FRED and Mark Houseman took the honours at Skipton Auction Mart’s Summer Calf Show with their British Blue bull topping a strong sale at £480.

The Housemans run Church Farm Enterprises at Burton Top Farm, Burton Leonard, and their homebred five-and-a-half week old calf was picked out by judge Thomas Ogg, of Scunthorpe, and sold to Vickers and Richardson, of Scarborough.

Church Farm Enterprises also had the pick of the continental calves, selling nine to an average of £428.

Michael Heron, of Bramhope. took the reserve champion place with a superb Aberdeen Angus heifer which sold for £330 to Edwards Farm Butcher of Burnley.

Black and whites saw a stiff trade right throughout the sale, reaching an average of £120.36, with 10 over £100. Paul Bolland, of Airton, took the highest price at £230 to Richard Ogg, who also snapped up one at £215 from John Wright, of Kirk Syke.

In the native section, Hartleys, of Bolton Abbey, reached £325 with a bull calf and John Marshalls, of Dacre, sold at £305.

There were plenty of heifers in the mid £200s, again from Hartleys, and also from Chris Harrison, of Elslack.

Continentals were hard fought over with an overall average of £356.8 and with 15 topping £400.

David and John Calvert, of West Marton, brought five well-reared calves to reach either side of £400, topping at £415 twice for his month old consignments to Vickers and Robinson.

The show was sponsored by Cogent.