The desert like conditions of the west country did not deter buyers who needed breeding replacements at the Lleyn Sale at Exeter on Thursday (August 25).

Several buyers had trailers and wagons to fill, writes Heather Stoney-Grayshon of the Lleyn Sheep Society.

Some of the sheep on offer showed they had been short of grass but ready to go on with likely improvement on better ground.

The shearling ewes started with a mixed trade but as confidence built and numbers available dwindled, the trade picked up momentum.

AG Selway from Stalbridge saw his run top the trade when selling a pen of five at £255/head to D & S Searle, Helstone.

Messrs Searle bought another pen at £235/head.

From the same home, J Sanders-Carr, Cullompton gave £220/head whilst T Hall, Bodmin gave £215/head.

AW Hughes, Garndolbenmaen sold the first prize pen for £215/head to Oxbridge Farm, Dorset. He sold another pen at £215/head to CHS Enterprises, Winkleigh.

The three prize winning individual shearling ewes saw AW Hughes obtain a bid of £500 after the sale from Harper Holdings Ltd, Holsworthy.

AW Davies, Pwllheli sold his second prize ewe for £250 to P & J Shipton, Dorset.

SE Hughes, Garndolbenmaen sold her third prize ewe for £240 also purchased by P & J Shipton.

Stronger, well-turned-out ewes were finding homes from £170-200.

Slightly harder done to ewes particularly earlier on the sale sold for £130-£140 easily lifting to £150-160 in the second half.

Ewe lambs saw a very spicy trade with many smaller lambs on offer.

It was the first pen into the ring from RJ Irwin, Kingsnympton that topped the section at £160/head to regular buyer SP Gubbin & Son, Launceston.

The same buyer bid £152/head for another pen from the same home.

Twose Farms, Whitland sold some early born lambs which had been shorn, these sold for £155/head to SP Gubbin.

The first prize pen from AW Davies sold for £150/head to G & J Chorley & Son.

There was 100 per cent clearance in the ewe lamb section with everything £100 plus and the majority of pens £120 plus.

Larger lambs were making the bigger prices but also smaller stylish types were being picked out.

Rams saw plenty of demand with 62 forward and 57 sold.

Very few were under 400gns with those best rams easily making 800gns plus. Six rams hit the 1000gns mark.

E & D Jones, Machynlleth once again topped when selling a Lluest Ram (00599/2112831) sired by a Whitcastle Hot Stuff for 2,800gns to Harper Holding Ltd, Helpworthy.

Messrs Jones sold his next ram (00599/2112903) sired by Whitcastle Enigmia for 1500gns to CM & A Crudge, Tiverton.

P & S Eckett, Lydlinch sold Lydden Kingsholm (02185/2101546) sired by a Marcus Bullock ram for 1200gns to R Saunders, Malmsbury.

AG Selway sold a Thornhill Ram (01156/2109333) sired by Southam Ironman for 1200gns to LA Wyatt, Cullompton.

Twose Farms, first in the ring, sold two for their pen for 1000gns to Devon buyers.

Averages: Shearling Ewes to £255 (£500) av. £169, Ewe Lambs to £160 av. £124, Rams to 2,800gns av. £660