logo

May Fair 2013

Grand Slam Victories for N.I. Dorset Sheep Breeders at 2013 May Fair

M.F Champion_smlBen Lamb with May Fair Champion (Pair) and Reserve Champion, 
also included Charles Foot (Society President) and Rodger Heggerton (Waitrose)
 

M.F. Champion_Female_smlCameron Carson with May Fair Female Champion

On May Day Bank Holiday, a group of N.I. Dorset sheep breeders left the province with a consignment of rams and ewes representing 11 Northern Ireland flocks to head off to the Dorset Sheep May Fair, Exeter, Devon.

After a 500 mile road trip, the breeders got stuck into show preparation on the Tuesday morning to have their exhibits ready for the show ring at noon, and at the end of a five hour judging stint the Northern Ireland sheep stood victorious in both the Male and Female championships - the first time this has ever happened at this long established annual event.

Heading up the top honours and creating a unique double win in the Male championship line up was the first prize pair of ram lambs Richhill Titan & Richhill Traction from Ben Lamb's flock, Limetree Farm, Richhill and standing in reserve spot to them was their pen mate and Mr Lamb's third ram lamb Richhill Trendy boy - winner of the single poll lamb class, chosen as Reserve overall champion by society president Mr Charles Foot, Bincombe, Weycombe, Dorset.

In the female section, society President, Mr Foot, awarded the Championship to Mainevalley Trendy, from 5 year old Cameron Carson, with his first prize ewe lamb from his Mainevalley flock at Ballymena, while the Reserve female champion was won by his parents William & Karen Carson with their ewe lamb, Downkillybegs Trudy, all from Downkillybegs, Ballymena, Co Antrim.

The following day in the sale ring under auctioneers Mr Simon Alford and Mr Mark Davis from Kivells & Husseys, Exeter Livestock centre, also proved very successful for the breeders from Northern Ireland with the leading sale prices acheived in both the male and female sections and four of the top six sale prices over the 2000gns mark coming from flocks in the province.
Leading the sale with a top price of 4800gns and creating a new record pen average price was Richard Currie, Whitesides Rd. Ballymena, Co Antrim, with his Hilltop Tanantino, a Olivertree Navigator son, selling to Ross and Emma Sizmur, Okehampton, Devon, with another by the same sire, from the same home, Hilltop Trademark, selling at 1600gns to Joe Larder, Sandford, Bristol, Somerset, and a third pen mate, again by Olivertree Navigator snapped up by Ballymoney flockmaster Thomas Wright for his Ballytaggart flock, returning a sale average of £2555 - a new record high and a personal best for Richard's Hilltop flock.

Another Co Antrim flock selling in their best trade yet was Club Chairman, Trevor and wife Sharron Knox, Riverview, Armoy, Ballymoney. Their second prize poll ram lamb, Riverview Torque by their homebred Myomax sire Riverview Legend, stood just behind the Reserve overall champion from Richhill in the ram lamb class and sold at 3000gns to Brian Muncaster and Cath Pritt, Gosfoth, Cumbria for their Thornbank flock.
Another Riverview ram lamb from the Knox's Armoy based flock, this time Riverview Tomahawk - the first Myomax gold ram to be sold, again by their myomax sire Riverview Legend made 900gns selling to Joe Larder for his Byeways flock near Bristol, giving Trevor & Sharron Knox a pen average of £2047 - the highest achieved yet by the Riverview flock.

A top price of 2300gns was acheived by the Downkillybegs duo, William & Karen Carson, Ballymena, Co Antrim. Their pen of six ram lambs averaged £970 with their Downkillybegs Tokoyo star by the myomax sire Olivertree Nik Nak - who also sired the female champion, topping their trade selling to Rod Dallyn, Broomhill, Wimborne, Dorset with another pen mate Downkillybegs Tornado also breaking through the four figure barrier selling at 1000gns to C.H. Trace, Beasworthy, Devon. Also above the 2000gns mark was the best one of the champion pair Richhill Traction from Ben Lamb's Richhill flock. A Downkillybegs Pegasus son who sold at 2100gns to Jim & Joe Dufosee, Warminster, Wiltshire, who was re-investing some of their second top overall sale price of 4500gns acheived for their Blackhill Trident - the signet recorded champion from their Blackhill flock on the Salisbury Plains.

The Richhill pen of three, this year all polls and all first prize winners in the show in Ben's first year exhibiting poll 
Dorsets at Exeter, returned an average of £1309, with the other two Richhill Trendy boy by Olivertree Samson and Richhill Titan by Downkillybegs Pegasus finding new homes in the South West with Frank, Andrew, & Amy Palk at Paignton, Devon for their Stantor flock and Colin & Tom Clarke, Credition Devon, for their Manor Croft flock.
The last of the four figure prices from Northern Ireland was acheived by Thomas Wright with his Ballytaggart pen who averaged out at £957 for the six lambs from the Ballymoney flock and was led at 1700gns for Ballytaggart Thunder a Myomax ram lamb by the homebred Myomax sire Ballytaggart Knockout who sold to C.H. Trace & son Beasworthy, Devon.

Other Northern Ireland flocks who were represented in the ram auction were Samuel Caldwell, Granagh flock, Rasharkin; Cameron Carson, Mainevalley flock, Ballymena; Graham Cubitt, Kildowney flock, Ballymena;
Steven Lyons, Bencran flock, Omagh; Seamus Mullan, Islaharnan flock, Armoy; Geo. & Megan & Sam Wright, Kilraughts flock, Ballymoney.

In the female section the Reserve Overall Champion - Downkillybegs Trudy a Myomax gold Ballytaggart Puma daughter from Ballymena based William & Karen Carson sold at 950gns creating a new ewe lamb record price selling to Richard Currie, Hilltop flock Ballymena, for his four year old twin daughters Katie and Mollie. Mr Currie also secured the female champion Mainevalley Trendy an Olivertree Nik Nak daughter at 550gns from Cameron Carson Ballymena, again for this twin girls.
Other females at the sale were a pen of five ewe lambs from Thomas Wright who sold at £190 each to Ross & Emma Sizmur, Rossiz flock, Devon.

Sale averages: Shearling rams and ram lambs £819.99
Shearling ewes £158.00
Ewe lambs £203.76
Sale organisers: D.H. & P.D. Sheep Breeders Association
Auctioneers: Kivells & Husseys

M.F.Reserve Champion_smlBen Lamb with the Reserve Champion and Charles Foot (Society President)
and Rodger Heggerton (Waitrose)

Highest price.May_Fair_2013_sml
Richard Curie's Top Price Ram Lamb

M.F. 2nd_Higest_price_NI_2489_smlTrevor Knox with 2nd N.I. Highest Price Ram Lamb