SKIPTON Auction Mart’s annual multi-breed highlight attracted an increased turnout of 1,264 head of sheep.

Top price honours on the day fell to a Blue Faced Leicester shearling ram from Richard Mawson, of Addingham, which made 2,000gns (£2,100) and returned to its place of origin when bought by Mr Mawson's neighbours Ken and Lynne Throup.

John and Claire Mason, of Embsay, entered19 Blue-faced Leicesters. Their pen-leading shearlings achieved 1,600gns, selling to A Newbould and Son in Dallowgill, with a second shearling making 1,000gns on joining R and VJ Brown in Kirkby Malham.

The Masons were also responsible for the show champion, the first prize ram lamb, which sold for 600gns to John Alpe in Whitewell.

Reserve champion was the first prize shearling ram from Ellis Bros, of Addingham Moorside, which sold for 750gns to G and M Harrison and Sons in Slaidburn.

WA and A Booth, of Old Hall Farm, Feizor, were also among the leading prices, achieving 1,300gns with a shearling ram sold to H Horsfield and Son, of Foulridge.

Ram lambs met with a mixed trade, though the standout performer at 1,000gns came from Kevin Wilson, of Blubberhouses. It found a new home in Dunsop Bridge with JC Walker and Son.

The Suffolk section also attracted a larger entry than previous years, with a championship success on his first-ever appearance in the show arena for Lee Bethell, of Brindle. His shearling ram victor sold for a breed high of 1,080gns to Robert Metcalfe, of Brearton.

Reserve champion was the first prize ram lamb from Buxton’s Steve Buckley, which sold for 380gns to show judge Craig Bradbury, of Lillisleaf.

Suffolk shearling rams averaged £387 and ram lambs £281.

In the Texel show classes, the title was awarded to the first prize shearling ram from Procters Farm in Slaidburn, which sold for 800gns to Roy Nelson in Bordley.

Procters Farm made a clean sweep of the prizes in the shearling ram show class, with the second prize winner performing better at 900gns when joining P Smith in Helmsley. Their third prize ram sold for 750gns to JR Hadfield, of Buxton.

David Towell, from Glusburn Moor, again hit the headlines with a top-notch pen of 16 shearling rams, which sold to highs of 1,300gns and 1,100gns. The respective buyers were ML Dawson and Son, of Crayke, and T Jones, of Abergele.

The first prize ram lamb and reserve champion was shown father and son Gordon and David Gray from Selkirk. It sold for 600gns to J Frankland in Giggleswick.

John and Linda Mellin, of Hellifield, were responsible for the first prize shearling ewe, which joined Harold Peel in Embsay at 540gns.

Shearling rams averaged £461, ram lambs £259 and shearling ewes £206.

The champion Beltex was a shearling ram from Eldroth father and daughter Michael and Becky Davis. Home-bred, the victor sold for 420gns to Keighley’s J Feather, though this price was bettered at 520gns by the second in class, shown by PN and VJ Noble, of Guisborough. The buyer was Stephen Pickard, of Bolton-by-Bowland.

Championship honours in the Charollais show classes fell for the second year running to a home-bred shearling ram from Deborah Whitcher, from Skewsby,. The victor sold for the joint top price of 460gns to the Westall family in Briercliffe.

Deborah’s parents, Charles and Valerie Marwood, of Whenby, equalled the top price with a shearling ram that again fell to the Westalls.

Reserve champion was the first prize ram lamb from Kendal’s John Stott Jnr, which sold for 250gns to JJ, R and A Cowgill, of Thornley, Longridge. Charollais shearling rams averaged £295, ram lambs £247 and aged rams £168.

In the Zwartble show class, the red rosette winner, a ram lamb from Martin Preston, of Bingley, sold for £230 to Joe Lloyd in Huddersfield.

In the non-MV sheep section, Texel shearling rams averaged £481 and their Beltex counterparts £417.

The top non-MV price of the day fell to Ellis Bros, of Addingham Moorside, with a Dutch Texel shearling ram flying to 1,350gns, followed by a second tup at 1,100gns. Both were acquired by William and Michael Oldfield in Gisburn.

In standalone Blue Texel classes, David and Jennifer Alexander, of Galston, produced the day’s top-priced female, a shearling ewe knocked down at 1,500gns to Henry Jewitt, of Romaldkirk.

Shearling ewes averaged £443 and ewe lambs £366.

The annual show and sale on behalf of the North East region of the Hampshire Down Sheep Breeders’ Association produced a championship and reserve double for I KP and AE McCarthy, of Comber, County Down. It was their first prize and reserve champion shearling ewe, scanned in-lamb, that topped the sale at 1,200gns when joining A and C Farms in Langham.

The same buyers also paid 1,000gns, top price in class, for the show champion, the McCarthy’s first prize ewe lamb.

Shearling ewes levelled at £656, ewe lambs £651 and aged ewes £340.

Full show results and leading prices are at ccmauctions.com