Silvester goes all the way at National Hereford Show

NORMALITY resumed with the

National Hereford Show, an event specifically for the horned section of the Hereford herd book, returning after a Covid-induced hiatus to Tenbury Countryside Show.

Sorting the line-ups was Romany Herefords’ Robert Wilson, who had travelled south from Kelso and found his supreme champion in the form of Haven Silvester from Gwyndaf and Helen Davies of the Creuddyn herd, based in Templebar, Ceredigion. Also standing grand male and senior male champion with Steven O’Kane on the halter, it was the exhibitors’ Tenbury debut.

Bred by EL Lewis and son and purchased at two years old, this April 2019-born bull is by a succession of National Hereford Show victors, being a son of Haven Lamborghini, which stood senior male champion in the same ring three years ago, which itself is by Haven Cavalier, another Tenbury champion. Its dam, Haven Thrush 64th, is also responsible for producing Haven Thrush 74th, the recent price record breaker, which sold at 20,000gns.

Robert described this bull as hav-ing ‘great scale and width’ while still moving well for an animal with ‘so much muscle and length’.

The reserve supreme champion title went to Pulham Pansy 26th from James and Ellen Lake, Froxfield, Hampshire, another first-time exhibitor at this show, having already gained the grand female and intermediate female titles. Hereford Cattle Society members since 2019,

Pansy was purchased from Philip and Laura Vincent from their Norfolk-based herd as a calf at-foot to its mother Clipston Pansy T3. Born in September 2020 and by Pulham Powerhouse, it is due to calf for the first time in January to Pulham Va Va Voom, the Lakes’ stock bull.

Pansy is a ‘great upstanding heifer’, commented Robert, ‘with femininity and power and a lot of potential for the future’.