MARTIN Sharp’s 14-month-old British Blue X won first place in the store heifer class going on to take Champion prize at Gisburn Auction Mart's Store Cattle Show.

Well-grown and fit for breeding, it sold for £1,200 going home to T Robinson, of Slaidburn.

Reserve champion three-quarter British Blue store steer from K and S Kempson, Cowpe realised £1,010, selling to the judge John Critchley, Hutton.

D M and R E Capstick's, Hellifield, second prize steer took top price of £1,070 in its class. Topping the sale was F A and T C R Wrathall, Gisburn, with four Angus steers, named sires, realising £1,210 and selling to H and M Dugdale and Son, Settle.

Yearling heifers averaged £815, with yearling steers at £825.

With a top price of £2,300 for the champion and £2,020 for the reserve, it was a case of quality shining through at Gisburn Auction Mart’s pedigree and non-pedigree dairy sale.

The standard overall however, was more variable than in recent weeks, resulting in a “more challenging” trade.

Both top honours in the pedigree section went to Whytil herd owners J and M Singleton and Sons, Goosnargh, Preston, their sale leader being the three weeks calved, Sully Altameteor-sired October 2014 heifer, Whytil Meteor Lady Beatty 545. Out of a 13,995kg dam, it sold at £2,300 to AP Townsend, Burnley. Also three weeks calved was the reserve champion, Whytil Sid Denise 233 by Pine-Tree Sid and this December 2014 heifer was picked up by Brian Blezard. Ribchester, Preston, at £2,020.

W A and A Booth, Feizor, took a bid of £1,880 for their two-year-old, newly calved heifer Feizor Contrast G Roxie, out of a 12,363kg heifer-note dam. The buyers were FA and TCR Wrathall, Gisburn. Also from Feizor was a newly calved De-Su BKM McCutchen daughter that made £1,610 to Wick Williams, Nantwich.

A second calver from R and E Butterfield took the red rosette in the pedigree cows. The one-month-calved Newcroft Balboa Brise, that gave 8,829kg as a heifer, failed to reach reserve, but later sold to the judge Doug Graves, of J J and J D Graves,

Armathwaite, Carlisle, at £1,700.

G and M Dakin and Sons, Bolton-by-Bowland, also made £1,700 for a registered fresh second calver bought by T and M Green, Wigan.

Non-pedigree newly calved heifers made to £1,580 twice for entries from DA Wilcock, Blackrod, Bolton, and from Enchanted Holsteins, Elswick, while pedigree and non-pedigree in-calf heifers topped at £1,280 and £1,270 respectively for J and PA Baldwin and Sons, Brindle, Chorley, and R.H. and D.E. Parker, Clitheroe.

Averages were: Pedigree newly calved heifers £1,599; cows £1,465. Non-pedigree newly calved heifers £1,268, cows £1,280. Pedigree in-calf heifers £1,265, non-pedigree £1,113. Auctioneers were Richard Turner and Son.

Picture: left to right

Ian Plews (cogent)

Colin Singleton (vendor)

Doug Graves (judge)

This pic