NORTH Craven’s Robert Towers clinched an eye-catching title-winning hat-trick at Skipton Auction Mart’s annual Easter prime lambs show.

He also won all four show classes with the six spring lambs consigned by the family at the seasonal highlight.

Noted Charollais sheep breeder, Mr Towers, who farms with his wife, Jackie, and daughter, Josie, at Greenlands Farm, Ingleton, also stood supreme Easter champion in 2018 and 2019, but was unable to defend the title last year when the annual showcase fell victim to Cobid-19.

But he bounced back with a bang as show classes returned this year when clinching the overall championship with the first prize Continental cross pair, home-bred 41kg Charollais cross lambs that went on to sell for £178 per head or 434p/kg to Rowland Agar Wholesale Butchers in Ilkley.

They title-winning duo were among the first crop of lambs by a bought-in tup, which has quickly made its mark on the 30 pedigree Charollais ewes in the Towers flock. The same sire was also responsible for the first-prize single 46kg Continental cross lamb, which made the day’s top gross price of £188 or 408p/kg, when claimed by regular wholesale buyer Hartshead Meats in Mossley, Greater Manchester.

Father and son, Charles and Stephen Marwood, who run the Foulrice flock in Whenby, York, claimed the Easter reserve championship, as they also did when the show was last staged in 2019, this time with the second-prize Continental duo, pure-bred 39kg lambs among the first crop by a new tup acquired last year from the nearby Galtres flock run by Mr Marwood’s daughter Deborah Witcher.

The reserve champions made £168 each when also claimed by Rowland Agar Wholesale Meats. In addition, the Marwoods sent out the second-prize single Continental cross lamb, a 49kg Charollais cross Beltex, sold for £178 to Hartshead Meats, who also snapped up the day’s per kilo lamb, yet again from the Marwoods, at 440p/kg or £185.

Back with the Suffolk cross, the other two prize-winning pens both came from York area vendors. The second-prize pen of 40kg pairs from M&J Smith, of Melbourne, made £145 each when falling to John Kearns Butchers in Shipley, while the second-prize 39kg single from TR Craven in Wilberfoss became yet another Rowland Agar purchase at £139.

In total, 3,000 prime and cast sheep were penned for sale, the 2,500 prime and lightweight hoggs among them also doing well when averaging top side of 300p (SQQ 307p) across the whole sale, or £133 per head.