A HOME-BRED pedigree Beef Shorthorn bull made history when becoming the first-ever champion at a new pedigree native cattle show and sale staged at Skipton Auction Mart.

It came from the Croftends herd of Jonty Bellas, based at the farm of the same name at Appleby-in-Westmoreland.

His two-year-old Croftends Harry first won its show class, before progressing to becoming first male, then overall champion at the inaugural fixture.

While the title winner returned home, top call in the bulls section at 1,350gns (£1,417) fell to a 2015-born Aberdeen Angus from Geoff and Margaret Lawn’s Crook Rise herd at None-Go-Bye Farm, Skipton.

Runner-up in his show class, Crook Rise Walter, found a new home with Wallbank Farms, of Tills Farm, Abbeystead.

The Lawns, who farm some 250 Aberdeen Angus-cross cattle, also made a clean sweep of the prizes in the 2014-born senior heifer show class, with their red rosette winner, the April-born maiden Crook Rise Petra, progressing to become female champion and overall reserve champion.

She sold to Wharfedale’s Brian Church, of Askwith, for 1,400gns (£1,470).

In the show class for Hereford bulls, David Hanson, who runs the Hanson pedigree herd at Bay View Farm, Flixton, Scarborough, took first and third prizes. The red rosette winner, also reserve male champion, made 1,700gns when joining John Marshall in Dacre and the third prizewinner, which returned home.

Reserve female champion was the first prize junior heifer, a 12-month-old Aberdeen Angus from the Buckhurst pedigree herd of Red Rose breeder J Walsh, of Buckhurst Farm, Bury. Elba will find another opportunity in the sale ring.

The first prize Aberdeen Angus bull was a local entry from Ken and Lynne Throup, who farm at Woofa Bank, Silsden Moor, with their sons Ian and Martin. He sold for 1,050gns (£1,102) to Stephen Eastwood, of Emley, Huddersfield.

The inaugural pedigree show and sale, which attracted a small, but select entry of 20 head of cattle, was supported by another new sale for native-sired store and feeding cattle, among them 108 bullocks and heifers.

John Smith, of Carleton, led the sale at £1,025 and £1,010 for two pairs of Angus heifers, with other stronger and older cattle generally reaching £900-plus.

Of the yearlings, John and Alison Spensley, of Thorlby, made £915 to £945 with their 12-month-old Angus bullocks, while Craven Cattle Marts yardman David Boothman, of Halton East, achieved £900 with a brace of 13-month-old Hereford heifers.

Stephen Wallbank, of Slaidburn, produced a pair of 12-month-old Angus bullocks that each sold at £845, while Peter and John Henfrey, of Hebden, made £820 each with their pen of five one-year-old Angus bullocks.

The pick of the commercial breeding cattle was a five-year-old Shorthorn cow with bull calf at foot from Michael Daggett, of Burnsall, which made £1,210 on joining JG Leach, of Wilsden, a multiple suckler buyer on the day.

Store bullocks sold to an overall average of £720 per head, while store heifers averaged £648 overall.