Six recognised breeders were in action in the sale ring, the 25 shearling ewes successfully sold averaging £579, up on 2019’s £516, with ewe lambs, which achieved total clearance, averaging £431, against the previous year’s £312, and a brace of older ewes averaging £472, compared to £395 last year.

Leading and long-standing pedigree breeders, the Marwood family – Charles and Valerie, and son Stephen – who run the high performance Foulrice flock at Whenby, 13 miles north of York in Hambleton - achieved a top price coup for the second year running with their 1,000gns in-lamb shearling ewe 

Their much fancied 2020 price leader is by the Dalby Mount Aloe son, Foulrice Osprey, two renowned sires that have proved integral to the success of the multi award-winning flock, first established in 1982. In fact, Mr Marwood Snr has often described Mount Aloe, acquired from Charles Sercombe in Leicester and a former Great Yorkshire Show breed champion, as being among the very best tups he has ever used.

One of December, 2018, twins out of a Wernfawr Jim-sired ewe and scanned carrying twins to Galtres Upper Class, the top performer on price found a new home north of the border when claimed by 25-year-old Ben Radley, who runs the Loaningfoot pedigree flock in Georgetown, Dumfries. 

He had travelled down purposely to Skipton for the first time after taking note of the ewe on social media and seeking to add different bloodlines to the flock. He and his father Scott established the flock in 2006 and it now comprises some 50 pure-bred Charollais ewes, half of which are utilised for pedigree breeding, the other half put to Beltex tups for commercial purposes. The best females are retained in the flock

Another Foulrice shearling ewe, this one a daughter of Dalby Sherman, again in-lamb to Upper Class, sold at 650gns and made its way across the Irish Sea with Gordon Houston, of Randalstown in Co. Antrim, who judged last year’s show classes.

For good measure, the Marwoods sold the two 2014-born adult ewes entered at 450gns each. Both were again by Mount Aloe, also scanned carrying twins to Upper Class, acquired from the Galtres flock in Skewbsy, York, run by Mr and Mrs Marwood’s daughter, Deborah Witcher.  “It was a good sale all round with good averages,” commented Charles afterwards.

Another well-known breeder, Kenton Foster, who runs the Fosters flock in Garriston, Leyburn, caught the eye with a brace of 900gns shearling ewe sales, both scanned in-lamb to home-bred tups.

First up was a December, 2018, triplet by the well utilised Gwyndy, out of a Castellau-sired dam. She stood third as a ewe lamb at last year’s Great Yorkshire Show, also picking up red rosettes at local shows. With twins in her, she joined DB Roberts, of Shrewsbury, the same buyer also taking home the second 900gns shearling ewe, another December-born triplet by Crogham Five Star, out of a Gwyndy-sired dam, and herself scanned carrying triplets.

Mr Foster also made 750gns with a third in-lamb shearling ewe, a single by Galtres Ramases out of another Gwyndy-sired dam. Also part of last year’s show team and scanned carrying a single lamb, she too found a new home in Scotland with the Royan family in Duns, Berwickshire.

The Fosters flock sold nine shearlings ewes in total at a leading average for the section of 600gns. “Clearance rates were excellent throughout and the ewe lambs in particular were a credit to breeders, with 100% clearance at a good average. I and, I am sure all fellow vendors, would like to thank the CCM team for the efforts that went into this sale,” said breed stalwart Mr Foster.

Ewe lambs topped at a solid 620gns for the pen leader from Chris Crowther’s Shropshire-based Dudston flock, travelling for the first time to Skipton from Chirbury in the Vale of Montgomery, close to the Welsh border. 

By the Oakchurch Ruben son, Knockin Umptious, a brother of the high priced Knockin Shockin, out of a Lowereye Rioja-sired dam, the leading price ewe lamb found of new home locally in North Craven with Skipton regular Robert Towers, who farms with his wife, Jackie, at Greenlands Farm, Ingleton.

Mr Crowther sold a second ewe lamb for 480gns, with another Skipton regular from Cumbria, John Stott Jnr, who runs the Kingsland flock in Crosscrake, Kendal, seeing three from a strong pen of ewe lambs achieve sales of 500gns, 440gns and 420gns.