NSA Wales & Border Ram Sale – Builth Wells

A glorious autumnal day dawned for the Builth Wells sale and with the grass getting greener by the day and lamb prices holding firm and  a good trade at the breeding sales there was plenty of optimism around the ringside all day, with bidders keen to land their targets, helping trade hold up and with a near full clearance rate, the averages soared, with the traditional shearlings having a 99% clearance rate and their averages up £366 on the year and the whole sale grossing just shy of £475,000.

Whilst the trade didn’t hit the highs of last year, which saw a top of £20,000, there were plenty of good prices, with a joint top of 7000gns. The first to hit this mark came from the noted Kirkstead flock, with a powerful lamb, which stood 4^th in the show, by the Espley R1 and out of the great show ewe, Kirkstead Sasha, a G1 Burndale daughter, which has bred well and also starred in the showring too, taking the Reserve Interbreed at this years Highland Show. He sold to Aled Jones, Craig-yr-Orsedd. Kirkstead also took the reserve champion at the pre-sale show, with a lamb by the £12,000 Madrissa. This was out of Kirkstead N37, another of the Show team, being part of the Penrith Champion group last year and taking first at this year’s Scottish progeny show. This one was bought by Dewi Parry for 4200gns.

Ther next at 7000gns came just a few lots later from the Espley flock. It was a case of Back to the Future, when their tup lamb, out of a Logie Durno N7 daughter and sired by Mossvale Ronnie, a tup Michael bought way back in 2004 for £2600. Going back to this old, successful bloodline proved to be a great move, for this cracking lamb, which stood second in the pre-sale show and also second at this years Highland show too, gained plenty of attention and was much talked about. Final bidders were Scott Thomason, Piel View and Noel & Karen Wood, Creel.

It was another old boy making the next highest price. This massive aged tup, Woodcroft R2, bought out of Carlisle a few years back and has done a great job for the Blacket House flock, with 9 of his shearlings at the sale all by him, helping Dewi win the Arthur Yates trophy for the best run of tups. He took the trip back up North as Frank Johnson, Ashes, invested 6000gns into him. Quality and power ran right through the Blacket House consignment, with his shearling selling to 4800gns for T27 Blacket House, sired by P3 Woodcroft and another by N13 Cocklaw making 4200gns.

The Champion in the Traditional ring, judged by Derek Henderson, went to a shearling from John and Llinos Griffiths of the Tyhir flock. This smart tup, which had stood second at the Royal Welsh Show earlier in the summer, is by the P2 Mendick, which has done well for them. He sold to Brain Baker of the Olives flock for 5800gns.

This year saw classes split into traditional and Crossing classes for the first time, and Peter Heard was up from Devon to cast his eye over them. Taking the champion ticket was a smart tup lamb from Owen Jones with Underwood V15. He is a son of the £9000 P16 Marriforth, which has done well for them, helping their mules to a top of £300 and average £214 for 180 lambs at the breeding sales. He sold for 1100gns to The Simpson Family, Woodseat Blues

The Richards family topped the Crossing type, with Mcffi V5, a lamb by the S1 Temain, a son of the noted Beeches Wingman and out of a homebred ewe by Riddings N2. This stretchy lamb sold for 1900gns to Mike Anderson with another by the same tup making 1350gns too.