Auction yard is venue for sale

Restrictions were finally relaxed enough to hold the first sale of the season for breeding sheep at Bishops Castle.

Held at the auction yard as opposed to the Love Lane sale field Halls report an entry of around 2,000 Welsh Mule yearling ewes on Friday, October 5.

Despite the obvious difficulties the annual prize sale for the Andrew Lawton cup was also conducted, expertly judged by Cyril Owen with cup winner and first prize awarded to Charles Carter of Batchcote and second prize to Bob Wall of Westworth.

Predictably the trade was patchy with a distinction between the best and second quality ewes. Overall average was around £64 per head with the following leading prices:

£77 for 15 J. E. Wall, Westworth, £74 for 19 D. Evans, Pantywynthrew, £74 for 10 W. O. Lloyd & Sons, The Green, £73 for 20 N. Carter & Son, Batchcote, £72 for 20 D. Evans, Pantywynthrew, £72 for 10 W. O. Lloyd & Sons, The Green, £72 for 20 N. Carter & Son, Batchcote, £71 for 20 M. Roberts, Middle Walton, £71 for 10 S. F. & B. V. Hyde, Gaerstone.

The second sale in the series of adjusted sale dates was held last Monday, October 8, of around 1,000 stock ewes. Given a base by the fairly buoyant cull trade prices achieved were if anything slightly better than expected with an overall average of £30/head.

A good number of buyers were present which produced the following leading prices: £48.00 for 20 ewes J. E. Williams & Son, Lake House, £42 for 20 ewes, J. E. Williams & Son, Lake House, £40.50 for two ewes E. C. O. Owen, Beach Farm, £39 for nine, A. G. Williams, Plassau £38 x two for 20, F. E. P. Gethin & Son, Gwern y Go, £37.50 for 20, F. E. P. Gethin & Son, Gwern y Go £37 for 20, R. T. Bright & Son, Shadwell, £36.50 for 30, C. J. Davies & Sons, Amblecote.