Wanganui dogs dominate trials

Hunterville's Guy Peacock, running his 3-year-old dog Frank, won the zigzag hunt at the New Zealand sheep dog trial championship in Masterton on Saturday and paved the way for the Wanganui centre to win the Cyril Perry trophy - making it the most successful centre at the championships.
Bruce Parkinson's Brook won the North Island title in the shorthead and yard, while three other Wanganui triallists were placed just behind him - Kathryn Oliver's Kim, Donald Wickham's Berk, and Don White's Cash.
Parkinson was the first to run in the final for the NZ championship. Brook headed well but had her sheep run away to the left just after they were started down the hill. After more to-and-froing across the hill, Brook had them under control and lost only half a point from the first drive to the pen. It was a brilliant recovery, well deserving of second place.
Don White's Cash was next to go. His sheep were loose on the hill, well controlled on the flat but refused to go in the pen. He finished in seventh place. Kathryn Oliver - who became one of the few, if not the first, woman to run a dog in a NZ heading final - appeared to be on the winning run with Kim until the sheep left the hurdles. On her first and qualifying run, she took the left side of the second drive. As she attempted to do the same, the sheep, after turning toward the pen, changed their minds and went left. Kim was brought round to cover the sheep, then went across the drive and almost out on the right at the end of the drive. Oliver retained her composure and Kim penned them well. The drive cost her five points, taking her back to third .
Don Wickham's Berk, who is the son of Rex Berkahn's Dee, who also ran in the final, had a steady run and showed tight control on the hill. Wickham had to hurry on the drives to maintain control, finishing fourth.
The event was won by Bruce Williams' Card from Taumarunui.
He had to change sides in the first drive but otherwise had a good run. Mark Copeland had his sheep in the pen with what would have been one of the top runs but did not get the gate shut before time and lost all his points for penning. Copeland and Parkinson have both been selected for the NZ test team.
The interest in the longhead was whether the dogs should run outside the rocks on the way out or through the gap. In the final, Graham Wellington's Banjo was the only dog to go through the gap and the only dog to score a full point head at the trial.
In spite of this, he had to settle for second behind the North Island winner Kenny Whittaker's Doc.
Guy Peacock's Frank had full control of his sheep, never deviated from line, and hunted them all the way to blitz the field in the zigzag hunt final.
He won by five points, which is huge margin at a championship.
There were no Wanganui dogs in the straight hunt final, where the sheep were difficult to work. It went to a Taranaki dog Stern run by Dan Murphy.
Results -
LONGHEAD: K Whittaker, Doc, Okaihau, 191,1.5; G Wellington, Banjo, 190.5,2; M Utting, Jack, Gisborne, 189.5, 3; B Bruce, Trump, Hastings, 189.2,4; B Dickson, Nike, Gore, 188, 5; J Butters, Steel, Waikari, 185.5, 6; S Welch, Roy, Martinborough,184.2, 7.
SHORTHEAD AND YARD: B Williams, Card, Taumaranui, 193, 1; B Parkinson, Brook, Raetihi, 191.2, 2; K Oliver, Kim , Raetihi, 190.6, 3; D Wickham, Berk, Wanganui, 189.8, 4; R Berkahn, Dee, Hastings, 177.5, 5; M Copeland, Mary, Ashburton, 166.1, 6; D White, Cash, Taihape, 165.7, 7.
ZIGZAG HUNT: G Peacock, Frank, Hunterville, 194.5,1; G Tomlinson, Tune, Oturehua, 190.5, 2; T Fairweather, Reign, Napier, 190, 3; B Parkinson, Bear, Raetihi, 189.5, 4; A Lower, quilt, Taupo,186.5,5; D Kilmister, Ruby, Masterton, 184.7, 6; G Brown, Ali, Dannevirke, 179.2, 7.
STRAIGHT HUNT: D Murphy, Stern, Stratford, 194.5. 1; G Mc Donald, Beth, Havelock North, 194, 2; M Kennedy, Stram, Wyndham, 191.7, 3; G Dickson, Pound, Hawera, 191..5, 4; B Sparrow, Percy, Wyndham, 184, 5; L Wink, Bear, Waiau, 184, 6; R Webb, Gus, Pahiatua, 148.7.