THE Stainton flock of Cumbria’s Peter Woof stood supreme champion once again at Skipton Auction Mart’s 2020 pedigree opener, the 27th annual open winter show and sale of Texel females for members of Northern Area Texel Sheep Breeders.

Mr Woof, of Storth End Farm, Stainton, Kendal, was achieving his fourth consecutive title win at the seasonal breed highlight and, like last year, he clinched top honours with his first prize shearling ewe, a home-bred February, 2018, daughter of his Eden Valley A1, himself by the 52,000gns Clinterty Yogi Bear. The same sire was also responsible for the Stainton flock’s supreme champion at Skipton’s 2018 main Texel two-day autumn showcase.

Out of a ewe by the 32,000gns syndicate sire, Hexel Wildcard, the victor was sold carrying a single lamb to the 15,000gns Auldhouseburn Bolt son, Stainton Conrad. Tapped out as champion on both size and power by North Yorkshire show judge Steven Kirby, who runs the Kirby flock in Ainderby Steeple, the ewe, recipient of the Wilf Wood Trophy, returned home with him for 800gns.

Welshman Myfyr Evans, who runs the Rhaeadr flock at Llanrhaeadr in Denbighshire, consigned both the first and second prize ewe lambs, the red rosette winner, a February-born daughter of the Knock Yardsman son, Garngour Alabama, which has many notable offspring, including Batman, also standing reserve champion.

Two full ET brothers had already picked up first and second novice prizes at the English National and Welsh Premier highlights, both selling well into four figures, while the Clinterty Yuga Khan-sired dam is herself a maternal sister to the 125,000gns Rhaeadr Best of the Best and twin sister of Rhaeadr Ace, who has bred sons to 15,000gns.

The reserve champion, awarded one of two NATSB Trophies, went on to achieve the day’s top call of 1,100gns when falling to North Yorkshire buyers, the Ashbridge family, of Cold Kirby, Thirsk.

Mr Evans, who has been breeding Texels for five years – currently winding down he has retained a small flock of 11 ewes - sold three further lambs by the same sire at 900gns, this for his second prize winner, 700gns and 500gns.

The leading in-lamb price of 1,000gns fell to the first prize ewe from mother and daughter, Freda Booth and Helen Keighley, who run the Wigglesworth flock near Settle, with a February, 2017, daughter of the Knap Wot A Nut son, Proctors You’re Mine, acquired as a lamb in 2016 from breeders Procters Farm in Wennington.

Out of a Procters Pay As You Go-sired dam and scanned in lamb carrying twins to Gillians Laithe Bentham, got by the70,000gns Teiglum Young Gun, the ewe, also recipient of a NATSB Trophy, sold locally to David Hargreaves in Airton.

The two ladies arrived with a strong consignment of 21 females – 11 ewes and ten shearlings – representing a major reduction of stock ewes from their long-established award-winning Wigglesworth flock, with which husband and father, John Booth, is also closely involved and is on the verge of retiring, hence the reason for sale.

The flock also claimed two further runners-up rosettes with a brace of in lamb females. Their second prize shearling ewe, a March, 2018, daughter of Procters Your Mine scanned carrying twins to Gillians Laithe Bentham, made 900gns when joining Richard Wilson’s Crimple Head flock in Beckwithshaw, Harrogate.

The ladies also stood second in the ewe show class with a February, 2016, daughter of Kaker Mill Vice Captain carrying a single lamb to Proctors Your Mine, which made 400gns when joining David Towell’s Moor top flock in Glusburn. Their total consignment all sold successfully to an overall average of £336.

Proctors Farm itself produced an eye-catching pen of gimmer shearlings and the best of these, a February, 2018, daughter of Halbeath Woody in lamb to the 100,000 Sportsman Batman, also achieved 900gns when finding a new home back in mid Lancashire with Angela Nairey’s Meinspride flock in Liusey, Blackburn.

The Watson family, who run the Gillians Laithe flock in Hellifield, sold six ewe lambs to a top of 400gns, while John and Alison North, of the Loxley flock in Giggleswick, also sold a trio of ewe lambs, among them the third and fourth prize winners, to a top of 300gns.

Thirteen forward ewe lambs all successfully sold to an overall average of £439.38, well up on the previous year’s £304.50. Commercial in lamb ewes looked reasonable value in the 200gns to 300gns price range. Shearling gimmers averaged £337.43 (2018 £412.43) and aged ewes £341.60 (2018 £420).