Tough conditions were little problem for Jeff Hudd’s dogs

The top performer was Jeff Hudd, who not only won the Nursery Class with Tysswg Ben by a margin of 10 points, but went on to take the top three places in the Novice Trial in which 16 dogs ran.

The Novice winner was Tysswg Queen on 10 points, followed by Tysswg Bonnie in second place with 14 points and Tysswg Ben on 18.

The field was ideal for young dogs. The ground sloped very gently up towards the point of lift, providing an outrun of about 200 metres (225 yards). The course was set for a left-hand first drive and there was a shed before penning.

The main difference of this trial from the previous one was that the ewes now being tupped, were unavailable.

In their place Welsh cross lambs were provided, which proved quite difficult and flighty but, as Jeff Hudd showed in the Novice, good scoring was still possible.

There was another nice field suitable for a Nursery Trial at Carmarthen, provided by Pat Stebbings at Pentrecwrt, Llandysul.

The day was dominated by Nigel Watkins with Jody winning both the Puppy and the Nursery classes with a run in single figures. But it was a close run result, with Mike Hemmings and Mirk just two points adrift.

Nine minutes was allowed for the sheep to be taken on a right-handed first drive, a cross drive of an adequate length and a return to the ring where, after shedding, the sheep were sent through a chute.

Glamorgan trial

There were 37 runs, split between the Novice and the Nursery classes, when the Glamorgan trials moved to Morriston, Swansea and what a day it proved for Mike Edwards. With Spot, he won the Nursery and with Jill he was fifth in the same class. Then he took second place in the Novice with Jill, third with Bob and then fifth with Spot.

The gather was uphill with outruns of about 225 metres (250 yards), there was a short drive to the right followed by a cross drive across the slight slope. On the return to the ring there was a shed before the pen.

The course for Saturday’s Nursery National and for the South Wales class in Ceredigion was one of the largest, with the sheep being let out some 275 metres (300 yards) from the handler, yet almost all the young dogs managed to reach their sheep.

The South Wales class proved unfortunate. Instead of a Maltese Cross there was a race followed by a hoop on the way to the pen, but the gates were probably not wide enough and the fact they were painted white was an added disincentive for the stubborn and usually flighty sheep. So much so that only the winner of this class, I.B. Jones with Nan, got his sheep through the race gates.

Although completed runs were scarce in the National style class, the sheep proved a bit more co-operative as they went around the very long drives. This class was won by Jane Drinkwater with Pip.

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