Main sales for Suffolks, Blue Texels and Zwartbles were supported by second sales for Texels, Charollais, Beltex and other breeds, which took place in both the MV and non-MV commercial rings.
One of the many highlights in the latter was a day’s top price of 2,400gns for a Beltex shearling ram from Ellis Bros on Addingham Moorside. It was by the Mair family’s Aviemore Will-I-Am, now standing with Cockermouth’s Neil Marston, who provided the Ellis family with semen from the well-known ram.
The same home was also responsible for a second 1,000gns shearling ram, by a home-bred tup and claimed by Frankland Farms in Rathmell, plus another at 800gns.

TEXEL
The MV Texel sale ring saw a strong trade for both shearling rams and ram lambs. Numerous high quality runs were presented, the pick of them coming from Procters Farm Ltd in Wennington, Lancaster, which sold 17 shearlings to average £789 and 10 ram lambs to average £424.
Procters Farm also shone in the show arena, securing another in a long list of Texel championships and following up on their title-winning and top price success with a ram lamb at the previous month’s Northern Area Texel Sheep Breeders’ annual pedigree highlight.
Managed by husband and wife, Jeff and Jennifer Aiken, Procters Farm achieved further success with their first prize shearling ram by Thrunton Younique, a 9,000gns acquisition that was also responsible for the top price 2,200gns shearling ram at September’s NATSB sale. The Forkins Viagra son, out of a dam by the 6,500gns Burnhead Topper, went on to sell locally for 1,000gns to Sutton-in-Craven’s David Airey.
William McAllister, who with his sister Elizabeth runs the Artnagullion pedigree flock at Kells, near Ballymena, stood reserve champion with the second prize shearling ram, which sold for 450gns. They did much better in the non-MV ring when selling two further shearling rams – one at 1,100gns to JJ Beckwith & Sons in Gargrave, a second at 1,000gns to Bradley’s Nathan Wade, plus a third at 950gns to Geoff and Margaret Booth, of Lothersdale. R&S Green, of Lillieslief in the Scottish Borders, also caught the eye with a 900gns shearling ram sale.
The ram lamb show class was won David Houghton, of the Tophill flock in Bury, with a ram lamb by Midcome Bridadier, out of a Clintity Yoga Cairns-sired dam bought in-lamb from the Ettrick flock. The youngster sold for 360gns.
Former NATSB chairman Spiros Spyrou, who runs the Gib Farm flock in Hebden Bridge, finished runner-up in the ram lamb show class with a son of the 40,000gns Garngour Alabama, one of the UK’s leading breed sires. The selling price was 500gns, with a second ram lamb from the same home doing better at 600gns.
Section averages: Shearling rams £460, ram lambs £282, shearling ewes £222.
 
SUFFOLKS
Heading the section prices at 1,000gns was the second prize shearling ram from Hetton’s Matt Reeday, who also presented the 650gns third prize winner. Both fell to the Lund brothers in Litton. The Lawn family from Skipton did well with a trio of shearling rams sold for 600gns, 520gns and 500gns.
Show champion was a shearling ram from first-time exhibitor Stephen Kirby, who runs the Kirby flock in Ainderby Steeple, Northallerton. Home-bred by a Ghyllside tup, the ram made ten appearances in the regional show circuit this summer - and won them all, one at the North Yorkshire County. It sold for 750gns to section judge, James Foster, of Bolton Abbey.
Reserve champion was the first prize ram lamb from Stephen Bolland, who runs the Wharfe flock in Bolton Abbey. By the 2,300gns Strathbogie Supershot, it sold for 600gns, another from the same home making 500gns.
While the section saw a reduced entry on the year, it did produce a much improved sale average of £367, with shearling rams averaging £405 and ram lambs £343.
The next breed highlight at Skipton is a new show and sale for pedigree Suffolk females on Saturday, November 2.

BELTEX
The Beltex championship fell to a shearling ram from Gary Robinson’s Gala flock in Embsay. The former physics teacher runs a small flock of 12 breeding ewes with his niece, Laura Robinson, who herself keeps an award-winning Beltex flock in Barnoldswick. Bought as a lamb from well-known Shropshire breeder Paul Tippett, the victor sold for 350gns.
Skipton’s Chris and Linda Windle sold Beltex rams at 480gns, 450gns twice, 420gns and 400gns. Shearling rams averaged £346 and shearling ewes £129.

CHAROLLAIS
Charollais champion was Mark Worthington, of the Moss Side flock in High Moss, Ramsbottom, with the first prize shearling ram by a tup from his late mother’s Sandbrook flock. A bespoke joiner by trade, Mark’s own flock was established in 1990 and now comprises some 25 lambing ewes. Out of a Galtres-sired dam, the victor sold for 550gns to JG Pears, of Penistone.
Breed stalwart Charles Marwood, who runs the Foulrice flock in Whenby, York, again picked up multiple rosettes, with his first prize ram lamb, a son of Dalby Sherman, selling for 450gns, his run topping at 480gns.
B Roberts, of Holmirth, also sold one at 500gns. Shearling rams averaged £373 and ram lambs £325.
CCM’s annual sale of pedigree in-lamb Charollais females takes place this Saturday. (Oct 12)

BLUE TEXEL
As in past years, Blue Texels again sold well to a top of 700gns for a shearling ewe from Mark and Elaine Hartley in Roughlee, with ewe lambs peaking at 400gns from Miss H Dean, of Acaster Selby. Shearling rams sold to 320gns and ram lambs to 280gns. Averages: Shearling rams £282, ram lambs £294, shearling ewes £329, ewe lambs £273.

ZWARTBLES
The show class for Zwartbles was won by a gimmer shearling from multiple past section champion, Matthew Beckwith, who runs the Sharphaw flock in Gargrave. By Joyfield Empire, out of a dam sired by the home-bred Sharphaw Cora, the class winner sold for 140gns. The first prize shearling ram from Tracy Horsley, of Summerbridg, made 100gns
 

OTHER NON MV
Back in the non MV commercial ring, Steve Buckley, from Doveholes, presented a strong pen of Beltex-sired rams out of Texel hoggs, selling his pen leader at 1,100gns to the Huck family in Bordley, plus another at 1,000gns to C&C Doney, of Harrogate.
Thomas and James Whiteford, of Tercrosset Farm, Brampton, had the largest run of the day, their annual consignment of 60 rams selling to a top of 950gns, with four more at 850gns. They achieved a very solid, commercial trade, most selling for 500gns to 700gns.
There were plenty of customers for strong tups at between 450gns and 800gns and commercial sorts 200gns to 400gns. Averages were: Texel shearling rams £423, Texel shearling ewes £116, Beltex shearling rams £550, Beltex ram lambs £441, Charollais shearling rams £455, Charollais ram lambs £140.

BEST OF THE REST
In the MV sheep section, top price of 780gns fell to a Dutch Spotted from Ballymena’s L Campbell, with Cheviots selling to 480gns (av £378), Bleu du Main to 200gns (av £129) and Hampshires to 100gns.

Show sponsors were the British Wool Marketing Board and Top Tags Animal ID. Judges were: Suffolk – James Foster, Texel – Thomas Walmsley, Beltex – Jennifer Aiken, Charollais – James Drake, Zwartbles – Andrew Fisher.