The two frontrunners were again shown by Robert Critchley, who farms with his father Richard and brothers, John and Thomas, at Mercer Farm, Hutton, near Preston. The family has proved the standout performers with their prime cattle at the North Yorkshire venue this year, claiming a total of six title wins at the monthly shows, along with three reserve championships.

Their latest victor, the first prize 595kg Limousin-cross heifer, bought at Skipton in February this year, caught the eye of show judge Alan Beecroft of Countrystyle Meats Farm Shop in Lancaster, who then backed his judgment in the sales ring when claiming his chosen title winner for the day’s top gross price of £1,598, or 268.5p/kg.

Mr Beecroft, who crosses the border to buy prime cattle at the venue virtually every week, along with prize-winning prime lambs, also paid £1,364, or 252.5p/kg, for the Critchleys’ second prize heifer, a 540kg Limousin-cross Countrystyle Meats arrived with another sizeable shopping basket, taking home four cattle in total.

The Crtichleys were also responsible for the first prize, reserve champion and top price steer, a 615kg Limousin-cross which made £1,516, or 246.5p/kg, when falling to Halifax meat wholesaler Gerald Medcalf, buying on behalf of regular butcher customer Stephen Dorsey, of Halifax Borough Market.

The top per kilo price of 289.5p/kg, or £1,462, fell to a 505kg Blonde-cross heifer consigned by Malham Moor’s Bill Cowperthwaite and this was bought by George Cropper  who took over Sandersons Butchers in Baxenden in April this year.

Trawden’s Jim Baines presented the second prize Blue-cross bullock, sold for £1,443 to weekly buyer Keelham Farm Shop, with the third prize winner, a Limousin-cross from Simon Bennett, of Silsden Moor, not far behind when knocked down locally for £1,422, or 249.5p/kg, to D&J Isherwood Butchers in Silsden. The same vendor also did well with a Limousin-cross heifer, which made £1,461, or 245.5p/kg, when becoming one of Countrystyle’s buys.

Back in the heifer show class, Threshfield brothers Charles and Richard Kitching, stepped up with the third prize winner, a Blue-cross sold for £1,436, or 256.5p/kg, again to Keelham, which took home four cattle for its Skipton and Thornton shops. The Kitchings also presented the top price per kilo steer, another Limousin-cross which made 254.5p/kg when claimed by Countrystyle.

Also catching the eye with a £1,504, or 268.5p.kg, Limousin-cross heifer was Oakworth’s James Drake, his charge joining Hamlets Butchers in Garstang, who took home a brace.

Retail butchers buyers were again out in force at the Skipton prime cattle ringside, with 12 different customers bidding for the 29 high quality under 30-month clean cattle on offer, which met with a strong trade Other purchasers were Skipton-based Stanforths Butchers with four and two for Ellisons Butchers in Cullingworth.

A brace of bulls also figured among the mix, with an Aberdeen-Angus from Hurries Farm in Otterburn doing best at £1,337, or 171.5p/kg.

Of the 41 cull cows on parade, beef-crosses, among them a high percentage of non-assured cattle, got away well to feeding customers, while the value of assurance was clearly demonstrated when a 785kg Limousin cow from John Fawcett, of Barden, made £1,134, or 144.5p/kg, closely followed by a Saler cow from S&NV Jowett, of Queensbury, at £1,114, or 147.5p/kg.

Dairies, though again short of meat, maintained the increased prices seen the previous week, selling to a top of £879, or 139.5p/kg, for a black and white cow from Broughton’s Jeremy Taylor. The overall cull cow selling average was £676.25 per head, or 106.72p/kg.

A mature Beef Shorthorn bull from the Sowray family in Bishop Thornton made £1,197, or 113.5p/kg.

Robinson family success at Skipton prime lamb show
Trevor Robinson, who farms with his brother Clive at Middle Brayshaw Farm, Tosside, was prime lamb champion at Skipton Auction’s Mart’s November show and sale (Mon, Nov 6)

Exactly 12 months on from their previous championship success at the mart, the Robinsons lifted another title with their first prize Continental-cross pen of five near pure home-bred 42kg Beltex lambs, which sold for £118 per head, or 281p/kg, to Keelham Farm Shop, of Skipton and Thornton, who bought 50 lambs in total.

The Robinson brothers, who farm primarily Continental sheep, notably Beltex-cross, along with Mules and Cheviots, sell all their prime lambs at Skipton. They have produced around 600 this year, with some 170 still to come to market.

Father and son Richard and Mark Ireland, of Heys Farm, Whalley, claimed the reserve championship with their well presented second prize Continental pen of 41kg Beltex-cross, which headed both the day’s gross and per kilo prices at £122, or 297p/kg. Home bred by their stock tup Shamrock Beast, the overall runners-up returned across the border when purchased by Hamlets Butchers in Garstang.

Travelling over from the east coast, Mike Allen, of Staithes, had the third prize Continental-cross 44kg Beltex-cross pen, which made £101 per head when claimed by wholesale buyers Hartshead Meats, of Mossley, Ashton-under-Lyne. They also paid £85 each for the second prize Suffolk-cross pen from Tom Walmsley, of D&A Livestock in Haverah Park, Harrogate.

Mr Allen also picked up a red rosette with his first prize 56kg Mule pen, which headed the class prices when selling locally for £90 each to Skipton-based Swaledale Foods, who also paid £86 per head for the third prize 47kg Suffolk-cross pen from Airton’s John and Claire Wright.

Alan Middleton, who trades with his family as JP&KE Hartley in Beamsley, was responsible for the first prize 48kg Suffolk-cross pen, which sold for £90 each to the Millstones Restaurant and Mill 67 in Felliscliffe, Harrogate.

Saj Shan, of Yorkshire Halal Meats, also claimed two prize-winning pens for its supermarket in Alice Street, Keighley – the third prize 41kg Mules from Ken and Hazel Gamble, of Easingwold, at £66 per head, and the first prize horned pen, 40kg Dalesbreds from Ken Lister, of Kettlewell, at £64.50 each.

On another busy sheep day at Skipton – 4,393 head were penned for sale – the 3,669 prime lambs among them met with a good trade to finish 4p up on the week when levelling at 174.63p/kg, or £75.57 per head.

Outside the strong show classes, judged by Winterburn’s James ‘Amos’ Dewhurst, D&A Livestock’s Tom Walmsley also did well with Beltex-cross lambs sold at £115 each to Kendalls Farm Butchers, of Pateley Bridge and Harrogate, who also purchased Texel lambs from Ralph and Val Crabtree, of Low Snowden, above Otley, for £109 per head.

Vivers Scotlamb in Annan were again in good form, buying lambs from Henry Atkinson, of Kettlesing, at £108, Cecil Hutchinson, of Kirkby Wiske, at £106, Thomas Fall, of Middleham, at £104, and Michael Hall, of Scosthrop, at £102.

Smart lambs were the best trade seen for several weeks and the top end continued to sell well, with a long list over 230p/kg. Nice lambs also found a stronger trade, with plenty of Continentals at 190-210p/kg, while commercial sorts made 170p to 190p.

In addition, hill lambs took another nice step up trade, with Mules again rising in value on the week, and good horned wethers selling in the 150-160p region.

Cast sheep were also turned out in large numbers, with the 723 ewes and rams penned for sale generally maintaining the previous week’s trade. Cull ewes averaged £44.80 per head overall and vast rams £59.71.