RICHARD Frankland, of Frankland Farms in Rathmell, was again in championship-winning form at Skipton Auction Mart’s June prime lamb show.

Mr Frankland, who also secured the title at the mart’s previous spring lambs prize show last month, repeated the feat at the latest renewal with his pen of five 38kg Beltex-cross-Texel lambs. This season, he has lambed 1,100 ewes, the vast majority Beltex-cross.

His first prize Continental pen progressed to take the champion’s rosette courtesy of show judge James Robertshaw, of Keelham Farm Shop, who then backed his judgement by snapping them up in the sale ring for £125 per head or 328.9p/kg.

The lambs will be going on sale at Keelham’s two shops in Skipton and Thornton from this weekend.

The second prize Continental pen, five 38kg Texels from Bolton-by-Bowland’s Nick Capstick, made £108 per head, or 284.2p/kg, on joining Hartshead Meats of Ashton-under-Lyne, while the third prize 42kg Texel pen from Lincolnshire vendor Richard Ogg, of Scunthorpe, sold for £102 per head, or 242.9p/kg, to Vivers Scotlamb of Dumfriesshire.

The pick of the Suffolk show pens was a 36kg offering from Skipton’s Geoff and Margaret Lawn, which made £87 per head, or 242p/kg, when selling to Keelham.

The second prize 44kg pen from Steeton’s Mark Evans sold for £97 per head, or 220.5p/kg, also to Keelham, with the third prize pen from FM Shepherd and Son, of Pateley Bridge, making £80 per head, or 195p/kg, to Andrew Atkinson.

Prime hoggs saw an overall average of £65.63 per head, or 155.01p/kg, with David Berry from Thornton-in-Craven selling to £100, WA Nutter, of Fence, to £94 and WM Hall, of Grassington, to £89.50.

Mature hoggs sold to an average of £62.83 per head, or 126.7p/kg, with FC, N and M Walker, of Hartlington, topping the sale at £79.

Cull ewes averaged £66.09 per head, with WM Hall selling the top Lowland, a Charollais ewe, at £108.50. R Emmott had the top Mule or Masham at £74.50, Andrew Sayer from West End, Summerbridge, the top horned at £51.50 and CM Ryder, the top hill at £84.50.

Cast rams averaged £89.79, with Texels selling to £103.50 from SP and V Morris; Suffolks to £110.50 from G and MA Lawn; Charollais to £95.50 from P and J Sedgwick; and Blue Face Leicesters to £86.50 from JW Sayer and Son.

There was a large show of breeding sheep for late in the season, with more than 100 outfits presented for sale and a slightly sharper trade as some customers looked to make use of grass growth during the hotter weather.

Nick Parker, of Silsden, did well with his Texels, with hoggs with singles selling for £150 and hoggs with twins for £155. He also sold a Zwartbles cross hogg with singles to £130.

H Metcalfe, of Silsden, sold shearlings with singles to £128 and correct with singles to £122. Messrs Worsnop-Petyt from High Birstwith sold correct with twins to £158.

Richard Caton enjoyed success with Beltex, selling a number of fine outfits including two crop with twins to £170 and a Cheviot with twins to £132.

Lister Brown from Halifax sold Suffolk cross hoggs and singles to £120, Mule hoggs with singles to £125 and shearlings with singles to £120 and with twins to £135. GR Danvers sold correct with twins to £160.

Mr Brown also sold the best correct Charollais with singles for £158, and a Welsh with twins to £90.