Hampshire Downs peaked at £1,200 at the breed association’s official show and sale in Stratford on Sunday 31 May.

Sale leader at £1,200, a ram lamb from Millfields

The £1,200 sale leader was a six month old Millfields bred ram lamb by Parkstock Pride, out of an Owlesbury sired ewe and was within the breed’s top 5% of EBVs for growth and 1% for muscle depth. Bred by Geoff and Jean Boyles, West Worlington, Crediton, he went to join Charles and Sally Horrell’s 70 ewe Pode Hole flock, Thorney, Peterborough.

The same buyers went on to invest £550 in a top 1% SRS Index ram lamb this time from Henry and Hilary Derryman, Yarcombe, Honiton. Sired by the New Zealand bred Bilberry Oak Supreme, he was out of a homebred ewe by Owlesbury Princess.

Next highest at £655 was the champion, another six month old ram lamb, this time within the top 5% SRS Index from Jim Cresswell, Wattisfield, Diss. Sired by his Wattisfield Topper and out of a homebred ewe, he sold to Jim Birkwood, North Thoresby, Grimsby.

Another entry in the money from Mr Cresswell was Wattisfield Top Not, a shearling by Yarcombe Erroll and out of a homebred ewe going back to Wattisfield What Next. The buyer was David Coulson, Market Rasen who also went to £360 for the day’s highest shearling ewe, a Pode Hole sired entry from Jennifer Atkinson and David Smith, South Kelsey, Market Rasen.

Two ram lambs each within the top 1% SRS Index and by rams sired by Bilberry Oak Supreme, shared a £400 price tag. First to go was an entry from the Atkinson and Smith partnership by Owslebury Yeoman. The buyer was Jennifer Borsey, Waen, St Asaph.

The second £400 bid was made by Dutch breeders, Gert Smit and Bert Hadderingh, Ruinen for an entry from the Derrymans, by Yarcombe Surprise and out of a Yarcombe Echo sired homebred ewe.

The day’s overall reserve champion went to Tim and Judith Hunter’s (Fotherby, Louth) ewe lamb by the showring interbreed champion, Lindsey Thor and out of a Parkstock sired homebred ewe. She sold for £240 to Long and Lawrence, Brook, Ashford.

Averages: five shearling rams £344; 12 ram lambs £445; nine shearling ewes £275; eight ewe lambs £189.

Millfields Hampshire Down Flock Awarded Championship
UK Mule - Promoting the Extraordinary
NFUS and NSA Scotland Keep Up Sheep Tagging Fight