British Blues Dominate Skipton Champions Day

24th February 2014

Craven Champions Day, Skipton Auction Mart’s annual show and sale of commercial store cattle with future show potential, on Wednesday 19th February proved one of the best on record, attracting an increased entry of 65 up-and-coming bullocks and heifers, with all prize winners achieving four-figure selling prices at an overall average of £1,406.81 per head, a marked improvement on the previous year’s £1,240.

The Akrigg family, of Manor Farm, Cray – father Chris and his three sons Tom, John and Will – once again had a field day at a fixture that has proved a happy hunting ground for them in past years when clinching both the male and female championship, with the latter, the first prize British Blue-sired heifer, progressing to land the supreme championship, their fourth Craven Champions Day title.

Tom Akrigg with his brother John’s Craven Champions Day supreme champion,
joined by co-judges Annie Turnbull, left, and Lucy Corner.

Responsibility for the breeding and preparation of their latest eight-month-old title winner can be put down to John Akrigg, who also works as a land agent for rural, commercial and residential property consultants Windle Beech Winthrop, based at the auction mart.

The victor, shown by John’s brother Tom, is by Dragon Blues Dennis, a Welsh-bred sire bought purposely for show calf production. Out of a Limousin-x-British Blue cow, the supreme champion sold for a show-topping £2,600, well excelling the £1,750 top price achieved by the family with another British Blue-cross heifer at last year’s corresponding fixture.

Co-judges Annie Turnbull, left, and Lucy Corner check out the Akriggs’
Craven Champions Day female and male champions, handled by Tom Akrigg and Emily Carr.

The 2014 principal was knocked down to Richard Sandham, of Town End Farm, Carlton, Yeadon, buying on behalf of his 12-year-old daughter Holly. The up-and-coming young farmer, a pupil a Guiseley Secondary School, said she had been saving up to buy what is her first cow.

She now plans to parade her Skipton champion on the local show circuit, hoping to emulate past leading performers at the fixture, which have gone on to perform with credit in the agricultural show arena. The heifer will then be put to the Sandham family’s Limousin stock bull, hopefully producing future show stock.

The supreme champion became the first recipient of the Jack Walker Trophy, presented by son Jeff in memory of his late father, who died last Christmas. He was a familiar face at Skipton Auction Mart, notably around the cattle sales ring, and the Walker family, from Brennand Farm, Dunsop Bridge, are also four-times winners of the Craven Champions Day title.

They went close again this year when sending out the reserve supreme champion, the first prize winner in the young handlers show class, another top-notch British Blue-sired heifer shown by 19-year-old Rob Walker.

A well-bred daughter of the Walkers’ own Bluegrass Cyclone, who was also responsible for Clitheroe-based Ian Townson’s 2013 Craven Champions Day title winner, the reserve champion, out of a British Blue-cross cow, sold for £1,500 to the Turnbull farming family in Coxwold, near York, one of whom, Annie Turnbull, co-judged the show with pedigree Blonde breeder Lucy Corner, of Darlington.

Turning to the bovine boys, the Akriggs landed the male championship with their first prize British Blue-sired bullock, shown by Tom’s partner Emily Carr, who also works for Windle Beech Winthrop. The nine-month-old son of the AI sire Eternel was also responsible for Akriggs’ 2013 top price achiever and their 2012 title winner.

Out of a three-quarters bred Limousin cow, the bullock found a new home with Clive Delamore, of Delamore Farms in Terrington St Clement, Norfolk, for £2,000. He has also bought a previous Akrigg Craven Champions Day champion.

The family picked up a third red rosette with the first prize any breed bullock, another British Blue-cross, sold for £1,120 to Lincolnshire buyers P&B Hodgson & Son, of Boston. They also had the second prize British Blue-sired heifer, which became a £1,500 acquisition by M Keel, of Thirsk.

There were also further successes for the Walker family, who sent out the second prize British Blue-sired bullock, sold to Stephen Eastwood of Emley, Huddersfield, for £1,420, along with the third prize any breed heifer, again a British Blue-cross knocked down for £1,290 to Thompson Bros in Pickering, represented by Les Thompson.

Show regulars David and Linda Broadbent, of Midgley, Halifax, stepped up with the first prize Limousin-sired heifer, which made £1,480 on joining Richard Critchley, of Hutton, Preston, and the second prize any other breed heifer, acquired for £1,040 by A Kaye in Dunford Bridge, Sheffield.

Another red rosette fell to the first prize Charolais-sired bullock from Clapham’s Sheila Mason, the reigning breeding and store cattle champion in Craven Cattle Marts’ Farmer of the Year awards, who also sent out the third prize British Blue-sired heifer. Both sold to the same buyer, GD Nutt, of Thirtleby, Hull, at £1,660 and £1,340 respectively.

Stephen Fawcett, of Barden, was also prominent when achieving £2,000 with his second prize Limousin-sired heifer, bought locally by Skipton’s N Tiffin.

Stephen Eastwood, a regular buyer at Skipton, also snapped up three further prizewinners – the first prize any breed heifer, a British Blue-cross from John Butler, of Rochdale, at £1,180, the first prize any breed bullock, an Aberdeen Angus from J Walsh, of Bury, at £1,210, and the second prize winner in the young handlers show class, a British Blue-sired heifer from AM&E Hartley, of Roughlee, Nelson, for £1,310.

Thompson Bros also bought three more award winners – the second prize any breed heifer, another British Blue-cross from John Butler at £1,330, the second prize any breed bullock, a British Blue-cross again from TWH Farming in Easingwold for £1,260, and the first prize any other breed heifer, a Blonde-cross from Saddle End Farms in Chipping at £1,200.

Show sponsors were Huddersfield-based agricultural agent and CCM field officer Janet Sheard, West Marton fencing contractor Bob Lancaster, Carrs Billington and Top Tags Animal ID.