Dog trials: Child guides NZ to Wayleggo Cup defence

The New Zealand team which successfully defended the Wayleggo Cup at Taupo last weekend. From left, Murray Child and Dice (Maungakaramea), Leo Edginton and Deal (Gisborne), Eion Herbert and Storm (Nelson), Merv Utting and Prince (Gisborne) and Graham White, the New Zealand Sheep Dog Trial Association president.

Several Far North shepherds were in Taupo last weekend battling it out at the Tux Yarding Challenge and Handy Dog event which, this year, was held in conjunction with the annual transtasman test for the Wayleggo Cup.

Local sheepdog commentator Merv Cameron said the standout in the Taupo leg of the Tux series was Far North ex-pat Leo Jecentho who really "poured it" on by getting three dogs in the final and placing first, third and fifth with them.

"A tremendous effort," said Cameron, noting Jecentho's Smoke was near faultless with 99 points ahead of runner-up Bob Bruce and Cheat, then Jecentho's Scott third and Australian Grant Cooke sneaking into fourth with a great effort.

A strong number of Northlanders competed at the event where 220 dogs were put through their paces. Other Northlanders to make the finals were Whangarei's Owen Finlayson with King, Maungakaramea's Murray Child and Boy, and his brother Neville with Dick.

Murray Child also led the New Zealand team to victory in the Wayleggo Cup thanks to a couple of standout performances from his classy bitch Dice which included claiming the best score on day two with 93.5 points.

New Zealand eventually claimed the cup for the fourth consecutive year with a winning margin of 657.25 points to Australia's 584.25. This made it 15-9 in New Zealand's favour overall since the challenge was first established in 1994.

Child said both tests held on Saturday and Sunday were "quite close" and were run on a course featuring two Australian-type carries and two New Zealand-styled drives. He also admitted the Kiwis held a distinct advantage in the event, because of the nature of the Australians' trialling (in being held in arenas rather than the showground-styled affairs used here) and the dogs' working environments across the ditch.

Meanwhile, Cameron noted the weather in Taupo for both days was miserable which meant the sheep were not happy and behaved accordingly.

Another to standout there was Laura Geering with Prince from the Te Akau area.

Frequently seen competing in sheep dog trials in the Far North, the pair delivered a giant-killing effort in the lead up to the test matches (contested in the same format as the Wayleggo Cup run over two days for both test team and the "rank and file").

Geering went on to win that event with a remarkable 97 point effort, holding off New Zealand reps Merv Utting and Lee Edgington in the process. Cameron described the result as "quite outstanding" considering the Englishwoman had only been trialling for five years; it showed she had done a fantastic job getting Prince up to speed over that period so that he could now cut it with the best.

"Prince worked a dream and the 97 points awarded was richly deserved," said Cameron.
Both Murray Child and Geering will compete at the Kaitaia leg of the Tux Yarding Challenge series at the local A&P Showgrounds from December 8-9. Cameron wondered whether the local brigade could prevent the pair from repeating the success they had enjoyed at the Far North event over the past few years.