We are urgently developing research requirements with other European laboratories to make sure we understand and the disease (Schmallenberg) better.Home-reared Spot clinches Emma’s first championship
EMMA Gray won her first championship title on Sunday when she took the Northumberland League nursery championship with Spot, while the trial winners were Geoff Pringle and Mist.
The venue of this seventh and final trial was changed to Seahouses, where the course was clear of the snow which had caused the cancellation of three of the 10 scheduled trials.
Running was on good to manage Texel-cross hoggs over a flat field with a 250-yard gather. Gordon Thompson judged both the trial entry of 10 and the concluding championship of six contenders.
In the trial, Emma and Spot took the lead with run four, gaining 84 of 100 points.
They stood top until, with the last run, Geoff and Mist pulled ahead. After good outfield work Mist had difficulty at the pen losing half of her points. However, she finished with a nice shed to score 88 and take her first nursery title with a clear four-point lead.
Because of the depth of snow at her home, Mist had not been to sheep since before Christmas. In two minds whether to go to the trial, Geoff had put her round the sheep that morning and decided to go. The break proved no detriment to her performance.
“She is a tremendous listener,” said Geoff. Mist was bred in April 2007 by Gordon Thompson out of Gill and sired by his Kyle.
In the championship, running was on five hoggs instead of four, the driving was the opposite way to the left, after the outfield work there was a shed before the pen, and finally a single.
Emma and Spot, who were drawn to run third, had a very good start, but slipped two sheep at the last drive obstacle. Apart from a break at the pen, their work at hand was good and they finished with a score of 99 of 110 points.
Next to run were Geoff and Mist.
Their outrun and lift were not as good, yet they had an excellent drive. However, points lost at hand put them on 95 and, with a reversal of fortunes, they were the runners-up to Emma and Spot.
Shepherdess work
Young Emma, who works as a shepherdess and has recently taken a tenancy on a small farm, is competing in only her third season of trialing. She has reared Spot from a pup. He was bred in September 2007 by A. Owen of Llangwm Farm, Corwen, out of Telyn and sired by F.V. Roberts’ Spot.
Scott Smith and Nap were the clear winners of the League aggregate. Placed in every trial, their three wins – one second, two thirds and one fourth placing - amounted to 34 points to put them 10 ahead of Colin Balmbro and Cap in second place. Nap was home-bred in October 2007 out of his master’s Jess and sired by Paul Turnbull’s Mirk.
Chloe Cropper and Gilly took their third win of the season on Saturday at the Holme nursery, held at Clough Head, Haslingden, where Tom Lawrenson judged the entry of 28.
Set on rough pastureland, the gently rising roomy course was gathered mainly to the left as there was a steep hillside on the right.
Running was on mixed gimmer hoggs which could be unpredictable and at times would question the dogs.
Driving was to the right with a long cross-drive and, as the sheep were reluctant to be penned, the majority of competitors ran out of time before completing their course.
With an early run at number four, Chloe and Gilly set a standard which couldn’t be matched.
Shortly after the rough-coated dog set off on his left-hand gather, his sheep ran back to the gateway through which they had been released.
Undeterred, Gilly lifted them from the gateway and settled them as they came down the fetch. Four marks were deducted for line deviations down the fetch and three from the first leg of the drive.
Gilly took charge of his hoggs and, although at times one kept trying to break, he calmly covered it and put it back to the others.
Although the correct line was difficult to judge, he had a very good cross-drive, losing just a single point along with a further point lost from the return.
At the pen, that same sheep kept testing Gilly but gradually he secured all three hoggs with a loss of three points to score 78.
Nearest contender
At 22, John Wood’s Jim was his nearest contender. With a similar run around the field but losing five at the pen - the only other dog in the prizes to pen – he was the runner-up on 77.
Bred in April 2007 by Colin Birkett, of Carnforth, out of Molly, Gilly was sired by Alastair Gilchrist’s Mac.
At the Fylde nursery held at Caton, Andy Jackman judged the entry of 31. Running was over a nice course with a fetch of about 200 yards which dipped before rising uphill to the lift.
A wall corner along with both rising and undulating ground on the left, resulted in all but two dogs taking the more straightforward right-hand gather.
Some packets were made up of three Lonk hoggs, while others had a Texel cross Lonk included.
Although testing, the sheep were manageable, though the cross-bred hoggs tended to be more flighty.
At 16, Tim Longton set the standard with Kim gaining 79 of 90 points, but was pushed into second place when John Palmer ran Sly at number 20. Sly had a good start with a clean right-hand gather before losing a single point from his lift.
Forever pulling to the left, the sheep were hard to bring down the fetch and Sly lost five points for deviations.
He had a controlled drive, dropping four points before finishing clean at the pen to take his seventh title with a score of 80.
Sly was bred in June 2007 by John Roberts, of Farnhill, out of Jan, and by his Glen.
