TAVISTOCK farmer George Mudge has returned from the world sheep shearing championship in Norway with his best result yet — proving he just gets better with age.

The 61-year-old reached the final for the first time in the individual blade shearing contest, where he was competing alongside the cream of the world's professional shearers and he finished sixth.

The six-strong England team, of which Mr Mudge, his son Andrew and daughter-in-law Kelly were all part, came fourth overall behind Lesotho, South Africa and New Zealand.

'I was so pleased and proud that we made the team final and a fourth place was the best we could have possibly hoped to do but to get in the individual final was beyond my wildest expectations,' he said.

'I even managed to beat a New Zealand fella and it's the first time a Northern Hemisphere shearer has done that.'

The Tavistock shearer said the atmosphere was terrific with somewhere in the region of 3,000 people cheering on the competitiors.

'It is unheard of for the Scottish, Welsh and Irish to cheer on an Englishman but they carried me through,' he said.

'It took me 36 minutes to shear ten lambs which is not bad for a grandad —the fastest with the blades was 21 and a half minutes, which is just over two minutes each.

'I was by far the oldest in the final and one or two said to me I ought to retire now because I was not going to better that result, but I think I will compete next year for the Wales 2010 world championships qualifiers and see how things go.'

Twenty-nine countries took part in the championships in Norway, which was all televised on Norwegian TV.

'The Norwegians did us proud — it was a tremendous event,' added Mr Mudge.

'There was a great camaraderie between the competitors.

'When you are out there you want to win but before and after the competition we are best mates and we are all giving each other advice.

'It was terrific to be there competing against the best in the world and to do so well.

'My late wife Doreen would have been so proud.

'I think she was up there cheering us on.'