Sharing the spoils at the Hawke's Bay sheep dog champs

Short head and yard placegetters from left Bob Bruce, Susan(2nd), Cheat (5th), Dave Wallace, Amp (4th), winners Peter Williams and Guide, Dylan Rofe, Risk (3rd) and judge, Gary Walker.

It was almost like a changing of the guard as the 2019 Hawke's Bay Sheep Dog Trial Centre championships were decided at the end of the Tikokino-Olrig trial at the weekend.

All four runoffs were won by trialists who had not won a Hawke's Bay championships title before.

The long head was won by Dave Evans with Prince, the short head and yard by Peter Williams with Guide, the zig zag hunt by Tori Nicholson with Code and the straight hunt Fraser Taylor with 2018 Hawke's Bay Huntaway of the Year Waite.

All four held onto the advantage with which they started the runoffs as winners of the Tikokino-Olrig club titles.

Missing from the championship winners for the first time in four years was centre president Clark Chrystal, who after claiming six centre titles in the last four centre championships' had to settle for fourth with Nell in the straight as his best result on Saturday.

Former national title winner and multiple Hawke's Bay heading dogs champion trialist Bob Bruce also had to settle for the minor money, as runner-up in both the long head and the short head and yard.

Chrystal and Bruce were regning long head and short head and uyard title holders.
The trials at Tikokino were the eighth of 12 in the centre this season, the next being at Petane today and tomorrow, with trialists still amassing points to qualify for the national championships in Northland at the end of May.

Hawke's Bay Sheep Dog Championships and Tikokino Olrig club trials at Tikokino on March 21-23:

Long head: Dave Evans, Prince, (98, 96) 94pts, 1; Bob Bruce, Cheat, (97.5, 95) 192.5pts, 2; Kevin O'Connor, Jax, (96.5, 95.5) 192pts, 3; Rocky Hawkins, Jean, (97, 94) 191pts, 4; Howard Ingles, Pip, (97.25, 52) 149.25pts, 5.

Short head and yard: Peter Williams, Guide, (98, 98.5) 196.5pts, 1; Bob Bruce, Susan, (97.5, 95.75) 193.25pts, 2; Dylan Rofe, Risk, (96.5, 90) 186.5pts, 3; Dave Wallace, Amp, (94.5, 88.5) 183pts, 4; Bob Bruce, Cheat, (97, 65.5) 162.5pts, 5.

Zig zag hunt: Tori Nicholson, Code, (98, 95) 193pts, 1; Fraser Taylor, Waite, (97.5, 94.5) 192pts, 2; Rocky Hawkins, Kane, (97, 94) 191pts, 3; Becs Baynes, Scooby, (96.25, 94) 190.25pts, 4; Mark Murphy, Ben, (96.5, 87) 183.5pts, 5.

Straight hunt: Fraser Taylor, Waite, (97.5, 98) 195.5pts, 1; Becs Baynes, Tom, (97, 98.25), 195.25pts, 2; Dave Scragg, Kate, (96, 95) 191pts, 3; Clark Chrystal, Nell, (95.5, 94) 189.5pts, 4; Micheal McMillan, Bounce, (96.5, 10) 106.5pts, 5.