23/08/06
It was a case of many happy returns for Lancashire sheep farmer
Peter Fox when he landed back-to-back championship successes
with a ten-strong pen of mules at the annual prize show and sale
of 3,852 shearling gimmers at Craven Cattle Marts' Skipton Auction
Mart. (Tues, Aug 22)
Peter Fox receives the Skipton mule shearlings trophy from Olwen
Hazell, of the Farmers Guardian.
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Champion in 2005, Peter, who farms with his father Vince at New
Lane Cottage, Withgill, Clitheroe, repeated his success at this
year’s renewal, once again receiving the Edgar Boothman Memorial
Trophy for his title-winning mules.
On a day when good sheep met with nice trade, the mule champions
sold for £100 per head to David Booth, of Feizor, near Settle,
who is chairman of the Skipton branch of the North of England Mule
Sheep Association (NEMSA).
The Foxes also had the second prize pen of mules, which made £96
each, with the third prize pen from John Greenhalgh, of Bashall
Eaves, Clitheroe, selling at £104 per head. Top price in
class at £105 each was achieved by Cameron Walton, of Hellifield.
First prize in the class for Masham shearlings went to first-time
Skipton exhibitor Colin Eastwood, of Bentham, whose total holding
of the breed numbered just 12, all bought as hoggs at Skipton last
year.
Colin, who admitted to being very pleasantly surprised by his debut
success, later saw his charges sell for £83 each to John
Bradley, of Lothersdale, just £1 a head less than the top
price in class from David Pilkington, of Rimmington.
Top price of the entire day fell to a pen of ten pure-bred Texels
from South Yorkshire exhibitor John North, of Fenwick Grange, Fenwick,
Doncaster. John, a familiar face in the Texel world and regular
exhibitor at the big breed sales at Skipton in the Autumn, saw
his gimmer shearlings clinch first prize in the Continentals class
and then sell for £110 a head to Stephen Greensit, of West
Tanfield, Ripon.
First prize winners in the Texel-cross class were Richard and Mark
Ireland, of Whalley, their charges selling at £85 a head
to T&C Robinson, from Tosside.
The show was sponsored by the Farmers Guardian. Judges were Simon
Spensley, of Gargrave, and Brian Dodd, of Clitheroe.
Results:
Mule Shearling Gimmers - 1 & 2 JV Fox, Clitheroe,
3 J&E Greenhalgh, Bashall Eaves.
Masham Shearling Gimmers – 1
CR Eastwood, Bentham, 2 & 3 Bill Pinder, Newton-in-Bowland
Pure-bred Texels – 1 JL North, Fenwick Grange, 2 Bernard
and Anne Myers & Daughters, Winksley
Texel-cross – 1 & 2
M&R Ireland, Whalley, 3 Thomas Charnley, Laneshawbridge.
Averages:
Mules to £105 av £83.08 (2005 av £83.00),
Mashams to £84 av £75.27 (£86.21), Texels to £110
av £67.61 ((£89.81), Suffolk-cross to £70.00
av £68.25, Cheviots to £75.00 av £69.00.
Big day at Skipton Auction Mart
Lazonby Sheep Dog Sale
Good Trade For Quality Beltex Sheep at Carlisle |