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A roaring trade for North Country Cheviot shearling rams at Quoybrae saw averages soar by £166 to level at just shy of £1000 per head.
Top price was £4100 paid for Cairnside Anchorman, from Alan Simpson, Cairnside, Watten. He is by Biggins Warrior and sold to Northern Ireland breeder, JA Armstrong, Leam House, Enniskillin, Co Fermanagh.
The Campbell family’s Bardnaclavan consignment from Thurso, brought out by Jonnie, enjoyed a cracking trade to average £1830 for 10, with a top price of £4000 paid for a son of the £1400 Wester Tamnavulin, which in turn was by Bardnaclavan Rover. Bardnaclavan Ace is bred from a ewe by a Durran sire and sold to Cairnside and J and M Crowe, Overton, Lybster.
Three other Bardnaclavan shearlings by the £1900 Longoe Whistler bought here in 2018 made £3300, £2400 and £2100.
The dearest, Bardnaclavan Armani, bred from a ewe by Cairnside Royal Mail, was knocked down to James Mackay, South Balkeith, Tain
The £2400 Bardnaclavan Apache, which stood second in his class at the Royal Highland Show, last year, is out of a ewe by Cairnside Northern Lights and sold to D Campbell, Mill Farm, Thrumster.
Welsh breeder, DSG Davis, Godre Garth, then went to £2100 for Bardnaclavan All Gold.
Not to be outdone, Bardnaclavan Assasin, by Sebay Vermont made £2000 selling to Messrs Morrison and Mustard, Hillhead, Birnie, Elgin.
On the debit side, Bardnaclavan and Alan Smith Upper Cornquoy, went into partnership to buy the two top priced lots from James Allan’s Durran flock from Durran Mains, Thurso, and the Orkney-based Sebay flock of JS Baillie and Co, Tankerness. Dearest at £3600 was Durran Ace sired by Biggins Wizard.
The duo also forked out £2200 for Sebay Almighty, a son of Harestone Woohoo from the Baillie family.
Matching that price was the best from HM The Queen’s Longoe flock, from Castle of Mey, brought out by Danny McArthur. Longoe Admiral is by Balkeith Vital Spark.
Just behind, on £2000, Neil Barclay, Harestone, Insch, and Harry Sleigh, St Johns Wells, Fyvie, bought Achscrabster Awwesome, an Upper Cornquoy Vigour son from Henry Mill, Achscrabster.
n Breeding gimmers sold the same day also sold well with 217 park-type Cheviot gimmers selling to a top of £800 from Biggins, Killimster, to average £250.73. The 361 hill-type Cheviots levelled at £139.97 with a top price of £185 from Torrabus, Kirk. The combined Cheviot average was £181.56 (+£33.40 on the year).
Mule gimmers (290) averaged £156.21 (+£18.77) selling to £172 from Strichen Mains, Strichen; Texel gimmers (87) averaged £151.34 (+£30.40) from a top price of £198 from Skaill, Forss; Beltex (38) levelled at £161.47 with a top of £165 three times, from Skaill, Forss and twice from Lybster, Forss and the 33 other breeds of gimmers hit a top of £172 for Cheviot Mules, from Strichen Mains, Strichen.
LEADING prices
Gimmers – Park Chev – Biggins, Yeldabreck, Burray £480; Smiddyquoy, Watten £450; 8
Henderson Square, Watten £420; 8 Upper Dounreay, Thurso £360; 3 Skaill £350; St Johns Wells, Fyvie £340; Roadside, Smerlie £320.
Hill Chev – Durran, Castletown £170; Lybster, Forss £168; Aylwin, Gersa £165; Brackside, Reay and Torrabus £160; Lower Westerdale, Halkirk £155; Lower Gills,Canisbay, 4 Hempriggs Row, Wick, Trantlemore, Forsinard £150.
Mule – Strichen Mains £170; Killimster Mains, Wick £165; Westerloch, Wick £155, Thrumster Little, Thrumster £150.
Tex – 3 Skaill £165; Smeral, Bower £160; Haakon, Lyth £152; Thirdpart, Watten £145.
Chev Mule – Strichen Mains £170.
Cont – Thrumster Little £105; Aber – Durran, Castletown £122; Shc – Hillside, Killimster (Miller) £100; Suff – Mossburn, Geise £100.
averages
54 shearling rams, £997.59 (+£166.04 for four fewer)
FLOCK averages
Shearling rams
Flock (No) Top (£) Average
Bardnaclavan (10) 4000 1830.00
Durran Mains (3) 3600 1400.00
Sebay (6) 2200 758.00
Longoe (4) 2200 1150.00
Cairnside (3) 4100 1866.00
Wester (3) 1100 633.33
Upper Cornquoy (4) 1100 737.00
Smerlie (4) 1000 787.50
Biggins (6) 550 450.00
