KEELHAM Farm Shop swooped in to buy the champion heifer at Skipton Auction Mart on Monday in the first prime show of the year.

Show judge Philip Gregory, of Bacup, awarded the championship to Ben Townsend, of JM Townsend, Laneshawbridge, whose British Blue cross heifer, weighing 515kg, sold for 278.5p, or £1,434.

Reserve champion was a British Blue heifer, weighing 525kg, consigned by Jim and Christine Scriven, of Elslack, which made 252.5p or £1,326, when selling to the judge, a butcher who runs DA Gregory & Sons in Bacup.

The show saw a good entry of clean cattle with buyers keen to restock after the holiday break. A total of 85 prime cattle were put forward.

Mr Townsend also claimed third in the heifers show, and sold a Limousin cross for £1,381, with the Scrivens coming second with their reserve champion.

James Drake, of Carla Beck Farm, Carleton, took first place in the steers with a Limousin cross bullock, while second and third places went to CD & RF Kitching, of Threshfield. Top price for steers went to Mr Drake, who sold for £1,349 or 247.5p. CJ & DD Drake sold an Aberdeen Angus cross steer for £1,346, while CD & RF Kitching sold a Blonde cross for £1,321.

l The prime sheep sale witnessed a sharp trade for all classes.

Jimmy Towler from Grindleton had the champion pen of lambs at the January Prize Show, picked out by judges Mick Etherington, of Wilsden, and James Dewhurst, a buyer for Swaledale Foods.

Mr Towler’s pen of five homebred lambs, born in April to a Beltex cross Texel sheep and a Beltex tup, made 288.9p (45kg at £130) purchased by John Bowling on behalf of Hamlets Butchers of Garstang, Preston. Reserve champion was TB Moorhouse, of Dacre, who sold a pen of 44kg lambs for £98 each to Andrew Atkinson, of Felliscliffe.

CD & RF Kitching, of Threshfield, won the Down cross show with a pen of 45kg lambs selling to Halifax meat wholesalers J&E Medcalf for £74, while M Ryder & Son won the Mule show selling a pen of 49kgs for £75.50 to Andrew Atkinson. In the Horned class, Chris Ryder came first selling to David Palmer, of Scarborough, for £59.

A total of 4,100 prime sheep were put forward, including 3,638 old season lambs, and 462 cast ewes and rams.

l The New Year calf show and sale at Skipton Auction Mart will be on January 16.