PRIME Lambs - 1272: A very small entry but quality lambs at very good prices. Heavies to £90, £89.20, £88.80, £88. SQQ 180.6p, best export to 197.6p, 42kg at £83, 40.5kg at £79. Euro at 85p the same as last week but a better trade on the

week especially on the heavier meated lambs. A little food now will pay dividends on the lambs as the grass

is becoming less powerful and there can easily be £5-£8/head difference on lambs of the same weight but

good meat compared to lean. More needed every week.

Breeding ewes - 1352: Customers looking for the better sorts topping at £141 for a pen of 2 year old Texel x, part of a larger draft that also saw home bred Roussin and Texel cross yearlings to £132 on three occasions, with others from £122. Others to catch the eye were 2 year old Texels from Miss D E Stephens at £138 and £130. Fewer yearlings on offer saw coloured Welsh Mules at £128 with North Country and Scotch Mules from £104 to £120. Texel cross always attracted keenest bidding with better sorts from £115 to £126. Others from £90 to £110. Suffolk cross ewes, 2 years old sold to £125 for better sorts, others from £102 to £122. Poorer quality of yearlings on offer generally from £100 to £120. Older ewes generally at prices comparable to cull price, although a few smarter pens sold to more interest. Suffolk 3’s and 4’s to £110, strong Texel 3’s and 4’s to £120. Beulah full mouth to £81. Dorset yearlings to £102. A very good clearance effected.

Store lambs - 2356: A good entry of lambs met a strong trade throughout. A good crowd of men from local and distant all competed well. The strongest bunches again very keenly sought after, these traded from £65 to £72. Strong Texels to £69.80 for a large bunch with several large bunches £66 to £69.50. Suffolk cross lambs to £72.50, other large bunches £66 to £69. Good farming lambs from £60 to £64.50 with level bunches a premium. Medium keep sorts from £56 to £59.50, well bred long keeping lambs from £50 to £55.50, harder bred and plainer sorts from £44 to £49.50, very small from £38 to £45.

Ram lambs to £81 for very strong sorts, other stronger meat sorts £65 to £72. Farming sorts from £57 to £62. Lambs lacking condition from £48 to £54. Hill bred sorts from £42 to £54 depending on meat and frame. Strong forward ram lambs will be wanted for next week for the coming festival.

A few more ewe lambs on show. These had to be very strong or nice headed to ring the bell. Strong Suffolk cross Mule at £100, other Suffolk cross Mules to £80. Texel cross Mules mostly smaller sorts are trading from £70 to £78. Overall average £59.82.

Special sale of store lambs on September 27. To be sold through the ring All entries/enquiries to Greg Christopher on 07770 972815 or the market office on 01432 761882.

Cull ewes - 2019: Ewes dearer again! The average would be £10/head up on last week with a similar mix of ewes forward. Those half meated sorts were certainly dearer with several grazing men unable to get started. Plenty of those strong Suffolk types £90 to £105/head and the best Texels to £118/head. The hardest ewes to sell are the very plain types but still customers for them. Good underneath ewes in plenty of demand with a run of Speckles selling to £70/head.

Rams in good demand with several in excess of £110/head topping at £123.50/head for rams from two separate vendors. It is envisaged that ewes will be wanted in numbers again next week ready for the forthcoming festival. A good entry required next week.

Average £/head - £61.56.

Continental £118.

Suffolks £105.

North Country Mules £80.50.

Welsh Mules £76.50.

Speckles £70.

Welsh £71.

Cull Rams £123.50.

Cull Wethers £79.

Rearing/weaned calves - 30: Another good entry of 26 rearing calves were mostly beef bred and sold at £370 for the first in the ring, a British Blue cross bull at 21 days. Other bulls sold from £200 to £340. A few more Charolais cross calves this week with bulls to £340. 5 heifers selling from £260 to £330. Limousin cross bulls topped at £340 with others £290 and £300. Smaller sorts £130 and £150. Blue cross heifers always in demand, 5 selling from £230 to £315. Hereford cross bulls at £230 and a Hereford cross heifer at £200. A small Friesian bull sold at £50.

4 weanlings on offer, all good shaped sorts of continental cross from 3 to 5 months sold well. A Limousin heifer sold at £565. A Limousin Bull at £555, a Charolais bull at £510 and a Charolais heifer at £530. Total clearance effected.

More calves can be sold each week. Vendors - please let the office know by 5pm on Monday prior to the sale if you are bringing calves.

Breeding rams - 25: The trade and enquiries building slowly with quality and shape the most important factors. Second quality far more selective but good quality in very good demand.

Charollais yearlings 470, 460, 440, 410.

Charollais 2 years 260, 200.

Charollais 4 years 110.

Beltex cross Texels yearlings 420, 400, 350.