A father and son from Wales have both been crowned world champions at the Sheep Dog World Trial 2026, which came to a close today at Huntington Farm, near Lauder.
David Howells, from West Glamorgan, won the world title with Wyverne Pip, while his son Jack Howells, aged 19, took the Young Handler world title with Cydros Boss. It is the first time a parent and child have won both titles at the same World Trial. It was a remarkable week for Wales, whose handlers also took third place in the final and the Brace title.
David and Pip came through a field of 300 competitors from 34 nations to win Sunday’s final, contested by the 16 highest-pointed dogs of the week. The reserve world champion was Dean McAuley, from Ireland, with Joe. Dean was the only handler to take two dogs into the final, opening the day’s running with his younger dog Jack, who finished fifth, before returning as the second-last handler to run with Joe. Dean and Joe were crowned Irish National Champions only last month. Third place went to Angie Driscoll with Kinloch Carlos, representing Wales.
There was success for the host nation too, with Team Scotland finishing third in the team competition behind Germany, who took the team title, and France. Scotland’s team score came from runs by Hamish Mitchell with Dan, Chris Toner with Grace and Mace, Wullie Welsh with Heyshaw Fletch and Neil Campbell with Kinross Moss.
Skye crofter Seumas Campbell took third place in the first ever Brace competition to be held at a World Trial, in which one handler works two dogs at the same time. Scotland was represented in the final by Duncan Robertson, from Inverkip, with Derwen Roy, who finished joint 14th.
Thousands of spectators travelled to the Scottish Borders for the event, which was held in the Borders for the first time and in Scotland for only the second time. Grandstand tickets sold out before the gates opened, and both the official programme and the official World Trial gin sold out completely. The trial field sat under blue skies for most of the week, with the Lauderdale hills a fitting backdrop.
The World Trial also drew some of the best-known farming voices on social media. Borders-born shepherdess Emma Gray, Ben Best of Dalscone Farm, Hannah Jackson, the Red Shepherdess, and Tom Carlisle, known as the Dales Farmer, were at Huntington Farm together on Sunday morning for a Q&A and meet-and-greet. Emma and Ben also talked spectators through the action at Expert Corner, a big screen in the trader area, and several of the final runs were commentated by Ben alongside Fiona McMillan, World Trial Chair and Scottish President of the International Sheep Dog Society (ISDS).
In her closing speech at the awards presentation, Fiona McMillan said:
“We’ve come to the end of the World Trial, a fantastic five days that have just flown past. It’s been the biggest World Trial ever, and I’m so proud that we’ve been able to do that in Scotland. We’ve seen more competitors than at any World Trial before, and that’s down to the handlers who have travelled thousands of miles to be here. I know how big an undertaking it is to travel with a dog, and my thanks go to every single competitor who took part.
“I’ve been proud to bring this homecoming of the border collie to the Scottish Borders, because it’s such an important place in the history of our dogs. What a fantastic sight it has been to see these amazing dogs compete in this beautiful landscape.”
The Brace title went to Kevin Evans of Wales with Kemi Ids and Valley View Dan. James McCloskey of Ireland was second with Dollar and Oak Bruce.
Seumas Campbell, a crofter from Uig on Skye, who took third with Queen and Shadwell Ceit, said:
“I’m so happy to see the World Trial so well done and so well supported, and I’m delighted to represent my country. This is the first time the Brace has been held at a World Trial, so to get onto the podium, and for it to be in Scotland, I’m just absolutely delighted.”
The trial was hosted by the Runciman family at Huntington Farm, where fields normally sown with barley were given over to the trial course. Dougie Runciman said:
“It’s been an honour for the family to welcome sheepdogs and handlers from all over the world to the farm, and to open it up for people to come and see it. The parade was a spectacle, and so many people have told us how emotional the opening ceremony was.
“We’ve been working towards this for two years, and the last two or three months have been a lot of work to get the site ready. We’d normally plough both fields and put them in barley, but we’ve made the farm fit what the World Trial needs. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to host something like this.
“People from 34 countries have come to this farm, and it makes you feel quite humble that they’ve wanted to come to the Borders, especially with the World Trial being held in the home of the border collie for the first time.”
The full results can be viewed at https://myisds.org/LiveScoreboard/CompSelection?newTrialId=18
