A CLASSY looking Charolais cross steer certainly lived up to his name – Silver Lining – for owners Craig and Teen Malone, from Pitcairn, Cardenden, Lochgelly, in Fife, when he was a stand-out champion at last weekend’s LiveScot event at Lanark market.

On a day where attendance was definitely affected by the aftermath of Storm Arwen, which had caused considerable damage across Scotland and Northern England, especially on the East Coast, there was still a considerable crowd there to witness a return to almost unfettered showing at the event.

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There was certainly a groundswell of ringside opinion that went along with the judge, Jimmy Wood’s popular decision to give that slap on the rump to the Malones’ silver dun coloured steer which was just short of his first birthday.

And Mr Wood should know a decent beast when he sees one, as back home he’s in charge of buying 450-500 head of cattle a week for the family business, Bowland Foods, which is a major supplier to High Street butchers and other select retail and catering businesses.

He said of his choice: “This beast had presence right from the get-go and he was shown in spot on condition which will appeal to the High Street butcher’s market, with just a perfect amount of cover.”

Silver Lining was a bit of a chance purchase two months ago at a UA calf sale when Craig paid £2200 for him to give Teen ‘a bit of a cheer up’ as she was at home suffering from Covid-19. That’s why the name was coined and it certainly gave her somewhere to channel her frustration at being grounded at home and she managed to put a huge amount of weight and condition into the steer during those final few weeks.

Bred by Duncan Semple, Dippen, Carradale, in Kintyre, the 622kg bullock was sired by Duncan’s home-bred Carradale Felix and bred out of a black Limousin cow that had been bought from Ronnie Mackie a couple of years ago. Indeed, her first calf off Dippen was also sold to the Malones last year.

At the sale after the show, purchasing the champion once again was B and T Kitson butchers, North Yorkshire, who had to go to £5600 to get the champion and he will be joined on the float south by the reserve overall champion which cost £3800.

That was from North-east prime stock enthusiast, Blair Duffton, from 2 Bogie Street, Huntly, who proved unbeatable in the heifer championships.

Leading the females for him – and also being placed reserve supreme – was Babybell, a 13-month-old Limousin cross heifer that had been bred by Gary Bell, Haaside, Lockerbie, and bought at a spring sale in Thainstone. She had been second at the recent Expo at Carlisle.

Weighing 574kg, she had won through from the heavy heifer section, after which she’d been placed ahead of Blair’s lightweight winner, Truffle, which was roughly the same age as her herd mate but weighed in at 450kg. She’d been bought at Carlisle from the Guise Partnership in September and was making her show debut.

The reserve overall steer was Black Bomber, a Limousin cross by Rossignol shown by Katrina and James Little, and Hanna Donaldson, The Guards, Ireby, Wigton, Cumbria, which had been reserve in the heavyweights. He had been steer champion at the Borderway Expo, returning to where he had been purchased from P and A Jarman, Brathwaite.

Lightweight steer champion was Amy Vance, Bridgehouse, Whithorn, Newton Stewart, with her own ‘baby’ class entry, The Marvel. By the Limousin sire, Rhiwllech Phenomenal and out of a British Blue cross cow, he’d been bought in September from Shennanton Livestock and had done so well in Amy’s capable hands – she also won the young handler class – that he’d grown out of the commercial calf class, to move up into the main show with a weigh-in of 442kg.

Runner-up for the light steer championship was Amy’s near neighbour’s 520kg Back to Black. Shown by Shona McKinnel, Garrarie, Whithorn, he’d been bought in September at the Thainstone Spectacular sale for £1250 and went on to stand second in his class at the Expo. He was bred by John and Craig Robertson, Newton of Logierait, Pitlochry, being sired by the Limousin bull, Teifi Nazz, used on a Limousin cross dam.

The same placing in the light heifer section was taken by the 536kg Tiktok, a Limousin cross shown by John and James Graham, Mains of Burnbank, Blairdrummond, Stirling. This one was bred by Hugh Dunlop, Holehouse, Ochiltree, and was by a bull they’d bred, Burnbank Officer.

Hugh and his son, Stewart, also got in on the championships, taking the reserve heavy heifer title with Tidy Dancer, a home-bred Limousin cross that weighed 686kg. She was sired by Wilodge LJ and out of a Limousin cross dam.

The increasingly popular class for a ‘Housewives Choice’ champion – this year selected by butcher Gary Raeburn, Huntly – went to Wilson Peters’ home-bred Limousin cross heifer, Roxy Delight, from Monzie Home Farm, Crieff. Mr Raeburn later backed his decision and took this one home at £4000.

The much-admired Beltie Boy from Andrew Ewing jnr, Drumbretton, Annan, was a popular winner of a couple of titles. He was the best animal by a pure-bred native sire and also the best home-bred animal on parade.

Looking very much like a pure Belted Galloway, he was the result of a pure Beltie put on to a Limousin cross Belted Galloway, a few of which are kept at Drumbretton by the Ewings ‘for a bit of fun’.

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From the pure natives on show, Gordon and David Gray’s Gaenor, an August, 2020-born 579kg heifer by Linton Gilbertines President out of Ettrick Gaenor, from Sunnycroft, Lindean, Selkirk, was placed top of the line; while the same position for a pure-bred continental was taken by the Limousin heifer, Mystic Madge, from Jean Mackay, Auchenairney, Maybole. She was sired by Kinniside Novel and out of Tellers Imagination.

LEADING awards:

Light native cross or pure bullock – 1, A Ewing’s Beltie Boy (Belted Galloway; 2, G and A McFadzean’s You’ll Never Believe It (A-A); 3, J Paterson’s A-A. Heavy native bullock – 1, J Cockburn Troloss’e Phantom (Galloway); 2, P Hunter Blair’s Fatboy Slim (Galloway); 3, J and S Ross’ Black Magic (Galloway).

Native cross or pure heifer – 1, G Gray’s Gaenor (A-A); 2, WA Peters’ Black Bird (A-A); 3, D and C Logan’s Rogan Kickass Katie (Galloway).

Light continental cross bullock – 1, A and E Vance’s The Marvel (Lim cross); 2, S McKinnel’s Back to Black (Lim cross); 3, J Paterson and Son’s Ginger Snap (Lim cross). Medium continental bullock – 1, C and K Malone’s Silver Lining (Char cross); 2, Little and Donaldson’s Black Bomber (Lim cross); 3, P Tippetts and C Williams’ Countdown (Lim cross). Heavy continental bullock – 1, WA Peters’ (Lim cross); 2, S and L Bett’s Hurricane (BB cross); 3, H and S Dunlop’s Rocket Man (Lim cross).

Superlight continental cross heifer – 1, B Duffton’s Truffle (Lim cross); 2, R and J Hamilton’s Cheeky Chops (BB cross); 3, A Lindsay’s Peach (Lim cross). Light continental cross heifer – 1, J and J Graham’s Tiktok (Lim cross); 2, A Ireland’s Wee Nippy (Lim cross); 3, H and S Dunlop’s Molly Malone (Char cross). Medium/heavy continental heifer – 1, B Duffton’s Babybell (Lim cross); 2, D Small and E Wilkinson’s Voodoo Magic (Lim cross); 3, WA Peters’ Lola Cola (Lim cross). Heavy continental cross heifer – 1, Hendry, Davidson and Leslie’s Black Magic (Lim cross); 2, P Tippetts and C Williams’ In For a Penny (Lim cross); 3, B Duffton’s Bed Hopper (Lim cross). Super heavyweight continental cross heifer – 1, H and S Dunlop’s Tidy Dancer (Lim cross); 2, D Small and E Wilkinson’s Atomic Blonde (Lim cross); 3, P Tippetts and C Williams’ Read All About It (BB cross).

Unhaltered steer – 1, D and P Blair; 2, R Reid; 3, J Paterson and Son.

Unhaltered heifer – 1 and champion, WA Peters; 2 and reserve, G Scott; 3, JH and NT Turnbull.

Young handlers 10-14 – 1, Amy Vance. Galloway young handlers – 1, Logan Ross; 2, Katie McGuire.