2024-12-03 |
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Leach Family Supreme Champion Hat-Trick at CCM Skipton Christmas Prime Lambs Highlight
Not only did the Calderdale-based Leach family successfully retain the supreme prime lamb championship for the third year running at CCM Skipton’s 17th annual Christmas showcase, but they also sold their Beltex-x trio for a record £600 per head to Robertshaw’s Farm Shop, Thornton, above Bradford. (Sun, Dec 1))
The Hebden Bridge Leach family, led by husband and wife, Adrian and Kathryn, notched up a notable hat-trick with their red rosette-winning 44kg Continental-x lambs and lowland champions, all out of home-bred ewes from their Owlers Farm Beltex flock.
Members of the Leach family with their latest CCM supreme champion Christmas prime lambs, joined by judge Peter Briggs.
One was by the Scottish-bred ‘Blackadder The Greatest Showman,’ champion ram at the 2022 Border Union Show, later purchased for 2,400gns and the sire of last year’s title winners, one by another Scottish-bred tup, Padkin Full Monty, who sired the 2022 victors, the third by a Welsh-bred Gyffin tup.
Purchaser James Robertshaw, who is renowned for his support of local farmers and local producers, was the volume buyer, also securing both the same day’s prime cattle and prime pig supreme champions.
Lowland lambs show judge, Ribchester’s Peter Briggs, of Preston-based Bowland Foods, remained in the trimmed section when tapping out another first prize Continental-x pen from Antony and Emma Thompson, Foulridge, as reserve lowland and overall reserve champions, their three-quarters Beltex lambs out of home-bred ewes sired by a Skipton-bought tup.
Weighing in at 39kg, they made £210 each when falling to Long Preston’s Claire Mellin, again buying on behalf of Cropper Family Butchers & Deli, Accrington, which she runs with her father, George Cropper. The Blackburn Road shop had previously claimed the Skipton supreme champions four years running.
The Thompson family with their CCM reserve supreme champion Christmas prime lambs.
Team Thompson had an excellent day with their Beltex lambs. As well as standing runners-up in two untrimmed lowland show classes with 39kg and 42kg pens selling at £175 and £190, both to the judge and Bowland Foods, 11-year-old Isobel Thompson was crowned young handlers’ champion with a black 49kg Beltex lamb, recipient of The Hannah Brown Memorial Trophy knocked down for £240 top and again to Cropper Family Butchers.
Isobel Thompson with her young handlers’ champion, joined by Martin Brown, who again presented The Hannah Memorial Trophy, and judge Peter Briggs.
In addition, Croppers went to £220 second top when adding the young handlers’ reserve champion, a home-bred 45kg Beltex-x by a Skipton-bought Woodies tup shown by Calderdale five-year-old Ernie Midgley. It came from the family’s Upper Calder Valley flock, the 2020 and 2021 Skipton supreme prime lamb champion.
The Red Rose family butcher was in fine form at the ringside, also procuring both the champion and reserve at the same day’s standalone lamb carcase competition.
The untrimmed champions from James Towler and Sammy Fawcett and family, assisted by CCM’s Ted Ogden.
The untrimmed championship fell to the Ribble Valley’s James Towler and Sammy Fawcett, Steelands Farm, Grindleton, with a red rosette-winning 50kg Beltex-x-Texel trio by a home-bred Beltex tup making £210 when claimed by Hamlets Butchers, Garstang.
Ellis Bros, Cragg House Farm, Addingham Moorside, untrimmed champions the previous three years, had to settle for the reserve championship this year with their first prize 39kg Beltex-x pen again by home-bred tups, selling at £175 and yet again to Cropper Family Butchers, who also went to £165 to add a 38kg Continental-x trimmed runners-up pen from Brian Lund, Walshaw.
The Hutchinson, left, and Wilson families with the champion and reserve hill lambs, joined by judge Ross Greenwood, Craven Farm Butchers, centre, who purchased the victors.
Clinching the hill lambs championship for an unprecedented fourth year running were the Hutchinson family, Faceby, again with a trio of 50kg Scottish Blackface wethers. Retaining the Anthony Dean Perpetual Trophy after being tapped out by section judge Ross Greenwood, of Gargrave-based Craven Farm Butchers, they were then purchased by him for a section top £230. The Hutchinsons also won the untrimmed Suffolk-x class with 58kg lambs away at £182 to Swaledale Foods, Skipton.
Reserve hill champions for the second year running were Kevin Wilson and family, Blubberhouses, with 49kg North of England Mules making £152 again to Swaledale Foods, Skipton, who also paid £149 for the second prize 50kg pen from the same home, along with the third prize 47kg pen from George Breare, Silsden Moore, at £140.
Allan and Susan Throup, Silsden Moor, consigned the first prize Masham for the second year running, their 47kg pen joining Andrew Atkinson, Felliscliffe, while John Smith, Carleton, returned to again stand first with his 51kg Swaledale, £145 also to Craven Farm Butchers. The first prize 47kg Dalesbred trio from the Stoney family, Pateley Bridge, sold at £145, again to the Medcalfs.
A total of 188 butchers lambs sold to an overall average of £173.65 per head, or 391.1p/kg (SQQ 431.5p/kg).
The annual Christmas showcase was once more supported by multiple sponsors, with Skipton NFU again the keynote sponsor.
Photos: Adrian Legge Photography
