Marwoods crowned champion and top price again at annual CCM Skipton Charollais females highlight
As they have done so often in the past, the Marwood family were once again the outstanding performers at the British Charollais Sheep Society’s annual autumn show and sale of registered breeding females at Skipton Auction Mart. (Sat, Oct 12)
The Marwoods - Charles and Valerie, and son Stephen, who run the Foulrice flock at Whenby, York - secured yet another breed championship, one of many at the North Yorkshire venue, with their first prize shearling ewe, a December, 2017, daughter of the family’s celebrated stock ram, Dalby Mount Aloe.
Mr Marwood Snr rates the prolific tup as among the very best to serve the multi award-winning flock, first established in 1982, placing him on a par with two other renowned stock rams, Charollais Ash Fillibuster and Westonvale Jubilee. “Like his predecessors, Mount Aloe has left some excellent breeding stock,” he said
Out of a daughter of Rhaeadr Nock, the title winner, shown successfully all summer, has been scanned in-lamb to the Foulrice flock’s new stock ram, the Hollylodge Supreme son, Cavick Up & Away. She sold locally for a sale-topping 1,200gns to Robert Towers, also a familiar face at Skipton, who farms with his wife, Jackie, at Greenlands Farm, Ingleton.
Another March, 2018, Foulrice shearling ewe scanned carrying twins to Cavick Up & Away – he has already been put to 80 ewes – stood third in its show class. This one, a March, 2018, daughter of Sheldon Supreme, out of a Foulrice Osprey-sired ewe, sold for 800gns.
The Marwoods also stepped up with the first and second prize ewe lambs, the former again by Sheldon Supreme and sold for a section-topping 550gns to L Thompson, of Fadmoor in Ryedale, the latter by Dalby Sherman making 520gns.
A year after a special celebration sale at Skipton to mark Charles Marwood’s 70th birthday, the family returned with strong pens of both in-lamb gimmers and ewe lambs, including several from this season’s show pen. Two further shearling ewes sold well at 820gns and 720gns, these both Reuben daughters scanned in-lamb to Cavick Up & Away.
Northern Ireland show judge Gordon Houston, of Randalstown in Co. Antrim, remained in the shearling ewe show class for his reserve champion, the second prize winner from another breed stalwart, Kenton Foster, who runs the Fosters flock in Garriston, Leyburn.
His December, 2017, daughter of main stock ram, Gwyndy, who also bred last year’s Great Yorkshire Show reserve champion, has herself performed well in the 2019 show arena, winning at both Wensleydale and North Yorkshire County Shows, while her own dam, a Banwy Othello daughter, was a Great Yorkshire runner-up as a ewe lamb. Scanned carrying twins to Coventry Fosterman, the overall runner-up joined Welsh buyer D Hughes, of Caernarfon in Gwynedd, at 700gns.
Mr Foster did better when selling a second shearling ewe, fourth prize winner in class, at 750gns. This was another Gwyndy daughter and full sister to the 2018 Great Yorkshire reserve champion. Scanned carrying twins to the Fosters show ram lamb, she joined E Benn in Cotherstone, Barnard Castle. A second shearling ewe from the same home, this a daughter of Maerdy Musketeer, made 700gns.
Standing first and second in the older ewe show class was Mark Worthington, fresh from his breed championship-winning success at the previous month’s Skipton multi-breeds sheep highlight with a shearling ram from his late mother Lynne’s Sandbrook flock – she passed away earlier this year. In fact, Mr Worthington, who runs his own Moss Side flock in High Moss, Ramsbottom and is a bespoke joiner by trade, was consigning the last of the remaining Sandbrook females.
The red rosette winner, a January, 2017, 2 shear by Galtres Lynz Unstoppable, bred by Charles Marwood’s daughter Deborah Whitcher, from Skewsby, York, out of a Logie Durno Kracker-sired dam, headed its class prices when falling for 500gns, again to Teesdale’s E Benn. The second prize winner, a 3 shear ewe by Edstaston Orwell, made 400gns, as did a further Sandbrook ewe.
Another older ewe, a December, 2016, Artnagullion Nightrider daughter from Mark Wilkin’s Witcham flock near Ely, also made 400gns, another from the same home doing better at 420gns, along with a 320gns ewe lamb.
Ewes and shearlings were a solid trade with a good clearance rate, while ewe lambs were more selective. Shearling ewes averaged £516, older ewes £395 and ewe lambs £312.