DAVID and Laura Coar, Yew Tree Farm, Darwen, netted a notable championship and reserve championship double at the June prime lambs show at Skipton Auction Mart on Monday.

In what was their first draw of lambs of the year at the North Yorkshire venue, the Red Rose husband and wife duo – they have also clinched leading honours at this time of year in the past - hit double top with their 1st and 2nd prize Continentals Beltex-x-Texel wether lambs, again by a Cheshire-based Paul Slater ram and tapped out by Eldwick show judge Mick Etherington.

The 44kg title winners made £182 per head, or 413p/kg, top price in show, when claimed by Joe Bosworth, again buying on behalf of A&D Meats, Rossendale, the 43kg reserve champions making £166, with another packet of 12 at £173, plus eight more at £162.

The third prize 42kg Continental-x pen from Francis Caton, Weston, Otley, made £160 to Halifax wholesalers J&E Medcalf, the same vendor also standing first and second in the Suffolk-x show class, his 51kg and 47kg lambs away at £168 and £160 respectively, both to regular weekly buyer Andrew Atkinson, Felliscliffe. The third prize 44kg pen from SP&VM Morris, Dutton, Preston, made £146.50, again to J&E Medcalf.

Sam Barker, Menwith Hill, hit 400p/kg when selling 42kg lambs at £168 each, followed by John Harry Hitchen, Luddendenfoot, with 41kg entries at 395p/kg, £163.

Heavier lambs dominated the per head prices, Deborah Whitcher, Galtres Charollais flock, Whenby, York, heading the sale at £222, while local Suffolk breeder Mark Evans, Steeton, sold six pens from £170 to a top of £187. Others catching the eye with Charollais pens at £179 were Peter Houseman, Padside, and Todd Farming, Wragby, Lincolnshire. .

While a commercial lamb was a shade easier on the week well-fleshed handyweights sold well for a turnout that included more first crosses from North of England Mule ewes than normally expected at this time of year.

All were among the 1,771 Spring lambs and hoggs on offer, with numbers selling well into four figures and to an overall average for springers of 333.29p/kg (SQQ 334.1p/kg), while prime hoggs averaged 274.1p/kg (SQQ 269.8p/kg). Interestingly, a comparison with the first week in June, 2022, shows a very similar number of lambs and hoggs sold, the former up 4p/kg on the year, the latter up 3p/kg.

Hogg trade was good across all classes, quality well-meated heavies in very high demand, the Capstick family, Bolton-by-Bowland, selling Beltex pens to £188, six others from the same home making £167-£172. Some excellent prices per kilo saw Hayley Baines, Gisburn, make 389p with 37kg Beltex at £144, plus others at 353p and 344p. The mart says hoggs are still required on a weekly basis, especially the next two weeks with pre-Qurbani buying in full swing.

The 2,708 prime sheep forward in total also comprised 937 cast entries, with cull ewes averaging £112.24 overall, trading to a section top of £239.50 for Texel from John and Alison Spensley, Thorlby, heavy pure ewes away at £170-£200.

Suffolk crossed ewes sold to £164.50 from PB Fox & Son, Elvington, York, first crossed Suffolks regularly making £130-£150, while Mule ewes sold to £125.50 from David Harrison, Skipton, heavy Mules making £110-£120. Cast rams averaged £153.54.

A smaller turnout of 123 breeding sheep comprised 60 outfits and, with mid-summer approaching, while demand has waned slightly strong good quality outfits consisting mainly of Mules were still pursued at the ringside.

Ewes with twins averaged £216.24, peaking at £285 for a Beltex outfit from M Banyard, Accrington, while Sam Coy, Rotherham, produced some very strong outfits of Mules with twins to a top £212. Hoggs held similar to other weeks, averaging £192.

In the weekly rearing calf arena, 23 head were again in ready demand, Blue-x bulls averaging £440 to a sale high £470 from LD&MA Clarke, Thornton-in-Craven, Blue-x heifers topping at £420 from the Sutcliffe family, Queensbury, who also sold Blondes to section highs of £420 and £320 for bull and heifer calves. Charolais bulls peaked at £430 from GD&A Midgley, Luddendenfoot, Limousin bulls trading to £405 and heifers £320, while native bulls sold to £310 and heifers to £240, both for Aberdeen-Angus.

Two correct dairy heifers giving 25kg from Ian Hall, who trades at J Dibb at Kilnsey, sold to £1,850, the same home set to begin its ongoing herd dispersal with 20 head forward at the next fortnightly sale on Monday, June 19.

Andrew Smith, Carleton, was the standout performer among a small entry of prime cattle with black and whites, selling over 30-month entries to highs of £1,416, 209.5p/kg, and culls to £1,341, 226.5p/kg.

Pictured with the June prime lamb champions at Skipton are, from left, David Coar, Marie Webster, show judge Mick Etherington, Laura Coar and shepherdess 16-year-old Courtney Webster, Marie’s daughter.