Andrew senior, of Haughs of Ballinshoe, by Forfar, has travelled the world in his quest to plough his way to the top.

In recent years he has been accompanied by his son, Andrew junior, who has also turned up an impressive ranking in Scottish and world championships.

The talented father and son team spent a week acclimatising in Krems, Austria in preparation for the 2008 world championships on Friday and Saturday, August 15 and 16.

Andrew senior, competing in the reversible class, found the going extremely dry on the Friday.

But as luck would have it, when the stubble ploughing competition was over the heavens opened and there was a torrential downpour.

Andrew senior explained: "The conditions were very dry on the Friday but when we finished there was a thunder storm. Three inches of rain fell overnight which made conditions much easier for the grassland on the Saturday.

"So yes, you could say every cloud has a silver lining!"

Andrew senior faced stiff competition from 29 other competitors from all over the world and was delighted to take the top accolade for the second time.

He first lifted the world crown in Australia in 1997 and was runner-up in Lithuania last year.

As well as his success in the world championships, Andrew senior has been crowned the Five Nation Champion in 2003, the British Champion in 2004 and the European champion in 1999 and 2000.

Andrew junior was fourth in the conventional section at Krems, out of a field of 26.
Northern Ireland's Samuel Gill won the conventional title.

Andrew junior is also a previous world champion, having won in 2006 when the competition was held in the Republic of Ireland and was runner-up last year in Lithuania.

Both men use Ford New Holland tractors and highly modified Dowdeswell ploughs.

The pair were accompanied by Andrew senior's wife Joyce, along with veteran ploughman Bill Garden of Backboath, Carmyllie who was their official coach, Willie Grieve, Croftnamuick, Aberfeldy who was officiating at the competition as the Scottish judge, and Dave Carnegie and his wife of Steelstrath, Laurencekirk,

Mr Carnegie, chairman of the Scottish Ploughing Championship Association, won the world reversible ploughing championship in 1996.

Both Andrew senior and Andrew junior were crowned Scottish champions last year at the national match at Pusk, near Leuchars.

This remarkable double, which was a repeat of the same achievement in 2006, secured their place in the international contest held some 60 miles from Vienna.

The successful team have fingertip control whilst competing, having used mechanical ingenuity to develop their match ploughs fitted with hydraulic adjustments.

After returning home safely with all their equipment last month, the talented duo now turn their attention to this year's Scottish championships in North Berwick at the end of October.

Success here would again book a place in next year's world championships.