A DOG handler from a village near Evesham won two prizes at one of the most prestigious agility competitions in the country.

Greg Derrett, of Wickhamford, secured first place in the large agility stakes and the novice agility stakes at the Kennel Club Olympia Agility Stakes held at the London International Horse Show at Olympia with his Border Collies Detox and Rehab.

To reach the finals, they had to compete against some of the UK’s most talented agility dogs and handlers in agility qualifying heats across the country.

Mr Derrett said: “Achieving the double at Olympia was a great feeling and 24 hours that I will never forget.

Running in the evening finals is always special due to the great atmosphere and to get to run the lap of honour twice in the spotlight was a privilege.

“Thank you to Dave Ray and his team for organising the events, Amanda Rogers for her course design and judging and to Joint Aid for their sponsorship.”

Held in association with Joint Aid for Dogs, the Kennel Club Olympia Agility Stakes saw the rising stars of agility compete in five finals in the small, medium, large, novice and ABC (Anything But Collies) categories.

Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club secretary, said: “The Olympia Agility Stakes is one of the major dog agility events in the UK each year and this year was no exception.

“It’s such a special atmosphere – everybody is feeling festive, and it really is a wonderful event.

“Congratulations to Greg for winning the large and novice finals. Both were tightly contested finals and they beat very strong competitors to win the titles.”