THE Northern Beltex Society’s fourth winter show and sale of pedigree in-lamb ewes at Skipton Auction Mart produced championship, reserve championship and top price successes for the Rathbone pedigree flock of North Craven father and daughter, Michael and Becky Davis, of Ravenshaw Farm, Eldroth.

Their title winner was the first prize March-born ewe lamb, which progressed to land top price in show of 1,300gns when joining AJ Wood and Sons, of Whittingham, Preston.

The Davis’s reserve champion was their first prize shearling ewe. Scanned in-lamb with twins, she became a further AJ Wood and Sons’ purchase at 800gns.

The same vendors, reserve champions last year, achieved 500gns with their second prize ewe lamb, which joined Richard Sunter in Horton-in-Ribblesdale.

They also hit 450gns twice for their second and third prize 2009-born aged ewes and the respective buyers were Ivanhoe Livestock in Bedale and C Clemmit, of Leyburn.

The 2014 show champion Stuart Currie, who runs the Beautry flock in Rathmell, was again to the fore when presenting the second prize February, 2014-born shearling ewe, returned home with Matt Burleigh, of Enniskillen, for 800gns.

Mr Currie also stepped forward with the first prize aged ewe, which sold for 600gns to the same buyer.

While the fixture attracted a small entry of 12 head, trade was well above expectations. Gimmer lambs averaged £462, shearling gimmers £302 and aged ewes £253.

Show judge was Val Brown, of Leyburn, and she and her husband Martin were also in action at the same day’s annual collective sale of individual and small groups of pedigree and cross-bred Continental-sired sheep, when they consigned 39 Beltex that averaged just over £207 per head, selling to a high of 400gns.

Frank Joel, of Westhouse, saw his 96-strong consignment, the majority Beltex-cross, peak at 500gns, averaging a shade above £250 per head, while Procters Farm in Slaidburn sold 14 head at an average of £309, with a top of 420gns. The overall selling average of the 168 in-lamb ewes forward was £247.93.

“This noted sale is now growing in popularity as a source of breeding sheep for customers wishing to produce premium and show quality prime lambs,” said Craven Cattle Marts’ livestock sales manager Ted Ogden.