Ever increasing demand for good working sheepdogs saw trade peak at £18,500 and another 11 sell at or above the £5000 mark, at the February timed internet sale 0f 167 dogs, staged through Farmers Marts, Dolgellau.

Such was the demand for trained entries that the section averaged £4194 with a 73% clearance while partly trained dogs cashed in at £2371 and pups at £936.

Welshman trialist, Kevin Evans again topped the trade and also sold the third highest priced dog at £16,200. His sale leader, Vicki, a 18-month-old tri-coloured bitch sold across The Pond, to the USA, while his black and white bitch, Pentre Anna, headed in the same direction when purchased by a Canadian buyer for £16,200.

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Fellow Welsh trialist, Dewi Jenkins was also in the money, taking £17,200 for his black and white bitch, Cefneithin Jen, which sold to an undisclosed buyer in the UK.

A new record for a bearded collie is also believed to have been achieved, when Derbyshire-based Derek Cheetham sold Luce for £6700 to a sheep farmer in the north of Scotland.

Partly trained dogs peaked at £8100 for Medwyn Evans' Pip, a nine-month-old bitch from Wales, purchased by a Norwegian trailist, while Yorkshire trialist, John Bell, achieved the second top priced lot in this section of £7900 for White Rose Silk, purchased by a Welsh trialist.

Arran Games produced the lead priced pup, when Lily, a young bitch made £2400 selling to a buyer in Northern Ireland.