His reserve champion was the second prize bullock, another Blue-cross weighing in at 540kg. It fell for the joint top gross price of £1,364, or 252.5p/kg, with Mr Drake also selling a further Blue-cross bullock at exactly the same price. Both joined principle Skipton buyer Keelham Farm Shop.

For good measure, Mr Drake was also responsible for the second prize 480kg heifer, another Blue-cross, knocked down at £1,202, or 250.5p/kg, again to D&A Gregory and Sons Butchers, who made it a hat-trick of acquisitions when paying £1,310, or 259.5p/kg, the day’s by-weight top, for the first prize 505kg British Blue-cross heifer from another regular vendor, Ben Townsend, of Laneshawbridge.

Baldersby Park’s Malcolm Metcalfe, champion in both February and March, was responsible for the third prize bullock, a 505kg Limousin-cross which became another Keelham buy ay £1,240, or 245.5p/kg. They made five acquisitions in total for their Skipton and Thornton shops.

Stanforths Butchers in Skipton also bought two of the 19 under 30-month clean cattle on parade, while other retail butcher buyers sourcing cattle on the day were Charlie Clough, of Northowram, for his Stainthorpe’s Family Butchers shop in Queensbury, Saltaire butcher Dick Binns and Edwards Farm Butchers in Padiham.

Champion in a standalone show for cull cows was another familiar face at Skipton, Brian Lund, of Walshaw Farm, Walshaw, Hebden Bridge, with his red rosette-winning beefer, a pure-bred five-year-old 685kg Parthenais, which had produced two calves, but had since turned geld, hence the reason for sale. She made £942, or 137.5p/kg, the leading by-weight price.

Standing reserve cull cow champion was the second prize beef-bred cow, a Blonde-cross from Joe and Helen Drinkall, of Anglezarke, Chorley, which made £923, or 126.5p/kg. The same vendors also presented the third prize winner, a Limousin-cross sold at £852, or 104.5p/kg.

In the dairy-bred cull cow show class, the red rosette winner, an Ayrshire from David Berry, of Thornton-in-Craven, made £713, or 94.5p/kg, with the runner-up, a black and white from Malcolm Gratton, of Ripley, selling at £688, or 107.5p/kg.

However, it was the third prize winner, another black and white from Jim and Jonathan Caygill, of Rylstone, that achieved top gross price in class when selling at £872, with a by-weight high of 127.5p/kg, or £816, for a black and white from the Abbott brothers in Dacre.

The day’s top gross price of £982, or 127.5p/kg, fell to a Charolais cow from Ted Walker, of Barden. There was again a strong underlying trade for the 55 cast cattle forward, with lean plain cattle very good to sell, though the best dairy types were slightly easier on the week. The overall selling average was £660.58 per head, or 95p/kg.