Bank holiday sheep bonanza at CCM Skipton

A MAY bank holiday bonanza at CCM Skipton on Monday saw more than 4,000 sheep penned for sale, with multiple show classes.

Skipton brothers John and George Stapleton, High Skibeden Farm, have made the class for Continental hoggs with lambs their own in recent years and chalked up yet another first prize success with their pen of five home-bred Texel-x hoggs, again with single Beltex lambs, making £360, also standing runners-up with a £375 pen.

In addition, the Stapletons topped the day’s trade for Continental outfits with both single and twin lambs, each hitting £385.

John Stapleton with his latest five Continental hoggs with lambs show class winners at CCM Skipton (Image: Robin Moule)

Winning and also standing runner-up in the North of England Mule hoggs and lambs show was Malcolm Gratton, Warsill.

Shown by son David, both pens of five with single Texel-x lambs made £280, a price matched by 2023 class winner John-Harry Hitchen, Halifax.

David Gratton, left, with his first prize pen of North of England Mule hoggs with lambs at CCM Skipton, joined by judge Peter Fox (Image: Robin Moule)

There was another one-two in the Suffolks hoggs with lambs show class for TH&K Wood, High Birstwith, the red rosette winners making £340, the runners-up £320, equivalent pens from a tremendous run away at £300 and £290 twice.

The Wood family’s 1st prize Suffolk hoggs with lambs in the Skipton sale ring (Image: Robin Moule)

Hoggs and lambs were in hot demand throughout, with some real quality outfits to pick from, comprising 1,702 head and 308 families in total.

Judge Peter Fox, Clitheroe, had earlier cast his expert eye over the geld gimmer hoggs, awarding 1st prize among the Mules to Chris and Christine Ryder, Blubberhouses, with an all-home-bred pen of ten, which topped their section at £200 per head and became the first recipients of the DW Sunderland Trophy awarded in memory of late Halton East farmer, Donald, who passed away last year and was a great supporter of his local auction mart.

Chris and Christine Ryder with their 1st prize Mule geld hoggs at CCM Skipton (Image: Robin Moule)

Again winning the show for geld continental hoggs were Easingwold husband and wife, Ken and Hazel Gamble, their home-bred pen of ten pure white-faced Texels topping the section at £270.

The horned sheep show class fell to Andrew Ogden, Cowling, with ten Swaledale hoggs forming part of a dispersal sale and going on to make another section-topping £175.

While geld gimmer hoggs, almost 500 in total, were a mixed selection, they achieved decent rates, better quality Mules making £165-£190, horned hoggs £120-£170.

Maxine Collier with Andrew Ogden’s 1st prize horned geld hoggs at CCM Skipton (Image: Robin Moule)

Also penned for sale were 300 shearling and ewe outfits, a large amount with twins, and while singles were scarcer there was quality in abundance, a real credit to all vendors.

Trade topped at £410 a Beltex ewe with twin lambs from Anthony and Emma Thompson, Foulridge.

The show class for pens of five was judged by Angela Wade, Linton, who awarded first and third prizes to Andrew Throup, Silsden Moor, both making £330, with others from the same home at £345 and £340, a price matched by the class runners-up from Steven Entwistle, Darwen, who consigned further pens at £325, £320 and £295.

Texels with twins averaged an impressive £321, Ellie Crisp, Calton, the standout performer when selling shearlings with twins to an eye-catching £400, followed by many more quality outfits from the same home.

Mule shearlings with twins were once again topped by the previous week’s highflyer, Robert Fothergill, Hawes, with another quality consignment reaching £285 and £275.

Also going under the hammer were 2,251 prime sheep, among them an increased turnout of 206 Spring lambs, with the overall selling average stronger too at £199.26 per head, 448.2p/kg, 12p/kg up on the week (SQQ 457.9p/kg).

The monthly show was won by PB Fox & Son, Elvington, York, with a 41kg Texel-x pair making 566p/kg, £235 each, and claimed by regular buyer Andrew Atkinson, Felliscliffe, the same home also responsible for the 38kg runners-up and reserve champions, which fell to Croppers Family Butchers & Deli, Accrington, at £210, 545p/kg, who also went to £200, 512p/kg, to claim the 39kg third prize winners from David and Laura Coar, Darwen.

The Fox family’s May prime lamb champions in the Skipton sale ring (Image: Robin Moule)

Mr Atkinson also paid £215, 430p/kg, for the first prize 50kg Suffolks from M&J Smith, York, Mark Evans, Steeton, finishing second and third in class and selling to highs of £240 and 469p/kg.

Close on 1,500 prime hoggs sold to an overall average of £169.64, 373.8p/kg (SQQ 368.6p/kg), with meat a very good trade throughout, regardless of weight, plenty of well-fleshed sorts over 400p/kg and nice three quarters-bred types still receiving good premium prices around 500p/kg.

Good overweights caught the eye in particular when making up to £250 on three occasions.

Of the 652 cast sheep, 640 were ewes, these peaking at £274.50 for Suffolks from AV Bailey, Lancaster, the section averaging £135.21 and cast rams £160.50.

Full show results, prices, and averages of all bank holiday sales are at: ccmauctions.com