TWIN shearling rams from H Huddleston and Son’s Snab Green flock grossed £11,500 at Bentham Auction Mart's sale of Blue Faced Leicester rams and females on Saturday.

One of the brothers was snapped up for the top price of £7,000 while the other sold for £4,500 to John Huddleston, of Ravenscar.

A £5,000 bid from James Garth, of Keasden, secured the purchase of a shearling ram from WA and A Booth, of Feizor, while Richard Harker, of Grayrigg, paid £4,200 for the day's top priced ram lamb from AC and K Pye’s Dunkenshaw Flock.

Trade overall was selective with second quality rams harder to place. Averages were: aged rams, £446 (up £60 on year); shearling rams, £500.33 (down £210); and ram lamb, £416 (down £78).

The complete dispersal of the Jonlyn flock from John Whitfield, of Raw Ridding, saw aged rams sell to £3,000.

Meanwhile, Bentham had a fantastic show of quality Masham lambs, which achieved a sale average of £86.80, only £3.31 down on the year.

Show judges Chris Gibson and Raymond Johnson awarded the top prize to JM Wilson and Sons of Crimple Head, Beckwithshaw.

The Dales Mule gimmer lamb section saw a sale average of £82.34, £8.33 down on 2014, which seems to be the trend on the year.

Several farmer buyers, having tried the Dales Mule, returned to buy again, which bodes well for the future of the brand.

David and Sam Jones,of Redditch, who were persuaded to buy at the inaugural sale and have returned each year since, made a clean sweep, buying all three prize pens. Top honours went to to David and John France, of Abbeystead.

Leading sale averages included JH and J Ryder (£93.66); D France (£89.58) & BD and AM Gill & Son (£89.46)

In the North of England Mule gimmer lamb sale, John Huddleston, of Ravenscar, topped at £170 to average £111.38.

Throughout the sale, 116 buyers competed to ensure a trade at or above other centres, with the quality of Bentham lambs continuing to impress.