MONMOUTHSHIRE carriage driver James Broome has claimed a notable international victory in partnership with the sport's world number one Boyd Excell.

The Team Broome combination claimed victory in the prestigious Pro Am Challenge at Valkenswaard in Holland, joining forces with Australian Excell as the competition reached a thrilling conclusion.

Crick-based James, son of Olympic medal-winning showjumper David Broome, won a new set of harness worth well over £1,000 and a giant trophy that safely made the journey home.

It was Team Broome's first international event with a horse four-in-hand, having previously been national champions with a horse pair.

"There were approximately 30 entries in the horse four-in-hand class, and the system works by pairing up the driver ranked first with the driver ranked 30th, then the driver ranked second and the driver ranked 29th etc, until there are 15 teams," James said.

"As we were competing at our first international event with a horse four-in-hand, we were ranked 30th and paired up with Boyd.

"After three days of competition that includes driven dressage, marathon cross country driving, and then a cones driving course, the results were added together and the top three teams were invited back into the main arena for a 'drive off'.

"The scoreboard was then reset, meaning that all the teams started the drive-off on a zero score. I had never taken part in an event like this before, so I had no idea how the horses would react.

"The weather had been glorious for the entire event, but just before the final drive-off it started to rain, meaning that the ground was incredibly slippery and the carriage was sliding from side to side, particularly around the faster corners. It was terrifying!"

Attention now switches to the Welsh National Driving Trials, to be held at the David Broome Event Centre in Crick, with the showpiece marathon cross-country driving taking place on Saturday, June 16.

James added: "If people would like to witness this sport up close, please register their interest or make a general enquiry by emailing driving@theshowground.com."

There will be a limited number of parking spaces available, hence the need for registration, with a small admission fee payable on arrival.