Longtown Ladies Sale Report

The seventh annual “Longtown Ladies” sale of pedigree breeding sheep was held on Monday evening, 11th January 2021 by C & D Auction Marts Ltd.  Trade was exceptionally strong throughout reflecting the high quality of the sheep on offer.

133 head achieved a 96% selling rate to average £1,079 overall with 31 four figure prices.  38% sold to the 383 registered on-line bidders who social-distanced by using the Marteye bidding platform recently adopted by the mart.

Lot 31 sold for 8000gns Auldhouseburn

Taking the honours, and setting a centre record for a Texel, was a shearling gimmer from Alan Blackwood, Auldhouseburn, Muirkirk.  In lamb with a single to Bellefield Double Dutch, this daughter of Rhaeadr Best of the Best sold at 8,000gns to the Ettrick flock of Gordon Gray. 

Lot 29 sold for 6400gns Auldhouseburn

At 6,400gns, Auldhouseburn sold another by the same sire, and again in lamb to Double Dutch, to Northern Irish buyer, J. Cubbitt of Ballymena. T

Lot 30 sold for 3600gns Auldhouseburn

The remainder of the Auldhouseburn pen of gimmers will also be crossing the Irish Sea to T. Kenny, Ballinasloe, Galway at 4,000gns and to B. Farrell, Oberstown, County Meath at 3,600gns.  The Auldhouseburn average was £5,775.

Lot 53 sold for 3200 gns Knap

Perthshire based Robert Cockburn of Knap Texels sold a gimmer, in lamb to Sportsmans Cannonball at 3,200gns to Steven Smith & family of the Penparc flock with others from Knap making to 2,400gns and 2,200gns and averaging £2,546.  Just short of this average, at £2,484 was Steven Renwick, Craig Douglas with the sale of the 2019 sire of the year Knock Bantastic daughter at 3,200gns to J. Pirie, Blarnavaid and another at 3,000gns.  Thomas Muirhead, Orchilmore had sales at 2,400gns and 2,000gns, the former going to L.M. Jones, Ynsytoddeeb .

Lot 89 sold for 3200 gns Hexel

Texel ewe hoggs sold extremely well with a £2,134 average for D & S MacPherson's Hexel flock from Berwick on Tweed who topped at 3,200gns, for a daughter of the home-bred Born to be Wild, going to Evistones Farm, Otterburn. J. D. Hair, Drumbreddan had three four-figure prices for his pen of ewe hoggs which sold at up to 2,200gns.

Dutch Texel in-lamb gimmers from G. Pyman's Thacka flock from Stainton, Penrith went to 2,100gns, paid by A. Mutch & Son, Heath Holm, Oxfordshire with others to 1,800gns, 1,600gns and 1,300gns.  Beltex in-lamb gimmers sold to 520gns from Auchenlay.

Lot 150 sold for 3800 gns Tiptop

The sale concluded with five choice Dutch Spotted in lamb hoggs from Ali Jackson's Tiptop flock, Maulscastle, Annan. These averaged £3,360 and sold to 3,800gns, to R. Heigh of Brook House, and 3,600gns to L. Robertson, Ashlea, Horton with others at 3,200gns, 2,800gns & 2,600gns.

Lot 149 sold for 3600 gns Tiptop

Lot 152 sold for 3200 gns Tiptop

Averages:  70 Texel Gimmers - £1,204; 19 Texel Ewe Hoggs - £899; 16 Dutch Texel Gimmers - £782; 17 Beltex Gimmers & Ewe Hoggs - £441; 5 Dutch Spotted Ewe Hoggs - £3,360.

Lot 82 sold for 3000 gns Craig Douglas

Lot 83 sold for 3200 gns Craig Douglas

Lot 92 sold for 2200 gns Dumbreddan

Lot 111 sold for 3200 gns Thacka