Peter Woof top dog at Skipton Texel highlight
18/09/06

Champions of recent years returned to the scene of their triumphs to again take the major honours at the 25th annual Northern Area Texel Sheep Breeders two-day show and sale at Craven Cattle Marts’ Skipton Auction Mart. (Thus & Fri, Sept 14 & 15).

Peter Woof with his Skipton Texel supreme champion.

Show regular Peter Woof, of Storth End Farm, Stainton, Kendal, who exhibited the top Texel at Skipton in 2003, presented the supreme breed champion again this year - a February, 2005, group one genotype shearling ewe by Penparc Jemidar, out of a Haddo Innocent ewe and grand-daughter of Glenside Go-Getter.

Making her first appearance in the exhibition arena, the title-winner, earlier judged female champion, sold for 1,650 guineas to the show judge, Welshman David Williams, of Criccin, buying on behalf of a client.

Her success supplements a good year in the show ring for Peter’s prolific prize-winning Stainton flock. He also had the first prize gimmer at Chelford, reserve overall champion at the Great Yorkshire Show and runner-up honours at Worcester.

Bidding peaked at 3,100gns for a March, 2005, shearling ram and Douganhill Hero son from an outstanding pen of rams shown by John Mellin, of Hull House Farm, Hellifield. The ram was selected for use in the West Yorkshire-based Manderlea and Helmark flocks.

John, who reigned supreme at the Skipton Texel fixture in both 2000 and 2004, set the trade when his male champion shearling ram, Hull House Lift Off, by Springwell Jaguar (to Cornerstone Ivanhoe), out of an ewe by Methlick Envoy, sold at 900gns to Messrs J&J Whitaker, of Clapham.

John has also excelled in the 2006 Texel exhibition arena, with other progeny of Springwell Jaguar clinching supreme honours at both the Great Yorkshire and Chelford Shows.

The reserve female and reserve breed championship titles went to a shearling ewe from the Wellingley flock of HM & PC Longdin, of Tickhill, Doncaster, bought for £735 by R Fitton, of Worsley, Manchester.

The reserve male champion shearling ram from S&S Richardson, of Mount Pleasant Farm, Great Houghton, Barnsley, also sold for £735 when joining the local flock of JGE Heseltine & Son, of Bolton Abbey.

The Manderelea flock of Leathley-based Mark Keighley returned to the ring to head the ram lambs, when the group one Manderlea Marcus, a son of Green Lion King and grandson of Muiresk Kermit, joined local buyer Andrew Warin, of Cottingley, for 1,500gns.

Long-time Northern Area Texel club member Doug Jewitt, now reducing his Osbaldeston flock at Hutton Buscel, Scarborough, achieved a notable success with Osbaldeston Kojak, a two-shear stock ram by Llanferries Ifor, which sold for 1,050gns to G&RJ Dickinson, of Grafton.

John North, of Moss, Doncaster, supreme champion in 2005, had a ram lamb sell this year at £1,150, while last year’s reserve supreme champion Jack Lucas, of J & RM Lucas & Son, Fimber, Driffield, sold a shearling ram at £1,050.

Results:

Shearling ewe – 1 PK Woof, Stainton, 2 PC Longdin, Tickhill, 3 JD Houghton, Bury. Ewe Lamb – 1 TM Verity, Kirkby Overblow, 2&3  C&K Fawcett, Sand Hutton. Shearling Ram – 1 JW Mellin, Hellifield, 2 S&S Richardson, Great Houghton, 3 R Gregory, Garstang. Ram Lamb – 1 M Ireland, Whalley, 2, JW Mellin, 3 JD Houghton.

Chief prices and averages:

Shearling ewes – PK Woof £1,732, PC Longdin £735, JD Houghton £714 & £504, R&S Priestley £693. Average £204.

Ram lambs – MA Keighley, £1,575, JL North £1,050, PK Woof £997, JW Mellin £714 & £682. Average £245.

Shearling rams – JW Mellin £3,255, £945, £924 twice, J&RM Lucas & Son £1,050, R Gregory £945, S&S Richardson £924. Average £371. 2-shear ram – P Jewitt & Sons £1,102, Kearby Texels £420, J&S Wilkinson £378. Average £633.

Gimmer lambs – TM Verity £265 & £147, CR Fawcett £210, £199 and £131 twice.
Forward 440.

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