The Blue Belles sale of traditional Bluefaced Leicester females at Carlisle attracted a huge ringside of buyers from across the country, where prices peaked at 1600gns for the best from Alan McClymont's Kirkstead flock from Yarrow, which produced four of the top five highest priced lots.

His sale leader is a daughter of a £1500 Middle Dukesfield and out of a home-bred ewe by the 3000gns Craig Yr Orsedd ram. She is carrying a pair of lambs to the Mendick H16 show ram that stood champion and reserve inter-breed at the Royal Highland Show in 2017. Unplaced at the pre-sale show, this stylish gimmer headed home to Thankerton, Biggar with Bo Brown.

The third prize ewe hogg from the same pen made 1400gns to Scot Thomason, Walney, Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria. This ET-bred hogg is the first female to be sold from the flock's twice Scottish progeny champion, a ewe by a Shrewbridge ram whose four full ET brothers sold to £6000 to average £4030 last year, while her full sister stood first at the Highland in June. The sire is the equally well known G1 Burndale show tup that was champion at the Highland in 2016 and 2018.

Her ET sister from the same flush and first prize ewe hogg made 1300gns again to Bo Brown, Thankerton.

The Kirkstead pen then took 1200gns from Martin Quinn, Kinglassie, Lochgelly, Fife, who was buying back some of his own genetic. His purchase, a gimmer that stood second in her class, is scanned for a pair to Mr Quinn's Whinnyhall M16 tup, and is sired by the Mendick H16 out of a ewe by the Shrewbridge tup.

The overall champion, a ewe that also made up part of the champion group of three at the Welsh progeny competition for Aled Jones's Craig Yr Orsedd frlock from Colwyn Bay, sold for the second top price of 1500gns. Backed by the best of home-bred genetics on both sides, this four-year- goes back to a 7000gns female sold at Builth Wells. She is scanned to have a single lamb to the J1 Logie Durno and went home with SJ and JE Ogden, Calthwaite, Penrith, Cumbria.

The reserve honours went to the lead gimmer from Derek Henderson, Westwood, Wylam, Northumberland, which realised 1000gns to Messrs Campbell and Partnership, Stowe, Galashiels. Catalogue No 1, she is by a Lower Down sire purchased for 4100gns at Builth Wells in 2015, and out of the flock's matriarch home-bred ewe. She is due to have a pair to the £6000 M1 Kirkstead.

Another on the same money from Mr Henderson's Burndale flock sold to Messrs Purvis, Kelso. This gimmer is a daughter of a Street tup purchased here in 2016 for £5200 and out of a £1700 Myfyrian- sired ewe that goes back to a former inter-breed champion at the Royal and Great Yorkshire shows. She is in lamb to the H3 Lower Down and is carrying a single.

OTHER LEADING prices

Gimmers – 900gns – R Mulligan, Banbridge, Co Down by Yeavering to Messrs Wilkinson and Son, County Durham; 800gns – RA McClymont by Mendick to Messrs Clark, Mosser, Cumbria; 700gns – RA McClymont by Mendick to Messrs Brown, Thankerton; 700gns RA McClymont, by Burndale to Messrs Campbell and Ptrship, Galashiels; 700gns – R Mulligan, by Yeavering to Messrs Anderson Farming, Dufftown, Keith.

Ewes – 700gns – DW Henderson, by Street to Messrs Purvis, Kelso, Roxburghshire.

averages: 12 ewes, £482.13; 26 gimmers, £613.04; nine ewe lambs, £523.83

Auctioneers: Harrison and Hetherington.