Kelso Ram Sales produce number of record breakers

The 175th Kelso Ram Sales held on Friday at Springwood Park, were marked by a number of records.
Kelso Ram Sales 2014 at Springwood Park. Blackadder Texels from Neil Harvey at Blackadder Mains, Duns.Kelso Ram Sales 2014 at Springwood Park. Blackadder Texels from Neil Harvey at Blackadder Mains, Duns.
Kelso Ram Sales 2014 at Springwood Park. Blackadder Texels from Neil Harvey at Blackadder Mains, Duns.

A new top price of £35,000 was set for a single ram and with a record average of £684 established for 4,271 sheep traded, an astonishing £2.922million changed hands.

The record priced Texel shearling tup came from Lynn and Peter Gray, Scrogtonhead, Galston, and he was snapped up by Jeff Aiken for the Proctors of Clitheroe.

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Uncle and nephew partnership, Brian Redhead and Jonathon Watson, who run the 150-strong Brijon Texel flock at Bowsden Moor, Berwick, were delighted to come away with the second top trade of the day when they took a bid of £9,000 for their top tup, who went down to Paul Slater, in Cheshire. This was the best price so far for the relatively new Brijon flock.

Completing a grand day for Redhead and Watson, they also took the top trade in the Suffolk breed with a £5,400 bid for a shearling which was bought by Mrs C. Roots, Dumfries. They backed this sale up with a £2,000 sale of another Suffolk shearling to J. Pate, Toxside, Gorebridge.

Back in the Texels, Ted and Anne Fox, Akeld, Wooler, sold their top shearling to Mrs A, Hunter, Brinkburn, Morpeth, for £7,200 and Ian Murray, East Horton, Wooler, sold the 2014 Highland show Texel breed champion to Angela Nairey, Meinspride, Lancashire for £6,000.

Steven Renwick, Craig Douglas, Selkirk, featured highly in both selling and buying Texels. First he bought the top tup from Jimmy and Donald MacGregor, Dyke, Campsie, for £5,400 then he sold two of his shearlings for £4,200; the first went to Professor Penny, Harehead, Cranshaws, and the second to James Whiteford, Brampton.

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Ronnie and Neil Darling, Lilliesleaf, had to fork out £5,000 to get the best Texel from the Douganhill farms, Castle Douglas pen.

Late in the eight-hour sale, where 13 rings were in operation, John Elliot of Roxburgh Mains, Kelso, sold his top Texel shearling to Stephen Illingworth, Howgillside, Lockerbie, for £4,000.

The sale also proved there is still a strong interest in Bluefaced Leicesters for their ability to provide Cross and Mule ewes for the commercial lamb producer.

Top trade in the breed saw Allan Wight, Midlock, Biggar, sell a ram lamb to Philip Teasdale, Hexham, for £8,500.

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Colin and Derek Hall, Lilyburn, Penicuik, sold the top priced shearling to J. Kay, Hartside, Lauder, for £6,000 while Susan Napier, Burnhead, Peebles, sold her top shearling for £4,200 to Sam McClymont, Tinnis, Yarrow.

The Campbell family from Easter Happrew, Peebles, also took a good trade in the Blues, topping out at £3,800, with M. Thornborrow, Easter Dawyck, Peebles, and Malcolm Couborough, Biggar, as joint buyers.

Suffolk numbers were back on previous years, but Ian Hepburn, Northhouse, Hawick, had to go to £3,500 to get the best shearling from the Lillburn Partnership.

On the evening before the sale, Malcolm Stewart, Brotherstone, Melrose, sold 45 Suffolk shearlings on his farm, thus breaking 50 years of his family selling at Kelso.

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