There was a small entry but quality was very much to the fore at the Swaledale in-lamb sale in Yorkshire recently.

Taking both the champion and reserve champion titles in the pre-sale show was the High Birkwith flock of Paul and Sue Hallam.

It was the Hallams first prize-winning aged ewe that took the champion title. She was sired by the well-known Oakbank General and was out of a ‘Patch’ bred ewe. She was sold scanned in-lamb carrying twins to Oakbank Endeavor II.

It was John Tully, Burncroft that placed the successful bid of £2,600 (€3,089) for this stand-out ewe – the top price paid for a Swaledale lot on the day.

Top-priced ewe lamb from the flock of John Bland that sold for £1,000. \ Wayne Hutchinson

Following closely behind the top-priced lot and overall champion was the day’s reserve champion, also from the High Birthwith flock.

She stood as the first prize-winning shearling ewe earlier in the day in a class of impressive shearling ewes.

She was sired by a homebred ram that goes back to Oakbank Endeavor and her mother was a direct daughter of the much-admired £92,000 Christine Clarkson’s Kisdon Lovely. She was sold scanned in-lamb to a homebred ram. John Tully was, again, the successful purchaser of this lot at £2,500 (€2,971).

Top-priced lot and champion Swaledale from the Hallam family that sold for £2,600. \ Wayne Hutchinson

Following on from the in-lamb lots were the empty ewe lambs.

The first prize-winning ewe lamb came from the pen of John Bland, Thwaite Bridge. She was sired by a Brian Thornborrow ram and sold for £1,000 (€1,188) to Shaun Tully.