BOLTON Abbey father and son, Chris and Tom Heseltine, of Hesketh Farm, secured supreme championship honours for the first time in the annual lamb carcase competition staged as part of Skipton Auction Mart’s annual Christmas primestock shows and sales.

The Heseltines took the title with a home-bred Beltex-cross gimmer lamb, first prize winner in the 41-44kg Continental class and by their main stock tup.

With a live weight of 42kg, 22.5kg deadweight, a killing out percentage of 53.5 per cent and AHDB grading of E3L, the victor, which was also awarded a special prize from the Northern Beltex Club, sold for the third year in succession and the day’s leading price of £245 to retail butcher George Cropper, who for many years has had a shop in Accrington Market.

He runs it with his daughter Clare, from Long Preston, and in June this year the business took over a much larger unit in the market to cater for increasing customer demand for its products.

Mr Cropper purchased three prize-winning lamb carcases in total, paying £200 for a third prize Continental from Anthony Thompson, of Salterforth, and £120 for another second prize winner from Carleton’s Ian Bell.

The Heseltines, who also run the popular visitor attraction, Hesketh Farm Park, added a runners-up prize in the 35-40kg class with a same way bred Beltex sold for £120 to another retail butcher, Anthony Swales, of Knavesmire Butchers in Albermarle Road, York.

The same buyer also paid second top price of £200 for the first prize 35-40kg Continental class winner and reserve champion from Hannah Brown, of Dovecote Barn, Leyburn. The Brown family had been lamb carcase champions for the previous two years and this year’s near pure Beltex-cross wether was by the same Green Tag ram responsible for their 2014 and 2015 victors. It had a liveweight of 38kg, 22.3kg deadweight, with a killing out percentage of 58.6 per cent and a grade of E3L

Hannah Brown also finished second in the under 35kg Continental class, this too selling to Mr Swales, who bought nine carcases in all. A further prize-winning acquisition at £120 was the red rosette winner in the under 35kg Continental class, another Beltex-cross from John Midgley, of Luddendenfoot. It had a liveweight of 33kg, 18.5kg deadweight, 56.1 per cent killing out percentage and E3L grading.

Mr Swales also paid £105 for another third prize Continental carcase from brothers Trevor and Clive Robinson, of Tosside.