Intermediate reserve champion was the April, 2014-born bull, Procters Joker, from Procters Farm in Slaidburn, who also clinched the supreme championship at the previous day’s Northern Limousin Extravaganza.

Joker is an AI son of Claragh Farnco (by Wilodge Vantastic), bred in Northern Ireland by Paul Rainsey, out of Greenwell Amy, who was acquired by Procters Farm for 23,000gns at the Greenwell dispersal sale with bull calf at foot. She has since sold privately for 12,500gns. Joker made 3,700gns when returning to near her place of origin with Paythorne’s Keith Whitwell.

Jim and Ian Handley were also responsible for the junior male reserve champion, Gunnerfleet Lord, a January, 2015, son of another Wilodge Vantastic bull, Plumtree Fantastic, acquired by the Handleys four years ago and who has been among the top ten semen sellers for last two years.

In fact, he is currently one of the leading breed sires, having this year bred a 14,000gns Gunnerfleet champion, along with seven bulls that sold together at an overall average of £9.500. By the Haltcliffe Bill daughter, Goldies Floche, Lord landed a 3,400gns bid when joining JA&J Robinson, of Holwick, Middleton-in-Teesdale.

The Priestley family - Michael, Steven and Ruth, and their son Richard – whose Brontemoor pedigree herd was established in 1987 at Denholme, near Bradford, before they moved to their current Cracrop Farm at Kirkambeck, near Brampton in Cumbria, were again well represented at the fixture with their annual consignment of bulls.

They achieved notable success in the intermediate bull section when landing first, second and third prizes in separate classes. Their leading price at 4,000gns was the 2014-born Brontemoor Jacksonfive, an AI son of Huntershall Gladiator, bred by Stephen Nixon in Wigton, out of Brontemoor Genesis, a grand-daughter of Burndale Cyclone. The buyers were CJ Wardell & Sons, of Malton.

Also selling at 3,400gns was Brontemoor Jasper, a grandson of Wilodge Vantastic, out of the Elite Benn cow, Brontemoor Fancy. It joined DT Houseman, of Darley, Harrogate.

Again staging their annual production sale at the high profile fixture were local vendors John and Claire Mason, who run the Oddacres pedigree Limousin herd in Embsay, and were this year represented by nine bulls and two females, all but two of them by their highly regarded stock bull, Gallois, acquired in France three years ago as a nine-month-old calf.

He has since proved a top performer, producing some first rate progeny, included a record price 10,000gns weaned calf. Gallois-sired junior bulls landed a clean sweep of the prizes for the Masons in one show class, with the red rosette winner, the March, 2015, Oddacres Ludo, by the Homebyres Dixon daughter, Oddacres Glitter, selling away at 2,500gns to John Harker, of Lofthouse in Nidderdale.

The Masons returned with their third prize late 2015 junior bull Oddacres Lambert, also a Gallois son, out of Oddacres Velvet, which sold to Horton-in-Ribblesdale’s John Lambert for 2,100gns.

Now aged eight, Homebyres Dixon, a 10,500gns purchase in 2009 and an outstanding servant to the Oddacres herd over the past seven years – he is also a former NELBC stock bull and progeny prize winner and has himself produced champions and prize winners – was also offered for sale. He fully earned the honour of being the first entry into the Skipton sale ring, where he sold for 2,900gns and will continue his work in North Craven with Eldroth’s John Cowperthwaite.

Senior reserve male champion was a two-year-old bull, Coachhouse Jovial,from the Nottinghamshire-based Coach House herd of 2013 Craven Limousin Day supreme champions Barry and Gill Heald, who farm with their son Matthew at Home Farm, Grove, Retford. He returned home.

The Coopers also offered for sale a good draft of older cows from Tomschoice, one of which, the five-year-old Tomschoice Champagne, became female champion. She is by the Welsh sire Sarkley Topknot, bought for 11,000gns and a former Great Yorkshire Show champion.

Out of Tomschoice Voila, whose grand dam Tomschoice Ouch was also responsible for the Coopers’ Royal Show junior breed and interbreed champion, Tomschoice Salem, Champagne was sold in-calf to the same day’s supreme champion, Icarus, and sparkled when making 1,800gns. The buyers were T&H Kilby & Son, of Thorp Arch, Wetherby.

The first prize maiden heifer and reserve female champion came from the Redland pedigree Limousin herd of 2015 Craven Limousin Day champions, Mark and Helen Lewis, of Northlands Farm, Hunsingore, between Harrogate and York.

Their two-year-old Redland Jessica was by the same sire as last year’s title winner, their French-bred senior stock bull, Eldorado. Out of Redland Cleopatra and with plenty of her own daughters in the Redland herd, Jessica also made 1,800gns when selling to M Crabtree, of Kettlesing, Harrogate.

An increased entry of 88 head was forward for sale to an extremely busy ringside, with a clearance rate of 86% for bulls and 93% clearance of females. Many local and northern premium suckled calf producers were represented at the ringside, alongside a smattering of dairy producers looking to add value to calf sales.

Averages:  9 Senior Bulls to 4,600gns (av £2,508), 21 Intermediate Bulls to 4,900gns (av £3,062), 13 Junior Bulls to 3,500gns (av £2,254), Maiden Heifers to 1,800gns (av £1,481), Cows In- calf to 1,800gns (av £1,771), Cows with Calves to 2,750gns (av £2,555).
 
Show sponsor was the Skipton branch of NFU Mutual, based at the auction mart. Full results and prices are at www.ccmaictions.com