Breeder’s long-distance day trip to market show proved just champion

It was Craven Champions Day – Skipton’s annual show and sale of commercial store cattle with future show potential.

The Akrigg family of Manor Farm, Cray, Upper Wharfedale – Chris Akrigg and sons Tom, John and Will – produced the animal judged supreme champion of the 50 entries.

Their home-bred nine-month-old heifer, by AI from the British Blue sire Eternal, out of a Limousin-x-Blue cow, was chosen as champion by show judge Graeme Nutt, of Field House Farm, Thirtleby, Hull, a former butcher who now breeds and shows British Blues.

He said his chosen champion “stood out hands above the rest” and Mr Delamore, of Delamore Farms Ltd, Terrington St Clement, Norfolk, agreed to the extent of bidding £2,500 for her, with an eye on showing her around East Anglia this summer and possibly at the Three Counties and Royal Welsh.

Mr Delamore fattens 300 commercial-cross beef cattle but is also a breeder of pedigree British Whites and was visiting Skipton on the recommendation of mart stockman Andrew Fisher, of Pateley Bridge, who he knows from British White circles.

Last year’s Champions Day winners, J C Walker & Son, of Brennand Farm, Dunsop Bridge, Clitheroe, had another good day, which included presenting the reserve supreme champion, a 14-month-old Blue-sired bullock. He sold for £1,780 to Anthony Swales, who runs Knavesmire Butchers in Albermarle Road, York. Mr Swales also paid £1,300 for the reserve male champion, another Blue-x bullock, shown by Alan Woodhouse, of Watson House, Clapham.

Both animals are destined for his shop this Christmas. But first they will be shown around Yorkshire this summer by his son, Luke, who is in his final year at York High School, and Luke’s grandparents, Stephen and Barbara Swales, of Melbourne.

Bradford butcher John Summers was close behind Mr Swales in the buying of champion beef and his brother, Philip, will take his trio of purchases around the shows before delivering them to the shop in Druid’s Street, Clayton.

Best Limousin-sired bullock came from Carl and Edward Fawcett of Sandhutton, near York, and fetched £1,300.