KIERAN Robinson may only be five-years-young, but he is already an old hand in the livestock show area, as the West Craven youngster clearly demonstrated when taking the supreme championship for the third year in succession at Skipton Auction Mart’s annual young handlers’ prime lamb show and sale.

Kieran clinched a remarkable show hat-trick – he first won it aged just three - when his pure-bred 39kg Beltex lamb was first adjudged winner of the Under 10’s show class, before being picked out as overall champion by show judge Clare Cropper, of Long Preston.

Like Kieran’s previous two show appearances, both young handler and his charge were again immaculately turned out. And like the first two frontrunners, young Kieran’s latest champion was home-bred on a smallholding in Barnoldswick by his parents Scott and Laura Robinson.

Dad was young handlers reserve champion at Skipton last year, while mum has twice won the title in the past. Livewire Keiran also finished third in his age group with a home-bred gimmer lamb in the young handlers class at this year’s Great Yorkshire Show.

By the Robinsons’ Scottish-bred stock tup, Airyolland Clansman, the 2018 Skipton victor easily headed the day’s prime lamb prices when selling to the show judge for £152.

Clare remained in the same age group, the largest show class with 11 entries, when nominating the second prize winner as her overall reserve champion. It was shown by three-year-old Isabelle Newbould, whose parents Michael and Becky Newbould run a dairy farm in Gisburn.

The 46kg Beltex-cross lamb was bred by Becky’s parents, who are members of the well-known Ellis Bros farming family on Addingham Moorside, and prepared for the show arena by her brother Robert Ellis. By a Borderesk tup, out of a home-bred Texel ewe, the reserve champion sold for second top price of £135 to Keelham Farm Shop, and was one of several prize-winning acquisitions for its Skipton and Thornton shops.

Two members of Pendle Young Farmers Club won the red rosettes in the remaining two show classes for other age groups. Standing first in the 10-16 years section was 14-year-old Sam Phillipson, whose parents, James and Christine Phillipson, farm at Netherfield Farm, Burnley.

Sam’s home-bred 42kg Texel-cross-Beltex lamb, by a Whiteford tup, made £101 when joining regular buyer Paul Watson, of Hellifield, who also bought other prize winners.

First prize winner in the 17-26 years show class was Thomas Hartley, of Pendle Valley Farm, Roughlee, run by his parents Mark and Elaine Hartley. The 38kg Beltex-cross was fully home bred by 19-year-old Thomas, who has established and runs his own 250-strong commercial flock. He works both at home and on a dairy farm in Thornton and saw his red rosette winner sell for £90, again to Paul Watson.