Recipient of the NATSB Trophy, the February, 2015, daughter of the Scottish-bred Strathbogie Untouchable was out of a ewe by Glenside Razzle Dazzle – the dam was bought at the Insch dispersal sale in 2014 and is a maternal sister to the highly regarded Millar’s Windbrook.

The Skipton top price, which had earlier stood first in class as a lamb at Ryedale Show in 2015, was sold carrying twins to Millar’s A One, whose own sire, Cowal Yorkshire Lad, was male champion at last year’s Great Yorkshire Show.

The Collins family, who have been breeding pedigree Texels for the past four years, saw their charge find a new home in North Yorkshire with RN Kirby & Son, of Northallerton.

They also sold a further entry at 450gns – this for the dam of their Skipton top price, a February, 2012, Insch ewe, who also bred the 2016 Malton breed champion and was again scanned in-lamb to Millar’s A One, plus others at 380gns, 320gns and 300gns, this for the third prize shearling ewe.

Calderdale’s Spyros Spyrou, of Gib Farm, Hebden Bridge, took second top call of 650gns with a February,2016, shearling ewe daughter of Hexel Wildcard, out of the Peter Woof-bred Stainton Vandal, whose own dam, Deveronvale Superb, was supreme champion at the September breed highlight at Skipton four years earlier

Mr Spyrou, Skipton winter champion the previous two years, also stood reserve champion at the latest renewal with his second prize shearling ewe, with the overall championship awarded to the first in class from Peter Woof, who runs the Stainton flock at Storth End Farm, near Kendal. Though unsold, both were also sired by the 32,000gns Hexel Wildcard, now shared by a six-strong syndicate, of which the two frontrunners are members.

Local breeders, John and Linda Mellin, who run the Hull House flock in Hellifield, were next best on price at 450gns with the third prize shearling ewe, a February-born daughter of Milnbank Wicked and herself sold in-lamb to the North West Texel Breeders’ Club champion stock ram of 2016, Tamnamoney Young Willie McBride. The buyer was Anne Blythman of Bishopton in Co. Durham.

The Mellins also made 300gns with their second prize ewe, a Langside Thunderbird daughter again in-lamb to Young Willie, with the same price achieved by the fourth in class from the Cumbrian-based Woodhow flock of David Nesbitt, from Wasdale, near Seascale. By Brackenridge Underdog, she was sold in-lamb to Thacka Alliance.

The 63 head forward sold to an overall average of £378 per head for shearling gimmers and £397 for aged ewes. The show was judged by Driffield’s Sam Beachell and sponsored by Harrisons Agricultural Supplies.

Browns lead the way in collective sale
The Texel show ran alongside the same day’s Beltex Society winter show and sale and the annual winter collective sale of Continental-sired shearlings and ewes, sold both as individuals and in small groups.

Here, the Brown family, from Leyburn, were the leading performers on price with their Beltex-cross entries by service sires that included their Green Tag ram, which has produced multiple prize winners, CCM Skipton Christmas prime lamb champions among them.

Hannah Brown’s three in-lamb Beltex ewes sold to a top of 840gns, averaging £735 per head, while her parents, Martin and Val Brown, sold ten Beltex-cross to 600gns at an average of £399 each.

Frank Joel, of Westhouse, consigned a total of 58 shearlings and 64 ewes, selling to a top of 400gns and an average of £192 per head. The 182-strong entry sold to an overall average of £209.11 per head.