Staged on behalf of the Blue Texel Sheep Society, the sale began strongly, with four-figure prices seen for some early entries into the ring, notably from Mark Stephenson, of GD Stephenson & Sons, who run the Londesborough flock at Market Weighton on the East Yorkshire Wolds.

Claiming 1,500gns was their first lot, a February, 2018, ewe, Pendle Chattocks, bred by Red Rose mother and daughter, Elaine and Izzy Hartley, and a single ET daughter of Hackney Xcel. With male and female twin lambs at foot, the outfit joined D Roberts, of Shrewsbury,

Next in and taking top call of 1,700gns for the Stephensons was the March, 2018, Satire Blue Cow Girl, bred in Aberdeenshire by Miss Stasa Moyse. The embryo daughter and one of triplets by Hackney Your Joking, out of an imported dam, was sold with twin male lambs at foot to a buyer from Nottinghamshire, Rockley’s A Johnson.

Elaine and Izzy Hartley, who run their Pendle Blue Texel flock in Roughlee, Nelson, themselves did well when claiming 1,100gns with Pendle Cookie, a March, 2018, daughter of Cairnrock Bang Tidy, out of the home-bred Pendle Yippie, who won any other breed at the 2015 Westmorland Show. She sold with male and female twin lambs by their Millside tup, itself acquired at Skipton, to Long Preston’s Ian Townson.

Ewe hoggs created a real buzz and it was the Hartleys who led the way with sales of 1,300gns and 1,200gns with a brace of February, 2020, hoggs. First up and taking second top was Pendle Esme, by an imported sire, Turbo Blue Benefactor, followed by the top price Pendle Erin, another well-bred Millside daughter. Respective buyers were Andrew and Caroline Ivinson, of Ousby in Cumbria, and AF Neal, of Stockton in Warwickshire.

Aubrey and Sue Andrews, who run the Miserden flock near Stroud in Gloucestershire, made the long journey north worthwhile when achieving 1,000gns with another February-born hogg, the home-bred Wychwood Desmond daughter, Miserden Elkie, a strong gimmer out of one of the best flock ewes, Miserden America 11. 

Another Gloucestershire vendor, Giles Hardman, of Farm Mill Blue in Low Bands, made 850gns with a fully home-bred empty ewe hogg, with the remaining empty hoggs solidly bid for, generally making 600-800gns.

A reduction of ewes from Andrew Bailey’s Winsbury Blue flock at East Hauxwell, Leyburn, sold well to a top of 900gns for a March, 2017, ewe with twin female lambs sired by Ivanhoe. Sheep with lambs averaged £943.75 and gimmer hoggs £787.58.