LAST Friday, Hexham and Northern Marts held their weekly sale of cast ewes and store lambs.

A smaller show of ewes forward sold to the same ring of competitive purchasers, ensuring all vendors left Hexham Mart with a smile.

Texel: £81 Linacres & Hownsgill. Texel x: £94 Bensons Fell, £93 East Cocklaw, £91 & £86 Tenter House, £78 East Cocklaw, Great Chesters & Linacres. Suffolk x: £86 East Cocklaw, £84 West Wharmley. Leicester: £80 Round Meadows. Mule: £74 & £73 Tenter House, £71 Great Chesters, £70 East Cocklaw, £69 Armond Carr, £68 High Yarridge, Saugh House & Davison Avenue. Blackface: £65 Great Chesters, £64 Tenter House, £59 The Steel, £55 Carrick. Swaledale: £43 Round Meadows. Crossbred: £51 West Chevington.

A small show of store lambs forward being £2-3 dearer on the week. Topping at £84 for a pen of Texel lambs consigned by M/s JN & PL Herron, Bensons Fell Farm.

Texel x: £84 Bensons Fell, £81 Intake, £80 (x2) Chapel House, £76.50 Bensons Fell, £76 Intake & Bensons Fell, £75.50 Chapel House, £75 Grindon Hill. Suffolk x: £69.50 Haggwood. Zwartbles: £77.50 Blackburn. Mule: £80 Lowes Fell. Blackface: £49 Grindon Hill. Crossbred: £60 Intake.

LAST Wednesday, at the last sale of 2016, Scots Gap Mart sold prime lambs to a top of £92 and £91 for super heavy Texel crosses from Jonta Walton, Grangemoor, and £88 for Suffolks, from Dave Brodie, The Chesters, and also Grangemoor. Smart types peaked at 190ppkg for 41kg Texel crosses out of Lleyn mothers from Malcolm Corbett, Dykehead. Cast sheep peaked at £140 and then £133 for pure bred Texel ewes from Ruth Mitcheson, Bolam Lake House. Many more sheep could have been sold.

Other prices. Prime lambs. Texel x: £92, £91, £90, £88, & £87 (x2) Grangemoor, £86 The Chesters, £85 Grangemoor, £84 The Chesters, £84 The Chesters, £83, £82 & £80 The Chesters, £80 Tossan Tower, £80 Black Callerton, & £78 The Chesters, 190.2p Dykehead, 185.7p Tossan Tower, 177.6p Grangemoor, 175.0p Angerton Broom House, 170.2p Tossan Tower, 166.7p The Chesters, 166.7p Grangemoor, 164.4p & 164.0p The Chesters, 163.3p Black Callerton, 162.8p The Chesters, 162.8p Angerton Broom House, 162.5p The Chesters, 161.9p Rugley Walls, 161.5p & 161.1p Grangemoor. Suffolk x: £88 The Chesters, £80 & £75 Rugley Walls, 163.0p & 153.9p Rugley Walls, & 151.7p The Chesters. Mule: £80 Mrs C M Thoburn, Pitland Hills, £76 & £71 Pitland Hills, 161.4p Pitland Hills, 160.6p East White Hills, & 152.0p Pitland Hills. Jacob: £55 Black Callerton, 161.8p.

Cast ewes and rams. Pure Texel ewe: £140 & £133 Bolam Lake House. Texel x: £88, £86, £84 West Shaftoe, £76 The Chesters, £74 West Shaftoe & £70 Dykehead. Texel ram: £102 West Shaftoe. Mule: £73 West Shaftoe, £70 East White Hill, £67 The Chesters, £67 & £54.50 Great Bavington, £53 Angerton Broom House. Lleyn: £62 Dykehead.