Northern Area Texel Club

Manderlea flock tops again at Skipton Texel females winter show

Back-to-back championship wins were achieved by Wharfedale husband and wife farmers Mark and Helen Keighley at the 14th annual winter sale of pedigree Texel females at Craven Cattle Marts’ Skipton Auction Mart on Saturday 2nd December 2006.

The couple, of Manderlea Farm, Castley Lane, Leathley, Otley, were on top form at the fixture, staged on behalf of the Northern Area Texel Sheep Breeders, of which Mark is vice-chairman and Helen sale secretary.

They again took the overall title with an in-lamb shearling ewe, Manderlea Kam05137. The sire is Strathbogie Knock Out, whose mother was Royal Highland Show Champion in 2003 and sold for £10,000. The prolific line goes right back to the great grand sire, Barrowby Well To Do, one of the first tups bought by the Keighleys.

Mark Keighley with his shearling ewe champion, joined by judge Mark Ireland.

Like the 2005 victor, this year’s champion is also in lamb to Millburn Lovejoy, who is by Cornerstone Ivanhoe, a full brother to Cornerstone Isaac, who has sold tup lambs to 48,000 guineas. The title winner made the day’s top price of 1,250 guineas when selling to long distance traveller EA Cox & Son, of Farringdon, Oxfordshire.

Judge Mark Ireland, of Whalley, commented: “It was a tremendous show of well-bodied sheep, though the champion made it easy to judge, being a good all-round shearling, very correct on its legs.”

The Keighley’s Manderlea flock was also responsible for the runner-up in the shearlings class with Manderlea Kam05064, like the victor a product of Strathbogie Knock Out and also in lamb to Millburn Lovejoy. The second prize winner realised the second-best price of 1,120 guineas when joining Cumbrian farmer I Graham, of Plumpton, Penrith.

Luke Lodge with the ewe reserve champion, joined by judge Mark Ireland.

Mr Graham also paid 440 guineas, top price in class, for the first prize ewe and reserve show champion, Heyworth Lodge LSH0416, from Jennifer Lodge, of Moseley Grange, Moss, Doncaster, winner of this year’s Northern Area Texel Sheep Breeders large flock competition. The Skipton reserve title winner is by Wartle Jewel In Crown and is in lamb to the 5,000 guineas Templand Limited Edition.

To cap an excellent day, Mark and Helen Keighley also had a clean sweep of prizes in the ewe lambs class, with both the winner and runner-up selling for the joint top price of 200 guineas, the former to Jennifer Lodge, the latter again to Mr Graham.

Bert Verity, of Barrowby Grange Farm, Kirkby Overblow, Harrogate, had shearling ewes sell at 460 guineas and 400 guineas, along with a two-shear ewe at 300 guineas, while Stuart Currie, of Beautry House, Rathmell, saw a shearling sell at 430 guineas. John Mellin, of Hull House Farm, Hellifield, presented a strong pen of eight shearling ewes, which sold to a top price of 550 guineas and averaged over £400 a head.

Selling prices showed a marked improvement on last year’s corresponding fixture. Ewes averaged £220, shearling ewes £292 and ewe lambs £156.

Results:
Ewes – 1 Jennifer Lodge, Moss, 2 HR Verity, Kirkby Overblow, 3 JM&M Perrings, Rathmell.

Shearling ewes – 1 & 2 Mark and Helen Keighley, Leathley, 3 Jennifer Lodge.

Ewe lambs – 1, 2 & 3 – M&H Keighley.

Peter Woof top dog at Skipton Texel highlight

Champions of recent years returned to the scene of their triumphs to again take the major honours at the 25th annual Northern Area Texel Sheep Breeders two-day show and sale at Craven Cattle Marts’ Skipton Auction Mart on Thursday 14th & Friday 15th September 2006.

Peter Woof with the Supreme Champion

Show regular Peter Woof, of Storth End Farm, Stainton, Kendal, who exhibited the top Texel at Skipton in 2003, presented the supreme breed champion again this year - a February, 2005, group one genotype shearling ewe by Penparc Jemidar, out of a Haddo Innocent ewe and grand-daughter of Glenside Go-Getter.

Making her first appearance in the exhibition arena, the title-winner, earlier judged female champion, sold for 1,650 guineas to the show judge, Welshman David Williams, of Criccin, buying on behalf of a client.

Her success supplements a good year in the show ring for Peter’s prolific prize-winning Stainton flock. He also had the first prize gimmer at Chelford, reserve overall champion at the Great Yorkshire Show and runner-up honours at Worcester.

John Mellin’s shepherd Jeff Aitken with the top-priced shearling ram

Bidding peaked at 3,100gns for a March, 2005, shearling ram and Douganhill Hero son from an outstanding pen of rams shown by John Mellin, of Hull House Farm, Hellifield. The ram was selected for use in the West Yorkshire-based Manderlea and Helmark flocks.

John, who reigned supreme at the Skipton Texel fixture in both 2000 and 2004, set the trade when his male champion shearling ram, Hull House Lift Off, by Springwell Jaguar (to Cornerstone Ivanhoe), out of an ewe by Methlick Envoy, sold at 900gns to Messrs J&J Whitaker, of Clapham.

John has also excelled in the 2006 Texel exhibition arena, with other progeny of Springwell Jaguar clinching supreme honours at both the Great Yorkshire and Chelford Shows.

The reserve female and reserve breed championship titles went to a shearling ewe from the Wellingley flock of HM & PC Longdin, of Tickhill, Doncaster, bought for £735 by R Fitton, of Worsley, Manchester.

The reserve male champion shearling ram from S&S Richardson, of Mount Pleasant Farm, Great Houghton, Barnsley, also sold for £735 when joining the local flock of JGE Heseltine & Son, of Bolton Abbey.

The Manderelea flock of Leathley-based Mark Keighley returned to the ring to head the ram lambs, when the group one Manderlea Marcus, a son of Green Lion King and grandson of Muiresk Kermit, joined local buyer Andrew Warin, of Cottingley, for 1,500gns.

Long-time Northern Area Texel club member Doug Jewitt, now reducing his Osbaldeston flock at Hutton Buscel, Scarborough, achieved a notable success with Osbaldeston Kojak, a two-shear stock ram by Llanferries Ifor, which sold for 1,050gns to G&RJ Dickinson, of Grafton.

John North, of Moss, Doncaster, supreme champion in 2005, had a ram lamb sell this year at £1,150, while last year’s reserve supreme champion Jack Lucas, of J & RM Lucas & Son, Fimber, Driffield, sold a shearling ram at £1,050.

Results:
Shearling ewe – 1 PK Woof, Stainton, 2 PC Longdin, Tickhill, 3 JD Houghton, Bury.

Ewe Lamb – 1 TM Verity, Kirkby Overblow, 2&3 C&K Fawcett, Sand Hutton.

Shearling Ram – 1 JW Mellin, Hellifield, 2 S&S Richardson, Great Houghton, 3 R Gregory, Garstang.

Ram Lamb – 1 M Ireland, Whalley, 2, JW Mellin, 3 JD Houghton.

Chief prices and averages:
Shearling ewes – PK Woof £1,732, PC Longdin £735, JD Houghton £714 & £504, R&S Priestley £693. Average £204.

Ram lambs – MA Keighley, £1,575, JL North £1,050, PK Woof £997, JW Mellin £714 & £682. Average £245.

Shearling rams – JW Mellin £3,255, £945, £924 twice, J&RM Lucas & Son £1,050, R Gregory £945, S&S Richardson £924. Average £371.

2-shear ram – P Jewitt & Sons £1,102, Kearby Texels £420, J&S Wilkinson £378. Average £633.

Gimmer lambs – TM Verity £265 & £147, CR Fawcett £210, £199 and £131 twice.