The annual Easter Spring lambs show and sale at Craven Cattle Mart, Skipton, produced an unprecedented sixth consecutive seasonal title, plus reserve championship honours, for regular early season vendor Robert Towers, who farms with his wife, Jackie, and daughter, Josie, at Greenlands Farm, Ingleton.

Tapped out by show judge Mick Etherington, Eldwick, the Towers family took home both the champion and reserve rosettes for their Continental cross single and Down cross single, respectively, the former, a 46kg Texel cross, also topping the sale on price at £230, £5 per kilo, the latter, a 51kg Suffolk cross, at £218, 488.4p/kg, both falling to Nick Dalby, Hartwith, who bagged all the Easter prizewinners.

The Northern Farmer: Josie Towers with the family's CCM Skipton Easter Spring lamb champion and reserve, joined by show judge Mick Etherington

The same home also won the Down cross pairs class with 43kg lambs away at £210, 488p/kg, further standing runner-up in the Continental cross pairs class with 43kg Charollais making £205.

Well-known Charollais breeders Charles Marwood and family, Foulrice flock, Whenby, York, again finished among the prizes, the first prize 43kg Continental cross pair topping their run with another £210, 488p/kg, sale, also presenting the second prize 47kg Continental cross single, sold for £208.

While new season lambs lacked the weight of the previous week's first draw, they remained very much in demand, with trade strong throughout. Other good handyweight goods sold nicely between 430p/kg and 470p/kg, whilst heavier sorts got away at 380-420p/kg. The 49 Spring lambs forward averaged £185.83 per head, 421.5p/kg (SQQ 431.1p/kg).

Prime hoggs, 1,951 in total, sold well again, levelling overall at £172.02, 386.3p/kg (SQQ for lambs up to 45kg 391p/kg). Similar to the last few weeks, good heavies and overweights made £200-plus, Thomas Boothman, Linton, selling 18 hoggs to average £228.06. EP&JM Hutchinson, Faceby, levelled up at £226.93 for 123 head sold, while RJ Bailes, Boroughbridge, sold 121 head to average £226.17, 478.61p per kilo. Well-fed heavies, or smart lambs of any weight, also found a very good following.