Growvite champion from Blackburn flock

DEMAND for Texel rams continued recently at the NI Texel Breeders’ Sale in Ballymena Livestock Mart for the sale of shearling and ram lambs.

The club wish to thank John Gribben and Tulliven Growvite for their ongoing sponsorship and to Ashleen Price for judging the event’s pre-sale show.

The sale saw a large entry with 54 shearling rams and 97 ram lambs forward and a 91 per cent clearance rate. Shearling rams averaged £861 while ram lambs averaged £614.

Breeders enjoyed high averages with the pre-show Growvite Champion leading the sale at £3,150. This massive shearling, Botera Embrace, owned by David Jones, Backburn flock, claimed the Growvite Champion and topped the pre-show sale.

He is a Hexel Dallas son out of a Midlock Yorkie dam and joins James Cleland’s Rose Hall flock.

Next to generate a flurry of bids was Alan Glendinning’s sixth place ram lamb from his Lylehill flock. Lylehill Fireball, a Sportsmans Dare Devil out of a 130K Sportsmans A Star daughter, sold to A McFarlane, Dungiven, for £1,785.

The Blackstown flock of J Wilson & J Wilson Moses were next in line for leading prices for their shearling ram exhibit, Blackstown Electric. This Kiltariff Donkey Kong son out of a Eglur Vicount dam moves home to Castlederg to join Sam Rankin’s flock for £1,312.50.

Selling for the same money at £1,102.50 was a shearling ram from Robbie Mulligan’s Brague pen, a Maineview Daredevil son out of a Kiltariff Bastareaud daughter to S & B Jamieson, Ballycastle, and the judge’s second place shearling ram from Gary Beacom’s Lakeview pen. He is a Castlecairn Doodlebug son out of an Auldhouseburn Warlord sired ewe. He sold to W Cranson, Newry.

Also selling for £1,102.50 was Gary Beacom’s Lakeview ram lamb exhibit, which stood second in the judge’s ram lamb pre-show line-up.

Lakeview F1 is another Doodlebug son and out of an Arkle Awesome dam and moves to join Wesley Cousins’ flock in Omagh.

Coming in close behind at £1,050 were exhibits from Forkins and Ballydesland flocks. Alastair Gault’s Forkins Firecracker was the Growvite Reserve Champion, a Garngour Emerald son out of a Clarks Bolt daughter and sold to the McKinney Bros, Maghera, for their Heathmount flock.

Pat Garrivan’s Ballydesland Fortune and Ballydesland Freddie are both from homebred sire Ballydesland Eddie, selling to Maurice Robinson, Richhill, and David Herron, Killinchy.

Gortin Sale, sponsored by Smyths Daleside, will be held in Gortin Mart on October 14.

The final club sale of the season, sponsored by SH Coleman, Glarryford, will be held in Ballymena Livestock Mart on October 17. Catalogues available from the marts, online at www.texel.co.uk or contact Club Secretary Martin Warnock on 07791 679112.