WORKING DOGS: Dean and Jip’s flying start clinches Trawden triumph

Running over a flat green pasture, the grass was a welcome sight after several weeks of snow-covered ground. Each of the 34 entries judged by Michael Longton had a fresh packet of three Mule gimmer lambs. Dogs were gathering either hand, but released from right, the sheep could pull back to the holding pen.

They were handled with respect over the course provided, and the hoggs ran consistently well, giving each competitor a fair chance. However, at the pen they could be awkward and several good outfield runs were spoilt by failure to finish.

First to the post, Robin and Jip set a standard which was not matched. Gathering left-handed, Robin gave Jip an extra command at the top of the field to ensure he covered his sheep which had moved off to the right. One point was deducted from his outrun but his lift was clean.

Jip had to work to put his sheep on line, losing three marks for deviations down the fetch of 250 metres. After a good turn he could not be faulted over the first leg of the right-hand drive.

A slightly wide turn into the crossdrive, a couple of stops along slight deviations cost a total of five marks from the remaining two sections of driving.

Although Jip never allowed a break, he had to work hard to persuade his sheep to pen, and with two points lost at this final task, he scored 79 out of 90.

With the penultimate run, James Dewhurst and Nan were his closest contenders. They had a tremendous start with only one point lost as they turned to drive. With eight points dropped throughout the driving and five going at the pen they were the runners up.

George Hodkinson, of Chipping, bred Jip in March 2008 out of Kim, a daughter of Robin’s Roy, and he was sired by his master’s Kit.

Quick progress

Once he settled, he progressed quickly, winning his first nursery in November at the Fylde trial held at Littledale. On Saturday, he took his second title.

Due to the snow the Holme nursery on Saturday was moved to the lower ground of Walmsley Fold Farm at Brindle. With a fetch of about 250 metres, the gather was downhill over undulating ground.

Running was on Texel store lambs which were difficult over the outfield and hard to pen.

Tim Longton set the standard with Kim, and going left-handed, Kim dropped one point from her gather and one from her lift. The windy conditions made hearing hard for the dogs, yet Kim managed her hoggs down the fetch.

At the last moment, however, they dodged around the obstacle.

Eight points were deducted from her fetch. Kim had a slightly wide turn into the left-hand drive and after the first drive obstacle, yet she kept good control of her sheep throughout her driving, to lose just four marks.

Several breaks at the pen cost a further four points but gave her the winning score of 72. Running a little later, her kennel-mate Bob almost matched her score.

He dropped more points over his fetch and driving but had a better pen to be the runner up on 71. Tim bought Kim towards the end of last season’s nurseries from Greg Wareing, of Skipton.

She was bred by Greg in April 2007 out of his Kim, and sired by his own dog, Bob.

After winning at Fylde in late November, this was her second title.

Larger course

Norman Ireland judged an entry of 40 dogs at the Whitbeck open and novice held on Sunday, near Millom. Running was on the same field as the Windermere nursery the previous week, but the course was slightly larger.

Although manageable, the Swaledale hoggs were testing and tricky to pen.

With run 15, Jim Cropper won the open class with Fleet.

With three marks going for deviations over the fetch, just one lost from the driving and one dropped at the pen, their score of 85 took the title by one point from the runners-up Arthur Temple and Meg.

Four-year-old Fleet was bred by J.B. Fothergill of Hawes out of Gail, and sired by John Harrison’s Calderdale Jim.

First to the post, Richard Hutchinson, gained 81 points with Sweep, a score which took fifth place in the open and also gave them their first novice win. Sweep was homebred in November 2007 out of his master’s Lyn, and by his Wenndale Roy.

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