THE auctioneer's patter was live at Hawes auction mart on Saturday, but he was selling registered Blue-faced Leicester sheep via a video screen and telephone bids.

Raymond Lund sold 97 sheep on behalf of the Blue-Faced Leicester Sheep Breeders' Association, with prospective buyers from as far apart as Wales, Scotland and Cumbria.

More than 300 people crowded into the mart to take part in the video sale, with about 200 arriving an hour before the sale and enjoying free cups of tea supplied by local feed merchants, Carr Billington.

This was the first such sale, owing to foot-and-mouth restrictions, and the auction mart manager Maurice Hall is planning more as these sales promote the breed as well as promoting the Wensleydale area.

Most buyers had visited the farms and had actually seen the sheep before they bid for the on-screen lots.

The 12-foot screen showed the hoggs, shearlings and ewes during the auction.

Three telephone lines were used for the first time to take live bids.

Prices at the sale were well up on last year.

Summary. - Fwd: 94 sheep. Overall av £1,007.59; gimmer hoggs to £3,000 av £956.54 (up £655.29 on 2001); gimmer shlgs to £2,400 av £1,055 (up £842.34); ewes to £310 av £1,055 (up £772.67).

Leading prices. - Gimmer hoggs: Lord £3,000 (2), £2,200, £1,800; Ellis Bros £2,400; WM&C Wallace £2,000; JW Smith-Jackson £1,600, £750; WC Porter & Son £950, £700, £600, £550, £400, £340, £180, £120; J Wright & Son £900, £550, £200; WA Dinsdale & Son £800; JC Throup £500; Little £340; GA Jopling £260 (2), £250, £220.

Gimmer shlgs: R Marwood & Son £2,400; WC Porter & Son £1,300; WM&C Wallace £1,000; N White £680; Ellis Bros £500; JC Throup £450.

Ewes: Ellis Bros £3,100; R Marwood & Son £2,800, £2,300, £1,400, £1,050; WA Dinsdale & Son £1,600, £800; JW Smith-Jackson £1,400, £1,300, £900, £800, £500; DA&MA Brown & Son £1,200; £1,000; DR Lodge £1,000, £380, £140; JC Throup £500, £500; J Wight & Sons £340; N White £200, £200.