Wyn and Siwan Harries, who run the Hope flock at Wenant, near Llandeilo in Carmarthenshire, repeated the championship success achieved on their first-ever appearance last year on their return to the 2019 Jacob Sheep Society Northern Region 44th annual show and sale at Skipton Auction Mart. (Saturday, August 31)

The couple retained the title with their first prize aged ewe and female champion, a January, 2015, 4-horn bred by the same family’s Gobaith flock run by Mrs Harries and daughters Sara and Lois.

By Hope Rocky, a Royal Welsh champion bred from a renowned line going back some ten years – his sire was a Scottish-bred Cavers ram - the Skipton victor, who is out of a Jean Price Pentrenant ewe, went on to head the selling prices at 1,100gns when rejoining the Price family, specifically the show judge, Jean’s husband Robert Robert Price, for his own Pentre flock in Churchstoke, Powys.

The Harries family also achieved a 700gns sale with a fully home-bred ram lamb, the January 4-horn Hope Warrior, by Hope Rocky Boy, which found a new home across the sea with County Wicklow’s N Fletcher.

An increased entry on the year of 87 head sold to a busy ringside throughout at Skipton Auction Mart’s third annual Dales Blue sale of Blue Texels and Blue Texel-cross rams and females. (Sat, Aug 31)

For the second year in succession the top price performer was Tom Barley, of Northallerton, with a Blue Texel ram knocked down for 580gns to Mark Crabtree, of Kettlesing. It easily outstripped his 320gns top call for a ram lamb last year, when the fixture attracted a 70-strong entry. The same vendor also had two other top calls this year - 350gns for a shearling ewe and 300gns for a ram lamb.

Second top price of 500gns fell to a registered gimmer lamb from Welsh vendor Enfys Willams, of Llangadog in Carmarthenshire, with two others from the same home making 320gns.

Aged ewes sold to 280gns for a Blue Texel from CV Bailey, of Leyburn, while a strong run of mixed flock aged sheep from Ronnie Bailey, of Reeth, saw shearlings sell from 160-280gns.

Ewe lambs averaged £222.83and ram lambs averaging £216.30.