A home-bred Limousin bull and Royal Norfolk Show champion sold for 17,000 guineas for a father-and-son team from the Waveney Valley.

Derek and Darren Wharton, of Withersdale, near Harleston, sold their first bull at Carlisle at the British Limousin Cattle Society's autumn sale.

Their bull, which was male breed champion at Costessey in June, also won the senior championship and reserve overall at Carlisle.

The Dutch cattle breeding company Cowporation, of Hertzweg, Alblasserdam, also bought the supreme champion for 28,000 gns as well as The Whartons' prize-winner.

DC and SR Wharton's Withersdale Heros, of Willow Farm, was bred from one of the herd's foundation females, Withersdale Didi. The judge, Michael Cursiter, who runs the Lagas Herd on Orkney, said that he was 'a very well-put-together bull, very thick with a tremendous back-end and an excellent set of feet.'

The Wharton partnership had bought their very first bull at Carlisle for the 14-cow herd, which was established in 1996. At the 2013 National Limousin Show, the home-bred Withersdale Empress had stood overall reserve champion.

They also showed the bull at the Aylsham Show, where it won the breed championship and stood reserve overall in the continental classes.

In all, four bulls were sold for export with two bulls going to new buyers from Denmark.

The sale overall saw 76 bulls sell for an average of £6,322 – up £14 on last year. There was a 66pc clearance and ten bulls topped 10,000gns.

Stephen Reel's Gorrycam Hunter, from County Down, made 28,000 gns and led the trade at the British Limousin Cattle Society's October Sale held at Harrison & Hetherington's Borderway Mart.