The Lyon roars as ‘Iva’ gives its all
Takes Supreme Cattle Championship at English Winter Fair.
Johnny Lyon with the pedigree Limousin heifer Iva which took the Supreme Cattle Champion’s title and later sold for £5700. (left to right) are trevor & Johnny Lyon, judges Richard Taylor and Chris Wright, and sponsor Jonathan Guy of JG Animal Health
Johnny Lyon punched the air in sheer jubilation as the Lyon family’s pedigree Limousin heifer named Iva was slapped on the rump by beef inter-breed judges Richard Taylor and Chris Wright to become their choice as Supreme Cattle Champion at the English Winter Fair livestock showcase, Stafford, on Nov 16 collecting £1000 from sponsor JG Animal Health.
This smart January 2013-born heifer weighing 655kgs was bred by K & E Jones and is sired by Overthwaite Ben and out of Garnedd Fame. Shown by TA & LC Lyon & Son from Bourne, Lincolnshire, she had taken the Overall Champion Pedigree title earlier in the day collecting £400 from sponsor the British Limousin Cattle Society.
Joint Inter-breed judge Chris Wright – a wholesale butcher from Boston, Lincolnshire – said of her: “She is just thick with meat all the way through and had the edge over our Reserve Champion (from Phil & Sharon Sellers) with just a little more finish. And that just made it for us both on the day.”
Baby Beef champion from Miller & Wilkinson of Leyburn, North Yorkshire with young family members holding its British Blue x Limousin heifer Dashing Lady.
And there was more good news to come for the Lyon family. In the auction of prize-winners two buyers – both with retail meat businesses – were determined to secure the Limousin heifer. Despite determined bidding from cattle exhibitor Michael Alford from Cullompton, Devon, Iva was eventually purchased by Anthony Kitson of Northallerton, North Yorkshire for £5700 – his third EWF Supreme Champion in a row.
The Seller’s Reserve Champion had come up through the English Winter Fair’s classes for cross-bred cattle collecting on its way £400 from auctioneer Bagshaws as sponsor. This Limousin X heifer called More of That was born in July 2013 having been originally bred by A Harrison and weighed in at 610kg.
In the Baby Beef cattle classes judged by breeder and showman Paul Tippetts of Shifnal, Shropshire, Miller & Wilkinson of Leyburn, North Yorkshire’s April-born British Blue x Limousin heifer Dashing Lady took top honours collecting £150 from sponsor the British Blue Cattle Society as well as the Harford Silver Salver.
The Lyon family were also victorious taking the Best Exhibitor Bred prize in the Baby Beef section with the 2014-born Limousin heifer sired by Ironstone Enigma called Pippa.
Champion Native Breed class went to Neil Slack of Penrith, Cumbria for his Limousin X steer Stevie Gee which attracted £100 from class sponsor Dunbia Sawley. Into Reserve Champion placing went A & B Hughes of Ceredigion, Wales’ Limousin x British Blue heifer called Cariad.
Native Champion from the Pedigree Cattle section was taken by P R Dawes of Dinmore, Herefordshire, with the Shorthorn heifer Meonhill Skjaklin Cara.
Championing exhibitors from the show’s host county of Staffordshire saw the Silver Rose Bowl from the Stafford & District Retail Butchers’ Association go to B & CE Wilson of Haughton for its June 2013-born pure home-bred Limousin heifer Haughton Itunes. Into Reserve Champion placing went W Smith of Basford, near Leek, with a cross-bred July 2013-born heifer named Jennie from the Block.
