SIMMENTAL bulls met a cracking trade at Stirling, peaking at 21,000gns and 20,000gns to average £6066 for 120 - up just shy of £400 on the year with just two less sold.

A far from vintage show saw the sale leader, Overhill House Guinness, the reserve senior champion from Hugh McCulloch's Overhill House herd from Armadale, sell to a consortium of buyers from Bathgate. The first son of the €18,000 Curaheen Drifter - a bull bought at Roscommon - sold, he is out of the Annick Talisker daughter, Woodhall Amara.

Society chief executive, Neil Shand, was also in the money when his own bull made 20,000gns selling to Adrian Ivory, Strathisla Farms. This was Dirnanean Grafter, a bull bought as a calf alongside his mother, Dirnanean Polarine at the Dirnanean dispersal. The sire is Ranfurly Confederate.

A further 12 bulls attracted five-figure price tags.

Females peaked at 7800gns to average £2827 for 20 - a rise of £552 on the year. Leading this section was William Young's Skerrington Rhona 42, a rising two-year-old heifer by Sowenna Aristocrat out of Skerrington Rhona 32. She sold down to Derbyshire with Messrs Chadwick, Mulberry Way, Hilton.

Next at 4600gns was Gerald and Morag Smith and son Douglas' Drumsleed Flavia, a rising three-year-old heifer in calf to Barnattin Felix. The breeding behind this transaction includes the retained bull, Drumsleed Caledonia, by Hockenhull Matthew, onto the show cow, Drumsleed Tabytha. Falkirk breeders, Messrs Wightman, Coshill, Candie, Maddiston, were the last men in.

For full report and pictures see this week's Scottish Farmer