South Wales Texel Breeders Association

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Club Trip to the Isle of Man

The South Wales Club successfully mixed business and pleasure on their recent trip to the Isle of Man.

The wake of ‘Manannan’

The weather forecasters had predicted a deep area of low pressure for the crossing from Liverpool on Friday the 17th June 2011, however despite heavy rain, the sea remained fairly smooth and an uneventful crossing was experienced. We got to the Empress Hotel, Douglas at 9.30 in time for a quiet, or relaxing at least, evening in the Bar.

Saturday saw the flock visits. First up was the Ballaglonney flock. The Creer family are well known in South Wales and many of the members present have owned Ballaglonney stock. It was with sadness that the Club noted the family’s loss of Colin Creer in the spring. Danny’s philosophy on taking over the flock a few years ago had to reflect the fact that he and his family are extraordinarily busy with the other aspects of their various farming ventures. The stated aim was clear, to produce 40 or so strong shearling tups for sale to local flock masters at an annual home sale and a further draw for sale at the Builth Wells NSA, all off grass with little supplemental feed.

Ballaglonney shearling tups

With the heavy rain the previous day the stock were all run through the yard for inspection. Firstly we saw the pick of the lambs both male and female. They were by two tups, Caereinion Number One and Cowal Powerhouse both of whom Danny has a share in. The lambs had not been creep fed. They were well grown, fit and had good skins which had held up well to the torrential rain the day before. A number of strong shearling tup candidates were present (by the Caereinion tup mainly) and a number of very stylish but more compact ewe lambs by the Cowal tup who has of course had sons sold for up to 40,000gns.

Ballaglonney ewes and lambs

Next up were the ewe flock with all the lambs. There were a number of very strong ewes with plenty of character on display, together with a number of lambs that could have staked a claim to have been singled out themselves.

They were followed by the Shearling tups, who as with the lambs previously, were penned up for closer inspection. These were by Alwent and Drinkstone tups. Danny’s guiding philosophy was clearly in evidence. The rams again were well grown and fit. Supplemental feeding would commence shortly and by the autumn many of the upstanding tups on display would grace any sale.

Finally the yearling ewes were run through the yard. The members picked out a number of shapely gimmers. A cup of tea and the presentation of a bottle of Penderyn Whisky later we were on the road.

Presenting the Penderyn to the Creer family

The bus driver took us to the Tynwald and over the TT course and gave us interesting information on the island en route to the Orrisdale flock of the Kermode family.

Orrisdale ‘potentials’

We were told two things at Orrisdale. Firstly that we were the first Texel Club to visit them (which astounded us, but makes us trailblazers I suppose) but secondly that everything we saw was for sale! More on the business side later on. We were greeted with a buffet lunch of some quality. We were then shown the ‘potentials’ pen, lambs selected as candidates for show and sale whose mothers were fed concentrates during lactation and that are themselves given supplemental feeding on weaning. Their fathers were penned on one side with colour coded neck tags, the lambs had neck tags corresponding to their sire and their mothers were penned the others side, allowing individual lambs’ mothers to identified. The other ewes are grass fed alone and they and their lambs were also penned and scrutinised.

Orrisdale gimmers

Next, having seen the homebred Limousin stock bull with three cows, we travelled to rented land to see the yearlings and Limousin heifers. First up were the gimmers. They were brought into an enclosed yard and were an awesome sight. The members were unanimous in their praise. Collectively it would be difficult to imagine a stronger group. They were very shapely gimmers with excellent heads and in fine condition. The tups were close by and were less in number as many ram lambs are sold. Again after the presentation of a bottle of Penderyn we hit the road, this time for award winning ice cream in Peel, and then back to the Hotel for supper and drinks where our hosts joined us as guests.

The Kermode family receiving their Penderyn

After auctioning a spare bottle of Penderyn for our adopted charity, the Welsh Air Ambulance (bought for £65 by Walt Jones, Divlyn) the socialising continued into the small hours. There was no incident (apart from Walt Jones, Divlyn failing to re-find his chair after a comfort break during supper) until Rowland Watkins mistook his room door for the toilet door and found himself trapped out on the corridor. Luckily his wife Gina slept lightly enough to hear his plaintive cries.

After a slightly later breakfast than Saturday, Sunday morning saw the members disperse for a free morning before sailing home.

And now, we’ll turn to business. A number of deals were made in the 24 hours from our arriving at Orrisdale. Rowland Watkins revisited Orrisdale on the Sunday morning and agreed to buy Orrisdale Santana in a £3,500 deal. Santana has excellent conformation and skin and is by New Testament Pharoah, (a Brague Nixon son out of a Cornerstone ewe) and out of a homebred dam by Callerton Kielder. Despite Rowland’s antics the previous night, the lamb will not, contrary to popular misconception, be renamed ‘Streaker’. He will however be shown at the Highland and Great Yorkshire prior to the conclusion of the deal with delivery to Cwmcerrig.

Orrisdale Santana

The first deal to be struck was on the shearling tup field the previous day where Orrisdale Ringleader, a big smart Shearling tup by Braehead Old Testament (by Cornerstone New Testament and sire of the 8,000gns Orrisdale Paradise) was bought in half shares by Glyn and Jeanette Williams, Crai for their Padest flock and Walter and Anne Jones, Cilycwm for their Divlyn flock.

Kiree Kermode’s favourite Orrisdale Smoothy, a long, shapely, tight skinned son of Hexel Rocket Man (by Livery Predator), was subject to a deal by Keith Evans, Gower for his Scurlage Castle flock at 2.00am in the Hotel bar, where a couple of hours previously a solid, bare ewe lamb by New Testament Pharoah was sold to Alfryn Davies, Penygroes for the Ifan Ddu flock.

Orrisdale Smoothy

Also on Sunday two ewe lambs were sold to Tomos Evans, Llanddarog for the Welsh flock. One was a smart, upstanding ewe lamb by the 2009 Dungannon Champion Millar’s Professor, a Cambwell OBE son. The other was a very sharp and widely admired ewe lamb with a bold eye by Milnbank Popcorn, a Millar’s Outstanding son. The average deal for 6 was comfortably in four figures.

Millar’s Professor daughter

South Wales Club Chairman Hywel Davies was heard to say that after this performance, the organiser of next year’s Club trip had better find a bus company who provide coaches with a hitch!