One of the highlights, alongside regular consignments from noted flocks, was a dispersal of 29 females from the award-winning Maverick flock of Ian Brown and his nephew, Richard Rhodes, of Clifton, Otley, brought about by the sale of the farm.

Established in 1994, Maverick Suffolks has used rams from many leading flocks, accessing some of the best bloodlines available, with a number of well-bred daughters and granddaughters among the dispersal, said to be made “with a heavy heart.”

Given the stamp of the sheep available, the sale was always going to be popular and so it proved when one of the Maverick stock ewes claimed the day’s leading price of 3,200gns after first winning her show class, before being tapped out as overall champion by Welsh show judge Keith Thomas

This December, 2018, AI daughter of Lakeview Harbinger - artificial insemination has proved key to the success of the Maverick flock over the years – out of a Burnview ewe purchased at the Black Beauties sale in 2018 – was sold carrying twins to the 20,000gns Forkins Dizzee Rascal, She joined the Martindale family in Blackrod, Bolton.

Second top of 3,000gns fell to the first prize shearling ewe from Skipton regular, Stephen Bolland, of the Wharfe fock in Bolton Abbey. His February, 2020, twin daughter of Stathbogie Supershot is out of a Northern Ireland-bred Limestone dam purchased for 1,800gns and a maternal sister to a Balmoral champion and Stirling reserve champion.

Scanned in lamb to the Solwaybank Cracker, bred in Dumfries & Galloway by Iain Barbour, and himself a son of the 26,000gns Crewelands Champion, she, too, found a new home in Lancashire when joining Haslingden’s LJ Berry.

Mr Bolland was also responsible for the ewe show class runner-up, a December, 2016, daughter of Rhaedar Rastafari and one of the Wharfe flock’s top breeders, only offered for sale as there are now seven ewe lambs in the flock by her service sire, again Solwaybank Cracker. The ewe made 1,300gns and found a new home north of the border when claimed by Elaine Wilkie, of Lockerbie.

Glynis and Jane Soulsby of the Williamsgill flock in Temple Sowerby, Penrith, presented the third prize January, 2020, shearling ewe, a daughter of Strathbogie Invictus, said to be the best tup they ever bought. Sold in-lamb to Alloaks Jaguar, a 5,000gns purchase at Shrewsbury earlier this year – the Soulsbys say they are looking forward to his first crop of lambs – the home-bred went to Calderdale at 2,200gns with Cob Clough Suffolks in Barkisland.

Back with the Maverick dispersal, two further sheep caught the eye at 2,100gns and 2,000gns. The former and leading price ewe lamb is an April-born daughter of Maverick Legacy and granddaughter of Limestone Legacy, out of a Lakeview Harbinger-sired dam. Again in-lamb to Legacy, she found a new home in Wales with A Williams, of Lllanrug. The latter, a December. 2018, ewe again by Harbinger and in-lamb to Forkins Dizzee Rascal, sold locally to Robert Earnshaw in Killinghall.

The flock was also responsible for the first prize ewe lamb, a January-born by Burnview Hurricane, which also hit four figures when joining Andrew Cross in Barnacre, Preston, for 1,200gns, with further ewes from the same home making1,500gns, 1,400gns, 1,300gns and 1,100gns, along with gimmer lambs at 1,400gns, 1,200gns, 1,000gns twice, plus a shearling ewe at the same price.

Hitting 1,500gns was the second prize shearling ewe from Derbyshire-based Steve and Louise Buckley's Sitlow flock at Dove Holes, Buxton. Their January, 2020, home-bred twin daughter of Roundacre Big Bang, due to Sitlaw Clean Bandit, became a further Andrew Cross acquisition. The Buckleys sold further shearlings at 1,400gns, 1,250gns, 1,200gns and 1,000gns.

The sale, which continues to grow in popularity, also offered an online bidding facility, with ten lots sold via the internet. Sale averages were well up on the year across all three sections, with 20 ewes averaging £989 (2020 £603), 18 shearling swes £1,210 (£720) and 32 ewe lambs £697 (2020 £477).