The Scrivens, who have finished reserve champions in the past, took the top honour for the first time with the first prize 520kg heifer, a 19-month-old home-bred by their British Blue stock bull, Croftends Gaffer, acquired four years ago from the Bellas family in Appleby and who will soon have his fifth crop of calves on the ground.

“This was the last of our seasonal fat cattle, as we are now moving on to lambing and calving. We’re certainly going out on a high note,” said Mrs Scrivin. The victor went on to sell for £1,338, or 265.5p/kg, to a regular Red Rose retail butcher buyer, D Gregory & Sons in Bacup.

The St James Street shop also paid the day’s leading per kilo price of 270.5p/kg, or £1,393, for the second prize heifer and overall reserve champion, a 515kg Limousin-cross from R&H Critchley, of Mercer Farm, Hutton, Preston.

Both frontrunners were snapped up purposely by D Gregory & Sons Butchers in commemoration of the business’s milestone 50th anniversary this month, also the 21st anniversary in its current shop.

The Critchley family, multiple past Skipton prime cattle champions, including at the first two shows this year, was also responsible for the third prize and top gross price heifer, another Limousin-cross knocked down for £1,415, or 254.5p/kg, to Hamlets Butchers in Garstang.

The day’s leading gross price of £1,479, or 227.5p/kg, fell to the first prize steer, a 650kg Limousin-cross from Malham Moor’s Bill Cowperthwaite, bred by his Procters Farm stock bull and claimed by Halifax meat wholesalers J&E Medcalf.

Top priced steer per kilo at 244.5p, or £1,430, was the second prize winner, a Limousin-cross from James Drake, of Denholme, one of three cattle to join regular buyer Countrystyle Meats Farm Shop in Lancaster.

The third prize steer, a Blue-cross from Charles and Richard Kitching in Threshfield sold for £1,372, or 232.5p/kg, to Stanforth’s Butchers in Skipton, who took home three. Hebden Bridge butcher Stephen Maskill also bought a brace. Show judge was Scarborough’s Dave Palmer.

Skipton Auction Mart said trade for the 19 under 30-month clean cattle on offer was back a shade as a result of muted retail demand following last week’s bad weather, which reduced beef sales.

On the other hand, disrupted supplies from the middle of last week caused a very strong trade for cast cattle, which comprised 51 dairies from the 55 cull cows entered. A number of heavy dairies made 130p/kg-plus, with plenty more at 125p+. The plain end continued to sell very well, with an odd worn cow at 80p/kg and the rest 100p+.

The overall cull cow selling average was £814.68 per head, or 118.68p/kg. Brian Moorhouse, of Bell Busk, headed the dairy and day’s prices with a black and white at £1,186, or 135.5p/kg.