The 19 Spring lambs on offer levelled at £134.15 per head, or 289.8p/kg, with 2,426 old season lambs selling to an overall average of £108.84 each, or 250.3p/kg, up 9p on the week.

The very first sheep into the new sale ring was a single Mule wether lamb that stood champion at last December’s Addingham & District Sheep Breeders’ Association’s annual charity show and sale staged on behalf of Sue Ryder Manorlands Hospice in Oxenhope, Keighley.

Having been over-wintered and fed by mart regular Steve Dorey, of Newark, it again met with spirited bidding, eventually falling for £155 to regular buyer Andrew Atkinson, of Felliscliffe.

This was added to the total proceeds of almost £3,500 at last year’s Addingham & District Sheep Breeders’ charity highlight, which over the past 11 years has now raised over £40,000 for Manorlands.

Back with the Spring lambs, handy weights all sold at over £3 per kilo, topping at 342p/kg for 40kg Charollais from Charles Marwood, of Whenby, near York, which were purchased on behalf of Roland Agar Wholesale Butchers in Ilkley.

The previous week’s Easter prime lamb champion, Robert Towers, of Farleton, Lancaster, returned to achieve top price of £150 per head with Charollais-cross-Beltex lambs claimed by Kendalls Farmers Butchers for its two shops in Pateley Bridge and Harrogate.

The overall Charollais Spring lambs selling average was £134.15 per head, or 289.9p/kg.

Old season lambs sold to a stronger trade on the week, with some great runs of lambs forward. Andrew Phillips, of Burton Leonard, presented another first-rate consignment of Beltex-crosses, which topped at 361p/kg and £159 per head for 44kg entries sold to Vivers Scotlamb in Annan. Mr Phillips’ run of 74 head averaged a solid 312p/kg, or £130 each.

The Hutchinson family, from Faceby, sold their usual run of well-fed hoggs, which peaked at 334p/kg, or £154, when claimed by Hartshead Meats in Mossley. Rob Bailes, from Aldborough, had a great run of Continental-bred hoggs, the best of which reached 331.8p/kg, or £146, for 44kg entries again falling to Vivers Scotlamb.

There was a good long list of smart hoggs selling at over £3 per kilo, among them first-time vendor J Cawkwell, from Goole, who sold a pen of seven at £152 per head and a further pen of 11 at £149 each.
 
Heavy lowland hoggs sold away well all day, with one run of 33 lambs averaging 56kg and £145 per head, and another 55-strong run averaging 47kg levelling at £140.75 each. Handy weight Continental-cross sorts were also a nice trade, with 240-275p/kg regularly seen for first cross nice skinned lambs, One consignment of 217 Texel and Charollais-crosses from half-bred ewes averaged 45kg over the weight and made £118.42 each, or 260.9p/kg.

Mule lambs were dearer on the week, selling generally at 225-235p/kg and topping at £124 and £118 from Newark’s Steve Dorey, who also sold Mashams at £118. Horned lambs easily upkept the previous week’s rates, while meated lightweights were dearer.
 
Also among the mix were 212 cast sheep, with cull ewes selling to an overall average of £80.39 per head, topping at £138.50 for a Suffolk pen from PN Hugill, of Hellifield. Cast rams averaged £71.50.

A reduced bank holiday turnout of 230 breeding sheep found a stronger trade by around £10 to £15 per family, with a top of £195 per outfit for Texel ewes with twin lambs from Andrew Throup, of Silsden. The mart notes that due to the poor weather buyers are looking for outfits with lambs a minimum of 2 to 3 weeks old.