Congratulations to Debs Latham who has won NAVA Propertymark’s novice auctioneer of the year title.

She takes the title from last year’s winner, Georgina Hilton, a novice auctioneer at Christie’s.

Lathan joined SDL Auctions earlier this year following a career as an air traffic controller.

The fiercely contested competition was sponsored by Antiques Trade Gazette, Clive Emson Land and Property Auctioneers and Essential Information Group and was held at the Cambridge Belfry.

In all 12 contestants started the competition to auction a diverse range of five auction lots designed to challenge, encourage creativity and simulate the sort of lots that they would come up against in real-life auctions.

On offer to the room-full of enthusiastic bidders, some of whom were planted and given a brief to interject and challenge the novices, were: a taxidermy buzzard, a disused water tower with expired planning permission, a Caterpillar loading shovel, a former diary, and a Fader digital audio console, with guide prices of anything between £100 to £180,000.

The judging panel boasted an intimidating array of experience through Clive Emson, Richard Madley and David Sandeman.

Runners up were Lucy Gregory of Dreweatts Auctioneers and Nick Maddocks of independent West Country firm Gibbins Richards.

The annual competition is open to those who have conducted fewer than three auctions or been at the rostrum under 12 months.