GIGGLESWICK farmer Mick Hewitt won his first championship at Skipton Auction Mart on Monday in the monthly prime show.

Judge Nick Dalby, of Hartwith, selected Mr Hewitt’s pen of five Beltex-crosses, got by a Critchley tup. He sold the 39kg lambs for £101 each, or 259p/kg to Hartshead Meat Co in Mossley, who also bought the reserve champion and second prize Continental pen, for £98 apiece from TA Robinson.

Lambs were a better trade than anticipated with an overall average of 214p/kg looking a nice result on the day. Commercial lambs with a bit more weight on board were keenly contested and would be 10p/kg dearer than the lighter commercial lambs (37kg-39kg).

Better lambs generally sold from 230p to 250p, with the top price per kilo at 263.4p/kg for a pen of Beltex from Henry Atkinson, of Felliscliffe.

JA Stoney and Son, of Pateley Bridge, reached the top price per head, of £118, selling a pen of Texels to Countrystyle Meat of Lancaster, while Ellis Bros sold a pen of Beltex for £113.50 per head. Other notable prices were 263.1p/kg for Texels from Rob Paisley, of Ilkley. Third prize in the Continental class was taken by D&A Livestock, of Haverah Park, who sold for £90 a head to Vivers Scot Lamb. They also came third in the Down-cross class, selling for £94.50 to Paul Watson, of Hellifield.

ML Evans, of Steeton, took first and second prize in the Down-cross show class, with two pens of Suffolks, selling the first prize pen to Swaledale Foods for £109 per head and the second prize pen to Keelham Farm Shop for £106 per head. GR & SM Wearmouth reached top price per head for Suffolks, selling for £110 per head.

JC and N Throup, of Draughton, won first prize in the Mule show class, selling a pen of 39kg lambs for £78 apiece to Paul Watson. Mules averaged £77.64 per head or 180.91p/kg with top price per head reached by JM Daggett, of Burnsall, at £83.50, and top price per weight going to A Todd at 202.4p/kg.

Spring lambs saw an overall average of £85.95 per head or 214.64p/kg.

Cull ewes averaged £61.52 per head, with John Turner’s Texels selling to £103.50, while cast rams averaged £75.21, with top price from JGE Heseltine, of Bolton Abbey, for Texels at £92.50.