North Country Cheviot hill rams sold to a top of £6,000 at Dingwall Mart’s annual show and sale on Friday.
The firm held the breed’s final ram sale of the year which attracted a packed ringside of buyers and spectators from all over the country.
Auctioneers Daniel Urquhart and Luke Holmes had their work cut out, with 623 rams sold to new homes.
As a result, the sale was still ongoing when the Press & Journal went to press at 7pm.
Trade was very selective, with only a small few from the sale selling above the £2,000 bracket.
Sale leader came earlier in the day from Caithness breeder Leslie Robertson, who runs 350 ewes in his Inkstack flock at Thurso.
This was a two-shear by the £7,000 Langdale Let’s Be Having You, which was also the sire of Leslie’s £11,000 tup sold at Lairg earlier this month.
The buyer was Jan MacKenzie buying for the Langdale flock from Kinbrace.
Inkstack also sold at £2,600 for another two-shear bred the same way when purchased by Garan Farms, Wales.
The judge Roderick Runciman from Allanshaws, Galashiels, sold his consignment later in the evening with tops of £5,800, £4,800, £2,500 and £2,200 for sons of Philiphaugh Xcitable.
Dearest, when sold to Neil Montgomery, Ose, Isle of Skye, was a two-shear by out of a home-bred ewe by Inkstack VIP.
The Elliots, Balnakeil, paid £4,800 for one out of a home-bred by Inkstack Tima, while Martyn Cook of the Dorrery flock, Scotscalder, Caithness, paid £2,500.
The Allen family’s Stouphill flock from Northumberland sold to a top of £4,000 also to Mr Cook.
This was a two-shear by Stouphill Admiral, which brother sold for £12,000 at Lairg.
The McCarthy brothers who run the Longoe flock at the Castle of Mey took reserve champion with Longoe Caretaker, which later sold for £3,000 to Dunbeath Farms, Caithness.
He is a two-shear by Philiphaugh Heathmount, out of a Heathmount Patriot dam, and stood male champion at Caithness County Show this year.
Morven Coghill from Blingery Farm, Wick, stood overall champion with a three-shear by a £1,600 Keppoch sire.
Achieving a personal best for Morven, he is bred out of a home-bred ewe and sold to the judge Mr Runciman.
The Renwicks from Lochbroom, Ullapool, reached a high of £4,000 for Inverbroom Commando, with two others at £2,500.
Willie Thomson’s Hownam Grange flock from Kelso sold to £2,000 for a two-shear by Hownam Grange Xtradionary.
The buyer was Finlay McIntyre of Dunalastair Estate, Kinloch Rannoch, Pitlochry.
PRIZE LIST
Shearlings – 1, DN Campbell, Bardnaclavan; 2, Stevenson, Backaldey; 3, MacKenzie, Craiglands. Two-shears – 1 and reserve champion, Castle of Mey Trust, Longoe; 2, L Robertson, Inkstack; 3, WD Allen, Stouphill. Aged – 1 and champion, M Coghill, Blingery; 2, J MacKenzie, Langdale; 3, M Coghill, Blingery.
Shearlings (82) sold to £1,600 gross from Brachmont, Durris
Two-shears (464) sold to £6,000 gross from Inkstack, Barrack.
Three-shears (57) sold to £2,800 gross from Badanloch Estate, Helmsdale.
Four-shear and over (20) sold to £2,600 from Blingery, Wick
