A REAL quality show of prime cattle and sheep was forward for Hopes Auction Mart's Christmas show and sale at Wigton, where Peebles-based mother and daughter duo, Louise and Anna Forsyth of WTS Forsyth and Son, Butchers, were the official cattle judges.

Champion and sale leader at £2732 was a 759kg Limousin heifer from Ian and Nathan Grainger, Kiln Close, Glasson that made 360p per kg selling to Messrs Powley, Low Northseugh Farm, Armathwaite.

The same home also produced the reserve winner, another Limousin heifer this time weighing 665kg and selling for 350p per kg or £2292.25, to the judges for their High Street shop in Peebles.

Top price however was £3555, or 500p per kg, paid for a 711kg British Blue, also from the Graingers. She led her section at the pre-sale show and was bought by Messrs Robinson, Bog Hall. The 14 show cattle from the Graingers levelled at 301.31p per kg or £2003.73.

Continental crosses from the Hall family's Inglewood Edge enterprise at Dalston, dominated the prime lamb section winning all three sections and the young handlers.

The family also scooped the champion and reserve honours with the former, a pen of 41.5kg entries later selling for £300 per head or 722p per kg to the judge, Clare Cropper of Cropper Family Butchers, Accrington.

The reserve winners from the same home were purchased by Messrs Kitson, Hutton Rugby.

Adding to the Inglewood Edge celebrations, April Skelton won the young handlers section with a Beltex lamb that later made £142, while the reserve, from Ruben Storey, made £120.

The judge, Adam Bell, backed his decision at the show and sale of store lambs, buying his champion pen for £100. These were Beltex lambs from J Oliver and Sons, Walton Wood, Head.

Top price was nevertheless £103, paid for Texels from Hunters Place (Hunter).

LEADING prices

Steers – Per kg – Lim – 246.50p, 220.50p, High Plasketlands (Pearson); 244p Brinns Farm (Barnett); 235.50p Loughrigg (Crichton). BB – 232p Kiln Close (Grainger); 229p Terrys Farm (Sowerby); 218p Greenhill Farm (Little). Char – 226p Loughrigg (Crichton). Blonde – 216p Loughrigg (Crichton).

Heifers – Char – 248p Greenhill Farm (Little); 228p Parkgate Hall (Peile). Blonde – 232p Loughrigg (Crichton). A-A – 225.50p Loughrigg (Crichton); 221p Kiln Close (Grainger). BB – 500p, 290p, Kiln Close (Grainger); 280p, 258p Elm House (Dent); 270p Terrys Farm (Sowerby); 255p Greenhill Farm (Little). Lim – 400p, 360p, 350p, 282p, Kiln Close (Grainger); 300p Elm House (Dent); 257.50p Greenhill Farm (Little).

Prime lambs – Belt – £300, £150, £148 Inglewood Edge (Hall); £145, £142 Inglewood Edge (Skelton); £142 Croft House (Watson); £142 Snade (Wharton). Dut Tex – £145, £138, £135 Cobble Croft (Batty). Blue Tex – £135 Stanger Hill (J Fell Jnr). Per kg – Belt – 722.90p, 368.40p, 336.40p, 333.30p, Inglewood Edge (Hall); 348.10p Woodhead Farm (Storey); 340.70p Limestone Cottage (Storey); 337.70p Hillside (Stoddart); 330.20p Snade (Wharton). Dut Tex – 360p, 336.60p, 329.50p, Cobble Croft (Batty).

Store lambs – Tex – £103 Hunters Place (Hunter); £99 Park House Farm (Brown); £97, £96 Prospect House (Hodgson); £95 Hobbiesburn (Storey). Belt – £100 Walton Wood Head (Oliver). Chev – £78 Snowhill Partners.

Orkney

Young farmer, Fraser Leslie, Odinstone, Shapinsay, came out tops to win the prime cattle section of Orkney Auction Mart's Christmas show and sale with a Limousin cross heifer.

His show stopper, which scaled 650kg sold for £2200 to Williamsons, East Road, Kirkwall.

Judge, D Buchan, Auchtydore Farms, Aberdeenshire, found his reserve in a 620kg Limousin steer from Balfour Baillie, Sebay View, Tankerness, which made £2000 selling to E Flett Butchers Stromness.

The same buyers bought the champion pair of lambs, Beltex cross Texels from Biggings Farm, that passed the weighbridge at 52kg and realised £170 per head.

Inga Kemp’s 58kg Texel cross lamb won the young farmers section, which later made £125 to Dounby Butchers.

LEADING awards

Prime cattle – Haltered – Steers – Light – 1, B Baillie, Sebay View, £2000; 2 and 3, T and J Leslie, Quoymorhouse, £1391.50 and £1417.50. Heavy –1, R and J Johnston Hewan, Shapinsay, £1430; 2, J and R Stanger, South Seatter, Sandwick, £1496; 3, AT Rendall, Old hall Stromness, £1527.25.

Heifers – 1, JS Baillie and Co Sebay, £1537.20; 2, J and R Stanger, South Seatter, £1452; 3, KD Eunson, Braebuster, Deerness £1421.

Unhaltered – Steers – Light – 1, R and J Johnston, Hewan, Shapinsay, £1380; 2, Messrs Spence, Norton, Dounby, £1320; 2, Laga Farms, Evie £1311.50. Heavy – 1, Laga Farms, £1441.60; 2, GT and S Coghill, Muce, Birsay, £1383.20; 2, Colligarth Farms, Sanday, £1407.

Heifers – 1, KD Eunson, Braebuster, Deerness, £1375; 2, GT and S Coghill, Muce, £1299.20; 3, M and R Cursiter Laga Evie.

Young Farmers – 1, F Leslie, Odinstone, £2200.

Prime lambs – Tex X – 1 and 2, JS Baillie and Co, Sebay, £101 and £99; 3, T Linklater, Stonelea, Stenness, £80. Suff X – Harvey Baillie, Sebay View, £92. AOB – 1, Biggings Farm, Stenness, £170; 2, J Cowe, Little Howes, Holm, £103; J Stevenson, Little Bu, Orphir, £90.

Young Farmers – 1, I Kemp, 13 Hatston Park, Kirkwall, £125; 2, T Linklater, Stonelea, Stenness, £88; 3, E Brown, Newhall Stromness, £105.