A LARGER entry of 215 Spring lambs for Skipton Auction Mart’s May Monday bank holiday prime show saw smarter types strongly contested in the sales ring.

Keelham Farm Shop was in eager mood as it bought both the champion and reserve champion pens of two from Neil Tattersall, who trades as PA&NS Tattersall at Ellerton near York.

The title-winning pair, weighing 35kg, sold for £115 per head, or 328p/kg, the leading by-weight price, and the reserve 38.5kg duo for £112, or 294p/kg.

Keelham also bought another cracking specimen from Mr Tattersall weighing 43kg for £130, top gross price of the day, or 302p/kg. The sheep were all Texel crosses, home-bred from Beltex tups and born in February.

Keelham’s James Robertshaw bought 35 prime lambs in total, among them the second prize Suffolk-cross 41kg pen from T Priestley, of Sutton-in-Craven, at £108 each, or 263.4p/kg.

Robert Towers, of Farleton, sold the third placed pair of 43kg Continentals to Kendalls Farm Butchers, which has shops in Pateley Bridge and Harrogate, for £117 per head, or 272p/kg.

The first place pair of Suffolk-cross lambs came in at 39kg and were put forward by D&A Livestock of Haverah Park, Harrogate, selling for £100 per head to John Kearns Butchers in Shipley, who also paid £97 each for the 42kg third prize winners from Anthony Bolland, of Bolton Abbey

Spring lambs sold an overall average of £90.51 per head, or 230.9p/kg.

A good show of 1,357 prime hoggs saw meated sorts looking slightly dearer on the week, with some nice Beltex types also adding up well. They sold to an overall average of £78.63 per head, or 178.1p/kg.