A fourth title in successive years fell to another quality pen of 10 Mules from David Coates, Coniston Cold, at Skipton Auction Mart’s second annual show of gimmer shearlings on Tuesday.
The victors headed the class prices at £165 a head when joining Peter Fawcett, of T W and I Fawcett, Long Preston, with Mr Coates’ 120-strong consignment also responsible for the third prize Mule pen, which sold for £155 each to J Stockdale and Son, Scawton, Thirsk.
Showing and selling for the first time ever at Skipton, Colin and Caroline Doney, Dacre, Harrogate, achieved a memorable debut double when exhibiting both the first and second prize Texel pens. The red rosette winners sold for £145 a head to Lincolnshire purchasers D and A Fenwick, Knaith, Gainsborough, with the second prize pen heading the class prices at £190 each when joining the same buyer, who also paid the day’s top price of £218 a head for a Texel pen from Messrs B and A Myers and Daughters, Winksley, Ripon.
The second prize pen of Mule shearlings from Stuart Horn, Kelbrook, sold locally for £158 a head to Martin Jennings, of Cowling, while the same exhibitor also presented the £170 joint top price pen of Mules, which fell to Calderdale’s DJ Halliday, of Sowerby Bridge, who paid the same price for another Mule pen from Roy Nelson, of Bordley.
Lancashire’s Thomas Binns, of Downham, also sold two pens of Mules at £170 per head to Chris Ryder, Blubberhouses, and J Roberts, Farnhill, while Derbyshire vendor Matt Tomlinson, Muggington, exhibited the third prize Texel shearlings, acquired at £152 each by T Richardson and Son, of Halifax.
Mule shearlings averaged £142 a head, compared to almost £152 at last year’s corresponding fixture and Texel shearlings £140, as against £138 per head in 2011.
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