Blues proved the star of the show at a joint pedigree female sale of Texels, Blue Texels and Badger Faced Texels, at Skipton, securing several of the top prices and averages.

Such was the demand, the Blue Texel Sheep Society’s Blue Diamonds show and sale attracted an entry of 68 head – a figure more than quadruple the previous year’s inaugural fixture.

Top price was 2000gns paid the reserve Blue champion, a gimmer from Staffordshire husband and wife, Phil and Laura Melland, of the Morridge flock, Leek.

Their Morridge Esme, by the Dragon Buster son, Dragon Cranke, out of C.J’s Byonce, purchased at Carlisle as ewe lamb, sold carrying a single lamb to Nantyderri Egor, to local breeder John Wood, of the North Valley flock in Trawden.

Show judge James Bailey, found his supreme in a ewe hogg from 19-year-old Max Clough's Heads flock at Stape, Pickering. His Heads Felicity, a February-born twin by another Dragon Buster son, Dragon Dazzler, bred from an imported Dutch ewe, made 1400gns, to Henry Jewitt of Romaldkirk in Teesdale.

David Alexander's Millside flock, produced the second top price of 1900gns, with a Lyles Django-sired gimmer that sold in lamb to a home-bred ram to Messrs Davies, of Cardigan in West Wales. Mr Alexander also sold others at 1400gns, 1200gns and 1000gns.

Stasa Moyse's Aberdeenshire-based Saltire Blue flock at Skene and her partner, Stuart Wood, topped the ewes at 1200gns with Farm Mill Blues, bred by Giles Hardman. She is by Solway Blue Barney and sold carrying twins to the imported Hulk, to Alexander Norrie, Turriff, who also went to 1000gns for a gimmer from the same home and due to The Hulk.

Mr Wood's small Woodies Badger Faced Texel flock was also in the money, topping the inaugural sale of four, at 1600gns. This was paid for an imported ewe scanned for a single to the imported ram, Full Monty. She headed home with AJ Bateman from Lowgill, Cumbria. Woodies Badger Face ewe hoggs sold to 1050gns.

Read more: 

The breed's white rivals sold to 1600gns for the pre-sale Texel champion from first time consignors, Willy Davis and Paul Rowlands of the Usk Vale flock from Llandrindod Wells. Their gimmer by Hexel Born To Be Wild, is from a home-bred ewe by Sportsmans Admiral II and sold carrying a single lamb to Cressage Enforcer, to M and J Tennant and Sons, Barrow, Clitheroe.

The reserve, a ewe hogg from Myfyr Evan's Rhaeadr flock from Llanrhaeadr, Wales, made 1500gns to Dunham Farming, Langtoft, East Riding, Yorkshire. A March-born daughter of Sportsmans Dare Devil, she is bred from a home-bred Kelso Pavarotti dam.

Mr Evans arrived with a trio of full sisters with the other two ewe hoggs selling at 1300gns and 1200gns.

averages: Blue Texels – Gimmers, £859; ewes, £834; ewe hoggs £447. Texels – Gimmers, £474; ewes, £472; ewe hoggs, £625.

Auctioneers: CCM