Hawke’s Bay Sheep Dog Trial Championships ready to roll at Petane

The last Petane sheepdog trials at Ahuriri Station were two years ago. This weekend they include the Hawke's Bay championships. Photo/ Warren Buckland

It’ll be straight into business as about 150 dogs run in the Hawke’s Bay Sheep Dog Trial Championships starting on Friday at Petane, the first Hawke’s Bay club trial of the 2022-2023 season and only the second nationwide.

With the entries meaning an early start, 6.30am for the heading runs, there’ll be days of 11-12 hours on both Friday and Saturday at Ahuriri Station, north of Napier, as the Petane Sheep Dog Trial Club’s annual trials sort out the top five in each class for the championships runoffs on Sunday morning, from 8am.

It’ll be a big weekend for the Petane club, its trials back on the go after three cancellations in the past decade – a consequence of a drought 10 years ago, the first Covid-19 lockdowns in March 2020 and, again for pandemic reasons, in December last year. It was able to stage a 2020 event after rescheduling its date from March to December.

The championships are rotated around the centre year by year and were held last year at Te Pohue, where Bob Bruce landed his 11th centre-long head championship. He and bitch Susan getting their partnership onto the honours board for a third time, having won the long head title the previous season at Taradale and the short head and yard at Tikokino in 2020.

The pair will be back again, as will other defending champions Rocky Hawkins and Jean (short head and yard), Ned Gorge and Kruger (zig zag hunt) and Mark Loye and Stone (straight hunt).

Wairoa trialist George will also have 2022 national title partner Sprockett, while at least two other 2022 island title partnerships, in Raupunga’s Tom Manson and Buck, and Southern Hawke’s Bay veteran Bernard Arends and Parker are among the entries.

It’s also the start of the points-gathering exercise to qualify for the 2023 New Zealand championships in Otago, while a special attraction for Hawke’s Bay trialists this season is the proximity of the North Island championships in May, hosted by the Waikato centre at Lochinver Station, just 110km from Napier on State Highway 5, near Rangitaiki.

Key dates for Hawke’s Bay trialists during the season are:

Hawke’s Bay - December 9-11, Hawke’s Bay Championships, Petane; January 27-28, Waikoau; February 3-4, Waimarama/Maraetotara/Elsthorpe; February9-10, Omakere; February 17-18, Te Pohue; February 24-25, Takapau; March 3-3, Patoka; March 9-10, Wairoa; March 17-18, Tikokino; March 25-26, Mohaka; March 31-April 1, Okawa; April 14-15, Taradale; April 21-22, Te Aute.

Wairarapa-Southern Hawke’s Bay - January 28-29, Tinui; February 3-4, Alfredton; February 10-11, Pahiatua-Makuri; February 17-19, Kapiti-West Coast; February 24-25, Akitio; March 2-3, Weber; March 3-4, Dannevirke; March 10-12, Wairararap-SHB Championships, Wainui Valley; March 17-18, Kumeroa; March 24-24, East Coast (Porangahau); March 31-April 1, Makotuku; April 16-17, Martinborough; April 21-22, Masterton.

Others in the wider region - March 10-11, Ruakituri; March 10-11, Taupo; March 24-25, Moawhango; April 13-15, Poverty Bay Championships, Waingake.

Island and National championships: May 1, North Island Championships, Lochinver Station, Rangitaiki; May 22, South Island and New Zealand Championships, Warepa Collie Club, Otago.