A premium selection of entries and plenty of interested purchasers made for a successful day at Halls’ Shrewsbury Livestock Auctions on Saturday 17 October where bulls averaged £5,220, an increase of £860 on the previous year’s sale, and the show heifer average increased by a whopping £2,170 on the year to £5,425.
Top price was Midford 1 Crackerjack from W Awan at 7,800gns
Topping the day’s auction action at 7,800gns was Mr W Awan’s Midford 1 Crackerjack, an October 2024-born son of Kinglee 1 The New One, and out of Irish import Gouldingpoll 1 Ravette 738. Following a summer of show successes including the Royal Cornwall Breed Championship and Reserve Junior Male Champion at the Royal Three Counties, and already having been at work within the Midford herd, Crackerjack sold to N Williams & Sons, Monmouth, to join a fledgling herd of four pedigree heifers purchased at the Rempstone production sale in September.
Click here to watch the 2026 Shrewsbury Autumn Sale highlights reel
Hollyvale 1 Casper from A & P Massey sold for 7,600gns
7,600gns was paid for the pre-sale Grand Male Champion Hollyvale 1 Casper, a March 2025-born bull by Fabb 1 Northern Star and out of Hollyvale 1 June 2nd by Dendor 1 Leroy. Judge Mr George Bowen said: “When he first came in the ring I thought he’d got presence, to me he looked like a modern Hereford. His markings were lovely, [he’s got] a nice bit of width, he walked well and I just thought he was the ticket.” Casper sold to noted Sowenna Simmental breeders K, C & P Hawkey, Bodmin.
Studdolph 1 Keenan from Miss EN Thorne sold for 6,900gns
Joining the Pulham herd of PRJ & LR Vincent, Diss, at 6,900gns was the 18-month-old Studdolph 1 Keenan, bred and exhibited by Miss N Thorne, Milford Haven. A son of the much-admired show and stock bull Glenvale 1 Hendre Pollard used in the Studdolph and Glenvale herds , Keenan is out of Studdolph 1 Dior 756 VG87.
Hollyvale 1 Mary Ann 4th from A & P Massey sold for 5,900s
A smart show heifer section topped at 5,900gns for the Reserve Grand Female Champion Hollyvale 1 Mary Ann 4th, a March 2025-born heifer sired by Hollyvale 1 Volcano, a Netherhall 1 Jack P517 son. Purchasers LTJ Mottershead & Sons, Bridgnorth, also picked up the Grand Female Champion Pepperstock 1 Verity C1124, a Spartan 1 Typhoon EX95 daughter from Speirs Farms Ltd, Luton, at 4,000gns.
Pepperstock 1 Verity C1124 from Speirs Farms Ltd sold for 4,000gns
Pepperstock 1 Miss C1189 from Speirs Farms Ltd sold for 5,600gns
The Speirs family’s sale success continued when Pepperstock 1 Miss C1189 was knocked down at 5,600gns to OH Jones, Llandrindod Wells. Miss C1189 is sired by Kinglee 1 Wolfman, a son of the recently awarded HCS Sire of the Year 2026 Cleland 1 Nelson, as announced at the previous evening’s annual Society dinner and awards presentation.
Click here to see all the 2026 Society awards winners
Back in the bull section, the Kemp family from Bishop Auckland sold their January 2025-born offering Auckvale 1 Cascade 2440C for 5,000gns to MB Jones, Bridgend. Cascade is by the homebred Auckvale 1 Tundra 2009T – a bull with over 100 registered UK progeny and sired by Australian AI import Mawarra Outstanding L140 – and his dam Auckvale 1 Beth 1795R is by the Canadian TH 89T 743 Untapped 425X.
DD Rowley & Partners, Swadlincote, secured the 20-month-old Bosbury 1 Cyclone from vendor S Hawkins, Hereford, at 4,400gns for their Hollowseal herd. S Hawkins also sold stablemate Bosbury 1 Cascade at 3,600gns to J & O Wilkinson, Worcester, both entries having been awarded the best pair of bulls in the pre-sale show.
Solid prices were paid for young bulls sold into commercial suckler and dairy herds, including Barwise 1 Catapult C1536 from Mrs CS Fletcher, Cumbria, selling for 4,400gns to mixed livestock farmer Mr M Spendlove, Kettering, and 4,000gns was paid for Penrhyn 1 Cyclone from Mr W Medforth, selling to local dairy farmer JMP Thomas, Shrewsbury.
At 3,800gns was M & M Roberts’ Bromley 1 Ivo, sold to dairy farmers A Jones & Co, Tregaron. Pepperstock 1 Cassius from Speirs Farms went to R L Owen, Dollgellau, for 3,600gns, and at the same price was Wykeham 1 Cobbler from the Cox family, Banbury, selling to RC & EC Trow, Whitchurch; a local dairy farm returning for another Hereford bull after selling a successful run of Hereford-sired cattle for top money through Halls Livestock Auctions earlier in the year.
A genuine trio of sale-only heifer calves from Mr N & Mrs L Holdsworth’s Pebworth herd, Stratford-upon-Avon, topped at 2,100gns and averaged 1,800gns (£1,890). All three are sired by Kinglee 1 Will-I-Am, another productive son of the 2026 HCS Sire of the Year Cleland 1 Nelson.
Congratulations to all of our vendors and the successful purchasers, and a big ‘thank you’ to auctioneer Johnny Dymond and his team at Halls Livestock Auctions for all of their hard work on the day.
The next Hereford event at Halls Shrewsbury will be the HCBA Christmas Calf Show on 12 December, where all first-prized bulls from the six upcoming Society-supported calf shows will be eligible for sale; a brand new event not to be missed!
Words: Sarah Cook
Photography: Sam Hutchinson
View and purchase photos from the full gallery of the day here
11 bulls sold to average £5,220
3 show heifers sold to average £5,425
3 sale-only heifer calves sold to average £1,890
Total grossed £79,380
Click here to watch the recording of the show livestream
Heifer born on or before 30/03/2025
1st Pepperstock 1 Verity C1124, Speirs Farms Ltd
2nd Hollyvale 1 Mary Ann 4th, A & P Massey
3rd Pepperstock 1 Miss C1189, Speirs Farms Ltd
Female Champion Pepperstock 1 Verity C1124, Speirs Farms Ltd
Reserve Female Champion Hollyvale 1 Mary Ann 4th, A & P Massey
Bull born on or between 05/05/2024 and 18/12/2024
1st Midford 1 Crackerjack, W Awan
2nd Pepperstock 1 Cassius, Speirs Farms Ltd
Bull born on or between 22/01/2025 and 26/02/2025
1st Bosbury 1 Cyclone, S Hawkins
2nd Auckvale 1 Cascade 2440C, W & R Kemp & Sons
3rd Bromley 1 Ivo, M & M Roberts
Senior Male Champion Hollyvale 1 Casper, A & P Massey
Reserve Senior Male Champion Midford 1 Crackerjack, W Awan
Bull born on or between 06/05/2025 and 09/05/2025
1st Kingsland 1 Cracker, Vaughans Farms Ltd
2nd Studdolph 1 Keenan, Miss EN Thorne
3rd Penrhyn 1 Cerberus, W Medforth
4th Barwise 1 Catapult C1536, Mrs CS Fletcher
5th Penrhyn 1 Cyclone, W Medforth
6th Barwise 1 Chiefton C1564, Mrs CS Fletcher
Junior Male Champion Kingsland 1 Cracker, Vaughans Farms Ltd
Reserve Male Champion Studdolph 1 Keenan, Miss EN Thorne
Grand Male Champion Hollyvale 1 Casper, A & P Massey
Reserve Grand Male Champion Kingsland 1 Cracker, Vaughans Farms Ltd
Best pair of bulls Bosbury 1 Cyclone and Bosbury 1 Cascade, S Hawkins