A new centre record price for a North Country Cheviot ram was achieved at Dingwall Mart when a two-shear from Martyn Cook’s Dorrery flock sold for £10,500.
The annual sale, which attracted a large ringside of buyers, saw 663 rams cash in to average £532.29 – up £118.91 on last year’s sale for 62 less sold.
Dingwall and Highland Marts auctioneer Paul Spencer said: “Buyers were meticulous in their buying as well-bred tups with character were keenly bid for, while plainer and smaller types met a more hesitant demand.”
Achieving a new centre record price was Martyn Cook’s home-bred, two-shear ram from his 700-ewe flock at Scotscalder, Halkirk. Surpassing the flock’s previous best of £9,000 and standing reserve champion in the pre-sale show, he is by a son of the £2,600 Eriboll tup sold at Lairg last year, out of a home-bred ewe.
The buyer was James McCaig Farms, Wester Jawcraig, Falkirk.
Next best at £6,000 was a two-shear ram from father-and-son duo Scott and Farquhar Renwick, Inverbroom, Ullapool.
Selling to Suisgill Estates, Helmsdale, was a home-bred son of the £1,600 Suisgill Parahandy, out of a home-bred ewe.
Leslie and Tina Robertson from Inkstack, Thurso, achieved the highest Highland flock average of £1,800 for nine rams.
The couple’s consignment reached a top of £4,500 for a three-shear by a home-bred tup, out of a Badanloch ewe, which sold to Andrew Elliot’s Woodside flock, near Kelso.
Two other three-shears from Inkstack sold for £3,300 and £3,000.
Dearest when selling to Keodale Sheep Club, Durness, was a son of Inkstack Sandy, while the Badanloch flock, Sutherland, paid £3,000 for a ram by Badanloch White.
The Queen Elizabeth Castle of Mey Trust’s Longoe flock from Caithness, sold a two-shear ram for £4,200 to Suisgill Estates.
Brought out by brothers Danny and Sandy McCarthy, was Longoe Warlord, a son of the £3,000 Longoe Transformer, out of an Attonburn Lionheart ewe.
They also received £3,200 for another two-shear bred the same way, this time Longoe Woodcock, which sold to David Renwick, Keppoch, Dundonnell.
On the other side of the coin, the Renwicks from Inverbroom, paid £3,800 for a two-shear ram from David Renwick, Keppoch, while Bill and Fanny Elliot, Hethpool, Wooler, sold an aged tup for £3,400 to Messrs Campbell, Brampton, Penrith.
Fiona MacLeod of the Migdale flock at Bonar Bridge, sold three rams for £3,200 twice and £2,800.
First at £3,200 was a shearling which sold to R MacPherson, Riverfoot, Glenelg, while M and S Wilson and Son, Newbank, Moffat, paid the same money for a two-shear.
The buyer of the £2,800 two-shear from Migdale was Wilma Robertson, 3 Borgie, Thurso.