CCM Skipton’s second show and sale of store lambs on Wednesday (July 23) produced strong trade for 3458 head, which traded to an overall average of £115.96.
It was not a million miles away from the £117.30 average achieved for a much smaller entry of 2427 at the seasonal opener a fortnight earlier and a ready improvement on the £101.95 average recorded at last year’s corresponding fixture.
The outcome appears all the more impressive when taking into account that more younger lambs were forward on the fortnight, though the turnout did feature some strong runs of first-crossed lambs and Beltex-x lambs.
In the annual show for pens of 50 or more Down-x lambs, 2022 and 2023 victor Robert Metcalfe, Grange Farm, Brearton, again got his hands on the Robert Morphet Memorial Trophy with his exactly 50-strong Suffolk-x pen, as in previous years by a selection of top-notch tups - several were acquired at Skipton - out of North of England Mule ewes.
The red rosette winners topped their section at £152 per head, the same vendor also picking up third prize in show with same way-bred lambs, these away at £127, plus another pen at £122, all 216 Metcalfe lambs forward averaging £130.
Robert, accompanied by 14-year-old son, Jack, puts 1000 Mules to his Suffolk tups and 250 Swaledale to the Bluefaced Leicester to breed replacements, selling his entire holding of some 2,000 lambs annually at CCM, with between 600 and 800 gimmer lambs due to go under the hammer there this coming September. Young Jack also has a small flock of pedigree Leicesters under the Brearside prefix and has had some success showing and selling at Skipton over the past few years.
Back in show, the runners-up from 2024 victor James Foster , Riddings flock, Bolton Abbey, made £131, bettered by another pen at £144, a third at £124. Good, fresh Suffolk lambs with size and frame sold at £115 upwards, longer-keep clean lambs £98-£105, the section averaging £122.77.
Beltex-x lambs averaged £126.89, peaking at £159 per head sale top from Haddon Farms, Holmfirth, with plenty at the smart larger end making £128-£140, younger smart lambs £118-£130, a few long-keep sorts £109 upwards.
Blue Texel crossed lambs sold to £159 from new vendors GM&V Bayles, Richmond, the section averaging £114.75, the same vendors also consigning Beltex pens at £141, £138 and £137.
Short-keep Continental crossed lambs sold at £125-£130 regularly for pens of fleshy types, with mid-keep lambs £108-£118 and longer-keep fresh lambs £90-£100. Haddon Farms returned to head prices for Charollais lambs at £112.50, the section averaging £95.78.
Annabel Sugden, Laycock, also caught the eye with two section highs of £144 for Texel and £129 for Dutch Spotted, these producing respective section averages of £114.32 and £120.76. Cheviot lams averaged £112.42 and a top of £119 from Ian Moorhouse, Dacre.
North of England Mule lambs sold to £103 for a pen of 12 from Chris Jackson, Otley, a pen of 30 from the Fawcett family, Barden, also making £98, the whole averaging £99.43. A single Masham pen from Nidderdale and the Middlesmoor Veritys took £83.
Show judge was William Marshall, Menwith Hill, British Wool and Top Tags Animal ID again sponsoring. CCM’s third seasonal sale is on Wednesday, August 6.
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