The Worcester Premier Breeders’ Sale of Southdown sheep on Saturday 11th August saw a top price of 920gns for the pre-sale champion, a shearling ram, from the East Dean flock of D, S & P Humphrey, Chichester, West Sussex.

This son of Ridings Astronomer out of a home bred ewe was the championship pick of judge J Roland Williams of Capel Seion, Aberystwyth, who gave him the male and overall championship. This shearling ram was later knocked down to Emily Elnaugh, Drinkstone, Suffolk.

Leading Southdown trade at Worcester Market on Saturday was the male and overall champion, a shearling ram from D, S & P Humphrey, West Sussex.

Next best in the shearling ram offering was Cambridgeshire-based Patrick Goldsworthy’s Webb Ellis Mas, which sold for 600gns to S A and P Welton, Carmarthenshire. This one, a son of Ridings Daniel out of a home bred dam, was the highest ranked Southdown so far recorded with an EBV of 349.

Another shearling ram from the East Dean flock and half-brother to the champion sold at 560gns, this one was knocked down to Howard Wood, Gwent.

Selling for 480gns was the female and reserve overall champion, a shearling ewe from E Sargent, East Sussex.

Leading female trade was a 2015-born ewe from East Sussex-based Wakeham-Dawson and Harmer at 500gns. This ET-bred female is by the French ram Benoit and is out of a home bred female. She sold to Messrs Sparke, Buckinghamshire.

Two females then sold at 460gns, the first of which was the female and reserve overall champion, a shearling ewe from Lizzie Sargent’s Offham flock, East Sussex. By a Ridings ram which was the 2016 National Show champion, this one is out of a Graywood female. She sold to K Wheeler, Herefordshire.

Next best was Carmarthenshire-based Edward Morgan selling a Chaileybrook-bred shearling ewe by Breton, a maternal brother to the 2018 National Show champion, Percheron. This one sold back to her breeders, the Long family, as a foundation female for Sophie Long’s Littlebrook flock, Herefordshire.

It was a Percheron daughter from Jonathan Long’s Chaileybrook flock that topped the ewe lamb offering at 340gns. This one sold to Joshua Jack for his Dovecote flock, Milton Keynes.

Leading the ram lamb trade at 360gns was a Ridings sired lamb from the West Sussex-based Goodwood Estate pen. This one is out of a Southern Cross ewe and sold to Jim Cresswell for his Diss, Norfolk-based Wattisfield flock.

Averages: 9 senior ewes £200.08; 24 shearling ewes £286.34; 4 ewe lambs £262.50; 4 senior rams £158.81; 11 shearling rams £474.40; 9 ram lambs £257.25 (McCartneys).

Press release issued in conjunction with Country Girl Media.