Sheepdog trials: Taylor scores wins on home ground

This weekend will be a busy time for sheepdog trials.

Wairoa sheep dog triallist Fraser Taylor scored wins on his home club heading and hunt courses as sheep dog triallists enjoyed their annual three-days Hawke's Bay and Poverty Bay indulgence last Thursday-Saturday.

The trials went ahead with little impact from the storm which closed the Napier-Wairoa road for several hours on Thursday, mainly because of flooding nearer Napier, with fine weather during the first day of the Wairoa trials that day.

There was also clear weather for the overlapping day of the Ruakituri trials which started on Friday.

At Wairoa Taylor won the short head and yard with Nell and the straight hunt with Waite, a week after Waite had won the zig zag at Patoka.

Kevin O'Connor won the long head with Joe, and Tom Manson won the zig zag with maiden dog Spud.

Centre president Clark Chrystal continued a good season at Ruakituri where he won the straight hunt with Duke, his fourth winning dog of the season.

The other winners at Ruakituri, which also staged the Poverty Bay championships runoff, were Bob Bryson and Bolt (long head), John MacPherson and Scott (short head and yard) and Samantha Shaw and Breeze (zig zag hunt).

Bryson and Bolt also claimed the centre title, the other PB titles going to Jerry Cook and Jean (short head and yard), Allen Irwin and Buster (zig zag hunt) and Colin Bayliss and Bully (straight hunt).

The Mohaka trials will be held on Saturday and Sunday, in Wairarapa and SHB the Kumeroa trials south of Dannevirke will be tomorrow and Saturday and in Poverty Bay trials will be held tomorrow and Saturday at Waipaoa Station.

RESULTS

Wairoa sheep dog trials last Thursday/Friday:

Long head: Kevin O'Connor, Joe, 95pts, 1; Clark Chrystal, Boyd, 94.5pts, 2; Chris Redmond, Watch, 94pts, 3; Brendon Bishop, Queen, 93.5pts, 4; Dave Wallace, Blue, 93pts, 5. Intermediate: Barney Strong, Trix. Maiden: R Howell, Dice.

Short head and yard: Fraser Taylor, Nell, 94.5pts, 1; Dylan Rofe, Risk, 94.25pts, 2; Clark Chrystal, Boyd, 94pts, 3; Tom Manson, Pip, 92pts, 4; Peter Williams, Guide, 91.5pts, 5. Intermediate: Fraser Taylor, Nell. Maiden: L Reid, Pip.

Zig zag hunt: Tom Manson, Spud, 97pts, 1; Clark Chrystal, Duke, 96pts, 2; Brendon Bishop, 95pts, 3; Fraser Taylor, Lord, 92.5pts, 4; Greg McKinnon, Brick, 92pts, 5. Intermediate and Maiden: Tom Manson, Spud.

Straight hunt: Fraser Taylor, Waite, 95.5pts, 1; Richard Finnie, Kenneth, 95pts, 2; Brent Gallagher, Cruze, 94.5pts, 3; Marty Wolter, Rex, 94pts, 4; Tom Manson, Buck, 93.5pts, 5. Intermediate: Richard Finnie, Kenneth. Maiden: B McHardy, May.