Hawke's Bay competitors have got off to a good start in the search for 2017 North Island and New Zealand sheep dog trial titles with places on three of the four first-day leaderboards at the annual championships at Pouawa, near the East Coast settlement of Whangara.
Former Hawke's Bay centre president Bob Bruce, who won a North Island title at Ohaewai in Northland five years ago, was into the long head top-seven with Cheat, and three trialists and dogs from the Bay were on the board in the short head and yard, which had a late start because of wet conditions after overnight rain. They are Graeme Ryder with Skip, Laurie Horsfall with Raid, and Chris Edmond with Rose.
Rocky Hawkins, with Kane, and Sam Bishop, with Cody, survived in the top seven in the zig zag hunt, but no Hawke's Bay entries were on the straight hunt leaderboard at the 4pm call, by which time the weather had cleared.
A star performer was host-territory hope Merv Utting, who was awarded an MNZM in the Queen's Birthday Honours last year for his services to sheep dog trials, and who at the age of 73 had dogs on the leaderboard in both long head and the zig zag hunt.
The top seven in each class of the North Island championships runs which end on Friday qualify for the New Zealand Championships runoffs on Saturday.
