Local breeders landed the principal honours in both the show and sale rings at a two-day Beltex Sheep Society event at Skipton Auction Mart, where the female champion, a gimmer topped the trade at 3800gns.

The gimmer, Heber Park Claribell, which also scooped the reserve overall championship and was placed at the Great Yorkshire, was consigned by husband and wife breeders, David and Karen Shuttleworth, Heber House Farm.

By the Beachy Perfection son, Corra Wally, a tup used on loan from Henry Jewitt, out of Dean Brow Tinkerbell, she sold to the Lancs breeders Nick Brown and his partner Charlotte Ormonroyd, of Claughton, Lancaster, and Dan Towers, of Wray.

Welsh show judge Dafydd Owen, who runs the Smart Ass Beltex flock in Golygfa’r Dyffryn, Conwy, found his champion in the shearling ram, Rathbone Cooper, from father and daughter team, Mike and Becki Davis, Ravenshaw, Eldroth. Their Y Bedol A-Team son, bred from the Drumchapel Scooby daughter, Rathbone Winnie, topped the ram trade at 2200gns selling to Irish breeder David Brown Brownville flock in Bessbrook, Co Down.

Procters Farm's Jeff Aiken, of Tatham Hall, Wray, sold five shearlings at four-figure prices, with the dearest at 2000gns, Procters Calypso, a Myna Actor son, selling to GW Lee and Son, Frosterley, Co Durham.

Also hitting 2000gns was the first prize ram lamb and reserve male champion from Richard Wood’s Kingledores flock from Tweedsmuir, Biggar. Kingledores Demonstrator, a son of Clary Chancer, out of Kingledores Betty Boo, was knocked down to Stuart Wood, of the Woodies flock at Skene, Aberdeenshire, who later sold a shearling at 1800gns to P and AM Simpson, of Dacre.

By the end of the day, ewe lambs averaged £351 (-£72), gimmers £493 (+£50), aged ewes £405 (+£174), ram Lambs £570 (-£274), shearling rams £604 (-£176), aged rams £651 (-£224).