British Blue Success at Skipton

17th March 2021

Skipton Auction Mart’s annual Craven Champions store cattle produced another supreme championship for the Walker family, of Dunsop Bridge, with the first prize un-haltered heifer and female champion, a 13-month-old British Blue-x and one of the last two natural calves by their renowned former stock bull, Cromwell Fendt, also responsible for past Walker Craven Champions supreme champions.

 

Rob Walker with the Supreme Champion un-haltered British Blue-x heifer, with co-judges and partners John Mellin and Clare Cropper.
(pic: Moule Media)

The Jack Walker Trophy, first presented at the annual highlight in 2014 by Geoff Walker in memory of his late father, returned to the family after their 2021 supreme had been tapped out by Long Preston co-judges and partners John Mellin and Clare Cropper, who said their chosen champion really stood out, being “very strong and correct on its legs, with good length, stylish and well presented by the Walkers.”

Out of a home-bred Limousin cow, the title winner sold for £2,200 when joining the Handleys – husband and wife, Ian and Diane, and Ian’s brother, Peter – at Gunnerfleet Farm, Chapel-le-Dale, who bagged a total of four promising Craven Champions prize winners.

The Walkers, also picked up a red rosette when winning the haltered Blue heifer show class. The 13-month-old, out of a home-bred Blonde-x cow by the family’s own Brennand Handy, sold for second top call of £2,300. And while it may have been the end of a highly successful era concerning the prolific Fendt, the Walkers say they have retained enough of his semen to last some time and that it is also for sale through Norbreck Genetics.

The 2020 Craven Champions male champion British Blue-x bullock from the Ewbanks. (pic: Moule Media)

Nidderdale husband and wife, Mark and Fee Ewbank, of Intake Farm, Middlesmoor, who landed their first Craven Champions supreme championship last year with a Blue-x heifer, returned with a home-bred Blue-x bullock which first won its show class, then the male championship. Sired by Brennand Jimmy, he sold for £1,500 to DT Todd Farming in Wragby, Lincolnshire. The Ewbanks, who are further establishing their Intake pedigree British Blue herd, also made £1,550 when their third prize haltered Blue heifer joined A Barnett, of Shap in Cumbria.

Sheila Mason, who was the 2017 Craven Champions supreme champion and last year’s reserve supreme, also presented the second and third prize haltered bullocks, both Blue-x again by her home-bred Keasden Head Laddie, now in his third year. The runner-up, also reserve male champion, made £1,280, bettered at £1,320 by the other.