A BUYER from Thirsk bought the supreme champion at Skipton mart's annual Craven Champions highlight.

Mathew Keel paid £2,300, the top male price, for Norfolk breeder Henry Harvey's April-born British Blue-cross bullock which was also the champion steer.

The nine-month-old is among the first crop of home-bred calves to the Harveys’ new stock bull, the Welsh-bred Dragon Blues Kevin, acquired in May, 2017, for 12,000gns.

North Craven show regular Sheila Mason, supreme champion in 2017, again performed well with their Keasden Head herd, notably with a May-born Blue-cross heifer that first won its strong show class, before being tapped out as female champion and going on to top the sale with a price tag of £3,000.

Shown by her husband David Thornton, the home-bred eight-month-old heifer is by Keasden Head Activator, used successfully for four years. Out of another home-bred Blue-cross cow, the price-leading female joined Michael Wynne of Matlock.

Also making a big impression from Keasden Head were all three prize-winning Blues in the young handlers show class. The June-born winning bullock, shown by the couple’s son, James, made £2,000 when joining JK Beckett & Son, of Newark.