We are urgently developing research requirements with other European laboratories to make sure we understand and the disease (Schmallenberg) better.Bryn Davies and Cap on top in the All Wales Nursery Championship
THE Welsh Nursery Season ends with the All Wales Nursery Championship and it was the turn of the North Wales Sheepdog Society to host the event in which 15 dogs each from the North and the South competed.
The 2009 Nursery Champion with a score of 11 points lost was Bryn Davies’ Cap from North Wales, with Nigel Watkins’ Jody second on 12 points.
Representing the north and south, the two judges started their work at 9.30am and finished just as it was getting dark. The trial was staged on land on Eryl Morris’ Ddol Canpunt Farm, Chirk, and fortunately the weather stayed dry, but cold. As usual the large crowd included some overseas spectators.
The flattish field had a river on the right-hand side but it was out of sight. It was suggested the threat of fog had prompted the organisers to shorten the course, rather than risk losing some runs, but in the event the fog kept away and all 30 runs were able to take place.
The outrun was reduced to about 180 metres (200 yards) and most handlers chose to send their dogs out to the right.
Shedding
In the shedding ring, one of the two sheep shed off had to be the one with a collar. The sheep were Welsh Mountain ewes, which were generally excellent, giving every dog an equal chance.
Worked in groups of four, the sheep did not like being pressed and responded better to dogs that held off.
If rushed, the ewes could be troublesome. In the case of dogs from the North, they not only had to match the age limit but none of them was allowed onto a course before the nursery season started.
The champion by just a single point was Cap with Bryn Davies. Cap had a good shape to his outrun and lift though slight variations off line lost him three in the fetch and five in the driving. The shed cost two and the pen one more.
The runner-up was Jody with Nigel Watkins. Of the first three elements of her run Jody lost only two in the fetch. A wobble just before the first drive gate resulted in one sheep not going through the obstacle. Jody had some trouble in the driving and lost nine points before one more went in the ring before a clean pen.
Like many others Gwynfor Owen’s Ross in third, had a clean start and lost four fetch points up to the turn into the drives. Ross had a tendency to upset the sheep a bit, losing six in the driving and four in the ring before a clean pen.
Fourth place went to I.B. Jones with Taff on 14.5 points. Stopping short at the top lost Taff three points but he lifted cleanly, though he did not find the straightest line while fetching, losing four points and another 4.5 driving. Two more went in the shed and a slight slide past the entrance cost one more.
With the best driving of the top six dogs E. Wyn Edwards was fifth with Maggie, which lost a disastrous six points at the pen and completing the top six, thanks to the OLF rule, G.LI. Jones’ Daniel had a clean outrun and lift, losing three in the fetch and 12 in the driving. He shed cleanly and lost one at the pen.
The team prize went to South Wales on 232.5 points against North Wales’ 236.5.