The second official Southdown Sheep Society sale of the season took place at Melton Mowbray on Saturday September 14th, with the pre-sale show taking place the previous day.
Judge Jonathan Long with the champions: left to right: P Goldsworthy’s shearling ewe, D, S & P Humphrey’s shearling ewe and shearling ram.
Judge Jonathan Long selected a shearling ewe from Messrs D, S & P Humphrey as his show champion. This ewe, East Dean 18/03729, was sired by a Webb Ellis ram, 16/00337, and out of an Ashmole ewe. In the sale the following day the champion sold for 280 guineas to J & R Mitchell of Leighton Buzzard.
Reserve Champion on show day went to a shearling ewe from Patrick Goldsworthy, Webb Ellis 18/496. This ewe was sired by an East Dean ram, and out of a home-bred ewe. She was knocked down the following day to K Taylor Jr, of Budbrooke, Warwickshire.
As best opposite sex to the champion, judge Jonathan Long selected a shearling ram from the East Dean flock of D, S & P Humphrey, 18/3661. This ram was sold for 280 guineas to R Day of Halhoughton, Norfolk.
G & M Sparke’s ewe lamb, top price of the day.
Top price of the day was paid for a ewe lamb, Northumbria 19/00113, this ewe lamb, a triplet bred by Messrs G & M Sparke, was sired by a Golden Valley ram 15/00456, and out of a Glandore dam. She was knocked down to Southdown member Will Morton for his Blackfriar flock, for 420 guineas.
Close on the heels of the ewe lamb was a ram lamb bred by Ben Slack, Sheepcote Dynamite 19/00079. This ram lamb, placed first in the ram lamb class by the judge the previous day, was out of a Holly Bar ram and a home bred female, and was sold to breeder R O Cox of Stoney Stanton, Leicester, for 400 guineas.
Ben Slack’s second placed ram lamb, Sheepcote Dalesman 19/00080, sold for 350 guineas to G Hargreaves of Quernmore, Lancaster.
With a good number and range of Southdown sheep available for sale, buyers were discerning and selective in their purchases, favouring the younger stock that was entered in the sale.
Averages
13 ewes, top price 280 guineas, average price £221
17 ewe lambs, top price 420 guineas, average price £209
5 rams, top price 280 guineas, average price £203
2 ram lambs, top price 400 guineas, average price
The first prize winners in the show. Left to right: P Goldsworthy – ewe lamb, and Reserve Champion second placed shearling ewe, D, S & P Humphrey’s Champion shearling ewe, and shearling ram and Ben Slack’s ram lamb.
