FATHER and son Richard and Mark Ireland claimed the prime sheep championship again for October after winning last month at Skipton Auction Mart.

The Irelands, of Heys Farm, Whalley, were victorious with a pen of five Beltex crosses, which sold at £110 each, to Paul Watson, of Hellifield, who also bought the first prize Mule class pen, from ASE Crisp, of Calton, for £82 per head.

The monthly show was expertly judged by Mick Etherington, and there was a tremendous line-up of lambs for him to make his pick from.

Reserve champion pen from Ellis Bros, of Addingham Moorside, sold for £109 to Kitson’s Butchers, who have four shops in the north-east, while third prize in the continental-cross show class went to Michael Hall, of Airton, who sold for £105 a head to Vivers Scotlamb.

Others at the best end of the smart lambs were going for £95 to £105, or to 240p/kg.

Livestock agent John Bowling, of Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan, claimed the first prize Suffolk-cross lambs from RA and M Earnshaw, of Flasby, for £78.5 per head, along with the third prize pen from JP and KE Hartley, at £73 per head. CD and RF Kitching, of Threshfield, sold a pen for £73 a head to Woodhead Bros, in Colne.

Overall there was a large show of sheep, with seasonal numbers in full swing. Although the average was only 6p down on the week, the 4,099 lambs levelled at 167.5p. Anything a bit smarter, especially handy weights were good to sell, with a full complement of buyers ringside from start to finish to help move the extra sheep on offer.

Nice commercial lambs were selling for 170p to 185p, with commercial sorts around 160p. Hill-bred lambs are now coming in larger numbers and all are selling well away. Over 600 cast sheep were also among the mix, cull ewes selling to highs of £92.50 per head for Texel pens from FW and JM Edington, of Bell Busk, and Brian Lund, of Walshaw, Hebden Bridge. Cast rams averaged £63.75.

Meanwhile, Keelham Farm Shop bought five prime cattle at Skipton Auction Mart’s October show, with other leading buyers not far behind.

Purchases for Keelham, which has branches in Skipton and Thornton, included the top gross price for a 595kg British Blue cross steer, from CD and RF Kitching, of Threshfield, which sold for £1,395, or 234.5p/kg.

Show champion and top price by weight of the day was a Limousin cross heifer from RT and J Critchley and Son, of Hutton, near Preston, which weighed 520kg and sold to George Cropper Jnr, of Sanderson’s Butchers in Baxenden, for 265.5p/kg, or £1,380.60. Critchley and Son also came second in the bullocks show and sold a Limousin cross for 243.5p/kg, to Keelham. Reserve champion in the show was a Limousin cross bullock, from JR Metcalfe, of Baldersby, which sold for £1,374, to Keelham. JA Drake, of Denholme, was second in the heifers contest and sold a Limousin cross for £1,344, to Stanforth’s.