PRIME LAMBS

1262 lambs sold to a fast trade with all keenly bid for, in front of our ringside of ten active buyers. Heavy lambs once again sold to a premium at J36, with Texels selling twice to £157 from M&RW Stirzaker, Milnthorpe with Beltexs selling to £154 from JD&M Capstick, Bootle. Meny pens of well meated heavy lambs were regularly selling at £130 to £135. Smart bred lambs sold to a sharper trade with 41kg Beltexs selling at £128 from WS Burrow, Silverdale with other pens selling to £126 for 40kg lambs from RT Colbear, Appleby. More hill bred lambs were on offer today with Mules selling to £117 from JD&M Capstick, Bootle with others pens to £112 twice from JF&AW Sutton, Longsleddale. Cheviots sold to £110 from JG&PH Thompson & Sons, Selside with Swaledales topping at £108 from JD&M Capstick, Bootle. Best bred lambs sold to 300p/kg from WS Burrow, Silverdale with Texels to 292p/kg from Messrs Young, Lindale. Continental export type lambs were regularly 260p/kg to 270p/kg.

CAST SHEEP

654 cull ewes were forward being a noticeably leaner entry of pronominally hill bred ewes. Heavy well bred ewes were in short supply, selling to £158 for a Texel cross ewe from DJ&A Douthwaite, Penrith with others at £156 from D&C Middleton, Carnforth and £148 from JM&NJ Strickland, Kendal. Heavy cross bred ewes sold to £128 for a Suffolk cross from S&B Capstick, Old Hutton. Texel cross sold to £117 from JG&PH Thompson & Sons, Selside. Mules sold to £94 from GR Wilson, Natland, with an entry of predominately light weight to medium ewes £70 to £85. Hill ewes sold to £99 for a pen of Cheviots form C Wilson, Witherslack with Lleyns to £92 from RJ&R Holden, Millom. Gritstones sold to £80 from CG&KE Heeley, Penrith, Swaledales sold to £73 from N Burton, Sedbergh and Rough Fells £67 from W Beck & Son, Tebay. A large proportion of the sale today comprised of lean head work Swaledale and Herdwick ewes with the best selling to £46 from Messrs Clegg & Bennett, Broughton in Furness, with the better end £40 to £30 and smallest £18 to £25. A special mention to a pen of nanny goats from CM Crayton, Seascale which sold at £98.