BENTHAM Auction Mart held another excellent sale of Swaledale draft ewes and shearlings with 4,651 forward before a packed ringside of prospective purchasers.

The quality of sheep forward seems to improve each year with some excellent runs on offer attracting buyers from a wide area.

Bill Cowperthwaite, of Tennant Gill, Malham Moor, took first prize with his three-crop draft ewes, which later sold to Graham Pears, of Penistone, for £300.

John and Jean Bradley, of Penyghent, Litton, topped the sale prices with their second prize pen of draft ewes, again all three crops, selling to the same buyer for £320.

All classes of Swaledales were in strong demand with plenty of broken mouthed ewes fetching between £60 and £70.

Eight pens of shearlings were judged by Graham Pears, of Penistone, and Keith Harryman, of Newlands, with JC Wade and Son, of Catchall Farm, Linton, topping the prices at £202 for the second prize pen.

Leading prices were: ewes - J and JE Bradley £320, £185, £140; TW Cowperthwaite £300, £150; JM and DE Wood £205, £190, £145; W and NL Baines £180; SJ and RK Handley £165; JM and JJ Dawson £150; shearlings - JC Wade and Son £202; J and JE Bradley £180, £160, £150; JA and F Nutter £175; RJ Hutchinson £152; JR and J Gorst £150.

Meanwhile, the auction mart hosted the Dalesbred Sheepbreeders' Association's 84th annual sale of rams.

A competitive ringside resulted in shearling rams averaging £668, up £214 on the year, whilst aged rams averaged £395, up £229 on the year.

The overall champion shearling ram, shown by Stephen Wright of Roeburndale, sold for £5,000 whilst Chris and Henry Fawcett, of Cautley, sold to the top price of £5,500 to Frank Brennand of Chapel-le-Dale.

Other leading prices included MJ and A Carr, Brackenbottom £4,000; A and M Brennand & Sons, Ellerbeck £4,000 twice; Huddleston and Longton, Oak Head £2,800; and J and JE Bradley, Penyghent £2,600.