A 90-year-old shepherd, who won his first trial at age six, will be taking part in the international sheepdog trial in Aberystwyth this weekend.

Idris Morgan, from Banc Llyn Mynydd Bach, Llangwyryfon, will be 90 years old on the second day of the International Sheep Dog Society (ISDS) international dog trial on 10 to 12 September.

These teams, from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, consist of 15 competitors, brace competitors. The first two days will be qualifying trials in preparation for the supreme international on the last day. The main attraction will be the agility of the dogs demonstrating their skills with speed and accuracy.

The competition will take place in Tancastell Fields near Rhydyfelin.

After entering the national trial in Tywyn, from 24 to 26 August, along with his son and previous international winner, Eirian Morgan ‘Butch’, Idris proved age has no barriers after he made the Welsh national team.

On the upcoming international competition, Idris said: “I’m not nervous, the days of nerves have passed. I used to suffer but you get used to it.

“All my life I’ve been doing it off and on. I’m lucky now, I thought I would be too old to compete this year but my daughter saw me training my dog and entered me into the competition.

“I’ll never retire from it until I have to, until I am unable to work. I’ve been at it for far too long, I’ve got nothing else to do. It’s just my dog and myself.”

Idris’ three-year-old dog, Pwtyn, is joining his dad, who is captain of English team, in the competition.

Idris won his first trial at just six years old, after his father saved up the money he made from selling eggs to buy his son his first dog.

“My father was into trialling, he got into it when he was 14 years of age. That was in 1920,” Idris continued.

“Eventually I came along and got into it when I was five years of age. He had a pup down from a friend of his and he was trialling it with my father. This dog wasn’t getting on well, he was only a youngster, and he kept running back to me all the time.

“I was in standing in the gate and watching, he said ‘come over here and try this dog out’.

“I had been listening so I know the dog’s commands. It started from there.

“I won before I was six. The month before I was six, I won my first prize in Dolgellau in the under 21s category. There were about six or seven people competing, they were seventeen or eighteen maybe, and I pulled through and won it.

“Then I was demonstrating. My father saw a chance, with five dogs in shows and different things.

“He was invited to show on 5 August, 1937, in a Blackpool show, then Dolgellau on 11 August, and on the 16 and 17 August I was up at the Three Counties Show in Carmarthen. I’ve been playing in the game practically ever since.”