PRICES were on the up at Bentham Auction Mart's sheep shows.

Increased interest at the fourth annual show and sale of Dales mule lambs resulted in a sale average of £90.67, up £5.99 on the year. Alec Lambert, of Bainbridge, topped with his winning pen selling for £135 to the judge John Wright, of Norfolk, with second and third prize lambs from David France, of Wyresdale, and R Capstick & Son, of Ingleton, both selling for £122 to EM and J Holliday, of Wigton.

And, at the annual show and sale of North of England Mule Gimmer Lambs, there was a complete clearance of the 10,300 lambs, which sold to an average of £100.35, up on the year by £2.23.

Nineteen pens of ten competed in the show class, with first prize going to KA Brown & Sons, of Asby Hall.

The victors sold to co-judge James Winter, of Appleby, for £285.

Second prize was awarded to Neil and Linda Allan, of Killington, with their charges selling for £195 to Zoe Mackay, of Buckinghamshire, and in third place, were Will and Gill Sedgley, of Barbon, who achieved £270 selling to Graeme Jackson, of Bentham.

Auctioneer Stephen Dennis said that, overall, the quality of lambs had improved on the year, although there was a greater percentage of smaller running lambs forward, which was, no doubt, due to a better lambing with many more twins reared.

The Masham Sheep Breeders Association held its annual sale of gimmer lambs and the sale day entry of 1,800 sold to an average of £90.11, up 52p on the year.

JM Wilson & Sons, of Harrogate, took first prize honours for their best pen of ten, which later sold to M Allen of Whitby for £260 per head. Second and third prizes both sold to sale day judge Andrea Wilson for £158 (RW Wallis & Son) and £142 (C&JE Willoughby).

Other leading prices included J Verity & Son, Middlesmoor, £210, and MB Fawcett, Stainderber, £170.