Moycraig YFC achieve third place in Tug O War competition

Moycraig Young Farmers' Club is celebrated another successful outing at the Young Farmers' Clubs of Ulster Tug of War Competition, in association with Thompsons Feeding Innovation, after securing third place in the Ladies' section at the Balmoral Show on Thursday 14th May 2026.

They continued an impressive run for their tug of war team, which is only in its third season of competition. After claiming second place at Balmoral Show in 2025, the team once again proved their strength and determination by earning another place among the top three clubs.

Courtney McMullan of Moycraig YFC said the achievement was a proud moment for the entire team. "It was a great sense of achievement to be able to pull at Balmoral with all the support from the crowds, but to place in the top three is phenomenal. We've put so much time, work and effort into training and walking away with a medal at Balmoral is the equivalent of winning the Olympics! Personally, I felt so proud of the entire team because tug of war is a real team effort, and everyone put the work in on the day – and it paid off. It's only our third season in the sport, so to have finished second last year and third this year is amazing."

Preparation for the competition began shortly after Christmas, with the team dedicating countless evenings to improving fitness, technique and teamwork.

"We've trained through many dark evenings with car lights shining while we figured out what to do next," Courtney explained. "We use our own homemade pulley system, and even something as simple as tying the rope onto a towbar helped us prepare. We also trained regularly with our men's team, travelling to each other's clubs, and whenever the weather allowed, we headed to Ballycastle beach to take training up another level. Of course, everyone who came was rewarded with an ice cream afterwards – a little bit of bribery never hurts!

A lot of pressure and late nights went into preparing for Balmoral, so it's nice that training has eased off for now."

The celebrations after the competition were well deserved. Travelling home together by bus, the team marked the occasion in style. "We stopped off at McDonald's in Antrim on the way home – it wouldn't be a Young Farmers' event without a McDonald's at the end! We're also planning a BBQ with both our tug of war teams to celebrate properly once everyone's schedules line up."

With the Balmoral medal safely added to the trophy collection, the team has no plans to slow down. Throughout the Summer, they will continue competing at sports nights, agricultural shows and tug of war events across Northern Ireland.

"Any opportunity we can get for a practice or competition, we're there. We've been fortunate enough to finish in the top three at every event so far, so it's great to add another medal to our growing collection. We've still got a few more competitions lined up this summer, and we're looking forward to seeing if we can keep the tradition going, while making plenty more memories together."

With a busy summer of competitions ahead, Moycraig YFC's Ladies' Tug of War team continues to demonstrate that dedication, teamwork and plenty of club spirit are a winning combination.