Father and son sheep shearers' cutting edge award

An award-winning father and son team of team of sheep shearers have now both proved themselves officially at the cutting edge of their craft with both celebrating a coveted award.

Sheep farmer George Mudge, of Collaton near Tavistock, already has the profession’s top award of master shearer (awarded by BISCA, the British Isles Shearing Competitions Association) and was joined this year by son Andrew winning the same coveted title.

Earlier this year Andrew was awarded his Master Blade Shearers Award as only the third English shearer to receive this international accolade, his dad George and colleague Andrew Wear are the other two.

The pair are already top of the world after securing top ten places at the world shearing championships, the Golden Shears World Sheep Shearing & Wool Handling Championships in New Zealand, producing quality fleeces while demonstrating shearing skills, dexterity, coolness under pressure.

George said: “I am so pleased that I have had the honour of representing England so many times in World Championships and Six Nations with Andrew over the last 20 years. I am immensely proud of what he has achieved to date and hopefully he will continue to do so for many years to come. He is now without doubt the best blade shearer in the northern hemisphere.”

Recently, at the Great Yorkshire Show, Andrew and George were first and second on the UK blade circuit once again. One or other of them have won it every year since 2004.

George said: “The Master Blade Shearers Award is a special award to shearers who have represented their country in world championships numerous times, won many competitions and who have done outstanding service for the shearing industry.

“It is always hard for a son to excel at any sport where the father has been pretty good. In the early days, Andrew had to put up with his mates saying ‘you can’t beat your old man.’

“Andrew replied “ You try beating him”. He has come through all that and he is now so good that if he does not win a competition they ask ‘Why did you not win?’ He has raised the blade shearing in the northern hemisphere to a new level and I am so proud of what he has achieved.

“I will do my best now to train other shearers to be a good teammate for Andrew in future World Champs. Passing on knowledge is part of our object in life.”

He said it was always difficult to know when to stop competing at the top level, but added: “My old Dad used to say you can’t be first and last, meaning you have to know when to stop.

“I’m very proud of Andrew’s achievements and of us both really. Andrew and I are the only blade shearers from England to reach multiple world shearing individual blade finals.

“It’s a very high pressure environment which is judged on skills, rather than numbers of animals sheared. It’s about quality and time. So, it’s high intensity competition under the eyes of the judges and other competitors under the spotlight up on that stage. There’s no place to hide.”