Bumper gimmer shearling opener

In the five standalone show classes for pens of ten, the Continental victors were first-time South Yorkshire husband and wife exhibitors, David and Mandy Warttig, of Pule Hill Farm, Thurgoland, with pure-bred Texels by rams purchased a couple of years ago from Procters Farm in Wray and all sons of the renowned 100,000gns Sportmans Batman.

The Warttigs, who run 450 Texel breeding ewes, became the second recipients of The James Boothman Memorial Trophy, donated for the first time last year by Linton’s Thomas Boothman in memory of his late father. The class winners made £300 per head, purchased by P Eckersley, Blackburn.

The second prize pen, three-quarters Texels from the Coverdale family in Beckwithshaw, Harrogate, sold at £280, the third prize winners from H Harvey & Son, making their annual pilgrimage north from Waxham in Norfolk, getting away at £225.

Continental shearlings sold better than expected given the grass situation throughout the country, with the ring supported well by both local farmers and purchasers coming from across northern counties for runs of nice shearlings. Best-bred Texels traded very well, £240-plus being the price for pure-bred smart types with size, with numerous vendors achieving up to £300.

Top price of £340 fell to some cracking shearlings from the aforementioned Thomas Boothman, while strong Texels, both crossed and pure with size, sold above £200 for the top ends of vendors’ runs. First-crossed shearlings with size and power sold at £180-£220, while the leaner end and smaller framed ewes traded at £145-£165.

Suffolks sold a shade easier on the year, plenty of commercial crossed shearlings trading at

£150-£160, the best end of vendors’ runs making a respectable £175-plus. Top price came from T Webster, of Skipton, for a pen of five pure Suffolks at £400.

Mr Boothman was called upon again to present his late uncle’s Edgar Boothman Trophy, awarded annually to the first prize pen of North of England Mule shearlings, to the red rosette winners from show regular James Towler, of Steelands Farm, Grindleton, in the Ribble Valley.

Purchased at the previous year’s annual North of England Mule Sheep Association (NEMSA) gimmer lamb sales, some from Skipton, all by Bluefaced Leicester tups from leading northern breeders, the majority of the shearlings had lambed as hoggs. Second generation Mule user and breeder Mr Towler, accompanied by partner Samantha Fawcett, saw his class winners sell at £260 each to Garrowby Estate Farms, York.

Settle’s Amy Wilson stood runner-up, her pen doing better at £270. The Fox family from Withgill, Clitheroe, finishing third, their charges away at £255. Mules were a very sharp trade, continuing to sell very well right to the very last pen, another pen from Thomas Boothman making £245. Other prices to note included JW Hall, Darnbrook, Malham Moor, who sold 420 Mules to tops of £255 and £245, with Thomas and Sheila Binns, of, Downham, hitting £250 twice and the East Anglian Harveys £245.

Across the board, Mule buyers bid strongly for pens vaccinated against Enzootic Abortion and Toxicosis, with additional buyers looking for sheep which were treated with Footvax. Most of the fully vaccinated pens sailing away from £180 into the £200s.

The annual Masham Sheep Breeders Association show was won for an unprecedented fourth year running by breed stalwarts WD Douthwaite & Partners, of Kirkby Overblow, who still run their Mashams on another farm at Menwith Hill, with Chris Douthwaite’s daughter Amanda continuing to serve as Masham Sheep Breeders chairman.

Their first prize pen, by a mix of both home-bred and bought-in tups, sold at a section-topping £252 per head to C Parker of Market Harborough. The third prize pen from the same home, these all home-breds, making £190. The Liddle family, from Stainburn, Otley, finished second and fourth in class, their runners-up selling at £218.

A separate show class for non-association Masham gimmer shearlings was again won by father and son, Mark and Freddie Harrison, who trade as V Verity & Son at Whitmoor Farm, West End, Summerbridge. Their home-bred pen, by a selection of tups that were themselves sons of Bainbridge Bros Marrick Abbey rams, made £218 each when going to C Parker once again, the second prize pen from the same home selling at £200. From Airton, John and Claire Wright’s third prize pen sold at £180.

Repeat winners and also runners-up in the Cheviot Mules show class were JW Hall & Son, of Darnbrook - father and son, both James, and brother William – both their pens selling at £200. Cheviot Mules and Cheviot-x Texels were a nice trade, D&SJ Pinder, of Newton, selling seven pens from £200 up to a top of £240.

The sale started with 2 shear-plus ewes and a ringside keen for ewes of all ages, with more required to satisfy demand. Individual breed averages were: North of England Mule shearlings £176.85 (+£1.28), Masham shearlings £187.20 (-£8.88), Texel shearlings £175.61 (-£10.16), Suffolk shearlings £151.14 (-£23.52) and Cheviot Mule shearlings £185.66 (+£12.29)

Rams also made an appearance for the first time in many years with shearlings of all breeds. The Robinson family from Pannal, Harrogate, regularly making 600-800gns for Texel/Beltex crosses, while Messrs Denby, of Longtown, took chief price of 700gns with a Suffolk shearling.

Continentals were judged by Elslack’s Jim Scriven and stepson Chris Beckerton, Mules by Angus Dean, Threshfield, and Jon Frankland, Rathmell, and Mashams by Ernest Bainbridge, Reeth. Co-sponsors were British Wool Marketing Board, Top Tags and WE Jameson.