WELSH husband and wife, Wyn and Siwan Harries, who run the Hope flock at Wenant, near Llandeilo in Carmarthenshire, picked up their third championship at the Jacob Sheep Society Northern Region 47th annual show and sale at Skipton Auction Mart. (Sat, Sept 3)

The Hope hat-trick was achieved on what was their first return to the North Yorkshire showcase since 2019, when they also took the title both that and the previous year.

Their 2022 champion was a 2-horn January-born single ewe lamb by Hope Flash Lad bred from a Pike Field Braveheart-sired Siwan Harries Gobaith ewe, which was tapped out in a large class by Builth Wells show judge Lyn Jones, before selling for the day’s top call of 1,700gns to Jamie Hardman, who runs the High Mill flock in Winster, Windermere. The Hope flock also sold their second prize ram lamb for 750gns, plus the fourth prize ewe lamb at 580gns.

The females provided the next highlight with a 1,020gns sale price for the first prize shearling ewe from the Connor & Dalrymple farming partnership’s Dunmor flock near Auldhill in West Lothian. Their January, 2021, twin by Dunmor Fine N Dandy, bred from a Dunmor Ace-sired ewe, also fell to Mr Hardman.

Scotland was also responsible for the champion male and overall reserve champion, the first prize ram lamb from Ewan McMillan, who runs the Luruha flock at Fintry in Lanarkshire. His February-born 4-horn, Luruhu Randan, is by Harbell Lincoln, used successfully for several years and responsible for multiple past breed prize winners. Again bred from a Dunmor Ace-sired ewe, the lamb sold back to the Dunmor flock for 1,000gns.

Fittingly, it became the first-ever recipient of the Gordon Connor Memorial Salver given by the team at Dun-Mor for the Skipton reserve champion in honour of the late National Field Officer and presented for the first time by his daughter Mairi.

Betty Palmer, who runs the Nettlebed flock at Grindleton in the Ribble Valley, stood both third and fourth in the shearling ewe show class. The latter, a Nettlebed Keynote-sired 2-horn, became the second highest priced female at 900gns when heading to Wales with Lyndon Trumper, of Abergavenny.

Commanding 820gns was Salopearl Resolution, a January-born 2-horn ram lamb from Tom Lewis’s Salopearl flock in Whitchurch, Shropshire. The Elmley Winston-sired lamb bred from a Beiliau-sired ewe joined PH&SE Powell, of Stanford Bridge, Worcestershire. Mr Lewis reappeared among the ewes with a flock reduction, selling 4 shear to 260gns and 3 shear to 250gns.

The annual breed highlight attracted a catalogue entry of 159 head. Gimmers and ewes received strong support, with trade steadier than previous years for commercial sheep. Good quality breeders’ sheep were very well bid, particularly in the case of the ram lambs, though buyers were more selective in the case of small natural lambs.

Top prices and averages: Shearling ewes to 1020gn (av £269), ewe lambs to 1700gn (av £245), ewes to 260gn (av £184), shearling rams to 200gn (av £140), ram lambs to 1000gn (av £331)

aged ram to 160gn.