Hurricane blew in from the Brontemoor herd of the Priestley family - Michael, his son Steven, wife Ruth, and their children, Richard and Sara – of Cracrop Farm, Kirkambeck, near Brampton in Cumbria.

The impeccably bred five-year-old bull, a son of the renowned 24,000gns Glenrock Ventura, out of the Wilson Jago daughter, Tikhill Bridget, was returning to an old hunting ground after his 2013 supreme championship success in the Northern Limousin Extravaganza when shown as a 14-month-old by his breeders, Garrowby Estate Farms, near York. Hurricane then picked up a junior bull red rosette in the following day’s main show and sale, when he was bought for 4,400gns by the Priestleys.

With four crops of calves already on the ground, the easy calving Hurricane was only offered for sale due to his many daughters retained in the herd. He served the majority of Brontemoor heifers each year, leaving some tremendous young bulls and numerous show calves, both pedigree and commercial. His many award-winning progeny include the 2016 Cumberland County Show commercial beef champion

Having served his time well at Brontemoor, Hurricane, who was second into the sale ring, created whirlwind interest among both pedigree and commercial suckled calf producers alike, before finding a new home with the Dalton farming family – husband and wife, Robbie and Louise Dalton, and their children Wayne and Lisa, of West End Farm, Romaldkirk in Teesdale, County Durham.

They run 30 to 40 British Blue-cross and Limousin-cross suckler cows and Hurricane has already been put to work on the herd with a view to producing some high quality commercial offspring. “We came down to Skipton purposely and were really impressed with him. He’s second to none. Hurricane replaces another good bull and he’s a lot to live up to. We’ll have the answer in about 18 months!” said Mr Dalton, who also keeps a flock of 400 Mules and Texel-cross sheep on the 200-acre grassland farm.

The North Craven Gunnerfleet pedigree Limousin herd of father and son, Jim and Ian Handley, based at Gunnerfleet Farm in Chapel-le-Dale, near Ingleton, secured the supreme championship with its only entry, Gunnerside Lanky, a first prize intermediate bull, also intermediate male, then male champion.

He is an embryo son of the 35,000gns Plumtree Deus, bred by Paul Cairns in Tollerton, Nottinghamshire, and half brother to Gunnerfleet Hicks, who sold for a five figure sum to Garrowby Estate Farms, near York.

Both Hicks and Lanky come from the same dam, the French-bred Ellora, and the Skipton victor, shown by head stockman Brent Shuttleworth, went on to sell for 3,200gns to the show judge, well-known pedigree and commercial Limousin breeder, Ian Wildgoose, from Scarcliffe in Derbyshire, who also adjudicated at the previous day’s Northern Limousin Extravaganza (NLE) for 2016-born youngsters.

He was once more called upon to judge his chosen NLE supreme champion, Tomschoice Matador, who was again put forward for both showing and sale the following day in a strong junior bulls class by his breeders, James and Sarah Cooper, who run Tomschoice Limousins at Hill Top Farm, Dacre, Harrogate

The January-born Matador, a maternal brother to Tomschoice Imperial, who has been sold to stud with the National Cattle Breeding Centre in Ireland, is by the Irish-bred Carwin Icarus, who was himself supreme champion at the Northern Limousin Extravaganza several years ago and supreme champion at last year’s main breed show and sale.

Out of the Homebyres Drummie daughter, Tomschoice Gauche, Matador, who himself carries EBVs which puts him in the top 1% of the breed for gestation length and calving ease, again excelled to become junior male champion, reserve male champion and overall reserve supreme champion, before selling for 4,600gns to Red Rose breeder, John Brewer, who trades as WP Brewer & Sons and runs the Coredale pedigree herd at Lower Core, Bleasdale, near Preston.

Mr Wildgoose said he found it tough to split the two frontrunners, just preferring his chosen and later purchased supreme champion for his “tremendous back end and top.”

The Coopers also hit 2,800gns with another third prize intermediate bull, the October, 2015, Kaprico Eravelle son, Tomschoice Latin, which fell to Calderdale farming brothers, David and Stephen Hollings, of Pecket Well, Hebden Bridge, who are themselves regular prizewinners at Skipton with their cattle.

Four Tomschoice females also sold well, among them three cows with calves by Jupiter at foot. The pick of these at 2,700gns was the seven-year-old Brontemoor Aceofspades daughter, Tomschoice Florence, with her calf, Tomschoice Napoli, which found a new home in Wharfedale with S Marston, of Askwith. The same buyer also paid 2,300gns for the ten-year-old third prize-winning Tomschoice Chanel, by Sarkley Topshot, with her calf, Tomschoice Nell.

Making 2,500gns when joining JF&RW Shipley in Malton was the five-year-old Tomschoice Hera, again by Kaprico Eravelle, and her calf, Tomschoice Nemesis. To cap a good day, the Coopers sold their second prize in-calf cow, the November, 2014, Tomschoice Jaccord, also by Sarkley Topshot, for 2,400gns to N Crabtree, of Kettlesing. She has been scanned in-calf to Greenwell Manager.

The Priestley family, who first established their pedigree herd in 1987 at Denholme, near Bradford, before relocating lock, stock and barrel to Cumbria over five years ago, was again well represented at the fixture with its annual consignment of bulls.

They also sent out two further red rosette winners in the intermediate and junior show classes, the former with Brontemoor Lookatme, a natural born April, 2014, son of the same day’s top price achiever, Hurricane, out of the Elite Benn daughter, Brontemoor Gaga – it was her fourth calf. Also intermediate reserve male champion, the bull sold for 3,700gns to PJ&ES Rogerson, of Great Asby, Appleby.

Numbers forward in the junior bull section allowed for two classes to be staged and the Priestleys also won one of these with their March, 2016, Brontemoor Master, who has an EBV Value of 32 and was also a first prize winner at the previous day’s Northern Limousin Extravaganza. By the Rossingnol son, Lodge Hydro, bred by Stirlingshire’s Ian Callion, out of Haltcliffe Gavel, he found a new home in Nidderdale with Trevor and Joe Stoney, of Pateley Bridge, at 4,000gns.

In an extremely strong intermediate bull section, Andrew Howarth, who runs the Copperhurst herd at Hurst Farm, Whitefield, Greater Manchester, sold a brace of entries at 4,600gns and 4,500gns.

The former, Copperhurst Lenny, who finished second in his show class, is a May, 2015, son of Plumtree Fantastic, home-bred from a Twemlows Sax cow, Copperhurst Camilla. He found a new home with Adrian and Dorothy Stones, and their son Adam, and will go to work on the fanily’s Limousin commercial herd at Bugthorpe, Stamford Bridge, near York.

Mr Howarth’s 4,500gns achiever was the fully home-bred October, 2015, Copperhurst Lionking, by his own Kaprico Eravelle son, Copperhurst Ike, out of Copperhurst Geranium. The buyer was Adam Kunz, of, Ingmanthrope, Wetherby, another commercial man, who will use Ike on his 70-strong mixed Limousin and British Blue herd.

Another show class for late-born 2015 intermediate bulls was won by Procters Farm, of Slaidburn, with Procters Lascar, the result of two embryos purchased from the Norman herd in Carlisle.

Gary Swindlehurst, farm manager, said this was the first time it had been shown and only the second time Procters had shown bulls at Skipton, having won the supreme championship at last year’s Northern Limousin Extravaganza with a heifer.

The sire of the 2017 winner, the Wilodge Vantastic son, Claragh Franco, has produced plenty of high-priced bulls for the Norman herd and females for other local herds, including one selling for five figures. Out of Norman Classy, Lascar sold for 3,400gns to S&K Asquith, of Moor Monkton, York.

However, from a strong pen of Procters Farm bulls, it was two others, an intermediate and a junior, that caught the eye when both selling for 4,500gns. The latter was the second prize-winning January, 2016, Procters Master, also junior reserve male champion.

Like their 2016 NLE champion, this bull is an embryo-sired product of the 38,000gns Ampertaine Foreman, himself the top priced son of the 50,000gns Wilodge Cerberus. Out of the Haltcliffe DJ Master-sired Procters Heiress, Master found a new home in Cumbria with another Procter family, Trevor and Andrew, of Villa Farm, Great Musgrave, Kirkby Stephen, and will be utilised for the production of high quality calves from their suckler herd.

Also hitting 4,500gns was Procters Lancastrian, a December, 2015, son of Ampertaine Hotshot, out of the home-bred Procters Haleiha, by Haltcliffe Vermount, who will now be shared by two local farmers, Kevin Huck and John Tennant, both from Bordley, on their Limousin and British Blue commercial herds.

Procters Farm also made 4,000gns with another junior bull, the December, 2015, Procters Lampion, by the Glenrock Ventura son, Ampertaine Elgin, bred from the Objat cow, Glenrock Diamante. The buyer was Great Harwood’s JC Pickard.

Two Procters Farm maiden heifers by Ampertaine Foreman also sold well at 2,300gns and 2,000gns. The former, Procters Livine, joined E Blockley, of East Ardsley, Wakefield, while the latter, Procters Maybelle, became another S Marston acquisition.

The annual consignment from John and Claire Mason’s Oddacres herd in nearby Embsay again met a ready audience, with a number of repeat customers returning again to secure their highly regarded progeny. The Masons’ highlight was their second prize junior bull, Oddacres Monty, an April, 2016, Gallois son and brother to the 10,000gns Oddacres Lemmy which sold locally to Bolton Abbey’s Roland Carr for 3,600gns.

Another intermediate bull selling well at 3,500gns was the August, 2015, Rocky son, Coalgate Lightning, from the Lunn family in Slaithwaite Huddersfield. Out of Hollingreave Gabby, the bull was knocked down to a South Yorkshire buyer, H Smith, of Dunford Bridge, Sheffield.

Red Rose breeder, Paul Fletcher, who runs the Siddall pedigree herd in Birch, Heywood, made 3,000gns with another intermediate bull, the home-bred May, 2015, Siddall Larry, by his own Siddall Icarus, out of the Nero Amazon daughter, Siddall Emantha,. The buyers were JJ&D Cowking, of Slaidburn,

A further two 2015-born intermediate bulls each made 2,900gns. First up was a third prize winner from RS Harker, of the Overthwaite herd in Holme, Carnforth, with his Overthwaite Lion, by Haltcliffe Gentry, followed by the Heron son, Redland Lawman, consigned by RM&HJ Lewis, of Hunsingore, between Harrogate and York. The respective buyers were WI&AM Atkinson, of Bleasdale in the Forest of Bowland, and the Nidderdale-based Verity family, from Middlesmoor.

The second prize senior bull and reserve male champion from ER Howard, of RS Howard & Sons’ Whittaker Hall herd at Guide, Blackburn, was the six-year-old Ronick Hawk son, Wilodge Flyer, bred in Shifnal, Shropshire, which sold for 2,500gns to Forest Hall Farm at Selside, Kendal.

Mr Howard also sold two May, 2015, intermediate bull sons of Wilodge Flyer at 3,400gns and 3,100gns, both to local buyers. The former, Whittakerhall Luke, joined Frankland Farms in Rathmell, while the latter, Whittakerhall Ludo, went to Clapham’s AB Woodhouse.

Champion in the female section came from Stuart Littlewood, of New Mill, Holmfirth, who took first place in the maiden heifer show class with his March, 2016, Hollingreave Mojo. She is the second calf of Hollingreave Iona, and was sired by the Goldies Terence son, Boldventure Ian, bought from Red Rose breeders William Holden & Sons in Oswaldtwistle. Mojo was among the first crop of calves from this sire and, bred from an Oddacres Gaffer cow, Hollingreave Iona, went on to sell for 2,300gns.

The top price female at 3,100gns was Swalesmoor Lara, from Scottish Borders breeders Kedzlie Farm, of Blainslie, near Galashiels in Selkirkshire, which is owned by Danny Sawrij and was another herd making its debut at Skipton.

Their May, 2015, daughter of the French sire, Bial, out of the 4,500gns Sarkley Elrika, had been scanned in calf to the 20,000gns Foxhillfarm Louisvitton, bred in Devon. Offered for sale with two straws from either the father-to-be or Trueman Jagger, Lara, also reserve female champion, sold to Mark Crabtree, of Kettlesing.

From Nottinghamshire, Barry and Gill Heald’s Coachhouse herd in Grove, Retford, did well with a brace of home-bred 2015-born maiden heifers by their own Coachhouse Eebygum. Coachhouse Lullaby made 2,450gns and Coachhouse Lipstick 2,300gns, both falling to the same Calderdale buyer, S Greenwood, of Shibden, Halifax.

The 78-strong Craven Limousin Day entry – full results and prices are at www.ccmaouctions.com – continued to raise the bar in terms of quality, achieving a 91% clearance rate, including total clearance of junior bulls.

Averages also improved on the year in all classes, with two senior bulls averaging £4,463 (2016 £2,508), 20 intermediate bulls £3,313 (£3,062), 19 junior bulls £2,863 (£2,254), 20 maiden heifers £1,683 (£1,481), and 7 cows in-calf or with cows at foot £2,713 (£2,555). Skipton NFU again returned to sponsor.