GLORIOUS sunshine and blue skies brought the three-day 156th Great Yorkshire Show to a close on Thursday.

Organisers announced a gate figure of 130,949 – just down on last year’s 134,837 – and this year’s guests included HRH The Princess Royal and HRH The Countess of Wessex.

Show director Bill Cowling said: “We’ve had an exceptional three days with super crowds, record entries and, in what is a first for us, two royal visitors in as many days.”

Local successes included Richard Close from Starbotton who had both the champion and reserve champion in the Dalesbred section.

Giggleswick farm John Bradley took Swaledale championship and while Robert Garth of Bentham triumphed in half-bred class.

And the Scriven family from Elslack took the reserve prize for Derbyshire Gritstones.

Local results included:

CATTLE

Beef:

British Blue, bull, born before 1 January 1, 2013 - 3 JW Stephenson Bordley; cow or heifer, in calf or with calf – 2 JW Stephenson.

Continental pure or cross bred steer - 2 JW Stephenson.

Dairy:

Holstein: junior cow, in calf - 1 R & E Butterfield, Bentham; junior cow, in milk – 3 DE, MA & JA Booth, Earby; intermediate cow, in milk - 2 R & E Butterfield; senior cow, in calf - 1 R & E Butterfield; group of three – 1 R & E Butterfield; pair of animals by the same sire or out of the same dam – 1 R & E Butterfield.

Heifer championships: maiden heifer, born in 2013, before May 31 - 2 DE, MA & JA Booth

Shorthorn: heifer, in calf, born on or after July 1, 2011 - 3 DW Throup Bradley.

SHEEP

Beltex: ram, two shear or over – 3 DW & KCB Shuttleworth, Gargrave.

Derbyshire Gritstone: ram, shearling or over – 2 S & P Scrivin, Elslack; ram lamb – 1 S & P Scrivin; shearling ewe – 1 S & P Scrivin; ewe lamb – 2 S & P Scrivin; champion male - 2 S & P Scrivin; champion female - 1 S & P Scrivin; champion – 2 S & P Scrivin.

Swaledale: ram, shearling - 3 J Bradley, Giggleswick; ewe, shearling - 1 J Bradley; champion female - 1 J Bradley; breed champion - J Bradley.

Dalesbred: aged or shearling ram - 1 RH Close, Starbotton, 3 J Bradley; hogg - 1 J Bradley; ewe – 1 RH Close; gimmer shearling – 3 J Bradley; champion male – 1 RH Close; champion female – 1 RH Close; breed champion – 1 and2 RH Close.

Lonk: ram, shearling or over - 2 S & P Scrivin; ram lamb – 2 S & P Scrivin; gimmer shearling – 2 and 3 S & P Scrivin; ewe lamb – 1 S & P Scrivin; champion female - 2 S & P Scrivin.

Mule: gimmer lambs, bred by the exhibitor – 1 AJ Mason, Embsay; shearling gimmers - 3 GE Jackson, High Bentham; shearlings – 1 GE Jackson.

Half bred female x terminal sire: shearling gimmers – 1 RJ Garth, Bentham; mature ewes – 1 RJ Garth; breed champion - 1 RJ Garth.

Texel: aged ram - 1 W Watson, Hellifield.

Wensleydale: ram lamb – 1 H Collinge, Silsden.

Zwartbles: Ewe lamb, born on or between December 1, 2013 and February 14, 2014 - 1 and 3 RJ Heigh, Bentham; champion female – 1 RJ Heigh.

Interbreed sheep championships: hill breed champion - 2 RH Close

Wool fleeces: British Vendeen - 3 RH Close; Dalsbred- 1, 2 and 3 S & P Scrivin; Lonk – 1, 2 and 3 S & P Scrivin; Mule – 1, 2 and 3 S & P Scrivin; Swaledale – 1 RH Close; Whitefaced Woodland – 1, 2 and 3 DA Halsall, Buckden; Zwartbles - 3 RJ Heigh; best fleece in show - 2 S & P Scrivin.

EQUINE

Mountain and moorland:

Exmoor pony, three years old or under - 1 EL Wallace, Hetton; four years old or over - 3 EL Wallace.

Coloured youngstock: native/cob/traditional type - 1 DJ Snowdon, Earby.

Dartmoor pony: mare, four years old or over - 1 V Wharton, Earby; champion Dartmoor Pony – 1 V Wharton.

Hunters:

Lead rein pony, mare or gelding, fours years old or over - 3 TJ Newton, Barnoldswick.

RABBITS

Rex, ermine, (adult) – 2 C Turner, Skipton; orange/fawn, (adult) – 1 C Turner.

DOGS

Harriers:

Single entered doghound - 2 Pendle Forest & Craven Harriers, Coniston Cold; couple of doghounds - 2 Pendle Forest & Craven Harriers; single unentered bitchhound – 2 and 3 Pendle Forest & Craven Harriers; brood hound - 3 Pendle Forest & Craven Harriers; couple of bitchhounds - 3 Pendle Forest & Craven Harriers.

Working terriers:

Crossbred terrier: adult dog – 1 N Brown,Carleton ; adult sire or dam, with own progeny – 3 RLE Charnley, Grassington; entered to fox, pairs, progeny and veteran class - 2 N Crisp, Calton.

CHEESE AND DAIRY

Specialist cheesemakers section: cheese made with 100 per cent goats milk- 2 Yellison Goats, Bradley.

POULTRY

Bantams:

Hard feather, black, female – 1 A Hill, Silsden.

Soft feather, Hamburgh, male - 3 C Macdonald, High Bentham; Hamburgh, female - 2 C Macdonald; Leghorn, brown, female - 2 JA Macdonald, High Bentham; other colour, female - 1 PM Burns, Low Bentham.

Waterfowl:

Goose or gander - 1 PM Burns; Call, male – 2 and 3 K Griffiths, Skipton.

Champion juvenile – 1 Robinson & Macdonald.

Eggs:

Large fowl, three eggs – 1 Robinson & Macdonald, High Bentham; one egg - 1 and 3 Robinson & Macdonald; one supreme egg – 2 CR Eastwood & JA Wills, Bentham; six eggs, any colour – 2 CR Eastwood & JA Wills; three eggs, white or cream - 1 A Hill, Silsden.