Brougher Cruiser leads Carlisle at 7000gns

They say the first sheep at a sale is always the cheapest but Andrew McCutcheon and Sally Ritson’s aged ram bucked that trend and the Badger Face Texel Sheep Society’s sale at Harrison and Hetherington’s Borderway centre on Saturday, 26 August, when he sold for the top price of 7000gns. 

Their Brougher Cruiser, a two-shear from their flock based in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, was Male Champion and Reserve Supreme at the pre-sale show the evening before. He is by the noted ram, Drumard Ed, while is dam is an imported Sunnybank ewe by a Braam Raats sire. Forking out the cash was Clive Richardson who takes him back to County Fermanagh to work in his Cleenagh flock. 

Three shared the second highest price of 3500gns with the first of these being Hunters Dizee Rascal, a shearling from the judge of the pre-sale show, John MacGregor, and his wife, Bryony, from Kilsyth, Glasgow. Originally bred by Stuart Hunter, this Cleenagh Biggy son is out of an imported ewe by a Vrielink and sold to Michael James for his Duhonw Flock near Maesmynis, Builth Wells. 

Matching that 3500gns was Woodies Dark Destroyer ET, a shearling son of the imported Woodies Full Money from Aberdeenshire’s Stuart Wood. Selling to the Mason and Brown team near Clapham, Lancaster, he is out of an imported ewe by the same Vrielink ram. 

The final entry with a 3500gns price tag, this time selling to Andrew Nicholls for his Specs flock near Wetley Rocks, Stoke on Trent, was Duhonw Elvis ‘The King’ ET, from Michael James. This first prize winner is out of the Reserve Champion at the Royal Welsh, Whatmore Beeswax, while his sire is the home-bred Duhonw Dare Devil. 

A further three sold for 3200gns apiece, including the male and supreme champion from the Royal Welsh, Riverside Delboy from Jayden Clamp, Yarns, Ashbourne. By Ingst Batman and out of a Turbo Das ewe, he found a new home in Russell Millen’s Knockmult flock in County Londonderry. 

Hannah Pedley from Kirkby Stephen, Cumbria, saw her High Ploughlands Ernie ET sell in a two-way split to the MacGregors and Stuart Wood for their Tamtain and Woodies flocks, respectively. His pedigree features Cleenagh Apollo on to an imported ewe by a Wehkamp ewe. 

The third to sell for 3200gns was the dearest of the females in the shape of Cleenagh Daytona from Clive Richardson which was another to sell to Stuart Wood. Second in her class, this Cleenagh Bodybuilder daughter is out of an imported ewe by a ram later imported to the Woodies flock.

Clive also welcomed 3000gns from John and Bryony MacGregor for Cleenagh Doodle, which this time is by the imported Cleenagh Makavelli and out of Cleenagh Bella. 

The reserve female champion came from Co Londonderry-based Tara O’Brien in the form of Bonny and Bold Emerald Fire. She was the dearest of the ewe lambs when knocked down for 3000gns to Richard and Jade Bett’s Yarburgh Flock, near Louth. Out of the 4000gns Cleenagh Crème De La Crème, she is another by Cleenagh Bodybuilder. 

Averages: One aged ram, £7350; nine shearling rams, £1724; 26 ram lambs, £1238; three aged ewes, £280; 23 shearling ewes, £1297; eight ewe lambs, £1299 (Harrison and Hetherington).

Class results:

Judge: Mr John Macgregor, Tamtain Flock

Aged ram

1^st        Brougher Cruiser           SAM/21/02690 Andrew McCutcheon and Sally Ritson

Shearling ram

1^st        Pistyll Dazzler ET           HAF/22/05766  Angharad Francis

2^nd        Ardstewart Darth Vader ET        AST/22/00002   Alison and Phillip McCrabbe

3^rd        Pistyll Dragon    HAF/22/06487  Angharad Francis

4^th            Look Here Dynamo        ARB/22/00852  Austen and Michelle Lockyer

Ram lamb

1^st        Duhonw Elvis ‘The King’ ET        JAM/23/14110  Michael James

2^nd        Silvermere Excalibur ET  HLN/23/00312  Michelle Hanson

3^rd        Bodoney Ecstasy           SAM/23/03409 Andrew McCutcheon and Sally Ritson

4^th        High Ploughlands Ernie ET         PHP/23/16359  Hannah Pedley

Aged ewe

1^st        Sunnybank (Import)      B1393-00375    C A Cumming

Shearling gimmer

1^st        Duhonw Daisy   JAM/22/12263  Michael James

2^nd        Cleenagh Daytona         LAR/22/00971  Clive Richardson

3^rd        Cleenagh Doodle           LAR/22/01146  Clive Richardson

4^th        Silvermere Dirty Dancer HLN/22/00234  Michelle Hanson

Ewe lamb

1^st        Bonny and Bold Emerald Fire        BON/23/03353 Tara O’Brien

2^nd        Knockmult Eleanor ET    RWM/23/02962            Russell Millen and Seamus Killen

3^rd        Woodies Extra Special ET           WOO/23/03954 Stuart Wood

4^th        Banc Ellie          BNC/23/00077  Huw and Kate Williams