THE noted Hull House Texel flock of Hellifield farmers John and Linda Mellin started proceedings at Gisburn Auction Marts' final sheep only sale of the season on Saturday.

Their pair of smart Texel gimmer shearlings sold for £240 each to TH Collier, of Goosnargh, Preston.

They also sold other lots for £238, £225 and £222.

North Country Cheviot Shearlings from John Riley, Castleford were quickly snapped up for between £125 and £130 and Mule shearlings sold to £130. Swaledale shearlings all easily sold above £100 and Dalesbred to £105.

Texel cross shearlings from B Reeves, of Wigglesworth, achieved £160.

Commercial ewes continued to sell well. Swaledale two and three crop ewes from Malhamdale’s Neil Heseltine were keenly bid to £92 and Lleyn three and four crop ewes from M Stocks, of Hebden Bridge, all sold around the £100 mark.

In the gimmer lamb section, the highest price was for a pen of pure Charollais from WM Hall, of Grassington, at £142. They found pastures new at Wigan. The last running Mules of the season from Gordon Haynes, of Mitton, sold for £80.

A pen of smart black gimmers from R and V Brown, Kirkby Malham, went up north to County Durham for £82.

Store lambs sold to a top of £64.50 and plenty of medium keep lambs sold in the mid to late fifties.

A separate sale of rams achieved a good clearance rate.

Thomas and James Whiteford, of Carlisle, topped at £500 for a Beltex cross Texel shearling and ram lambs sold to £450 for a Texel from Alex and Gemma Brown, Tockholes, Darwen. Local Texel breeder Janet Ewin-Newhouse achieved £410 for her Texel shearlings.

Gisburn Auction Marts' next sheep sale is on Saturday and includes a flock sale of Mule and Texels from Ian Walmsley, of Waddington.

Sales return to fortnightly on November 1, which includes a special late breeding ram section.