South Wales Texel Breeders Association

CHANGE OF DATE A SUCCESS
Club Sale Friday 5th September 2008

The 5th of September at Llandovery saw the South Wales Club sale held on its earliest date for many years. The change of date seemed to suit the buyers and a strong commercial trade for the right sheep pleased the vendors.

In the pre show sale the top honours were taken by John Eirian and Lynwen Davies (Teilo) and their 11 year old son Cai. John Eirian had a farm dispersal sale of his own and sent Cai with two ram lambs and strict instructions as to which he should show. Cai obliged, but asked his friend Dafydd (Einon) to take out the other. John Eirian clearly doesn’t know anything as it was the lamb shown by Dafydd that was placed first, male champion and overall champion! Later this son of Baltier Miles Better out of an Aman Hen Annwyl dam sold for 300gns to club vice Chairman and Judge of the show Brian Davies (Brivan). His pen mate, also by Baltier Miles Better and a full brother to the 2,000gns Teilo Nerthol, sold at Lanark 2007 to the Callerton flock, was 3rd in the show and sold for 200gns.

Cai Davies takes the championship with Teilo Oedipws

Top price of the sale however went to another Baltier Miles Better son, this time exhibited by DJJ Watkins and Co (Cwmcerrig). This triplet lamb out of a Claybury Knock It Back dam sold to local breeders the Jones’ of Carregfoelgam for 680gns. Current club chairman Roland Watkins did not take him out to the show, preferring another by Miles Better who was placed second in the ram lamb class. He had been 1st ram lamb at Pontargothi earlier in the season and had an excellent coat and conformation. He sold for 400gns assisting Roland to achieve the top average on the night.

The ram lamb line up (Roland’s lamb is in the middle)

Matching the second highest price of 400gns for a ram lamb were J & G Y Davies (Aman) with their son of Aman Ken Annwyl, by a 2001 Knock Field Marshall dam.

Bernadette Morgan awarded the female championship with her ewe lamb

Dispersing a flock is often a bittersweet moment. The stress of dispersing the Dulais flock, one of the earliest established in south Wales, for Eurwyn and Bernadette Morgan must have been alleviated by their achieving top price in the aged ewe and ewe lamb sections. At 450gns they sold a 2006 ewe by Cwmcerrig Lover Boy out of a Beutry ewe by Baltier Jaguar, also sold at the sale. Lover Boy, a Tophill Kiwi son, had only been used by them for one season but had certainly stamped character in his females. The ewe lamb was female champion and reserve overall and was by Eastham Magician out of a Nanteinon Great Scott ewe. Buying back their own blood for 500gns were Des and Irena Lewis (Einon).

Deri Morgan’s shearling ewe

1st in the shearling ewe section went to Deri Morgan (Tynewydd) with another by Haddo Lucky Strike, a half sister to the one he sold John Forsyth at the Welsh premier Sale. He also achieved top price in the Shearling ram section selling to 600gns. In the Shearling tup section first place in the show was taken by Tomos Adams (Ty Medi) the tup selling for 500gns and another from his pen selling for 480gns.

Tomos Adam’s 1st prize Shearling Tup shown by his father David

Club chairman Roland Watkins was very pleased with the sale:
“Moving the date has helped the sale. It shows that if people are prepared to bring out the right stock they can get a good price at the club sale. I hope it will give club members the confidence to bring better stock to the sale and to ensure this the club should spend some more money on promoting and advertising the sale”