The reserve champion pen proved the star attraction at the North of England Mule ewe lamb sale at Skipton, selling for the top price of £190 per head.

The pen of 10 from NEMSA national chairman Kevin Wilson, his wife Daphne and son, James, from Hewness House Farm, Blubberhouses, sold to Andrew Bramall and Son in the Derbyshire Peak District’s Hope Valley. All were by home-bred sires.

Champion pen from Geoff and Margaret Walker and sons John and Rob, Dunsop Bridge, Forest of Bowland, realised £175 per head to WH Allan, Banbury, Oxfordshire. Most of these were by home-bred sires, with a couple being by a Midlock sire and another by a Hewgill ram.

The first prize pen of 20 again came from local husband and wife, Ashley and Rachael Caton, of Otterburn Lodge. They were clinching the 20s title for a record 10th time, which sold locally for £145 per head to Silsden Moor’s Simon Bennett. The couple also produced the second prize pen of 20 which made £130 to J and H Tustian in Banbury.

An increased entry of 6929 head produced an overall average of £90.75 per head, just 0.47p down on last year’s corresponding fixture.

CCM Auctions again presented awards for the day’s leading flock averages. Of the vendors consigning 100 or more lambs, the Weston-based Catons led the way with 206 at £112.96, followed by the Otterburn Catons with 122 at £110.96 and the Walker family from Appletreewick with 166 at £105.82.

The Fawcetts headed the averages for under 100 lambs with 35 at £131.11, followed by Austwick mother and son, Janet and James Huck, with 75 at £113.07, then the Smearsett Booths with 95 at £108.71.