A large crowd of Blackface enthusiasts from right across the UK travelled to Lawrie and Symington Auction Mart, Lanark, for the annual Blackface sheep breeder’s association female show and sale.
The quality of stock was high from start to finish, leading to a strong average of £1,600 being obtained for the 30 lots sold and an overall clearance rate of 85%.
Judge for the pre-sale show was Hazel Brown, Birthwood, Biggar. She had no easy task with the high quality lots on offer, but catching her eye was a super in-lamb shearling ewe from the Wright family’s well-known Midlock flock.
The champion lot then went on to top the sale, selling for 3,600gns (€4,575).
This standout shearling ewe was a daughter of the much admired £75,000 Dyke and her dam went back to the £60,000 Loughash. She was scanned in-lamb carrying a single to the £24,000 Nunnerie. Placing the winning bid on this genetic dream was Robert and Iain Shaw.
Shearling ewe
The day's next highest price of 3,300gns (€4,194) was paid out by Alasdair and Andrew Fletcher for the second prizewinning in-lamb shearling ewe.
This flashy in-lamb shearling ewe was presented for sale by the Wights’ Grains flock.
She was scanned in-lamb with a single to the £18,000 Dyke. She was a daughter of the £19,000 Tullykeeran.
Following directly after her prizewinning pen mate was another in-lamb shearling ewe form the Grains flock.
This time selling for 2,000gns (€2,542) to David Morrison of the well-known Dalwyne flock.
She was sired by the £20,000 Dalwyne and scanned in-lamb with twins to the homebred ram Cyclone.
Topping the aged ewe section at 3,000gns (€3,815) was the second prize-winning ewe from the Midlock flock.
This top-priced aged ewe was sired by the £8,000 Dyke and out of a £25,000 Crossflat daughter. She was scanned carrying twins to Cyclone and was purchased by Jake Ronald.
Overall reserve champion
The next top price of 2,400gns (€3,050) was paid out for the day's overall reserve champion and first prize-winning ewe from the Aberuchill Estate flock.
This powerful two-crop ewe was sired by the £14,000 Crossflatt.
She was scanned in-lamb carrying twins to the £65,000 Auldhouseburn.
She was purchased by Ewan Fraser.
Robert Cockburn's Hill of Errol flock also had a great day in the sales ring achieving a top price of 2,100gns (€2,669). She was an in-lamb shearling ewe by the £24,000 Dyke and out of a ewe sired by a son of the £26,000 Dalchirla. She was scanned carrying twins to the £15,000 Dalchirla and was picked up by Elliot Bowman.
A second in-lamb shearling ewe from the Hill of Errol flock sold 2,000gns (€2,542), to John Robertson.
She was sired by a £5,000 Elmscleugh ram. She was scanned carrying twins to the £15,000 Dalchirla.
Gosland pen
The Marshall family’s Gosland pen was topped at 2,000gns (€2,542), for an in-lamb shearling ewe. She was sired by a son of the £11,000 Auldhouseburn, out of a ewe sired by the £5,000 Loughash. She was scanned carrying a single to the £13,000 Dalchirla and was purchased by Messrs Williams.
Archie and John MacGregor's Allanfauld flock, also received 2,000gns (€2,542) for an in-lamb shearling ewe.
This £15,000 Nunnerie daughter was purchased by the day's judge, Hazel Brown. She was scanned carrying triplets to the £10,000 Elmscleugh.
John Murray’s Crossflatt flocks’ consignment topped at 1,900gns (€2,415), for an in-lamb shearling ewe sired by McCoy Lookalike, out of a ewe sired by Spectre. She was scanned carrying twins to the home-bred ram Titan - its first 10 sons sold to an average of £24,900 in 2024. This well-bred ewe was also purchased by Robert and Iain Shaw.
Show results:
In-lamb aged ewe class
Hogget Ewe Class
Champion: Midlock (in-lamb shearling ewe)
Reserve champion: Aberuchill (in-lamb aged ewe)