Rendells Auctioneers report scorching sales in the sun for their first sale of the year at Chagford Livestock Market on April 25 with a bumper entry of couples and sheep plus a large quantity of quality sundries and farming items.

The sale kicked off with two pens of Grey Faced Dartmoors, with a four tooth single outfit topping out at £245 and a strong £122.50 per life. They were closely followed by a single full mouth couple from Mr T Marks selling for £225.

Top of the day came from SG and MA Shilston, with a double Suffolk full mouth making £400 or £133.30 per life, followed by a Texel double which had lost a side tooth making £360 or £120 a life. J Wonnacott of Chagford brought in a pen of Mule double couples full and broken mouthed which topped at £93 a life and his singles making £102.50 a life.

A fantastic run of good strong single couples from FC Janes & Son met a brisk trade with a six toothed and full mouthed topping out at £268 an outfit or £134 a life on several occasions with others making a £130, £127, £125 and £100 a life, while H Davis of Leighbridge had a great run of full mouthed single couples making £106, and a £100 a life and his broken mouthed making £96 a life.

In the MV section, CL Moorhouse sold six toothed Beltex Cross ewes with a Beltex Cross lambs to £142.50, £140, £129 and £121 a life.

Ewes topped out at £150 each for a pen of 9 Suffolks Cross ewe with others at £130 and £120 while Hoggs from JW Hobbs of Mortenhampstead with a great run of 4 pens reaching £175, £172 and £168 each.

Orphan lambs were the trade of the day, two Suffolk Cross Wether orphan lambs topping out at £42 each and a Cheviot Ewe lamb making £42 also. Two Suffolk Orphan ewe Lambs reached £31 with two Beulah Orphan ewe lambs selling at £28 each.

A galvanised 6ft x 4ft car trailer topped at £350, with a large galvanised lamb creep feeder making £300, a smaller lamb creep feeder making £210 and another lamb feeder making £100.

Wheeled hay racks met a trade of £155 and £80 while good quality Stihl garden machinery sold for £98 for a blower and vac, £62 for a petrol hedge trimmer and £60 for a Stihl strimmer. Chicken coop met a cracking trade topping out at £102 for a wooden coop with run, followed by another smaller chicken coop making £78. Metal gate posts £72, metal gates £70 and £40 while good quality wooden gates were making£60 and £45.

There was run of apple trees, fruit trees and cherry trees selling £22, £24, £16, £14 and £12 for numerous lots while interesting items such as cooper pots and sundries making £20 and £24 while deck chairs making £26 and garden parasols selling to £42.

In the final lots a large cattle water trough made £85 with rolls of water pipes and sheep netting making £24 and £20 each.