NORTHERN IRELAND DORSET HORN & POLL DORSET SHEEP BREEDERS' ASSOCIATION

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May Fair 2009

Raymond Hill (President) with William Carson & Champion

Raymond Hill (President)  Duncan Sinclair (Sponsor) & with David Rossiter & Reserve Champion

Raymond Hill (President) with Ben Lamb & Champion Horn

N.I. Breeders Score at Dorset May Fair.

A small group of Northern Ireland Dorset Horn and Polled Dorset sheep breeders who travelled to the Dorset May Fair in Exeter , Devon , came away with the top spoils and many leading prices.

William & Karen Carson, Downkillybegs, Ballymena,

Richard Currie , Hilltop, Ballymena, Graham Cubitt, Kildowney, Ballymena, Lamb Bros. Richhill, Armagh, and Thomas Wright, Ballytaggart, Ballymoney, were amongst the line up of exhibitors attending the 2009 May Fair in south western England .

Leading the show at last week’s two day event where 2500 head of Dorset sheep congregated from all over the country was a ram lamb from W. & K. Carson’s Downkillybegs flock who was winner of Best Poll ram lamb, and Male Champion, before being awarded Supreme Overall Champion.

In the sale ring he went on to make the day’s second top price of 2000gns selling to fellow N.I. breeder and society president,

R. J. Hill, Doagh Ballyclare.

The Downkillybegs pen of six ram lambs averaged out at £1193.

Reserve Overall Champion and sale topper came from D.W. Rossiter’s Huish pen from Kingsbridge Devon and stood second to the Overall Champion in the ram lamb class but was requested by Championship judge, Raymond Hill to step up and receive the Blue and White ribbons ahead of the other ten class winners.

In the sale ring the following day this decision was justified by the ringside bidders whenever this lamb sold for 2600gns to Fooks Bros. Bridport, Dorset and made up both part of the Champion pen of five or more rams and the top pen average of £1522 for 7 ram lambs.

Lamb Bros. Richhill flock once again triumphed in the Dorset Horn section by coming away with the Champion Horn Exhibit for the third year in succession.

Once again it was one of the strong ram lamb team which claimed the silverware making a remarkable hat trick for this third generation Dorset Horn Flock.

Their top price on this occasion was 550gns for the winning Horn exhibit.

Richard Currie ’s Hilltop flock offered a trio of sons from the 5000gns Blackhill Jak sire and claimed the day’s second top sale average of £1330, with a top of 1700gns selling to H.M. Tickler, Lincoln, with another selling at 1500gns to D.W. Rossiter, Devon.

Graham Cubitt, Ballymena and Thomas Wright, Ballymoney, saw their pen leaders from their Kildowney and Ballytaggart flocks selling to 800gns each.

Thomas Wright was winner of the best pair of ram lambs this year for the second time in succession with his pen averaging £760 while the Kildowney pen from Graham Cubitt averaged £709.

Other Leading Sale prices:-

1800gns W. & K. Carson Ballymena selling to H.M. Tickler, Lincoln

1800gns D. W. Rossiter Devon,           selling to J. McCullagh Plumbridge

1800gns D.W. Rossiter Devon ,            selling to C. Withers Devon.

1500gns W. & K. Carson Ballymena  selling to J. B. Dufosee

Wiltshire

1500gns C. & T. Clarke Devon             selling to R.M. Eglin

Warwickshire

1400gns C. & T. Clarke Devon             selling to Devon Buyer

Sale conducted by Exeter Market Auctioneers.