A MUCH higher turnout of 4,298 store lambs at Skipton Auction Mart’s second sale of the year, compared to 2,910 head at the seasonal opener a fortnight earlier, met a trade described as ‘tidy,’ given the easing of prime sheep values over the previous ten days, producing an overall sale average of £81.70 (2022 £83.13 for 2,671 head). (Wed, July 26)

Top end three-quarters Beltex Continental lambs and heaviest first crosses sold nicely into three figures, best pens of 40 Beltex trading to joint breed and sale day highs of £115 from both Andrew Haggas, Otterburn, and Mathew Lawson, BR Lawson, Whashton, Richmond.

Colin Fewster, Threshfield, also matched the £115 selling price with Texel lambs, while David and Ian Brown, Marske, Richmond, topped their consignment of three-quarters Texel at £112, followed at £110 by a same way bred pen from Annabel Sugden, Laycock.

As in the previous year, dyed-in-the wool Suffolk sheep breeder Robert Metcalfe returned to again win the Down-x show class for pens of 50 or more, retaining the Robert Morphet Memorial Trophy.

Robert, of Grange Farm, Brearton, claimed leading honours with his pen of exactly 50 Suffolk lambs, again out of North of England Mule ewes and by a selection of top-notch tups, several bought out of Skipton.

“We only buy the best rams for breeding and there is little doubt that Suffolks are coming back in terms of popularity,” said Robert, who lambs 1,200 ewes, selling his entire holding of some 2,000 lambs annually at the North Yorkshire mart, including around 500 Suffolk gimmer lambs each September.

Robert saw his victors, tapped out by Elslack show judge, James Spensley, at the Top Tags Animal ID-sponsored fixture, go on to sell at a section top £114 (£98 per head last year) to familiar face Andrew Hutchinson, Faceby.

From the same home, the similarly bred third prize pen made £94.50, the total Metcalfe consignment of 207 head, among them further pens at £93.50 and £84, averaging £96.21.

The second prize pen of 50 and again for the second year running came from James Foster, The Riddings, Bolton Abbey. They made £98, a second pen from the same home away at £96.

Strong pens of first-cross Suffolks and Texels were in good demand, while a few pens of Mule wethers saw better sorts sell at £70-plus up to £82 from Mick Crawshaw, Trawden.

Cheviot wethers sold to £87 from Ian Moorhouse, TB Moorhouse & Son, Dacre, the same price also falling to a large pen of Cheviot Mule wethers from Michael and Elaine Dugdale, Giggleswick.

A small, but neat entry of 56 breeding ewes to start the season saw some Mule 2-crop sell to £162, with others at £140. Correct Texel sold to highs of £152 and £150, Suffolk to £142, with commercial types in the £135/£138 region. All sheep sold averaged £145.20.