Terrific demand for females illustrated buyers' confidence in the breed at the Annual Beltex Society Sale at Chelford last Thursday. Combined with a very strong trade throughout for both shearling rams and ram lambs, the event, having grown considerably in recent years, has now become one of the leading sales for Beltex sheep within the country, with buyers attending from all four corners of the UK and Northern Ireland.

The leading price of 1,800 guineas came for an outstanding ewe lamb, Beachy Jen, from Maybole, Ayrshire breeder John Barclay. A Group 1 scrapie genotype, she had won the female Championship under judge Kevin McCarthy and been placed Reserve Champion in the Show. By the 34,000 guinea Tullygarley Elite, out of the home-bred ewe Beachy Doncaster, she had been the centre of attention throughout the pre-sale show and, when she entered the ring, the atmosphere was electric as bidding rose quickly to 1,800 guineas, the final call coming from David Roberts of Kenley, Shrewsbury. Demand for females was illustrated by a virtually complete clearance of all gimmers and ewe lambs, with averages for each section well up, indeed each averaging over £400. The leading gimmer price of 780 guineas was achieved twice; firstly for Longley Honey, a Beachy Full Throttle daughter bought as a ewe lamb and shown by Messrs D and M A Haigh of Holmfirth, Yorkshire, selling to J C Little of Wigton, Cumbria and, secondly for Clary Harmo ny, a home-bred gimmer from Castle Douglas breeder Ian McMillan which went home with G W & J Forster of Barnard Castle, Durham.

Kevin McCarthy awarded the Show Championship to a shearling ram shown by Messrs Shanks and Thom, of Carluke, Lanarkshire. A substitute entry for the original, the ram was imported from Belgium, from the Harlembois flock and, although unsold in the ring, was eventually sold outside in a private deal, whereby Gavin Shanks purchased out his partner's half share to take the ram home for his own Inveresk flock at 1,500 guineas.

Leading ram through the ring came from Warwickshire breeder Brian Hitchman whose Calvados son, Parkland Hunter, made 1,220 guineas to C Windle of Skipton, Yorkshire, whilst Gordon Belcher and Sons of Shifnal, Shropshire saw their consignment peak at 900 guineas for a Group 2 son of Tullygarley Elite, Puleston Henricus, who was snapped by Tenbury Farm Supplies, Tenbury Wells, Worcestershire. Chester breeder Les Hewitt, selling at the event for the first time out of his recently -formed flock, produced a super pen of shearling rams, which peaked at 750 guineas for the Group 1 Southern Acres Horatio, who went home with S & D Peile of Wigton, Cumbria.

Leading the ram lambs at 400 guineas was the Reserve Male Champion, and first in the Ram Class, from Ian McMillan. Clary Jim was a Group 2 scrapie genotype by Headlind Ee -By-Gum, who was also bought by Tenbury Farm Supplies, whilst R J Shaw of Admaston, Staffordshire also sold a ram lamb at 400 guineas, the Group 1 Steenwood Jasper heading for North Wales, with G P Williams of Colwyn Bay.

Averages
7 Rams £392.70
96 Shearling Rams £391.86
41 Ram Lambs £296.86
31 Shearling Gimmers £414.27
28 Ewe Lambs £411.60