By Jonathan Long and Suffolk Sheep Society.

The 2010 Edinburgh sale had a 69% clearance rate.  This year’s sale grossed £235,384 and averaged £1,929.38 for 122 ram lambs sold. 20,000gns was the top price paid to S Buckley’s, Sitlow flock, for a Cairness Carbon son who had stood reserve the previous day.  R Wilson, Strathisla, who judged this year’s sale was the final bidder with a third going to CA Proctor’s Conveth flock.  Sitlow had the highest average of the day of £6,720 for four lambs sold.

The second highest price of 18,000gns was paid by the Robinson family from N Ireland for a Strathisla Sea Bird son.  This was the first lamb in a pen of nine from R Wilson.  The Strathisla flock went on to average £4,635.

S&W Tait had the third highest average on the day of £3,754 for five lambs sold.  The Burnview flock had a top call of 6,000gns selling to Mrs RH Goldie’s Harpercroft flock.

JG Douglas had won the overall Champion by a lamb from the 1st place group of three.  This lamb by Baileys Bacchus was sold for 5,000gn.  However, it was the Cairness lamb by Fyvie Classic that had been placed third in the single ram class that obtained their highest price of 10,000gns.  Overall J Douglas ended the day to average £3,022 for nine lambs sold.

The Rhaeadr flock of M Evans from Wales received the third highest price of 12,000gns from the Barbour family from Annan.  This ram lamb is a son of Baileys BMW who has won the Royal Highland and Royal Welsh shows in 2010.  This was the icing on the cake for Myfyr who had a complete clearance of his eight lambs to average £3,137.

The fifth highest price of 9,000gns was paid to CA Proctor and Co.  The Conveth flock ended the day with an average of £2,373 for five lambs sold.

Mark Priestley, Limestone flock, received 7,000gns for a Strathisla Stoner son selling to B Nicholson.

The Middlemuir flock of Pat Machray received a top call of 5,00gns for a Cairness Stockbroker son.  Pat had one of his best days to go home with an average of £2,153 for his three lambs sold.

K&L Mair, Deveronside had a top price of 6,000gns for a Strathisla Sea Bird son.  This well fleshed lamb was finally knocked down in a joint purchase to C Holmes, Rookery flock and M Weaver, Perrinpit flock.  The Rookery flock also paid 5,500gns for an outstanding lamb from A Knox, Haddo flock

Last week’s sale of Suffolk ram lambs at Edinburgh failed to produce the sparky trade of previous years, with the average falling by more than £200 on the year and 30 fewer lambs finding new homes.

Traditionally the dearest sale for the breed, this year it only managed a top price of 20,000gns, some 6000gns short of the best achieved at the previous week’s National sale at Shrewsbury, with a number of the best prices paid by flockmasters dispersing their flocks later this year.

Taking the top call was the reserve champion from the pre-sale show, a Cairn ess Carbon son out of a dam by Strathisla Sinatra, which was also dam of last year’s champion from Shrewsbury. Bred by Steven and Louise Buckley, Derbyshire, this one was bought in a two way split by the event’s judge Robbie Wilson and Charles and Kevin Proctor.

Next best was an 18,000gns bid for the best from Mr Wilson’s own Strathisla flock. This was a son of last year’s Edinburgh champion Strathisla Sea Bird and is out of a dam by Glenho Gurka, which is herself full sister to 48,000gns sire Strathisla Dylan Thomas. Buying this one were Northern Irish breeders Alfred and Norman Robinson, Co Down.

And then at 12,000gns was the best of the day from Myfyr Evans Rhaeadr flock, Denbigh. Taking this price was a son of this year’s Reserve interbreed from the Royal Highland, Baileys BMW. Out of a ewe by Cairness First Flight, he was knocked down to Iain Barbour for his Solwaybank flock, Annan.

Then, making 10,000gns was Jimmy Douglas with a lamb from his Cairness offering. This one, a Fyvie Classic son is out of a dam by Cragoe Craftsman. The only lamb by Classic this year, he sold to a brace of buyers, H P Sleigh and Sons for their Wells flock which will be dispersed later this year and Gordon Troup for his Whitestone flock.

Selling at 9000gns was a Cairness Achievement son from the Proctor family’s Conveth flock. This triplet lamb is out of a dam by Castlewellan Nutcracker and sold with an index of 2.23. Taking this one home were a duo of Northumbrian buyers, Hugh Annett and Sons, Morpeth and Colin Campbell and Sons, Alnwick.

Following that sale at 7000gns was the top sale for Northern Irish consignor Mark Priestley of the Limestone flock. His best was a Strathisla Stoner sired lamb ET bred out of a dam by Castlewellan Tonto which has bred lambs to 7500gns previously. This one sold to Shetland-based Bryden Nicholson for his Innfield flock, another flock due to be dispersed later in the year.

Two then sold at the next best price of 6000gns with the first being a Baileys Headstart son out of a dam by Burnview Beamer from Willie Tait. Selling with an index of 3.28, he was first prize ram lamb at Balmoral show and sold to Helen Goldie, Dundonald.

The second at this money was a son of Strathisla Sea Bird from Barclay and Lucy Mair, Turriff. He is out of a dam by Meikleson Impression and was bought by Chris Holmes for the Rookery flock.

ADDITION

Champion was a Baileys Bacchus sired lamb from Jimmy Douglas out of  a dam by Cairness Renovator which is in turn out of a Glenisla ewe bred in the late Gordon Wilson’s flock.

Average; 122 ram lambs £1929.38 (Lawrie and Symington).