• Home
• 2024 International Sheep Dog Championships
• International Trial Archive
• Sponsors
• News
• Trials Diary
• Contact

Day 3

TEAM COMPETITION

FIRST PLACE - Ireland 4154 points

SECOND PLACE - Scotland 3944 points

THIRD PLACE - England 3707 points

FOURTH PLACE - Wales 3674 points

YOUNG HANDLER COMPETITION

FIRST PLACE - Claire Somers-Cashen from Ireland with Clare

RUNNERS-UP - Rachel Page-Murdoch, England with Mona, Joe McKenzie, Scotland with Tweedi and Arran Games, Wales with Choc.
 

The top fifteen runs from the first two days run in catalogue order for the Supreme Championship

8.00: It is another foggy morning. Fifteen top class dogs and fourteen different handlers go to the post today. The course has been re-set for the double gather. The first packet will be set out to the far right on lower ground where a fence has been removed. The turn back is to the left. There is a separate set of fetch gates for each fetch. The drive follows similar lines to the qualifier, set as a right hand drive but with greater distance. The handlers' stand has been moved to the right a little but the ring remains in the same place. The sheep for today come from the flock used for the qualifiers, and will have run on the course before.

T1    B O'Brien (I)    LLWYNSARN FLOSS    357 scored in the qualifier.

Barra started well. The dog turned back nicely, hitting the fence on the left and continuing up the field, then dropping below sight. Both fetches looked good. The sheep spread out on the drive away but were re-grouped before the gates. The cross drive passes behind the second fetch gates. At the second drive gates a few sheep slipped round the top. Time was the winner in the end in the shedding ring, after shedding 8 then 2 then 2 more, but one came back.

T21    C McGarry (I)    MEGAN    363

The second run of the day was the first to be completed. Con gave Megan a few extra whistles on the second outrun to take her to the second packet of sheep which were barely visible in this murky light. Both fetches were good. On the drive away the sheep split and Con and Megan had to work hard to keep them together on the cross drive. At the second drive gates one sheep went too high. The sheep were particularly testing in the shed, rejoining after a large chunk had been shed off. One collared ewe kept breaking across until the dog was asked to drive a number of them well away towards the exhaust pen. Finally the shed was completed. At the pen the sheep split round the sides but they managed to finish.

T26    A Owen (W)    LLANGWM CAP    370

This pair too found half the sheep tried to break towards the exhaust pen on the drive away. They were held together. They split along the cross drive, stretching out along the line but all sheep passed through the gates and returned to the ring on a better line than the first two runs. The shedding went well, taking 5 off then 4 then 2 and 2. 3 collared ewes stepped just outside the ring but were brought back and the last sheep shed off. At the pen the sheep were held in the mouth and went in.

T29    J P McGee (I)    GLENCREGG SILVER    396

A completed run for Ireland. Good outruns on both sides. A kink before the first fetch gates was corrected in time. The driving went well, with all gates caught. In the ring the pair managed to trickle the sheep off in quick succession so 12 were soon shed. One more then another, three stepped outside the ring, including the remaining uncollared ewe, which was shed once they were back in the ring. The pen was achieved quickly with no problems to loud applause from home supporters.

T33    M Doherty (I)    MOSS    366

Another completed run for Ireland. The drive away went well but the sheep stretched out a bit on the cross drive. Caught out by the deceptive ground, four sheep went above the gates. They had a wider turn here. The shed was swift. 12 off in one lump followed by 2 more. As with others, the sheep came close to the ring edge and one collared ewe ran out. The shed and the pen were soon completed.

T38    D K Evans (W)    JIMMY    397

A good start to the run. The sheep spread out on the drive away but were bunched before the gates. They made a tight turn here. They stretched out again on the cross drive but were tidied up before the gates and were neatly through with a good turn. In the shed they had a quick 7 followed by 2 more. After a bit another 3 then 1 leaving 2 to take. The bell rang before the shed could be completed.

T44    R D Roper (E)    SPOT    365

A completed run for England. The first lift was not quite straight and Spot needed four commands to put him on the right track for the second outrun. On the drive away the sheep were pushing towards the exhaust pen and dispersed a bit when Spot pushed them back on line, but they were well together by the gates. The cross drive proceeded smoothly until the second half when they turned left and right before passing through the gates. Spot flanked the wrong way initially but this was quickly corrected before too much damage was done. The sheep stretched out on the return drive. For the shed, Dick quickly had 7 off, a few sheep left the ring before the rest were shed off in ones and twos. Just one left to take off at the end. The pen was quick.

T45    A P Gallagher (I)    JIMMY    387

Caught by time in the shed with just one sheep left to split off. They had trouble on the first fetch with the sheep splitting. It took some time to get them to the gates. The dog started tight on the look back and was whistled out but picked up well. The sheep were not moving smoothly on the drive and all bar one went above the cross drive gates. This was the last run of the morning with the course now being prepared for the Young Handlers' Competition.

The young handlers have all had their runs and completed with varying degrees of success. The course used the fetch and drive away gates with the fetch gates being used as a pull through for the second drive gates. The shed required any two sheep to be shed off and the pen completed the course. All handlers tried hard but it was Claire Somers-Cashen of Ireland running Clare who was judged the best. The Wilkinson Sword was presented to John Breen and all the young handlers were commended by J Easton on their performances.

T47    C M Magnusson (S)    MYLLIN DAVEY    367

On the second outrun Mosse stopped the dog and bent it out. They picked up well. The sheep spread out once again on the second fetch but were re-grouped and went on to the drive. There were some turns on the drive away but the gates were caught with a tight turn. Mosse ambitiously shed off a large number in one chunk, mistakenly with a collared ewe amongst them. Realising his mistake, the sheep were returned to the ring. A correct shed was achieved, followed by the pen to give Scotland a completed run.

T49    D M Morrissey (I)    DINA    378

After a delay to the start of their run Dan and Dina were caught by the bell in the shedding ring. On the first outrun Dina stopped at the release pen which is on the dog's right hand side on the first outrun. Called away and sent on Dina found the sheep. They caught all their gates but ran out of time in the ring.

T50    D K Evans (W)    GREG    380

There was little wrong with this run apart from some turning of the sheep early on the first fetch. They completed to give Wales and its supporters another finished run.

T52    J D Wood (E)    SALLY    380

This pair completed their run but not before one collared ewe had run across to the shed ones outside the ring, when only a few remained to be shed. David quickly sorted this out and penned.

T53    J M C McCloskey (I)    SWEEP    406

Sweep turned in early on the first outrun but went out quickly on command to pick up the sheep. For the turn back the dog required an extra command to set it on the right path but again picked the sheep up nicely. Sweep had a good workmanlike manner round the course but ran out of time in the shed.

T55    I M Brownlie (S)    MO    392

A generally good run throughout. Eleven sheep were taken off straight away in the shed then 3 then one.

T56    A D Scrimgeour (E)    FLEECE    374

Last run of the day. As the sheep were turned around the post one of the Suffolk X ewes went for Fleece who defended herself resulting in disqualification.
 

In the pause between the end of trialling and the announcement of the result the driving class has been held, with a representative from each country. John Maginn with Mozz, Aled Owen with Cap, Neil Gillon with Bhoy and James Howard with Wisp. All four put all 50 sheep through the gates but it was not possible to see the line as it went into two dips. James Howard had his sheep nicely bunched on the way up the course and John Maginn who ran first also looked to make a good job of it too.

The full anouncement of the scores is still taking place. This year's Supreme Champions are James McGee and Glencregg Silver for the host nation. The full results with merit points are as follows:

1 James McGee and Glencregg Silver 59 merit points

2 Kevin Evans and Greg 57

3 Mosse Magnusson and Myllin Davey 51

4 Ian Brownlie and Mo 48.5

5 Dick Roper and Spot 40

6 Martin Doherty and Moss 40

7 David Wood and Sally 36.5

8 Con McGarry and Megan 35

9 Aled Owen and Llangwm Cap 27.5

10 Barra O'Brien and Llwynsarn Floss 23

11 James McCloskey and Sweep 20.5

12 Kevin Evans and Jimmy 17

13 Dan Morrissey and Dina 13

14 Aiden Gallagher and Jimmy 8

15 Derek Scrimgeour and Fleece 4

Driving was won by James Howard for England with Wisp

Supreme Summary

The trial was won on the driving and shedding work. All dogs collected their sheep with the outruns not causing any significant problems. The sheep for the final were much easier to work than on day one of the qualifiers and they were generally more respectful of the dogs. Work was required to keep them together on the driving as they tended to spread out and it seemed that often the two packets did not gel, splitting on the driving back into two groups. However, in the ring they were keen to stick together and there were many sheep that ran across or tried to from the shed group back to the ring or vice versa. As one of the BBC Alba team said, they were like biological mercury - drawing back to each other when split apart. The winning run had a great shed, trickling the sheep across from one group to the other until just the five collared ones remained. Glencregg Silver attracted attention at the World Trial and has gained some more admirers here.