IRISH entries proved top dogs on price at 7,000gns (£7,350), 4,600gns (£4,830), 4,500gns (£4,725) and 3,900gns (£4,095) at Skipton Auction Mart’s annual autumn sale of working sheep dogs on Friday.

Wet weather and high winds failed to dampen spirits at another highly successful fixture at what is the UK’s leading dog sale venue, when Scottish buyers in particular were out in force. The 7,000gns sale fell to County Antrim’s Daniel McAllister, with his 13-month-old slate and white dog, Torr, acquired last October from Scottish breeder Alan Frame, who farms near Mid Quarter, Hamilton.

Twelve months later, Mr Frame, accompanied by close friend Ian Fleming, who farms near Lanark, travelled down from Lanarkshire purposely to watch Torr put in a sparkling performance in extremely tricky conditions on the trials field - and it was Mr Fleming, who farms near Lanark, who was the successful bidder. He actually ran Torr’s mother, Jill, at last year’s winter nursery trials, being placed on two occasions.

By Tweedale Buzz, from another well-known Scottish breeder Dean Aitken, of Lockerbie, bidding for the top price performer first opened at 3,500gns and he went on to sell for exactly double that price when returning to Scotland with Mr Fleming, who will not only put him to work on his flock of 3,000 Scottish Blackface sheep, but will also use Torr as a trials dog. He has another litter brother at home.

While Mr McAllister sold another dog at Skipton for 4,600gns in May this year, this was by far the highest price ever achieved by the Irish handler..

Next best at 4,600gns was a 16-month-old black and white bitch, Glan y Gors Erin, from Brian White and Aoife Smith, a young Irish couple from Naul in North County Dublin, who have a spectacular sales record at Skipton of late, having gained some extremely high prices with several of their first-rate charges, including one at 9,200gns last year.

Erin was bought privately at 11-weeks-old from her North Wales breeder Ian Carroll. She is out of his quality bitch, Nell, and by the legendary Sid, bred in County Donegal by Irish team member and former World Sheep Dog Trials champion James McGee, of Glencregg Sheepdogs in Creggan, Ballybofey.

Sid was also responsible for another Irish dog, Cap, which sold at Skipton two years ago for 14,100gns (£14,805), which remains a world record price for a working sheep dog at an official sale.

A highly promising trials prospect, Erin was claimed by a familiar face and regular top price buyer at Skipton, renowned Welsh handler and triallist Nigel Watkins, of Panthowell, Llanoldewsant, Llangadog, At Skipton in July last year, Mr Watkins also paid 7,200gns top price for another top dog from Brian and Aoife.

Next best on price with a 4,500gns sale was Kieran McFadden, from Derryreel in Co Donegal, with his 16-month-old tri-coloured dog, Duke, out of his own Open trial-winning bitch Nell, by fellow Irish breeder James McCloskey’s trials-winning dog Sweep.

Skipton’s next and first working sheep dog sale of 2019 will take place next February.