Sheepdog trials: Hawkes Bay region's triallists take top four titles

Te Pohue station manager Stu McNeill Rimu and his five huntaways are going to the NZ Sheep Dog Championships at Whangara starting May 29. Photo / Warren Buckland

The place of Hawke's Bay and the East Coast in the world of agri-sports was again highlighted with a clean sweep of the four titles at the South Island Sheep Dig Championships in South Otago last week.

The first of the titles won at Wairepa, near Balclutha, were the zig zag run-off by Hawke's Bay Centre triallist and Te Pohue farmer Stu McNeill, and among the other winners was Wairarapa and Southern Hawke's Bay centre competitor David Sheild, of Dannevirke, with Clyde.

The two other titles went to Poverty Bay centre triallists Merv Utting, of Waimata, with Fern in short head and yard, and Allen Irwin, of Whatatutu, with Chase in the straight hunt.

The results, with McNeill and Irwin claiming the first two placings in both hunts - McNeill being runner-up in the straight hunt with Stock and Irwin runner-up in the zig zag with Buster - were a big boost ahead of the North Island and New Zealand championships being hosted by the Poverty Bay centre at Whangara on May 29-June 3.

It will be a busy week, with almost 1000 runs across the four courses, the 499 dogs including a five-strong hunting and heading team run by Hawke's Bay centre president Clark Chrystal, of which two were in the run-off with Ranger at Wairepa, Trix placing fourth and Flynn seventh.

The form of McNeill and his team, which at Whangara will include a rare gathering of five huntaways from the one kennel, extended McNeill's record to seven island and national titles dating back to the North Island and New Zealand championships at Te Aute in 2009, where he won the hunts double, with Shot in the zig zag and kennel Bruce in the straight hunt, the first of the star canine's five titles.

Bruce claimed a unique treble in 2010 with a North Island straight hunt title at Whangara, and the South Island and New Zealand championships zig zag double at Gore, and added one last big title with a second North Island straight hunt title at Ohaeawai in Northland in 2012.

Latest winner Ranger is a son of Bruce, and Stock, aged just 2, is a grandson, McNeill reaping the rewards of commitment and patience of more than two decades of island-hopping, the latest the longest trip of all as he and other North Island trialists negotiated the lengthly detours in place in the top half of the South Island since the Kaikoura earthquake six months ago.

He had to wait a while for success, serving 13 years from his first island or nationals run-off at Ohaeawai in Northland in 1996 to that first win at Te Aute, and there's a firm "plan" about where things are headed this year.

"I'm not interested in getting a dog 24 or 25 points for the season," said McNeill, manager at Rimu Station. "For me it's about the islands and the nationals. Not many qualify five open huntaways, and it is special doing it with your own bred."

It was a long-awaited triumph for Sheild, and Clyde. Sheild, who farms off Pukeatua Rd, south of Dannevirke, and has four dogs entered for the nationals, had reached six previous South Island championships run-offs dating back to 1998, and Clyde was in his fourth South Island championships runoff in five years.

The 74-year-old Utting is no stranger to the honours board, having first reached an island or nationals run-off in 1974, with six New Zealand, and now 11 North or South island titles, and an MNZM last year recognising his contribution to the sport. Irwin had, however, reached just two previous national or island championships run-offs.

The nationals shape as one of the biggest sports events in New Zealand, with 499 dogs entered, meaning almost 1000 runs will take place acros the four courses.

South Island Sheep Dog Trial Championships at Wairepa, South Otago, May 1-5:
Long head: David Sheild (Dannevirke), Clyde, 192.5pts, 1; Howard Ingles (Papakura), Lou, 192pts, 2; Rick Aubrey (Omarama), 191.25pts, 3; Merv Utting (Waimata), Prince, 191pts, 4; Eion Herbert (Tapawera), Storm, 190pts, 5; Merv Utting (Waimata), Fern, 187pts, 6; John Bartlett (Tinui), Honk, 185.25pts, 7.

Short head and yard: Merv Utting (Waimata), Fern, 194.75pts, 1; Eric Stringer (Kyeburn), Grace, 190.75pts, 2; Graeme Dickie (Tuapeka), Bess, 189.5pts, 3; Eion Herbert (Tapawera), Ben, 188.5pts, 4; Neil Evans (Omihi), Tess, 188.25pts, 5; Steph Tweed (Wanganui), Flirt, 183pts, 6; Neville Hore (Tokarihi), 164.5pts, 7.

Zig zag hunt: Stuart McNeill (Te Pohue), Ranger, 193.2pts, 1; Allen Irwin (Whatatutu), Buster, 192.1pts, 2; Murray Child (Maungakaramea), Frank, 191.2pts, 3; Clark Chrystal (Waikoau), Trix, 190.8pts, 4; Paul Collins (Waimate), Butch, 189.5pts, 5; John Caley (Waihemo), 183pts, 6; Clark Chrystal (Waikoau), Flynn, 174.9pts, 7.
Straight hunt: Allen Irwin (Whatatutu), Chase, 194pts, 1; Stuart McNeill (Te Pohue), Stock, 193.25pts, 2; Jock Meehan (Wanaka), 192.5pts, 3; Paul Collins (Waimate), Butch, 190.75pts, 4; Chris Baker (Piopio), Storm, 189.5pts, 5; Leighton Bellringer (Stratford), Boogie, 189pts, 6; Graeme Dickson (Egmont), Bo, 185.25pts, 7.