The Easter Monday fixture at CCM Skipton featured an annual breeding sheep highlight, the second ewes and lambs show of the season, with a bumper entry of 328 outfits, or 848 head, among them some solid consignments, a credit to all vendors, put in front of a packed and eager ringside.
Topping the trade at a staggering £610 - £305 per life - was a 4-crop pure black Beltex with single tup lamb at foot from regular consignees and quality producers, Antony and Emma Thompson, Foulridge, claimed after a flurry of bidding by mart regular Neil Tattersall, Ellerton, York. A further four single outfits from the same home broke the £400 barrier, with Thompson twin outfits trading to a high of £445 for a 3-crop Beltex and her offspring.
From near Stockton-on-Tees, Ian Tate, Kirklevington, brought a solid packet of pure Blue Texel families, which met a strong following and included first and second prize successes in the pens of five show class. Topping the Tate trade at £570 was a single outfit with a tup lamb, a pen full of other singles making £400, twin outfits trading to £450, followed by a run of gimmer hoggs, again pure Blues, selling to £190 top on two occasions.
Stephen Entwistle, Darwen, had a powerful run of 3-crop Cheviot Mule ewes with Texel-x- Beltex twin lambs, selling to £430 and £415 respectively, singles from the same home making to £340.
Richard Wilson, Beckwithshaw returned with another quality batch of young Texel-x ewes, the strongest singles selling to £335, his third prize singles hitting £325, though dad was eclipsed by young son Charlie, whose first prize pair of black ewes with singles realised £350. Twins from the same home sold to £390.
J&PA Leach, Bradford, who finished runner-up and third in the pairs show class, sold a pen of 2 and 3-crop Texels with strong twins to £415 and £400. On the whole, the best of the Continental ewes with youth and twins achieved £380-£420 throughout, lesser older ewes with younger lambs regularly £310-£360.
An abundance of North of England Mules saw plenty of customers keen to secure families. John and Alison Spensley, Thorlby, stood third in their show class, selling genuine 2 and 3-crop to £375 top, with both the red rosette winners and runners-up from David White, Hebden, making £325 and £320 respectively.
Other mid-age Mule ewes were £320-£340, broken-mouthed ewes £290-£320, Mule shearlings topping at £385 from GJ&G Schofield, Buckden, others at £330-£370. Mule shearlings with singles peaked at £270 from A&T Smith, Dutton.
The first of the hoggs saw 24 forward, John Smith, Sutton-in-Craven, claiming top t with a smart £350 pen, all other vendors selling single lambs to £340, the Dutton Smiths returning to claim £360 with a Mule hogg sucking a pair of lambs.
Top Tags Animal ID sponsored, with Sandy Harrison, Cowling, judging ewes and lambs. Top prices and averages are at www.ccmauctions.com
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