Breeding sheep peaked at £180 per head at Hexham and Northern Marts' sale of Blackface, Swaledale and Cheviot females at Hexham, where a pen of Blackface gimmers from Greenleas topped the trade.

Champion pen of draft Blackface ewes was consignment of six-year-olds from W Walton and Sons, Troughend, which later sold at £109 to A Murray and Sons, Stell Green.

Messrs Johnson, Wolf Hills, sold the champion pen of draft Swaledale ewes at £90.

The show of 1060 Blackface and Swaledale gimmers, saw the championship awarded to the lead Blackface pen from Messrs Murray, Sewingshields, which made £150.

OTHERLEADINGprices

Ewes – BF –5yr, £75 Featherwood; £74 Featherwood Ridlees; £70 Mounthuly Roughside; £67 Featherwood, Grahams Rigg; 6yr, £109 Toft House; £92 Horseholme and Troughend; £65 East Wilkwood; £60 Cottonshope, £58 East Wilkwood and Troughend.

Swale – 2/3 – £62 Beamwham; 4cr – £90, £77, £75 (x2) Wolf Hills; 4/5 – £72 Lilswood Cottage;

5y – £80, £74 Westburnhope; £68 Pry Hill; £65 Ouston; £52, £50 Sundaysight; £48 Sundaysight

and Westburnhope; 6yr – £72, £65 The Raw, £48 Ouston

Cheviot Ewes

NCC – 5yr – £102 Dudlees. 6yr – £72 Shilmoor; £65 Quickening Cote; £55 Quickening Cote and Battailshiel.

Gimmers – BF – £180 Greenleas; £150 Horseholme, Greenleas and Sewingshields; £145 Sewingshields (x2); £142 Toft House; £130 Rusheylaw; £125 Townshields, Grasslees and Rusheylaw; £122 Townshields.

Swale – £93.50 Chattlehope; £78 Plenderleith; £72 The Bullions.

Ewe lambs – BF – £70 Sewingshields; £68 Greenleighton; £58 Wanwood Hill; £56 Yatesfield; £55 Featherwood; £54 Cottonshope and Featherwood; £52 Yatesfield and Cottonshope.

Swaledale – £60 Round Meadows.

Other breeds and crosses – Gimmers – Mule – £148 Grasslees (TA); £140 Croft Cottage; £136 Greystone House and White House Eastgate; £135 Moss Kennels; £132 Embley; £131 Tenter House. Tex X – £160 Comb Hills; £155, £145 Fairview; £140 Claywalls (x2); £134 Fairview; £132 Halton Red House; £130 West Wharmley, Field Head and High Shipley. Suff X – £150, £140 (x2), £125 Claywalls. Chev Mule – £145 Embley. Lln – £88 High Dovecote.

Ewe lambs – Mule – £118, £106 Pitland Hills; £103 North Cocklake; £102 Pitland Hills; £100 Nilston Rigg and Yatesfield; £99 Nilston Rigg; £98 Hole Farm and Hotbank; £97, £96 North Cocklake.