A MOSTwelcome bounce back in trade this Monday saw spring lamb numbers up by 50 per cent following the fall seen last week, with the whole sale averaging 302p/kg.

Trade remained reasonably level from start to finish as just over 1,500 spring lambs ran through the main ring, generally finding a good, competitive ringside of buyers keen for sheep.

Some various prices from across the weight range spectrum showed 63kg Texels from M Ryder & Son, of Haverah Park, make £190, with 60kg to £188 from Toothill Bros, of Doncaster, and 58kg to £177 again from M Ryder & Son. AL Thompson of Foulridge made £182 with his 57kg Texels, and Frankland Farms of Rathmell made £175 of 55kg. TA Robinson, of Longridge, made £170 of 54kg and J&F Nutter, of Hurst Green, sold 53kg at £170. D&L Coar, of Darwen, made £163 of 10 lambs weighing 44kg - top price per kilo for the day, at 370.5p. Throughout the day, all lambs 53kg and above averaged £157.04.

43kg Continentals sold at £149 from JM Smith & Son of Carleton, some 42kg from P Crabtree & Son of Otley made £146, a price equalled for 41kgs from Frankland Farms and from Healaugh Farms Tadcaster. CD&RF Kitching presented 41kg at £137, Andrew Brown of Gargrave made £140 of 39kg, M Lazenby of Barmby Moor made £127 of 38kg, whilst JB&AH Coates sold 36kg Texels to £111.50, with lambs weighing 36kg to 45kg averaging £126.76. Messrs Coates also sold 35kg Texels to £106.50.

A busy ringside also saw cull ewe trade shift up a gear on previous weeks, with meated medium ewes and full meat heavy ewes on offer. A decent showing of over 700 cast ewes and rams saw the ewes average land at £107.48, with M. Crabtree topping at £199.50 for a Texel Ewe. Cast Rams averaged £119.17, with a top price of £217.50 attained by Toothill Bros of Doncaster for a Texel Tup. The day’s best texel ewes with weight sold well at £175 - £200, with a run of ewes from WH Marsden, Leeds, selling for £189.50 - £199.50. Heavy, crossed ewes sold nicely at £150 - £170, with next grade full meat ewes £130 - £145. Medium ewes, full of meat, got away at £115 - £125, whilst leaner selling ewes sold either side of £100. Plain feeding ewes sold at £70 - £90 with a few smaller goods below.

Mules were a shade easier on the week, with most pens of meat ewes selling at £100 - £110, topping at £121.50 from JC&N Throup of Draughton. Full, meat heavy Mule ewes could exceed £110 and reach £115. Medium, lean mules averaged £75 - £90 and plain ewes £60 - £75. Swale ewes also a shade easier, with a top price of £78.50, again from JC&N Throup. Full meat Swales with decent size sold at £55 - £70, whilst lean, half meat ewes reached £40 - £55 and plain ewes averaged £30.

CCM’s weekly Monday market also saw a large show of cast cattle through the ring, with the majority being beef bred native cows. Top price of £1799 went to A Moore of Askwith for their 925kg Angus cow selling to 194.50p/kg. Other beef Angus cows sold at 180-192p/kg, with a few lighter weight cows and poorer weighing sorts at 177.5 - 185p/kg. Black & White cows sold at 161.5 - 180p/kg for lean fleshed cows. Angus heifers of over thirty months sold to £1642, with plenty of other OTM heifers selling at 216.5 - 219.5p/kg.

Prices stayed strong in the calf pen this week, with plenty of purchases ringside. Blue bulls averaged £405 with top prices of £470 from P&RM Sutcliffe and £465 from A&E Middleton. Best bulls all £420 - £470, with mediums £380 - £420 and younger calves with good ends £325 - £380. Blue heifers sold to £395 from PJ&JE Bolland, Airton and £390 from RE Ayrton & Son, Eastby.

Best heifers averaged £350 - £390 and mediums £300 - £350, with just the odd younger calf selling at £245 - £300. Black & White calves proved a solid trade, with a top price of £135 going to Flasby Estates, Flasby. Best calves at 5/6 weeks of age averaged £100 - £130, and mediums at either side of 4 weeks of age £60 - £100. Plain and light-coloured calves at 3 weeks of age sold at £40 - £65.