Blackface shearling rams met a strong demand at Lawrie and Symington’s Lanark Mart, with a top price of £45,000 and overall averages up by £490 per head on the year, to level at £2,952.
Leading the way, late in the sale, was the best from Allan and Ben Wight’s Midlock consignment, a son of a £30,000 Nunnerie tup.
Out of the same ewe that produced the £100,000 Midlock, this one sold in a two-way split to Robert Cockburn, Hill of Errol, Errol, and the Dunlop family at Elmscleugh, Dunbar.
Another from the Midlock flock, based at Crawford, near Biggar, made £20,000 to Malcolm Coubrough, Hartside, Lamington. It was sired by a home-bred £30,000 tup.
Richard Carruthers received a top of £36,000 for a shearling from his Merkland flock, from Thornhill, Dumfries. He is sired by the £34,000 Crossflatt tup that previously bred sons at £20,000 and £11,000 twice for the flock. A trio of buyers were final bidders on this one – Billy Renwick, Blackhouse, Yarrow; Burncastle Farming, Lauder, and the Campbells at Glenrath.
Jimmy and Donald MacGregor’s Dyke shearlings attracted plenty of attention, with four of those hitting the five-figure mark. Dearest, at £32,000, was a son of £17,000 Midlock, which sold to Mairi and Robert Paterson, Dunruchan, Crieff, buying along with Alan McClymont, Kirkstead, Yarrow and Sam McClymont, Tinnis, Selkirk.
Others from Dyke made £15,000, to Danny Hair, Drumbreddan, Stranraer and David Ferguson, Drannandow; £12,000 to Archie and John MacGregor, Allanfauld, Kilsyth, and Alastair MacArthur, Nunnerie, Elvanfoot; and £11,000 to Stephen Duncan’s Livet flock at Glenlivet.
The Renwick family, from Corsebank, Sanquhar, enjoyed their best ever trade, selling to £28,000 for a son of a £1000 South Cobbinshaw tup, which went to Andrew Provan, Parkhall, Douglas; the Hamiltons of Aikengall, Dunbar and Malcolm Coubrough, Hartside, Lamington.
Shearlings from Archie and John MacGregor’s Allanfauld pen, Kilsyth, proved popular, with the pen number one reaching £22,000.
Sired by a £30,000 Nunnerie, he went across the water to Northern Ireland, selling to Messrs McGuigan.
Another from Allanfauld, by a £16,000 Midlock, made £11,000 to Alastair MacArthur, Nunnerie, Elvanfoot, and Allan Wight, Midlock, Crawford.
Making £18,000, was one from Alan Smith, Wester Crosswoodhill, West Calder.
Sired by a £9000 Glenrath, he was knocked down to Scott Lambie, Ashcraig, Selkirk; Philiphaugh Trust’s Dryhope flock at Yarrow and the Hamiltons’ Crosswoodhill flock at West Calder.
Two shearlings hit the £15,000 mark, including one from the Campbells’ at Glenrath, which sold to the Allanfauld and Hartside flocks.
The other at that money came for the last lot in the ring, from Derek Brown’s Madrissa consignment, which sold jointly to Ian Hunter, Dalchirla, Crieff, and the Campbells, Glenrath.
Hugh and Alan Blackwood achieved a top of £14,000 for their Auldhouseburn tups, with that one selling to the Campbells’ Easter Happrew flock, near Peebles, while Willie Dunlop and sons Quintin and William, sold Elmscleugh shearlings at £12,000 to Borthwickshiels and £10,000 to Gosland.
Another at five-figures came from the Paterson Family, Dunruchan, Crieff, with their best, a son of a £4500 Fingland, selling at £10,000 to Larg, Creetown, and Jimmy Wallace, Fingland, Dalry.
Other five-figure sellers included one at £11,000 from Craigdarroch; £10,000 from Kirkstead and £10,000 from Glenrath.