BORDER Union Show secretary Ron Wilson has ended his tenure at Springwood in a similar fashion to his beginnings with a record-breaking Ram Sales.

During Mr Wilson’s first sales back in 1997, he oversaw a record entry of 7,730 rams.

And on Friday, which will be his last before retirement at the end of the year, he witnessed yet more records being broken with the £3 million sales barrier being broken for the first time, and the average sale price surpassing £700. Ron told us: “It has been an eventful and highly enjoyable 20 years and I am delighted to be leaving with the Ram Sales healthier than ever.”

A total of 5,411 shearling rams and ram lambs sold for a total of £3,159,290 on Friday - an average price of £709.63. The 3,976 shearlings sold for an average price of £733.02, while 476 ram lambs which were sold averaged £514.29.

Texels commanded the majority of top prices on the day with a top price of £23,000 being paid for one from Karen and Allan Wight, Midlock, Crawford.

John Elliot, Roxburgh Mains, Kelso, Jonathan Watson, Bowsden Moor, Berwick Upon Tweed, and Mike and Melanie Alford, Foxhill Farm, Blackborough, Cullompton, Devon were the joint buyers.

The Campbell family from Rosebrough, Alnwick, earned a top of £9,000 for a Textel, which sold to Jeff Aiken at Tatham Hall, Lancaster.

Steven Renwick, Glenrath, Peebles, also sold a Textel for f £9,000 to A.E. Williams and Son, Folley Bank, Clun.

Top priced Bluefaced Leicester was £12,000 for the Wight family from Biggar to Jack Kay, Hartside Farm, Lauder. The £12,000 top price was followed by £10,000 for a shearling from T. Dick and Son, Hamildean, Peebles which was bought by Messrs Lauchry and Mills from Northern Ireland.

Best in the lambs was a Suffolk from Gary Beacom’s Lakeview Farm , which went to Wales for £4,800. And £4,400, for a Textel from Allan Campbell, Strawfrank, Carstairs, to Russell and Gill Watkins from Herefordshire.