HEXHAM. - Last Fri. Special sale for beef breeding stock, fwd: 18 head.

Lim X hfrs& bull calves: £1,150 Thornham Hills; £1,000 New Acres. With hfr calves: £950, £850 New Acres. AAX hfrs & bull calves: £900(2), £880(2) Brocks Farm. With hfr calves: £700 Brocks Farm. Lim X incalf hrs: £530, £500 Gairshield. Lim X bulling hfrs: £640, £620(2), £540 High Toft Hill. 6-y-o Lim stock bull 600gns Glen View.

KIRK MERRINGTON. - Broadley & Coulson handled the sale of machinery at Merrington Grange, where the Thompsons will continue farming, but with the majority of field operations undertaken by contractors.

Prices: JD 4050 4wd (G-reg) £9,000; JD 3040 (C-reg) £3,950; Hardi 24m trailed sprayer £4,700; Parmiter discs £3,300; Kvernland 4-furr rev plough £5,000; Kvernland 5-furr (semi-mounted) rev plough £3,200; Marshall grain trailer £1,720.

LEYBURN. - Last Fri. Show & Sale of Pedigree Limousin cattle for North-East Limousin Breeders' Club. Final catalogue entry of 63, 57 fwd, total sales 53. Judge: Ian Williamson, Ponteland. Champion: PM Varley, Queensbury, Bradford, 15-m-o bull Queenshead Unique by Ryedale Raffles out of Ryedale Redlight, to WH&PS Orton, Knaresbrough, 2,350 gns; res: D&M Cormack, maiden hfr Newstart Ustiche by Ronick Iceman out of Newstart Pastiche, Paul Brown, Swaledale, 1,050 gns.

Prizes (prices in gns). - Cow or hfr with calf: 1&2 SM Priestley 1,200, 1,400; 3 CW Wood 1,620. Cow or hfr in calf: 1&3 H&A Isherwood 620, 850. Maiden hfr: 1 D&M Cormack 1,050; 2 JM&SP Cooper 880; 3 W Orme 780. Bull: 1 PM Varley 2,350; 2 JCG Bloom & Son 2,000; 3 TD Hough & Son 1,780.

Averages (in gns): cows & hfrs with calves to 1,620 av 1,285; maiden hfrs to 1,050 av 620; bulls to 2,350 av 1,440.