Scotland: Roddy and Jim’s Aberfeldy victory

The Texel cross gimmers generally well behaved, although inclined to gather speed on the fetch, and it was not easy to keep them on line. They were also not afraid of facing up to the dog at the pen.

Roddy sent Jim to the top of the steep hill face and he lifted the packet from the ridge at the top without any difficulty. Some dogs struggled at that point, lacking the positive impact to move the sheep. Jim brought them down the gateless fetch with minor wavers of the line, hard to correct in sheep running downhill, at speed.

The drive was good with neat turns and again, minor wavers of line, but Jim made a fine job of the close work and achieved a clean pen and shed, giving him a comfortable lead.

Outbye clincher

Outbye work separated the runners-up, Ian Brownlie’s Boredale Gus and Andy Carnegie’s Lark. Gus started out well, lost a little on the drive and penned cleanly. As the separation was made at the shed, one gimmer faced up to him, putting earlier good work in jeopardy, but judge Peter Martin decisively ruled in favour of accepting the split.

Lark also started out very well, but one stubborn gimmer made work for her on the fetch.

The sheep came fast round Andy’s feet and it took a little time to put them on line for the drive away, but clean work at hand, balanced out earlier difficulties.

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