South Island and NZ Sheep Dog Trial Championships: Results from day three

Contestants watch the action at the South Island and New Zealand Sheep Dog Trial Championships. Photo / Kayla McKenzie Photography

The first of the four titles at the 2023 New Zealand Sheep Dog Trial Championships is expected to be decided today, on the fourth day of the big event at the Warepa Collie Club, near Balclutha in South Otago.

With fine weather since Monday’s first of over 200 runs in the South Championships, from which the seven qualifiers for each of the New Zealand title runoffs are decided, organisers were expecting the zig zag hunt and the straight hunt runs to be completed in time for one of the two hunts runoffs to be held today, with the other on Friday.

At the 3 pm leaderboards call on Wednesday, 208 runs had been completed in the zig zag course and 201 in the straight hunt.

There had been 154 runs in the long head class and 126 in the short head and yard.

A particularly busy end was looming for Lloyd Smith, of Waihemo, inland southwest of Oamaru, with Ted, on both the long head and short head and yard leaderboards.

Smith also has Guide still in the running on the short head and yard course.

Poverty Bay trialist Samantha Shaw, of Matawai, had made a late bid with Rouge and Lottie making it onto the zig zag hunt board.

Shaw was the sole female trialist on the boards towards the end of a day which saw the departure from contention of Canterbury-based Steph Tweed, who in 2019 became the first woman to win a title in more than a century of the New Zealand Sheep Dog Trial Championships

Also tilted off the leaderboards was Steph’s father Roger Tweed, but her uncle, John Tweed remained in the long head running with a dog called Liz, the family all competing out of the Waitahuna club, based about 60km from the championships’ venue.

There was a mix of fortunes for recent North Island title winner David Scragg, of Wairoa, who lost a place on the zig zag leaderboard and had two in the running for straight hunt honours.

The kennel of Fergus McLean, of Omihi, in North Canterbury, was showing some versatility, with Dan on the leaderboard in the short head and yard and Suzie getting trialling into straight hunt contention.

Listen to Jamie Mackay’s interview with Grant McMaster on The Country below:

Commentator Grant McMaster told The Country’s Jamie Mackay that the dog trials were “quite a logistical operation”.

“There are 4000 sheep required for this trial and there are 270 dogs in the hunt, 235 in both the heads - so there’s a lot of movement of sheep between the three properties.”

As every dog had an owner, there were hundreds of humans competing as well, along with all the people behind the scenes making sure the event went off without a hitch, he said.

“You can see that as you go in for breakfast in the morning, they start out about 5 o’clock - the septic tank vehicle comes in, there’s diesel being delivered to fire pots to keep people warm and the various community groups are doing the cooking - they’ve got a menu that you’d get a top restaurant - you’re spoilt for choice.”

McMaster said the whole event should be finished by Friday afternoon, “fingers crossed for the weather”.

He encouraged people to check it out.

“If anybody is around within Southland and Otago - come along to Warepa - it’s a great spectator sport, especially if you haven’t seen it before.”

Leaderboards at 3 pm on day three of the NZ Sheep Dog Trial Championships

Long head (up to run 154): Lloyd Smith (Waihemo), Ted; Ben Manson (Banks Peninsula), Rob; John Tweed (Waitahuna), Liz; Paul Collins (Tahatika), Sky; Neil Evans (Omihi), Tess; Mark Copland (Methven), Don; Michael Lucas (Lowburn), Dixon.

Short head and yard (up to run 126): Shaun Haynes (Bay of Islands), Sue; Lloyd Smith (Waihemo), Guide; Eric Stinger (Kyeburn), Mark; Fergus McLean (Omihi), Dan; Gavin Drake (Mataroa), Baldy; Lloyd Smith (Waihemo), Ted; Ian Stevenson (Omihi), Zac