The annual sale of Oxford Downs at Worcester market peaked at 750gns for a shearling ram. An improved quality entry met a good trade with 42 head selling to average £232.12, up £38 on the year.
Ewe lambs and shearling rams were in demand with the best of the shearling ewes also selling well.
At the pre-sale show, judge Michael Hackling awarded the championship to a shearling ram from J W & M F S Brown’s Monkstone flock at Redberth, Tenby, Pembrokeshire. Sired by Barley Park Promethious out of a home-bred ewe, the ram went on to take the top price of the day, going to David Holt, Rectory Farm, Levisham, Pickering, North Yorkshire for use on his 50-strong Ravenswick flock.
Two shearling rams from M, G & R Vincent’s New House flock based at Ducklington, Witney, Oxfordshire claimed the next best prices of the day at 390gns and 370gns. Both sons of Barley Park Taranto, they went the same way home to the Peak District to regular Oxford ram buyers R & M Phillips & Sons, Bridge House Farm, Ladmanlow, Buxton, Derbyshire for commercial use. Bec Bradley from Clanfield, Bampton, Oxfordshire sold a shearling by Monkstone Keifer from her Upper Thames flock at 320gns to Miss Lottie Tobin for her new Oxford flock at Little Box Farm, Awre, Newnham-on-Severn, Gloucestershire.
Topping the female section was a ewe lamb from Mrs R J Steele’s Weeton flock at Redhouse Farm, Weeton, Hull which made 360gns to J Griffiths, Park House, Rhiwderin, Newport, Gwent, who was buying on behalf of his neice Miss Hannah Graham for her Montrose flock. This lamb is by the home-bred sire Weeton Galaxy out of a Barley Park ewe. Next best in the ewe lambs was a 280gns sale from J W & M F S Brown for one by Barley Park Promethious selling to J Rawlings, Finham, Coventry. The Vincent family sold a New House ewe lamb sired by Barley Park Taranto at 250gns to Messrs Phillips, Bridge House Farm.
Shearling ewes sold to a top of 310gns from the much-admired Langrigg pen from A W Rutherford, Guards Farm, Gretna, Dumfriesshire. A Langrigg Ranger daughter, the top Langrigg sheep went to Mrs Vickie Jones who runs 12 Oxford ewes at Glebe Farm, Billesdon, Leicester and uses Oxford rams on her family’s commercial flock of Texel x Mule ewes. Mrs Jones took another from the pen at 280gns for one by Beswickhall Cherrytom. A further Langrigg shearling by Ranger also made 280gns, selling to Owain Tudor who is building up his Lynon flock at Glasfryn, Llanfhyddlad, Holyhead, Anglesey. The Langrigg consignment averaged £283.50 for 4 sold.
Bec Bradley also achieved a 280gns sale for an Upper Thames shearling ewe by Monkstone Keifer sold to J W & M F S Brown, buying back some of their own bloodline for the Monkstone flock.
Ram lambs made a top price of 220gns for a Weeton Sean son from Mrs R J Steele, which went to C Clark, Fox Cottage, Tilford, Farnham, Surrey who established a new flock at the sale. Amongst the flock ewes, the best price was a 190gns sale for a 2-crop Vellow ewe by Applewick Twinaxel consigned by D Holt, Ravenswick. It sold to Messrs Phillips, Bridge House Farm.
Averages
Type No sold Top (gns) Avg (£)
Shearling ewes 18 310 210.29
Ewe lambs 10 360 225.75
Flock ewes 4 190 157.50
Shearling rams 6 750 404.25
Ram lambs 4 220 162.75
Overall 42 750 232.12
Auctioneers: McCartneys
Overall: 42 head sold to 750gns and averaged £232.12 (£193.65 for 44 in 2016).