2018 Melton Mowbray Show & Sale

The second official Southdown Sheep Society sale took place at Melton Mowbray on Saturday September 8th, with the pre-sale show taking place the previous day.

Melton Mowbray Show Champion ; de Pibrac ‘Teddy’ 17/00231, bred by Mr Nigel Barrington-Fuller, shown by Mr Jim Cresswell.

Judge Stephen Humphrey from East Dean, West Sussex, selected a shearling ram as his show champion. This ram, de Pibrac 17/00231, bred by Nigel Barrington-Fuller from Essex and shown by Jim Cresswell, was sired by a Chaileybrook ram and out of a Goodwood ewe. In the sale the following day the champion was sold for 290gns to Mr J Gordon-Hall of Timberland, Lincoln.

Reserve Champion : Sutherland April 18/00361, bred and shown by Mrs Amy Readhead-Higgins

Reserve Champion in the show went to Amy Readhead-Higgins’ home bred ewe lamb, Sutherland April, 18/00361. This ewe lamb, by a French sire and out of a Beckbred ewe, was later knocked down to M Dickens and family from Milton Keynes, for 300gns.

Top price of the day was paid for a 2016 born ewe, Sutherland Rosie 16/00263 from Amy Readhead-Higgins. This ewe, sired by a French ram and out of a home-bred dam was sold to R Cox of Stoney Stanton, Leicester, for 400gns. Not far behind this ewe was her stable-mate, another 2016 born Sutherland ewe, 16/00274, sired by the same French ram and out of a home-bred ewe. This ewe reached 300gns and headed home with her stable-mate to join the Port Hill flock of R Cox in Stoney Stanton.

Shearling ewes saw a brisk trade with quality animals selling well. Antony Glaves’ Brompton ewe 17/03930, sired by an Offham ram out of a home-bred ewe, was knocked down for 345gns to Peter and Ann-Mari Payne of South Mymms, Hertfordshire.

The first prize winner in the shearling ewe class in the pre-sale show sold for 340gns to Mrs Lorraine Clements for her Avenue Farm flock in Normanton-on-the-Wolds, Nottingham. From the Biscombe flock of Neil Stainthorpe, Biscombe 17/00241 was sired by an East Dean ram and out of a home-bred ewe.

Trade for the small number of ram lambs forward was consistent, with three ram lambs each finding new homes at 180gns apiece.

Show Champion ; shearling ram de Pibrac ‘Teddy’ 17/00231, bred by Mr Nigel Barrington-Fuller, pictured with judge Mr Stephen Humphrey

Mr Lindsay Dane, 2018 winner of the Chairman and President’s Award for service to the Southdown Sheep Society. Picture d with 2017 winner Mr Stephen Humphrey (won jointly by Stephen & Paul Humphrey)

Averages

2 senior ewes 350gns; 21 shearling ewes 237gns; 8 ewe lambs 188gns; 1 senior ram 190gns; 3 shearling rams 293gns; 3 ram lambs 180gns.