CRAVEN farmers dominated at Gisburn Auction Marts Christmas prime cattle show and sale, which attracted an outstanding entry of prime cattle/

Clare Cropper and John Mellin, of Long Preston, collected four out of the 12 prizes on offer.

Pre-sale show judges Stephen and Anthony Swales of Knavesmire Butchers, York, picked out Cropper and Mellin’s November 2013 born, British Blue Steer, weighing 498kgs, as the champion beast.

It had earlier in the day taken first prize for the best British Blue steer and the judges backed their own judgement by purchasing the beast at £2141 or 430p/kg.

Cropper & Mellin’s next lot - and winner of the reserve champion award and best heavy weight British Blue heifer, weighing in at 538kgs -sold for the day’s top price of £2,744 or a staggering 510p p/kg.

The purchaser was Alan Beecroft, on behalf of Country Style Meats Farm Shop, Lancaster, who went on to purchase the best continental heifer class winner, a Blonde D’ Aquitaine weighing 478kgs at £1529.60 or 320p/kg from the same partnership.

Finally winner of the best native animal class was again from this dynamic duo and was an Aberdeen Angus heifer weighing 500kgs which sold for £1,440 or 288p/kg to wholesale butcher Simon Duerden, of Blacko.

Another Craven farmer in the ribbons was John Stephenson, of Bordley, with his September 2013 born Blonde d'Aquitaine steer, which weighed an impressive 662kgs and sold for £1681.48 or 254p/kg to Townson & Son Butcher Ltd (Quality Butchers), Brierfield, Burnley.

Again on the white rose side of the border, David Capstick, of Hellifield, was delighted to win first prize in the homebred animal class, with a British Blue steer, weighing 492kgs which sold for £1427 or 290p/kg to Bowland Foods, Preston.

Charlotte Critchley, of Hutton,picked up first prize in the best animal shown by a young farmer, with her 514kgs British Blue steer which sold for £1,552 or 302p/kg to Countrystyle Meats Farm Shop.

Auctioneer Richard Turner said: “The excellent quality of cattle was a compliment to a show restricted to regular customers with a total of 47 premium grade cattle averaging 262p/kg.”

Averages were: premium heifers, 297p/kg; premium steers, 277p/kg; and premium bulls 223p/kg.