We are urgently developing research requirements with other European laboratories to make sure we understand and the disease (Schmallenberg) better.Evans and Lexi defeat field and the elements
THE Nursery Season used always to finish with a North v South team championship, but this annual battle has recently been changed into an All-Wales Nursery Championship, in which 15 competitors come forward from each of the Nursery Championships.
The North Wales Championship result was published in the Farmers Guardian last week. This week’s report concerns the selection made on Saturday, December 5, for the 15 to go forward to the All-Wales Championship tomorrow (Saturday,
December 12).
The top five nursery dogs from each of the seven counties of South Wales, met at Treddiog Farm, Mathry, Haverfordwest, in some of the worst weather conditions of recent times. It was fine for about the first two hours and then the cold rain and wind moved in to make a difficult course even harder work.
Coming in at 24, with Lexi, and representing Breconshire, Kevin Evans scored 26 to give him the championship, two points ahead of runner-up and Carmarthenshire caption Nigel Watkins with Jody. Kevin had two dogs in the championship and would have beaten his first score with his second run with Roy had he not retired before penning.
Few complete course
Her outrun was docked just one point, as was the lift. The fetch was five points adrift and driving 13 points. Shedding cost her one point and then, being one of the few to complete the course, she did so with the loss of five points and had a winning total of 26 points.
Nigel Watkins’ Jody was born in July 2007. Jody lost four points on the outrun but had a clean lift before losing 10 on the fetch. Excellent driving over the huge distances was very accurate and cost Jody four points. She then had a clean lift before failing to pen within the time limit.
The course was set as though for a trial with Open dogs. The sheep were let out 400 yards from the handler. Most of the handlers preferred to go to the right, but those who went on the other side were happy to risk their dogs going out of sight if they went right to the top hedge.
These nursery dogs apparently did find it too long an outrun.
In fact, only six dogs had clean outruns, while 14 others lost three points or less.
Having lifted their five sheep, the dogs had plenty of time to straighten up the run before reaching the fetch gates.
Shedding two sheep
The sheep were sent on a left-handed outrun of 180 yards, with the cross-drive approximately 120 yards with the line on the handlers’ side of the fetch gates. The line back to the ring was nearly 200 yards. In the ring, which was on the small side, the dogs had to shed off two sheep from the bunch of five. This stage was accomplished by most handlers but the pen proved a problem. It was not until run 18 that Gerald Lewis with Prince had the first completed run of the day. In all there were only six completed runs.
The time limit was set at 11 minutes and had it been longer the completion of all the runs would not have been possible for the daylight was cut short by descending mist. The last runner of the day, Paul Tomkins with Fynydd Mac, had a real problem with the light, especially as he had to have a re-run.
