Scragg and a dog called Chook win North Island sheep dog trials title

A bit of family support for Wairoa sheep dog trialist David Scragg and Chook after their win in the North Island zig zag hunt sheep dog trials championships runoff at Lochinver Station on Thursday. Photo / Supplied

A Northern Hawke’s Bay farmer has put some of the Cyclone Gabrielle crisis behind him for a week by winning his first North Island or national sheep dog trials title.

David Scragg won the zig zag hunt runoff with Chook on the fourth day of the North Island championships at Lochinver Station, on the Rangitaiki Plains, between Napier and Taupo, on Thursday.

It was only last year that Scragg reached a runoff at the island or national championships for the first time, finishing runner-up with Flow in the North Island straight hunt championship at King Country station Meringa, where he then finished fifth in the national title runoff won by Wairoa clubmate Ned George and Sprocket.

It was at the Wairoa club trials two years ago that Chook first won a trial for Scragg, as a maiden dog.

Two years earlier, in 2019, wife Rebecca featured in a particularly historic moment in the century-plus history of island and national sheep dog trials championships as one of three women in the South Island zig zag runoff, in which Poverty Bay trialist Jo Waugh became the first woman to win an island or national sheep dog trials championships title.

Chook was one of five dogs Scragg took to the trials at Lochinver, and also expects to have the five at the South Island and National championships starting on May 22 near Balclutha, while Bex Scragg had three on the Lochinver courses but will not be competing in the south.

David Scragg was the only Hawke’s Bay trialist among the seven in Thursday’s zig zag runoff, but the region was represented in all four title runoffs.

The other three titles were decided on Friday, with Mohaka club trialist Tom Manson and Chief fifth in the straight hunt won by Liam Park, of Tokirima (King Country), while Bob Bruce, of Te Aute club, was runner-up in the long head with Ruby, beaten only by North Canterbury trialist Neil Evans, of Omihi, with Smoke, and Waikoau trialist Kevin O’Connor, with Jax, was fourth in the short head and yard runoff won by Waikato trialist Leo Jecentho, of Karioi, with Tess.