GERALD Beresford, from Tenley Farm in Hellifield, who was champion on his first-ever appearance at Skipton Auction Mart’s prime cattle show last month, returned to successfully defend his title at the June renewal.

Mr Beresford repeated his championship-winning coup with his first prize home-bred 20-month-old British Blue-cross heifer, which weighed in at a strapping 730kg and, like the May title winner, sold to regular retail butcher buyer Anthony Kitson, for £1,741, or 238.5/kg.

Mr Kitson also paid £1,349, or 259.5p/kg, for the reserve champion, the second prize heifer, a 520kg Limousin-cross from Skipton regular Jonathan Townley, of Nutta Farm, Clapham. He had bought it at Skipton the previous February.

All Kitsons Butchers acquisitions will be going on sale at their three butchers shops in Stockton-on-Tees, Hutton Rudby and Northallerton.

Keelham Farm Shop’s James Robertshaw also had a busy day, acquiring nine prime cattle in total for their two shops in Skipton and Thornton, while other butcher buyers included Stanforths and show judge Gordon Edwards, of Edwards Farm Butchers in Burnley.

Baldersby Park’s Malcolm Metcalfe was again among the prizes when presenting the first prize bullock, a 515kg Limousin-cross sold for £1,249 or 242.5p/kg to Keelham.

The second prize bullock from Silsden Moor’s Simon Bennett made £1,173 or 236.5p/kg, on joining Keelham, while the third prize winner from the Baines family in Trawden sold for £1,205 or 229.5p/kg to Stanforths.

The third prize heifer from Pateley Bridge’s Bernard Simpson sold for £1147, or 214.5p/kg to Mr Marwood at Hilltop Farm near York.

The overall average for older prime cattle (over 30 months) was £888.47 or 126.56p/kg.

Brian and Lisa Hall of Gargrave sold black and whites for £966, £936, £861 and £860, while E and KM Marshall’s £819 black and white topped the price per kg with 136.5p/kg.

Cull cows sold to an average of £697.51 or 105.36p/kg, with JD Taylor & Son of selling a number of black and whites to a high of £851.

Other dairy sales included N Parker presenting a Montbeliarde for £968 and a Swedish Red for £633.

BS Simpson sold British Blues for a high of £1,036 and CH and OF Hammond, a Limousin for £909. Top Blondex was from JC and N Throup for £800, or 118.5p/kg.

Mature bulls sold to an average of £965.25 or 97.5p/kg.