History of the Club
The Border Club has come a long way since its inaugural show and sale way back in September 1989.
That first sale was held in conjunction with John Thornborrow & Co. Ltd and had a catalogued entry of 50 head, which included 18 bulls. The bulls sold to a top price of 1850 guineas and averaged £1341.66.
The number of cattle sold at the sales has slowly risen from as low as 4 in October 1991, to as many as 157 in May 2000. Even with the BSE crisis in 1996, the Border Club gained the breed record price of 10,500 guineas, when DA Williams of Lodge Farm, Shifnal, Shropshire sold his bull, the overall champion Wilodge Meatmaster ET to T Robinson & Sons, Catlow Farm, Slaidburn, Clitheroe, Lancs.
Meatmaster's pedigree included Savant de Pierrecome and Galopeur, both prominent in many a modern day pedigree. This top price was equaled in May 1997, when regular Carlisle exhibitor Stephen Potter sold his bull Brookfield Mario ET, himself a son of the renowned Galopeur. Mario,the overall champion at the sale, found his new home in Lancaster with J Nelson & Son, Bull & Cave Farm, Clapham. He is out of Stephen's very successful show cow Highfield Jewel ET who continues to breed exceptionally well.
The average for the bulls at the club sales has often been over £3000. In May 1995 31 bulls sold to average £3749.52. May 1994 saw 17 bulls average £3378.53, in September 1995 28 bulls averaged £3213.75, in May 1992 8 bulls averaged £3110.63 and in May 1999, a staggering 120 bulls averaged £3002.29. The May sales consistently sell to average more than the Autumn sales, although in October 1996, 50 bulls sold to average £2753.21 which, considering the BSE crisis, showed that quality sells whatever, and quality is what the Belgian Blue breeder continues to provide.
After a year of uncertainty in the farming industry the Border Club finally staged their Twelfth Annual Spring Show & Sale in May 2002 when auctioneers Harrison and Hetherington Limited offered the catalogued entry of 143 bulls and 54 females to a packed ringside of buyers. The demand for quality stock was so high that there was a near sell out of all cattle with two bulls making 10,000gns, 500gns short of the breed record for a bull (10,500gns) and 32 lots sold at 4,000gns and above. With the overall average for bulls nearly beating the record of £3,749.52, which was set in May 1995 and 36 junior bulls reaching a record breed average of £4,060.00. The overall average for 107 bulls £3,619.56 was the second highest breed sale average this spring at Borderway. Top price in the female section was 4,500gns gained for the 1st prize maiden heifer Gregmaur Shiulle.
In conjunction with the Border Club sales, auctioneers Harrison & Hetherington Ltd. have also included the following sales:-
May 1994 - The Dispersal of the Graybank Herd which sold to a top price of 2700 guineas for the bull Graybank Jesse, and the 6 cattle averaging £2432.50.
May 1997 - The Dispersal of the Hemloe Herd when 15 females sold to average £1839.00 and Leconfield Joyce, with her second bull calf Hemloe Oliver at foot, topped the sale at 4,500 guineas. The sale also included a production sale of the Lenborough Herd in which 7 females averaged £2,385.00.
Elaine Pattinson
(Secretary)
