THE 27th Northern Area Texel Sheep Breeders’ Association Show and sale of pedigree rams and females at Skipton Auction Mart, which took place last Thursday and Friday, enjoyed a much better attendance than last year, when footand- mouth blighted numbers attending the show.

The supreme champion, Stonebridge Number One, came from the South Yorkshire-based Stonebridge Texel flock of Stephen and Sherry Richardson, Mount Pleasant Farm, Great Houghton.

It was the Richardsons’ first championship success at the popular Skipton fixture, the title winner, also male champion, being a product of their own stock tup Annan Liquid Gold, by a home-bred dam.

The supreme champion sold for 920gns, top price of the day, to Nick Dalby, Harrogate. The Richardsons also had another shearling ram sell for 820gns to Chris Heseltine, Bolton Abbey, the duo forming part of a six-strong consignment of rams that all sold well to an average of 634gns.

All other main trophy winners were debutants in the exhibition arena.

The reserve male and overall reserve champion was Alwent Ontario, a ram lamb from Doug Nesbitt, of T Nesbitt & Son, Alwent Cottage, Winston, Darlington.

By the £20,000 Glenside Ludo, second-prize ram lamb at Carlisle in 2005, out of a home-bred ewe, the runner-up made 700gns when bought by J & S Wilkinson, of Barningham, Richmond.

The Wilkinsons’ Langlands flock produced the top priced entry in the ram lambs class, with a second prize winner sold for 740gns to Robert and Raymond Heigh, High Bentham.

The female champion was a home-bred shearling ewe from the Tophill flock of David Houghton, based at Isherwood Farm, Affetside, Bury, which sold for 440gns to John Sutcliffe, of Horton-in-Ribblesdale.

Reserve female champion was another shearling ewe, from the locally-based Pergill flock of Margaret Perrings, of JM & M Perrings, Tilt Hammer Mill, Rathmell, Settle, and sold to Alan Harker, of Long Preston, for 300gns.

Show judge was John Campbell, Chathill.

Gimmer shearlings averaged £226.77, ewe lambs £146.05, aged rams £384, shearling rams £421.16 and ram lambs £262.

Results: Shearling ewe: 1 JD Houghton, Bury; 2 JM&M Perrings, Rathmell; 3 Mark Keighley, Leathley. Ewe lambs: 1 David Towell, Glusburn; 2 Coral North, Moss; 3 J&RM Lucas & Son, Fimber.

Shearling ram: 1 S&S Richardson, Great Houghton; 2 Jennifer Lodge, Moss; 3 Graham Taylor, Thirsk. Ram lamb: 1 T Nesbitt & Son, Winston; 2 J&S Wilkinson, Barningham; 3 Jennifer Lodge.