Child among top dogs at championships

Murray Child with his eye dog Dice (left) and huntaway Frank. Photo / File

Top Northland dog triallist Murray Child, of Maungakaramea, had to settle for second place at the Tux North Island and New Zealand Sheep Dog Championships at Whangara near Gisborne.

He and his champion bitch Dice were beaten in the long head event, judged by Rob Hastie, of Kaiwaka, scoring 97.5 but going down by half a point to Paul Evans and Bryte from Ohingaiti on 98.

Evans, who according to the New Zealand Sheep Dog Trial Association website archives had never won a North or South island title nor a national championship, had - also with Bryte - been sixth in the North Island event last year.

Murray's brother Neville Child, of Maungatapere, and his dog Rod were placed seventh in the long head at the weekend with 95.75.

Murray and his huntaway Frank were also runners-up in the straight huntaway with their 96.5 score again half a point behind Vaughan Marfell and Torque from Masterton on 97. Frank won the New Zealand straight huntaway title in 2013.

Murray and Dice won the long head at the North Island championships at Eltham last year, when they took sixth place in the short head and yard.

This year Nelson-Marlborough dog triallist and national representative Eion Herbert and his well-performed Storm blocked a North Island clean sweep of island and national sheep dog titles this season by winning the short head and yard title.

Storm has been one of the form dogs in New Zealand in recent seasons, helping Herbert to a national long head title in 2014, in a island and nationals career that dates back more than 30 years, and at Whangara formed a South Island quinella with Waimate triallist Paul Collins and his titles hope, Tilly.

Herbert was in the four-man national dog trials team captained by Murray Child which retained the Wayleggo Cup in transtasman tests against Australia last year.

Results were:

Long head: Paul Evans, Bryte, Ohingaiti, 98pts, 1; Murray Child, Dice, Maungakaramea, 97.5pts, 2; Dave Stuart, Gyp, Rangiwahia, 97pts, 3; Graeme Wellington, Murphy, Parapara-Makirikiri, 96.5pts, 4; Roger Tweed, Price, Waitahuna, 96.25pts, 5; Bob Bruce, Cheat, Te Aute, 96pts, 6; Neville Child, Rod, Maungatapere, 95.75pts, 7.

Short head and yard: Eion Herbert, Storm, Tapawera, 98pts, 1; Paul Collins, Tilly, Waimate, 97pts, 2; Merv Utting, Prince, Poverty Bay, 96pts, 3; Stuart Miller, Tess, Glenroy, 95.75pts, 4; Rick Aubrey, Toby, Omarama, 95.5pts, 5; Leo Edginton, Skip, Tolaga Bay, 95.25pts, 6; Brent Mathews, Reef, Makotuku, 95pts, 7.

Zig zag hunt: Simon Prouting, Vince, Weber, 98pts, 1; Dave Stuart, Gus, Rangiwahia, 97.75pts, 2; Gerard Brown, Tempo, Dannevirke, 97.5pts, 3; Trevor Rumbal, Thug, Taumarunui, 97.25pts, 4; Chris Baker, Storm, Piopio, 97pts, 5; Leo Edginton, Gavin, Tolaga Bay, 96.75pts, 6; Troy MacDonald, Jude, Putaruru, 96.5pts, 7.

Straight hunt: Vaughan Marfell, Torque, Masterton, 97pts, 1; Murray Child, Maungakaramea, 96.5pts, 2; Colin Bayliss, Guss, Ngatapa, 95.5pts, 3; Brad Bielski, Maximus, Eltham-Tukau, 95.25pts, 4; Graeme Dickson, Bell, Egmont, 95pts, 5; Graeme Dickson, Maude, Egmont, 94.5pts, 6; Brian Sparrow, Bones, Greenvale, 93.5pts, 7.