A FATHER and son from Peter Tavy have proved they are the kings of the sheep shearing world after cleaning up the honours at the Royal Welsh Show.

George and Andrew Mudge came home with the open blade, intermediate and veterans? championship from the event, which featured shearers from all over the world.

At the age of 23, Andrew appears to be following in the footsteps of his 56-year-old father, who has been winning awards for his shearing skills for more than 30 years and represented his country in both machine and hand-shearing.

Andrew beat 60 shearers to take the intermediate championship, including some tough competition from New Zealand.

George said the event was arguably the most difficult show to win out of all the contests he had attended and both he and Andrew were delighted to have had such success.

?It still gives me a great buzz to compete,? said George, who has a 100-acre beef and sheep farm. ?We are up against a lot of people who shear commercially, so it is quite an honour to win.

?The prize money is anything between £50 and £300 which hardly covers your travelling expenses, but it?s not about the money ? it?s the pleasure of winning and going home with the cup.?

A great spectator sport, at the world championships in Scotland, more than 3,000 people turned up to watch.

At least 50% of the judging was on the quality of shearing, so it was not all about speed, said George.

Andrew, who is chairman of Tavistock Young Farmers? Club, is on a roll at the moment with numerous competition wins throughout the country, including the Royal Cornwall Show, Bath and West Show, National Young Farmers? Championships plus shows in Kent and West Wales.

At the Royal Bath and West Show, Andrew?s tally was ten sheep shorn in just over nine minutes and George?s achievement was six shorn in seven and a half minutes.