Friend wins memorial trophy

A new cup donated to the dairy section at Shrewsbury Auction Centre in memory of well respected Shropshire cattle breeder Bryan Challenor was won by a lifelong friend of his from Chirbury.

Mr Challenor, who died in September this year, was a well known figure at the auction centre, having judged at many prize dairy shows in the past.

Robert Beavan, trading as Winsbury Livestock at Chirbury, near Montgomery, won the cow class, the overall championship and the cup with a Winsbury second calver by Suarez, a son of Million, which sold for £1,820 to Messrs C. J. Phillips and Co, Minsterley. 

The show and sale, organised by auctioneers Halls and sponsored by Worldwide Sires, attracted a lot of interest and some excellent prices. Top price cow was a second calver by Durham Ross from J. R. Wilkinson and Co, Meifod, which sold for £1,850. 

The top priced heifer was the second prize winner by Wyman from Messrs Jones and Timmis that sold for £1,820.  The winning heifer by Gerard from Roger Mason of Leebotwood realised £1,780.  Third placed heifer from Paul and Dee Bradbury’s Brookroad herd at Wem, sired by a Hawksmoor bull, sold for £1,800.

“It was fitting that Robert Beavan, a lifelong friend of Bryan, was the first winner of the cup donated in his memory,” said auctioneer David Giles, Halls’ director and dairy specialist. “The dairy trade is lifting considerably which bodes well for 2017.”

Picture caption: 

Winner Rob Beavan (second from left) holds the Bryan Challenor Cup watched by (from left) Rob Braithwaite of World Wide Sires, judge Gareth Jones, Nick Challenor and Betty Manley.