A NEW record of £7,300 was achieved at the Leyburn Auction Mart Spring Spectacular on Saturday.

John Smith-Jackson, of Haltwhistle, took the overall championship trophy for a British Blue cross heifer, She’s A Diamond, which sold to Robert Miller, of Moneymore, Northern Ireland, for the top price.

She had been champion at the Smithfield Calf Show and Agri Expo Baby Beef. The previous record, also held by Mr Smith-Jackson, was £6,100 set in 2009.

Mr Smith-Jackson also won a pair of cut-glass whisky glasses presented by the British Blue Cattle Society for the champion Blue. Taking the reserve champion spot was Garrowby Estates, of Bugthorpe, York, with a Limousin cross steer making £2,800 to Matthew Keel, of Thirsk.

John Smith-Jackson was again to the fore with the second top price of the day, £3,500, for the reserve champion heifer acquired by Dickie Anderson, of Middleham.

Other main awards were the champion British Blue steer claimed by John and Fred Prescott, of the WA Dinsdale & Son Partnership, Swaledale, which sold to David Sandham, Lincolnshire, for £1,200. William and Gillian Sedgley, of Kirkby Lonsdale, made £1,800 for their reserve champion steer, a Limousin, which went to the Cornwall home of Nigel Bunkham.

Other main prices were achieved by Clive Dent and family, of Barnard Castle, with Limousin heifers, which twice sold for £1,650; Ivanhoe Livestock, of Bedale, with a Blue heifer, which sold for £1,620; Ken Hird & Sons, of Swaledale, with a Blue heifer, selling for £1,600; Bill and Maureen Orme, of Stalling Busk, with a Limousin heifer, selling for £1,600, and John Smith-Jackson with a Limousin heifer, which sold for £1,600.

The Young Handlers Champion Award was won by Beth Wilkinson, of Leyburn, in the under-16s. Second was her brother, Luke, and Owen Atkinson was third. First prize in the over-16 class was Hannah Brown, followed by Ashley Fenwick.

Averages: heifers overall £1,884; British Blue heifers £2,674; Limousin heifers £1,525.

Steers overall £1,301; British Blue steers £1,163; Limousin steers £1,356.