The Foy Family with be ‘Rockin’ around the Christmas Tree’ as they take home the Christmas Championship for the seventh year in a row.

PRIME LAMBS

A wonderful day at Lancaster, full of the festive sprit for our annual Christmas show and sale of Prime lambs. The auction decorated in all its Christmas glory, accompanied by 41 show pens of lambs for our judge loyal North West Auctions buyer Mr Abdou Farag, who we thank for his time and expertise. He awarded the Championship trophy, the John Edward Kellet Memorial cup, to GR&A Foy, Conder Green winning the trophy for the seventh year in a row. This much admired pen of five Dutch Texel sired lambs weighing 42kg went on to sell for £260 or 620p/kg purchased by our judge. The reserve championship rosette was awarded to the first prize pen of Cheviot lambs weighing 45kg and selling for £138 from TR Prickett, Hutton Roof. The first prize pair of Beltex lambs was awarded to Andrew Butler, Hambleton selling 48kg lambs to £185 or 411p/kg. The first prize pen of Mule or Masham lambs was awarded to a pen of five 47kg Mashams selling to £135 from S&J France, Over Wyresdale. Taking the Horned lamb class and winning the John Dickinson memorial cup was Gus Brown, Littledale with his 42kg Lonk lambs selling to £120. A big Thank you to all our vendors for taking part and a special mention to Grace Dobson of Laurence Pierce Wool Merchant for kindly sponsoring todays show.

Lancaster had an entry of 1041 prime lambs forward selling to an overall market average of 282p/kg or £126.88 per head, to include a large number of Hill bred lambs. Outside of the show lambs the trade peaked at £170 for heavy weight Texels from Gus Brown, Littledale, with plenty more pens of heavy weight lambs regularly selling into the late £140 and £150’s. Handy weighted lambs were in strong demand today with 39-45kg lambs averaging 286p/kg. Plenty of pens of better bred handy weighted lambs regularly sold in excess of 300p/kg. Mule lambs sold to a top of £138 and £137.50 from WI&A Atkinson & Son, Bleasedale with Mule lambs over 45kg averaging over £130 per head.

CAST SHEEP

It was great to have more cast ewes forward as the trade continues to go from strength to strength, Texel ewes led the way selling to £164 from Hannah McDonagh, Heaton with Oxcliffe. This was followed by pure Suffolk ewes selling to £147 from Andrea Gardner, Bay Horse. Mule ewes this week peaked at £122 from Wannops Farms, Heaton with Oxcliffe with two further pens from the same home selling to £109. Well fleshed Mule ewes regularly sold in excess of the £100 mark. Texel tups peaked at £148 from B&SE Carter, Ellel, with Suffolks to £122 from Ivan Slater, Claughton on Brock. Hill bred tups saw Cheviots sell to £123 from HE&M Henderson, Dent and Swaledale tups to £86. Hill ewes sold to £80 for Lonks from A Brown, Littledale who sold Swaledales to the same price and Herdwicks to £70.

STORE LAMBS

Just a handfuls of store lambs today, which sold to £74 from A Dickinson, Ellel.