous outlook, top and skin set tongues wagging as soon as he strode into the ring, and following a fierce battle between three Scottish flocks all keen to secure the best of Welsh genetics, he went home to Kirkstead after Sam McClymont held his nerve the longest and sealed the winning bid with a nod.

The next highest price was achieved by the final sheep through either of the rings as the Harries family sold their old stock tup, Woodcroft R5. He’d served the Hope flock well, having sired lambs to 6800gns in the past, as well as and excellent pen of lambs again this year, of which you can read more about shortly… He is a son of the £4500 Towdypotts P1, who really needs no introduction having bred so many illustrious tups for Woodcroft these last few years. There was a slight case of déjà vu when the hammer landed at 6000gns, as that’s exactly the same price his one time pen mate, Woodcroft R2 made last year when he was offered for sale at Builth too. Taking home this absolute bull of a tup was Martin Quinn, Whinnyhall.

The Tyhir flock have been turning heads at Builth with their shearlings for a couple of years now, and they followed up their champion from last year with another cracker. Tyhir V1 oozed style, his head never went down all day, and the pen was a hive of activity all morning as a result. He’s line bred to the £1800 Mendick P2, bought from the late John Dykes as a lamb at Carlise, and he’s certainly proved to be a bargain. Taking him home to Walney Island were Scott and Claire Thomason, Piel View, after paying 3800gns for the privilege. Tyhir weren’t done with the headline prices either, as another son of the Mendick, this time out of a ewe by the Griffiths’s two time Royal Welsh champion, Kirkstead K3, sold away for commercial use at 3000gns.

The first prize traditional tup lamb class in the show, again kindly sponsored by British Wool this year, went to the McClymonts. Incredibly it was the third year in a row, and the fifth time in six visits with lambs to Builth, that Kirkstead have won this class, all the more impressive considering they’ve also won the corresponding class at Kelso these past two years as well, stunning consistency. This year’s winner was sired by the same sire as last year’s, the £12,000 Madrissa S7, who has bred tremendously well in his first two seasons for the flock, with sons to £15,000 and daughters to 11,000gns. Kirkstead W30 was a needle sharp lamb, who commanded attention in Sunday’s show, and again in the ring on Monday. The hammer landed eventually at 3600gns, and he sold to relatively new breeder, Ben Simpson. Kirkstead’s other lamb, W2, also met a good trade. He was by the £22,000 Glamis T2, and is a full brother to W1 who was champion and joint top price at Kelso earlier this month. He sold to Robert Murdoch, Watch Hill, who had to shell out 2000gns to take him home.

The second highest lamb on the day came from Welsh stalwart Tudor Harries and family from his renowned Bonvilston flock. More known for turning out magnificent shearlings, this was the best lamb the flock had offered for a few years. Bonvilston W1 is a son of last year’s Royal Welsh Male champion, Kirkstead S4, who’s pedigree is the stuff of dreams being a son of both the £23,000 Espley R1 and the legendary Beldhu P11 who has bred sons to £15,000 and daughters to 18,000gns, some going for ewe. The lamb’s mother was reserve female champion at this year’s Royal Welsh, in case his father’s CV wasn’t enough! It wasn’t just the supreme depth of pedigree that he had to offer though, he had an abundance of bone, power and masculinity seldom seen in a tup lamb. He sold for 3200gns in a two way split to a pair of top flocks, Piel View and Shrewbridge.

The next highest priced lamb was one which was trailed earlier in this report… Hope W1 was a unit of a tup lamb sired by the Woodcroft R5, and out of a ewe by Brindifield N2 who needs no introduction after siring lambs to 15,000gns for the flock on his way to being sire of the year back in 2022. W1 was another lamb to sell into Scotland, as he made his way up to near Glasgow to be the new stock tup for Robert Martin’s Hippingstanes flock after landing the final bid of 2600gns.

In the crossing section the champion, chosen by judge Richard Thomas, Tan House, was the tup lamb from the Jones family, Underwood. He was a son of Binsey V8 who Owen bought out Hawes last year. Full of crossing blood, he goes back to Highberries K7 who has done so well for Robert Marrs over many years. His first son was always going to be in demand after the success the coloured mule gimmers from Upper Rheol have enjoyed this year, taking champion pen at Welshpool and selling to a top of £430 and an average of £307 for their first 100 lambs, unprecedented prices for Welsh mule gimmer lambs. He sold away for 1400gns to be the new stock sire for Tegwyn Jones, Goyalltywi flock. The success for Underwood wasn’t reserved for the crossing type either, as impressively they won the award for best run of tups in Ring 2 for their traditionals which met a roaring trade, topping at 2300gns and levelling out at 1700gns, some achievement to rise to the top with both types of this diverse breed.

The Jones family didn’t have everything their own way in the crossing section as top price went to Henry Bennett, Springwood X. Their shearling tup, Springwood X V4 was the first crosser through the ring, and he set the bar high selling away at 1600gns. He was full of the best of breeding, being a son of the £8000 Temain S1, who is most famous for breeding the top priced tup in the breed last year when McFfi V1 sold for £40,000 up at Hawes. V4 had a depth of breeding on his dam’s side as well as he goes back to Shafthill M37, who Henry bought off the Smith-Jacksons a few years ago to be his flock’s foundation ewe.