ANDREW Fisher won the champion and reserve title at the 125th annual Wensleydale Longwool Sheep Breeders Association show and sale at Skipton mart.

The fourth-season Wensleydale breeder won with his home-bred shearling ram which was male champion and which also won at Otley and Ripley shows.

Judge Fred Lawson, from Leyburn, said the champion was "one of the best tups I have seen for years. It was a good show of sheep. With new bloodlines coming through, it’s nice to see good skin back on Wensleydales these days."

The victor was sired by Maesafon Tornado, which Mr Fisher – of Well House Farm, Low Laithe, Harrogate – acquired two years ago from leading Welsh breeders Jim and Sandra Thompson. He is out of Thistle Dragon, bred by Knaresborough’s Yvonne Mudd.

The reserve champion was Mr Fisher’s shearling ewe and female champion, who is by another Thompson family tup, Maesafon Leonard Lloyd.

The day’s top price of 520gns fell to a ewe lamb from Scottish breeder Mary Smith, of Drongan, Ayr, which was bought by a buyer from North Yorkshire.

Local breeder Helen Collinge, of Silsden, achieved 320gns with her second prize shearling ewe by the West End Marco son, Nosterfield Flashman. The buyers were DE&GM Storey, of Macclesfield.

Mark Elliott, of Ferrensby, near Knaresborough, had the first prize aged ewe, by Widehope Ivanhoe, which sold for 120gns to PR Stephens, of Kilby, Leicester.

ENDS