A rising milk price ensured a buoyant demand for cows and heifers at the September Border and Lakeland Club show and sale of Holsteins at Carlisle, where trade peaked at 3600gns on two occasions, with an overall milking average of £2388.

Judge Steven Hunter of Berrier Farm, Penrith found his champion and reserve winners in entries from Len and Chris Wilson's Stowbeck herd from Skirwith Hall, Penrith. Champion was Stowbeck Chief Mavis, a July 2022-born heifer which calved her first in August. A Stantons Chief daughter, her third dam is the Ex93-3E SP LP60 3* cow, Stowbeck Lavanguard Mavis 2.

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Reserve champion was Stowbeck Rager Gilly, bred from the Ex91-3E SP LP70 2* brood cow, Stowbeck Masterful Gilly and sired by Rager-Red. She also calved her first mid August and sold alongside the champion to the Evans family from Oswestry, Shropshire, who bought eight of the top 10 highest priced lots.

Next on their list at 3300gns was Potstown AltaMater Mona from Gareth Owen, Lockerbie, another August calved heifer. She is sired by Westcoast Almamater and bred from the Ex90 SP cow, Potstown Scenic Mona.

Also heading home on the same lorryload down to Shropshire was the lead priced cow at 3200gns. This was WA and A Booth's Feizor Adorable A Cherri, an August 2021-born Stantons Adorable daughter out of the Ex91-3E SP LP60 cow, Feizor Atwood S Cherri. She calved her second mid August having produced more than 10,000litres as a heifer.

Messrs Evans also went to 3050gns and 3000gns. The former, Holehouse Pinot Patsy Red, a fresh heifer from Holehouse Farms, Kilbirnie, is sired by Faye Pinot Red, while the latter was the similarly aged Denmire Solarpower Roxy, a Vogue Solarpower-sired fresh heifer from Messrs Dennison, Scales Farm, Ulverston.

Auctioneers: Harrison and Hetherington.

Averages: Nine cows in milk, £2444.17; 103 heifers in milk, £2382.82.