ON Wednesday September 26, Hexham and Northern Marts held their annual prize show and sale of terminal sire breeding rams with a catalogue of 633 head.

The Texel class was judged by breeder Jamie Gilchrist, who drew a top selection of 11 rams from an initial class of 31 shearlings.

Fielding the champion was father and daughter team Alec and Claire Bissett, who came away with the Arthur Iveson Memorial Trophy for their “tremendously correct champion, which exhibited all the desirable traits one would expect in a sheep of such stature”.

R .Thornton & Sons of Cornhills came away with reserve.

The Lough Green Trophy for the best pen of three Texels was awarded to Kevin Young of Harbottle Grange for a “super trio of well-bred sheep with shape and skins” from the Coquet Valley breeder. J. Davison, Lough Green came second.

From the entire entry, no fewer than 17 shearling rams exceeded the £1,000 price tag.

Sue Wilkinson, of Richmond, judged the inaugural pedigree Beltex category, where overall champion on the day was Ivanhoe Captain, sired by Rocksolid Admiral ET, from James Bailey. He went on to sell for 620gns.

The reserve overall champion, Ivanhoe Diamond, a ewe lamb also from James Bailey, sold for 400gns.

The pure Beltex ram class, judged by James Latimer, saw M/s W. Wearmouth & Son take first prize with a great tup, which went on to realise the joint top price for the class of £1,000.

The other tup to hit £1,000 was one from Adam Steel, Steeley Farm, who came away with second place.

Taking first prize in the Continental and cross-bred ram class was a well-muscled sheep from Mr B. Storey, Woodhead, who went on to top the sale at £1,450.

Mr C.S. Whitfield, High Castle Dene, who was awarded second place for his High Castledene (3/4 Texel) also topped at £1,100.

The cross-breed section met a good trade at Hexham, with five tups breaking the £1,000 barrier.

In the annual prize show and sale of Suffolk shearling rams and ram lambs, Messrs J. Herdman, Edlingham Newtown, came away with the overall champion title.

I.R. Bell, Ashknowe, was awarded reverse champion.

In the prize show for Bluefaced Leicester rams and females, both the champion and reserve titles were awarded to M/s T.L. Forster & son, Lowes Fell, for their shearling ram, which was later sold for £900 to R. Thornton & Son, Cornhills.

M/s T.L. Forster & Son also took home the Hexham Auction Mart Trophy and the Percy Telfer Memorial Trophy.

Champion ram lamb and female champion went to Derek Henderson, Burndale flock, who received the W.H. Davison Silver Challenge Cup and the T.W. Ridley Memorial Trophy.