Historic Tug of War Triumph

Beith Make History as Avondale Avenge Last Year’s Defeat

Our national Tug of War Final is always one of the highlights of the Highland Show Weekend, drawing huge crowds to the sides of the Cattle Rings to cheer on our members in action on the rope. This year’s competition, sponsored once again by Davidson & Robertson, was no different with supporters stacked behind the hoardings in anticipation of the excitement to come.

And the gathered crowd were in for a treat as the competitors went to battle on the Ingliston turf. The heats saw some gruelling tests throughout, testing the strength and tactics of our teams. As is always the case at these finals there were no easy pulls, with all our teams having earned their right to compete through our regional qualifiers and having trained for months for this day. But inch by inch the ground was taken and eventually through grit and determination two victors emerged.

In the Gents competition, it was the men of Beith Young Farmers who took the win, claiming the title for the first time in their club’s history. The Ayrshire club who were making their first appearance in the final since 1995, dominated the group stage before battling past Lanarkshire heavyweights Biggar in the semi-final and last year’s runners up Lesmahagow in the final pull bringing much jubilation to the gathered support.

Team member Ewan Wilson summed up their win, “It’s a great achievement to win this for Beith for the first time ever! All the hard work has paid off.” His teammate James Young agreed adding, “It was a great atmosphere, thank you to all our supporters”.

Alan Brodie, Beith YFC Gents coach described the effort behind this success, “It’s about the hard work, determination and always going for gold.  This is the first time in over 40 years that the team has been here, and they are very dedicated – and very young just 17 and 18. They train with the Ayrshire Tug of War team who are aiming to represent Scotland at the British & Irish Championships in Ireland.”

In the Ladies competition, it was the turn of Avondale YFC to lift the crystal trophy. The 2025 runners up produced a scorching performance in the Saturday sunshine to end a 19 year wait for the title. The day was centred on their battle with last year’s winners Strathbogie, who they met both in the heats and the Final. With each match up creating fireworks as the powerhouse teams fought pull for pull for victory.

Rebekah Lennox, Avondale’s anchor on the day and the club’s Tug of War convenor gave her thoughts on the accomplishment: “Winning the national tug of war at the Highland Show was a dream come true and one of the biggest achievements of our time in Young Farmers. The victory was made even more special by the months of hard work, training, determination and teamwork that went into it. Throughout the journey, we supported each other through both the highs and lows, always working towards the same goal. To see all that effort pay off while surrounded by our family, friends and the wider Young Farmers community created an unforgettable atmosphere and a moment that will stay with us forever”

Club Secretary Emma Cuthbertson took a moment to recognise the efforts of their long-time coach, Matt Brown; “The club could not be any prouder of our girls for bringing home the national title after a long 19 years. Our long-standing coach, Matt Brown, deserves every single bit of praise he has received after giving our club members nothing but time and effort for over 20 years now and we are extremely grateful to him. He is certainly part of the Avondale family and deserves this win more than ever!”

As mentioned before, the competition is supported by Davidson & Robertson and has been since 2018. The prizes were presented by Niall Milner, Director at D&R, who said, “It is always a fantastic occasion, and one which attracts a huge ringside of support, but behind a few minutes of intense competition lies months of gruelling dedication. Talking to the coaches we know that on the day, success requires the perfect alignment of tactics, style, stamina, and resilience. Well done to every club in the finals for executing an unmissable event, and to our 2026 champions: Beith & District YFC Gents, and Avondale YFC Ladies – what a hard fought contest, congratulations on taking the titles this year.”

Euan Bremner, Chair of SAYFC and a past competitor, said “We are grateful to D&R for their continued sponsorship of this event – including the colourful shirts that make each teams look the part.”

Summing up the day Niall said “Strength and resilience is something these young people displayed in the competition – but it is also these characteristics that will help them navigate the difficult times that farming is facing.  We are very proud to support the SAYFC and our farmers of the future.”

The association would like to congratulate all the competitors on another fantastic year of competition. Thanks once again to Davidson & Robertson for their continued support, the Scottish Tug of War Association for their help providing equipment, training and umpires, our member volunteers and stewards, and all those who came along to support on the day.

Results

Gents Competition

1st- Beith & District YFC

2nd- Lesmahagow YFC

3rd-  Biggar YFC

Ladies Competition

1st- Avondale YFC

2nd- Strathbogie YFC

3rd- Callander YFC