While the Bluefaced Leicester breed produced the majority of lead prices, a Swaledale gimmer topped the trade at £5600 at a joint sale of pedigree females at Hawes Auction Mart, last weekend.

Star attraction at this small but select sale of 45 Swales, was the pre-sale champion, a gimmer from W Richardson and Son, Ghyll House, Appleby, purchased by Robbie Hallam, High Berkwith, Settle. The reserve a ewe from R Hutchinson and Sons, Valley Farm, Bowes, sold next at £2400 to Mrs Lightfoot, Glenridding, Penrith.

Topping the sale of 46 Blues at £5000 was a ewe hogg from Messrs Lord's Hewgill flock from West Dowgill, North Stainmore, Kirkby Stephen. Their entry, which stood second in her class at the pre-sale show, is full of homebred bloodlines, and a full sister to the £10,000 tup lamb sold last year here, being sired by the H45 Hewgill and out of a ewe by E47 Hewgill. The buyer was Northern Ireland breeder, D McElhennon.

Allan and Ben Wight's Midlock consignment from Crawford, Abington, sold the second top priced Blue at £3400, a gimmer. Full sister to the K21 Midlock sold in 2017, she is by the J6 Hewgill the sire that bred the £37,000 record priced Midlock blue and sold carrying triplets to the L1 Hundith, a son of K8 Shafthill bought last year, to PG Mullan, Swatragh, Co Derry, Northern Ireland.

Robin Booth's Smearsett flock from Feizor, Austwick, Lancs was another in the money selling two at £2400, to include the reserve champion, a gimmer that is a full sister to the £12,000 E1 Smearsett sold last year to Marriforth. She is by the H3 Riddings and sold carrying a single to Ted to Meg Hallam, High Birkwith.

Their ewe, by the J2 Midlock and carrying triplets to D15 Smearsett made the same money selling to Ashley Caton, Otterburn Lodge, Skipton.

Smearsett also took £2200 for the third prize ewe hogg by the J2 Midlock ram, out of a Highberries Highlander ewe from Phillip Teasdale, Crow Hall, Hexham.

Otterburn Lodge, picked up second prize amongst the gimmers, which later sold in a £2000 deal to David and James Lawson, Gragareth. A daughter of the homebred J12 Otterburn Lodge she sold carrying twins to J1 Smearsett.

LEADING prices

Swaledales – Ewes – D and EM and ID Brown, £2600; R Hutchinson and Son, £2400; W Richardson and Son, £1900, £1200. S Bentley, £1300; JA Thompson, £700; P Hallam, £550; J and SJ Bland, £500; R Marwood and Son, £500; N Richardson, £500.

Gimmers – W Richardson and Son, £5600, £900; PE and KA Sowerby, £2600, £700; AM and M Skidmore, £1800.

Ewe hoggs – R Marwood and Son, £900. P Hallam, £700.

Bluefaced Leicesters – Ewes – WA and A Booth, £2400; JA & R Caton, £1000.

Gimmers – J Wight and Sons, £3400, £1800, £1100, £1000; WA and A Booth, £2400, £1500, £1400, £1000; JA and R Caton, £2000.

Ewe hoggs – Messrs Lord, £5000, £1500; WA and A Booth, £2200, £1100; M Allan, £1400; J Bell, £1000.

Averages – Swaledales – Ewes, £907; gimmers, £1043; Ewe hoggs, £800. Bluefaced Leicesters – Ewes, £1700; gimmers £1400; ewe hoggs, £804.

Auctioneers : Hawes Auction Mart