PRICEWISE, it was the Powys Prices, husband and wife, Robert and Jean, Pentrenant flock, Churchstoke, who procured top call of 1,400gns (£1,470) at Skipton Auction Mart’s second annual show and sale of Kerry Hill breeding sheep and rams. (Mon, Aug 28) It fell to their third prize shearling ram, the fully home-bred Pentrenant Candle, a March, 2022, twin – both the sire and the dam were by Woodhouse 2 – which lit up the sale ring when returning to Wales with Sion Jones, Llannon, Carmarthenshire.

The prolific Prices picked up multiple tickets, next best at 480gns their fourth prize shearling ram, Pentrenant Chives, a Woodhouse 2 son, also consigning both the winner and runner-up in the ewe lamb show class, both February-born daughters of a Homeland sire from Northern Ireland’s Ian Barr, both from Woodhouse-sired Pentrenant ewes, the former topping its class at 360gns when again joining Sion Jones, the other making 250gns. From the same home, the runner-up in the shearling ewe show class was a 210gns Ysgafell ewe.

The shearling ram class produced another high flyer when the first prize winner from Scotland’s Jack Graham, Birsca flock, Corrie, Lockerbie, claimed second top of 1,300gns. His Birsca Conot, a March, 2022, twin son of Whitcastles Angus, out of a home-bred Riggshield-bred dam, returned north of the border with Stewart Farms, Lennoxtown, East Dunbartonshire.

Female prices peaked at 740gns for the first prize shearling ewe and supreme champion from Powys breed stalwart Gwilym Pugh, Four Crosses flock, Tan-y-Clawdd, Welshpool, making his debut at Skipton. His first time-shown March, 2022, single lamb also by a Homeland ram, out of a Pentrenant-bred ewe, went to Calderdale with Tia Rogers, Hebden Bridge.

Mr Pugh has been involved with the breed for some 45 years, winning multiple show honours and himself judging in the Kerry Hill show arena across the UK and in Ireland. Set to turn 78 next birthday, he runs a flock of 40 breeding ewes, much reduced from its heyday high of 400 head, having sold sheep extensively both at home and abroad, the latter to breeders in Belgium, Holland, Germany and Switzerland.

Scottish show judge Derek Steen, Whitcastles flock, Moffatt, turned to the aged ram show class for his reserve supreme champion, the first prize winner from a familiar face at Skipton, Andrew Fisher, Nidderdale flock, Low Laithe, Harrogate.

His 2020-born 3-shear, Trecelynen A One, by a Leinthall ram and acquired as a stock tup from Welsh breeders, the Morgan family, had already excelled in the show arena, standing champion at both the Royal Norfolk and Newark this year, as well as picking up numerous other red rosettes. The grandson of Pentrenant Lance made 660gns when claimed by Rebecca Wilkin, Nun Monkton, York.

Mr Fisher also stood runner-up in the shearling ram show class with his March, 2022, home-bred Leinthall son, Nidderdale Caspar, which made 450gns, plus second place with another aged ram, this a Pengwern, making 220gns, also winning the aged ewe class with a 2021 Fencoat entry sold for 140gns.

Also catching the eye at 420gns in the shearling ram class was the fifth prize winner from C Adamson, Whitfield flock, Calderbrook, Littleborough, with a January, 2022, single, Carpenters Crazy Diamond, bred by the Macleod family.

A dispersal of 26 head from the Ormerod family’s local Pennine flock, West Marton, produced a brace of prize winners in the aged ewe show class, the runner-up, a 2020 Tannybrake daughter making 220gns, the third prize 2021 Parkgate daughter away at 170gns.

An entry of 85 head, a marked improvement on last year’s inaugural fixture, saw 70 successfully find new homes, with top prices and averages as follows: Aged Rams to 660gns (av £452), Shearling Rams to 1400gns (av £850), Aged Ewes to 220gns (av £141), Shearling Ewes to 740gns (av £216), Ewe Lambs to 360gns (av £217).