Draft Blackface ewes sold to £160 per head at Hexham and Northern Marts' show and sale of 3530 hill breeding sheep.

The six-year-old ewes were consigned by Wanwood Partners, Wanwood Hill and were followed at £158 by the third prize pen from the same home and £152 from Messrs Weatherson, Edges Green at £152. Increased demand for Blackface ewes saw averages rise £38.50 per head on the year.

The first prize Blackface gimmers and the last offering of stock sheep from Dennis and Pat Yeats, Close a Burn were first into the ring and set the pace selling at £285 and £235 each, with averages rising £21.50 per head.

Horned ewe lambs sold to £116 for Blackies from David Grieve, Whiteside whilst a run of Swales from Low Bleakhope were topped at £105. They averaged £89.16, up £36 on the year.

Swaledale ewes increased by almost £30 on the year, topping at £110 for first cross types from Messrs Nelson, Low Bleakhope, while and their pure bred run reached £92 per head. The first prize ewes from Messrs Hall, The Raw, made £85.

Cheviot draft ewes peaked at £140 for five-year-olds from The Dudlees Partnership.

The Burntongues dispersal on behalf of TE Henderson and Sons, Allendale, was topped at £385 by a pair of four-crop Dutch Texel ewes.

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Leading Prices

Horned sheep – Ewes – BF – £160, £158 Wanwood Hill; £152 Edges Green; £150, £138, £125, £122 (x2) Troughend; £140, £122 The Dunns; £136, £128, £126 Featherwood; £132 Toft House, £128 Edges Green; £122 Dudlees and Quickeningcote (x2). Chev – £140, £130 Dudlees; £130 Wholehope; £125 Shilmoor; £120 Quickeningcote.

Gimmers – BF – £285, £235 Cleughfoot; £220, £195 The Dunns; £200 Green Rigg; £190, £182, £170 Yatesfield; £185, £160 Townshields; £180 Cowden Burn, £178 Green Rigg, £175 Monkridge, The Old Blacksmiths (x2) and Greenleas; £165, £160 Dudlees.

Other breeding sheep – Gimmers – Belt – £215 Yatesfield. Tex X – £225 Holly Hill West; £220 Holly Hill West. Suff – £245, Low Barton; £242 (x2) Tone Hall. Mule – £262, £252 Camphill; £248 Claywalls; £230 Low Barton. KH – £140 Comb Hills and Delight.

Ewes – Tex – 4-crop, £164, Yatesfield. Mule – 4-crop, £166, £164 Yatesfield.

Ewe lambs – Suff X – £140, £134 High Keenley Fell. DS Tex – £140 (x2) Butterknowes. BTex – £130 Bolam West Houses. CHM – £128 Quickeningcote. Mule – £175 Pitland Hills; £160, £150 Pitland Hills; £160 (x2), £150 Camphill; £155, £150 Hole Farm.

Burntongues dispersal – Gimmers – DTex – £340, £330, £300. Tex – £240, £220

Ewes – DTex 2-crop, £335; DT 3-crop, £285; DT 4-crop, £385, £275; DT 5-crop, £300. Tex 2-shear – £195; 3-shear, £210; 4-shear, £190; 5-shear, £140. CHM – 2-shear, £192, £190 (x2); 4-shear, £180; 5-shear, £150; mixed ages, £165