Spitfire soars to 6900gns top at CCM pedigree cattle highlight

Top price of 6900gns at the multi-breed fixture went to an October, 2021, Limousin bull, Garrowby Spitfire, bred at Garrowby Estate, Bugthorpe, who had since run at New York Farms, Silsden Moor, with beef cows and dairy heifers.  By Ampertaine Magnum, out of the North Craven-bred Gunnerfleet Nisensis, the easy calving Spitfire will fly his colours with new owner Tony Birkett, Carnforth.

Close on Spitfire’s tail and winging its way to second top 6800gns was another Limousin from first-time Ribble Valley vendor Natasha Smalley, Rayhead herd, Bolton-by-Bowland. Her Rayhead Underdog, an April, 2023, son of Haltcliffe Memphis, out of Prietec Nessa, is primed to go to work with new West Yorkshire owners, BWS Farming, Drighlington. The Limousin trio averaged £5740.

One of the Tennant family’s £3200 cow and calf outfits at CCM’s Spring breeding cattle sale (Image: CCM Auctions) Kate Corner, Wiske Manor, Northallerton, consigned a brace of impressive and well-sold 2023 Aberdeen-Angus bulls, both bred by Glympton Farms, Woodstock, where Kate had completed her work placement before returning home to farm in her own right.

Best at 5000gns was Glympton Edwin, by Glympton Ragnor, a bull which performs in the top percentile of EBVs, and his easy-fleshing qualities, conformation and mobility caught the eye of local purchaser Roland Carr, Bolton Abbey. Edwin is out of Glympton Eodima and so too was his stablemate, Glympton Elliot, by Glympton Dubh Evander, which sold to local pedigree breeder Jan Feather, Oxenhope, for 4000gns. The Angus duo averaged £4725.

The single British Blue entry was a hard muscled mobile two-year-old bull from the Littlebank herd of Richard Maudsley and family, Rathmell. Littlebank Tyson, by Sandyvale Jagerbomb, out of the home-bred Nikita, attracted strong interest before falling for £4500 to Blue breeder, Gavin Boocock, Stamford Bridge, York.

The six pedigree bulls on parade attracted considerable interest across all breeds, achieving complete clearance.

Also penned for sale were 56 head forming the Lingfields Spring breeding cattle sale, with a keen ringside in attendance and buoyant trade throughout, notably for the best outfits. Top of £3450 went to a 2018 Limousin cow with a strong British Blue bull calf at foot from Les Driver, Oakenshaw, Bradford. The buyer was G Bretherton, Bury.

Other outfits to break the £3000 barrier came from the annual consignment of first-cross Blue heifers with Limousin calves from the Tennant family, Bordley, trading to £3200 twice, plus a further two at £3150 and £3000.

Jack Berry, who trades as JH Throup, Silsden Moor, also sold a Blue heifer sucking twin Limousin calves at £3100, while Stuart Petty, Draughton, made £2900 with a seven-year-old Blue cow with strong heifer calf.

Best outfits were regularly £2800-£3000, harder working or older cows £2100-£2650. All heifers and calves sold to average £2860, with cows levelling at £2430.