The victors sold for £170 per head to Chris Heseltine, of Bolton Abbey, a price bettered by the second prize pen from David Coates, of Coniston Cold, a multiple past red rosette winner at the fixture, which fell for £175 each to co-judge Anthony Hewetson, who farms with his wife Heather in Bank Newton.

However, it was the third prize pen from Thomas Binns, of Downham, on the side of Pendle Hill, that topped the show class prices at £178 per head when joining E&AM Simpson in Pateley Bridge.

Mr Binns, a regular consignee at the fixture, also sold further Mule pens at £182 each, the day’s leading shearling price, £180 and £178 twice. He was also responsible for the top price £148 two-shear pen of Mules. JE Thwaite, of Barden, also achieved £180 with a Mule pen.

In the show class for Continental shearlings, the first prize Texel pen was presented for the second year in succession by Ann Myers, who trades in partnership with her two daughters, Valerie Mayes and Dianne Firenyi, at West View Farm, Winksley, near Ripon.

Home-bred by Stonebridge and Parkholme rams, their ten charges made a show class and breed high of £180 per head when falling to John Barnett, of Riddlesden.

Like the previous year, second and third prize honours fell to Texel pens from the same vendors. The runners-up from Easingwold’s Ken Gamble made £175 each when joining CL Gray, of Summerbridge, with the third prize pen from Colin and Caroline Doney, of Dacre, selling for £145 per head to Jim Baines in Trawden.

The show classes were sponsored by WE Jameson Feeds, of Masham, Townson Bros Fuels, of Chatburn, and Colne-based West Riding Hyundai.

They formed part of the fortnightly sale of almost 2,500 head of ewes and shearlings, with the latter trading well to average £152 per head overall, £3 up on the opening August fixture. Young breeding ewes met with a reasonable trade, though their older counterparts proved harder to place than the previous sale.