LAMBS were, in general, slightly stronger and in better condition than buyers and vendors would have expected at Skipton Auction Mart's season opener, where 2126 lambs cashed in to average £61.52, a drop of £1.32 on the year.

A pre-sale show of pens of 40 or more lambs was judged by Thomas Walmsley, of Haverah Park, Harrogate, who awarded first prize to a pen from Adrian Leach, from Owlers Farm, Hebden Bridge. The 50-strong pen, which were mostly sired by home-bred Beltex rams and out of Texel ewes, sold for £69 per head to Mr Walmsley.

The second and third prize pens, Texel crosses from Mrs R Capstick, Horton-in-Ribblesdale, and Roland Carr, Bolton Abbey, sold for £71 and £69, respectively.

But topping the trade at £78 was a trio of Beltex from Geoff Carr, Barnoldswick.

With Beltex lambs selling to average £67.83, Texels averaged £61.65 having sold to £74 for a pen from Philip Sedgwick, Silsden, while Suffolks averaged £61.48 with Charollais at £55 and Mules at £44.96.