The champion, a shearling, from R Hutchinson and Son, Valley Farm, went on to secure the top price of £4500 at Hawes Farmers Auction Marts' sale of 117 registered and unregistered Swaledale rams.

Shearling rams cashed in at £406.91 with aged rams averaging £294.38.

Read more: A round up of breeding sheep sales, including Longtown, Stirling and Penrith

Topping the aged rams at £900 was the best from W Nattrass, Low Houses.

LEADING prices

Aged rams – W Nattrass £900; TW Bell and Son £750; BE Hall £300; RS Harker and Son £300; TM Barrass and Son £250; BD and A Horner £200; C Nelson and Son £200; JR and J Gorst and Son £200; C and JC Stephenson £150; Croft Farm Partnership £150; MM and CL Whitehead £150; CM Sowerby £100; JT Dixon and Son £100.

Shearlings – R Hutchinson and Son £4500, £1000, £650; RT Tennant £3600, £1100; TW Cowperthwaite £1400; KG Sowerby, £1000; R Walton £800; A Hartley Ltd £750; K and GJ Huck £700; Weardale Estates Ltd £600; JM and S Tennant £600; JR Rukin £600; MJ and JD Handley £550; MA Bainbridge £500, £200; L Smith and Co £500, £300, £250; JM and S Tennant £450, £400; CR and MJ Birkbeck £400; R and E Cowperthwaite £400; AT and A Bainbridge £400, £350, £250; GD and AR Barningham £350; RW Clarkson £350; AD Coates and Son £350 (x2), £200; DW and K Hutchinson £350, £200 (x2); B and GV Mudd £300; JR Rukin £300 (x2); RS Harker and Son £300; J Sunter and Sons £300; CM Sowerby £300; JC White £250 (x2), £200 (x3); G Calvert and Sons £250; TM Barrass amd Son £250; TW Bell and Son £250; W and HI Watson £250; MM and CL Whitehead £250, £200; R Hallam £250; Calderside £200; EC Coates £200; A and L Huddleston £200.

Rams on behalf of SSBA (B District) – Aged rams – R Marwood and Son £2200, £300; M and EM Wilson £600, £300; JT Dixon and Son £100.

Ram lambs – R Marwood and Son, £4000, £3000, £800, £600, £550, £400; KG Sowerby £100.

Read more: Greenhow Mule ewe lams top Hawes sale at £850