Top primestock showmen share the spoils at Newark

 “A truly outstanding show of cattle by anyone’s standards” – that was Newark Livestock Sales’ auctioneer Paul Gentry’s summing-up of the cattle parade at the Newark and Nottinghamshire Christmas Primestock Show held at the Newark market.

Derbyshire-based judge Jonathon Maycock from Matlock found his champion in a red Limousin heifer from Bedfordshire exhibitor Kevin Ludgate and his partner Dawn. This homebred threequarter-bred heifer weighed 601kgs and made 420p per kilo to gross £2524.20. Buyer was Steven Woolley of Woolley Bros, Sheffield. 

The reserve championship went to the second placed heifer in the same class. Shown by Georgia Davies, this Limousin-cross heifer weighed 584kgs and made 390p per kilo to gross £2277.60 to David Wright of A Wright & Son, Boston, Lincolnshire.

In the commercial cattle section David Fry found his champion in Frank Page’s homebred British Blue steer which weighed 685kgs and made 260p to gross £1781 to Steven Woolley. The reserve championship was taken by Elfed Williams, again with a Limousin heifer, which weighed 515kgs and made 250p to gross £1287.50 to the judge David Fry.

On the day the mart achieved a new record average for clean cattle and young bulls – including all primestock show cattle – of 201.59p.

A tremendous entry of lambs for the primestock show notched up another great win for David and Linda Wadland who won every class with Beltex-crosses from their flock at Daventry.

Michael Owen from Ceredigion, mid-Wales judged the primestock show lambs and saw his champion pen of three weigh an average 47kgs and make £210 a head – 447p per kg. Buyer was David Fry. The Wadlands also took the reserve ticket with Beltex crosses weighing 50kg and making 260p per kg. The couple’s 24 primestock show lambs averaged 285p per kg.

(Newark Livestock Sales)