A total of 3,500 breeding sheep were sold by Halls at a successful annual sale in Bishops Castle.

The event, took place last Friday at Love Lane.

The sale featured the dispersal of a flock consisting of 60 well-bred Charolais and Texel yearling ewes from J. S. & B. M. Vance & Son, Upper Grimmer, Minsterley.

These ewes averaged £389 per head, reaching a high of £500.

The Andrew Lawton Cup, awarded to the best pen of Welsh Mule yearlings, was judged by Tom Burgoyne.

Phillip Pugh of N. L. Pugh & Co, Longville, Much Wenlock, won the cup, while Luke Page of Sidnal Farm, Chirbury, was the runner-up.

The Derek Pugh Challenge Cup for the highest-priced pen of 10 or more commercial-bred ewes was won by N. L. Pugh & Co for a pen of 20 Texel ewes, which sold for £272 per head.

The overall section averages were as follows: 2,322 yearling ewes averaged £237.50 and peaked at £500 for J. S. & B. M. Vance.

180 aged ewes averaged £160 and peaked at £202 from G. & S. J. Jones, Lower Acton, Bishop's Castle.

Bishops Castle breeding sheep sale on Saturday  (Image: Halls)

1,000 ewe lambs averaged £160 and peaked at £186 for G. H. Bayliss & Son, Borfa Wen, Kerry.

12 breeding rams averaged £475 and peaked at £650 for N. & K. Unwin, Pany y Crasty, Carno.

The leading yearling prices were: Texel: £500 to £310 for 12 pens of Charolais cross Texel for Messrs J. S. & B. M.

Vance; £272 for 20 Texels for Messrs N. L. Pugh & Co, and £262 for 10 Texels from Messrs Murray Roberts, Middle Walton, Worthen.

Welsh mule: £281 for 20 yearlings from Messrs P. E. & G. R. Jones, Pen Cae, Trelystan; £280 for 20 yearlings from Messrs N. L. Pugh & Co and £275 for 20 yearlings from Messrs R.W.M. Jones, Larden Grange, Brockton.

10 yearlings from Messrs L. Page and 20 yearlings from W. C. & J. M. Gittins, Ashton Farm, Castle Caereinion.

Ewe lambs: £186 for 20 from Messrs G. H. Bayliss & Son; £185 for 10 from Messrs A. M. Jones, Middle Farm, Rorrington and £180 for 20 from Messrs R. T. Bright & Son, Shadwell, Craven Arms and 20 from Messrs A. M. Jones.

Aged ewes: £202 and £200 for two and three-year-olds from Messrs G. & S. J. Jones; £200 and £192 for two-year-olds from Julie Watkin, Mount Nebo, Sarn and £186 for four-year-olds for F. C. P. Gethin & Son, Gwern y Go, Sarn.

Breeding rams: £650 to £500 for five, one-year-old Texels for Messrs N. & K. Unwin and £500 for a two-year-old Texel from Messrs M. B. & M. B. Roberts, Wood Leasowes, Westbury.

Halls director James F. Evans said: "I would like to thank all the vendors and buyers for making the sale a success and to remind everyone about our next Breeding Sheep Sale at Bishops Castle on Saturday, October 5, with entries required by Monday, September 23."