CROSSBRED ewes made up to $240 at today's rain-soaked special sale of first-cross and Merino ewes at Deniliquin in NSW.

But the Merino ewes were not far behind them, selling to $231.

Despite the rain, and slippery conditions underfoot, a good crowd followed the sale of about 15,000 head, which was well under the advertised yarding of 25,000.

Deniliquin recorded 61.4mm of rain in the past three days, including 30mm in the 24 hours to 9am and another 8.4mm this morning.

Landmark Deniliquin auctioneer Marc Braybon said it was a strong sale, with good competition from keen buyers.

''Competition was good from the south and also from the Wagga region was strong on a lot of the Merino sheep,'' he said.

''Quality was reasonable and quality sheep sold really well.''

Mr Braybon said some sheep looked ''a bit washed out'' because of a combination of wet wool and declining feed quality as a result of the summer rain.

''Some of the sheep showed that today, they didn't look as good as they probably could have,'' he said.