Cumbrian Success at CCM Skipton Store Cattle Show

Cumbria provided the champion and a first-ever title win at CCM Skipton for Ulverston's Fred Saunders at the annual Spring store cattle with show potential fixture at Skipton Auction Mart. (Wed, April 17).

Champion

Showing for only the second time at Skipton Auction Mart, Mr Saunders, who farms at Maidenlands Tarn with his wife Carol and son Dean, secured victory with his first prize British Blue-cross heifer, a 12-month-old home-bred by Rridge Dean Dallas, acquired from Michele Wilde in Soulbury, Leighton Buzzard, out of a pure British Blonde cow.

He saw his inaugural Skipton champion sell for a show-topping £1,340 to Matt and Ben Townsend, of Laneshawbridge, regular buyers of cattle at the fixture and the mart in general. Mr Saunders also sold three further British Blue-cross heifers at £1,230, £1,200 and £1,180.

The Towsends acquired all three prize winners in the British Blue-cross heifer show class, the runner-up from David Broadbent, of Midgley, at £1,320, and the third prize entry from Stephen Horsfield, of Mytholmroyd, at £1,230.

As in previous years, British Blue-sired entries again dominated the fixture, with 2012 champions Richard and Wendy Maudsley, who run the Littlebank herd in Rathmell, again to the fore when turning out the reserve champion, the first prize British Blue-cross bullock.

Shown by their 16-year-old daughter Beth, the runner-up, like last year's victor by their home-bred bull Littlebank Ernie, made £1,240 when joining another regular Skipton buyer Jeff Burrows, of Hanlith.

The Maudsleys also presented the third in class, which joined the same buyer for £1,200, while the second prize winner from Messrs Mason & Gardner, of Chapel-le-Dale, became a further acquisition by the Townsends at £1,180.