Barden’s John Fawcett, who has been on sparkling form at Skipton Auction Mart this year, landed a further championship success at the annual spring store cattle with show potential fixture last Wednesday.

John, of Dale Head Farm, who had already accumulated three young bull show wins, secured his fourth title - this time with one of his “ladies”, a 10-month-old home-bred British Blue-cross heifer.

The victor, which had earlier picked up first prize in its show class, was then nominated as champion by the judge, Hebden Bridge butcher Stephen Maskill, who described her as a “fine boned youngster with a lot of meat all over it”. The title winner sold for £1,280 to Pendle father and son farmers Matt and Ben Townsend, of Barnside Hall Farm, Laneshawbridge, who also purchased the champion at last year’s corresponding show.

In fact, the Townsends embarked on a real buying spree at this year’s renewal, with their 14-strong haul including all but one of the prizewinners, among them at £1,040 the reserve champion, the red rosette-winning Limousin bullock from Clapham’s Jonathan Townley, another tidy nine-month-old home-bred out of a British Blue cow.

The Townsends also paid top price in show of £1,320 for the second prize British Blue-cross heifer from the prolific Walker family, who farm at Brennand Farm, Dunsop Bridge.

In addition, they bought all three rosette winners in the Limousin-cross heifer show class, the first and third prize entries from James Huck, of Hubberholme, at £1,140 and £1,090 respectively, and the runner-up from Long Preston’s Clare Cropper for £1,320.

The Townsends’ final prize-winning acquisition was the first prize any another breed heifer, a Blonde-cross also from Jonathan Townley, at £1,080. All their Skipton purchases will be further improved at home, before returning to the sales ring.

Mr Townley also stepped up with the remaining prizewinner, the third prize British Blue-cross heifer, sold for £1,230 to Skipton regular Stephen Eastwood, of Emley, Huddersfield.

The show formed part of Skipton’s fortnightly sale of 520 head of cattle, comprising 370 bullocks and heifers, and 30 breeding cattle.

Trade on the day was described as decent, with plenty of interest in grazing and summering cattle.

Young bulls sold to an overall Continental-cross average of £888 per head and a native average of £682, peaking at £1,320 for a British Blue-cross from Robert Davey, of Eldroth. The top price pen of five Limousin-cross bulls from the Towler family in Grindleton each achieved £1,070.

Store bullocks sold to a Continental-cross average of £1,023, with a native average of £877 and a section high of £1,190 for a nice pair of Herefords from Paul Drinkall, of Gargrave.

Local vendors John and Alison Spensley, of Thorlby, produced the top price pen of three British Blue-cross bullocks, which each made £1,115.

Store heifers averaged £878 per head for Continental-cross entries and £820 for native breeds, with the show classes producing the leading prices. R Holmes, of Crossroads, had the top price pen of three Blonde-cross heifers at £1,010 per head.

Breeding cattle sold to a top of £1,180 for a British Blue-cross heifer with Aberdeen Angus calf from James Pate, of Gisburn.

Also on the agenda was a dispersal sale of 24 suckler cattle from John Smith in Carleton. His Simmental-cross in-calf cows proved the leading performers when selling to a high of £1,020, with an average of £900.