SKIPTON Auction Mart began its 2020 breeding sheep season on Monday with a tidy entry of 42 head, comprising 15 ewes with 27 lambs at foot.

They met a notably sharp trade, Richard Umplebly, from Killinghall, selling a brace of Texel ewes with twin lambs at £295 and Suffolks with strong twins at £260 per outfit. Suffolk ewes with singles sold to £162 from Calderdale’s John Hitchen , of Luddendenfoot, who also sold ewes with twins to £200, with John Norcross, from Cononley, also doing well at £235 with more ewes with twins.

Prime lambs at the same day’s weekly sale sold to an overall average of £105.65 per head, or 242.1p/kg, which, while representing a reduction on the previous Monday, was for an increased entry of 3,136 hoggs.

Heavy types again found a good following, with multiple three-figure sales and £125 to £140 a regular price range for anything smart and heavy, while commercial sorts made £115-£125.

Prices peaked at £150 per for heavy Texels from Kevin Marshall, from Darley, followed at £141 twice for more heavy Texels from JM Andrews, of Easingwold, and £140 for Texels from Linton’s Tom Boothman. The Hutchinson family from Faceby consigned another good run of heavy lambs, topping at £139 and their 70-strong turnout averaging £130.

Henry Atkinson, from Felliscliffe, Harrogate presented a superb run of home-bred May-born Beltex-cross lambs, topping the day’s per kilo prices at 357.5p, or £143 per head, with his 40kg pen of ten, the same vendor selling further quality pens at 341p/kg, 322p/kg and 320p/kg.

Kevin Marshall again did well with a 40kg pen at 345p/kg, or £145, Draughton’s John Garnett also selling a pen at 323p/kg, while JM Andrews returned with a nice run of lambs that included pens sold at 323p/kg and 315p/kg.

Commercial lowland-bred handy-weight lambs were a very similar trade on the week, with 240-270p/kg again a regular price range, those weighing in at 39-42kg making £97 to £110.

Hill-bred sheep were cheaper on the week, good Mules and Mashams trading at 225-240p/kg, or £100-£115. Horned lambs were 220-230p/kg for better Scottish Blackfaced, Lonks and Gritstones, while Swaledales and Dalesbred made from £2 to 215p/kg, topping at 224p/kg for a strong pen from Thomas Boothman. Lightweights were generally in the 190s, with Cheviots also good to sell, Bob Stubbs making the regular journey up from Cheshire to claim a top of 256p/kg and a breed average of 242p/kg.

Also penned for sale were 350 cast sheep, all meeting a cracking trade when producing an overall average of £89 for cull ewes and £94 for rams.

The Texel average was itself £108 per head, with a top of £137.50 for a pen from E&M Heys, of Cliviger, Burnley. Mules peaked at £115.50 from Tony Binns, of Clint, Harrogate, with several other stronger lots selling in three figures.

Swaledales sold to £82.50 from Bernard Simpson, of Pateley Bridge, and £79.50 from Hetton’s F Reeday & Son. A consignment of goats also found a nice following when selling to £74.50.