Chicken farmer wins sheep dog championship title

Awaiting the short head and yard runoff yesterday from left Dave Wallace, of Waikoau, winner Laurie Horsfall, of Mangaroa, near Hastings, and runner-up Neville Child, of Northland. Photo / Paul Taylor

Someone called him "the bloody chicken farmer" but at the end of the day he was the local hero.

That was Laurie Horsfall, of Mangaroa, near Hastings, as the North Island Sheep Dog Championships at Te Aute yesterday went to the last moments of the fifth and final day before coming up with a Hawke's Bay win.

It was a case of possibly smallest kid on the block as Horsfall and trusty lone championships entry Raid claimed the short head and yard title, for unlike most of the others, who collectively brought more than 450 dogs to the four classes of the championships, 65-year-old Horsfall is not the regular sheep farmer one imagines of the top sheep dog trialists.

He has less than 11 hectares, and farms just 100 sheep. But he does have 70,000 chickens.

It had been a wait of more than a quarter-century since his only previous North or South Island or national championships runoff, a North Island long head third placing at Moawhango in 1992.

It had also been a long wait during the week with Horsfall holding on to his place on the leaderboard since Tuesday, to qualify in second place, and just holding out to beat Northland hope and best runoff performers Neville Child and Rod.

It was a big day for Child, who having run late on Thursday afternoon had to wait until the top seven were named yesterday to find out whether he would be in the runoff, along with son Stuart Child and Mitch.

Rod was the last son of the late Deal, with which Child won his only national title at Omarama in 2006, Mitch was another offspring, and Deal also had a grandson in the runoff.

Like most of the others, Child is off to the national championships starting near Blenheim on May 28, celebrating 50 years of Tux sponsorship, possibly the longest-running sponsorship of any sports event in New Zealand.

But there's an extra need for Child, 67, whose one championship-winner's tie was stolen when someone smashed the window of the truck and took all his clothing outside a Hutt Valley motel en route to last year's South Island championships.

"You can't buy one, you can't just get one, it only comes with hard work and winning a national title," he said yesterday, wearing a borrowed tie.

There was a Hawke's Bay link to the short head and title won yesterday by 28-year-old Hamish Linton, who grew-up on Tautane Station in Central Hawke's Bay when his father was manager.

Now stock manager at Siberia Station, Hunterville, Linton and lone championships hope Kip, now eight years old and with him since he first competed five years ago, qualified in first place and had the best runoff to win by the wide margin of 5.5 points from South Island hope Mark Copland, of Methven, and his dog Zoe.

Taranaki farmer Mark Duffy won both Huntaway titles on Thursday.

Results from finals on the last day of the 2018 Tux North Island Sheep Dog Trials held at Te Aute on May 7-11:
Long head: Hamish Linton (Kaitieke), Kip (97.5, 94.5) 192pts, 1; Mark Copland (Methven), Zoe, (95.5, 91) 186.5pts, 2; Gavin Drake (Omatane-Kauwhatau), Clyde, (95, 90.5), 185.5pts, 3; Bob Bruce (Te Aute), Jaco, (96.5, 87.5) 184pts, 4; Lloyd Bishop (Mangaehu-Stratford), Range, (94.5, 84.5) 179pts, 5; Paul Evans (Ohingaiti), Bryte, (94.75, 83.5) 178.25pts, 6; John MacPherson (Ruakituri), (96, 72.5) 168.5pts, 7.
Short head and yard: Laurie Horsfall (Te Aute), Raid, (97.25, 94.75) 192pts, 1; Neville Child (Maungakaramea), Rod, (96, 95) 191pts, 2; Henry Gaddum (Ruakituri), Ming, (96.75, 93.75), 190.5pts, 3; Roger Tweed (Waitahuna), Price, (97.75, 91.5) 189.25pts, 4; Stuart Child (Te Anga), Mitch, (96.25, 91.25), 187.5pts, 5; Bernard Arends (Makotuku), Kaine, (95.75, 89.5) 1856.25pts, 6; Dave Wallace (Waikoau), Slug, (97.5, 62) 159.5pts, 7.