Out of a British Blue-cross cow, the title winner sold for the leading by-weight price of 281.5p/kg, or £1,464, to Keelham Farm Shop, who also paid the day’s top gross price of £1,570, or 259.5p/kg, for another Timm entry, a 605kg Limousin cross heifer.

Keelham’s James Robertshaw was again the principal buyer when claiming eight cattle in total for his family-run farm shops in Skipton and Thornton.

For the third month in succession, the reserve championship fell to the Critchley family, from Mercer Farm, Hutton, Preston, with their first prize 575kg Limousin cross steer claimed for £1,475, or 256.5p/kg, by another regular customer, Alan Beecroft, of Countrystyle Meats Farm Shop in Lancaster, who took home six cattle in total.

Among other retail buyers present at the ringside were Ellisons Butchers in Cullingworth, who claimed four, D&A Gregory Butchers in Bacup with three, Skipton-based Stanforths Buthers with a brace and one each for the judge, again buying on behalf of S&J Quality Butchers in Easingwold, along with Mick Etherington, of Crossflatts.

A full complement of customers also gathered at the cast cattle ringside to bid for an increased entry of 50 cull cows, when the low value of sterling, coupled with the end of the school holidays, saw a rise in trade, producing an overall selling average of £802.62 per head, or 123.03p/kg.

This was further assisted by a smattering of very good heavy dairy cows, which made well into the 130p/kg and above price bracket. In fact, dairies had to be very plain to make less than 100p/kg. A strong run of black and whites from Cowling’s Martyn Jennings sold to a cull cow high of £1,247, or 139.5p/kg.

Beef crosses proved equally good to sell, from feeders to heavies carrying finish, while mature bulls continue to be in ready demand, up to 148.5p/kg for an Aberdeen Angus non-assured entry, and £1,358 for a Charolais.

In the prime lamb show arena, judge Paul Watson, of Hellifield, had some great lambs to cast his eye over, before nominating as his champions the first prize Continental pen, five 46kg Beltex-cross from Bolton-by-Bowland father and son, Nick and Robert Capstick, which sold for £108 per head to regular buyer Vivers Scotlamb in Annan.

However, it was the reserve champion pen of five 43kg Beltex crosses from Michael Hall, of Airton, that made top price of the day at £122 per head, or 283.7p/kg, again to Vivers.

There were plenty of other three-figure pen prices, when a much larger show of prime lambs, 3,372 in total, met a much stronger trade than seen at other morning markets, levelling at £76.33 per head, or 180.6p/kg.

Also among the mix were 263 cast ewes and rams, which produced overall selling averages of £50.41 for cull ewes and £53.50 for cast rams.