The International supreme sheepdog trial at Castle Howard, near York was a triumph for two Celtic nations, with Skye’s Seumas Campbell winning the brace for Scotland with Bell and Queen, while a hat-trick of three Welsh handlers took the top three places in the supreme.
It was a close thing for supreme champion, Dewi Jenkins and Jock, who won the prestigious title with a two point lead after a testing qualifying round and a challenging supreme.
Wales also won the team prize, based on scores from the qualifying round, as well as the Young Handler’s award.
The supreme course was set on a downhill slope, levelling out at the bottom. The first outrun was to the right and 10 Aberfield cross Highlander ewes were lifted, brought up and through a set of fetch gates, after which they were abandoned and the dog sent to look back out to the left, which took considerable persuasion for some due to the sheep being out of sight near rough ground, accessed from behind a line of trees.
Once the second 10 sheep were fetched through the gate, the two batches were united, driven round the handler, away and across the second leg. The cross drive gate was not easily judged and most handlers ensured the sheep were fully through, before letting the dogs turn them back to the shedding ring, so turns tended to be wide there.
In the ring, 15 plain sheep were shed off and the remaining five collared ewes penned. The ewes generally behaved well on the course but proved more testing at hand.
The 2022 International Champions, ran 10th of the day, reflecting their original order in the qualifying catalogue; a number of good runs had already been seen.
Dewi Jenkins’ Jock ran out with one supportive command to reach his sheep, and kept a good line to, and through, the fetch gate to deposit them there. He took two tellings to go back for the second packet, but managed it well. That fetch was not as neat and flowing as the first, but Jock (D Jenkins’ Moss, M Morgan’s Jill) put his sheep through, re-grouped them calmly, turned them neatly round Dewi and drove them away.
His drive went well, with just the common, slightly wide turn out of the cross drive gate. The shed went very smoothly, with three good sized packets and one individual peeled off. At the pen, Dewi and Jock worked together, stopped attempted breakaways and secured the last five sheep to a rousing cheer from the appreciative audience for a supreme winning run of 563pts.
Judge, Davie Wallace said, “Dewi did tremendously well to qualify with a very difficult packet and man and dog worked together again in the Supreme, to make a very good job of keeping one ewe in the pen while she was determined to break. He worked well at the shed and came to the pen, having had a very good run, so he was under a lot of pressure to pen to win the Supreme – it’s not easy to stay calm under that sort of pressure.”
Final outfit to the post was Welsh captain, Aled Owen, the man with the astonishing record of having won the International in all four home nations. He went forward, paired with Llangwm Bud and started out very well. Bud (A Owen’s Llangwm Cap and Burndale Bess) had a beautiful outrun and lift, put his sheep through the gate, and although Aled had his work cut out persuading him to look back for the second packet, Bud brought them up, through the fetch gate and united the two lots. They went round Aled, away and through the first drive gate, but then the ewes stopped. Bud got them moving, put them nicely across the course and through the gate. The shed went well, in three cuts and a successful pen completed the run in second place, with 561, only two points short of Jock.
Penultimate runners of the day, Rob Ellis with Bran became the third of the winning Welsh triumvirate. Bran (M Healy’s Bryn-Yr-Orsedd Vic and Speck) needed no encouragement to find his sheep, although he went out of sight for a time, en route. Once he had them through the fetch gate, he needed considerable coaxing to look back, but went out, found them and fetched them back up and through the gate. Bran joined up both lots, and drove round and away. His turns were a little wide, but otherwise the drive went well. After a good packet were shed off, some left the ring and Rob had to be on his guard for a collared ewe hoping to be sent away and a plain one offering to stay! The pen was equally tense, with only five minutes left on the clock and one ewe trying to break, but Bran put them in; Rob shut the gate and the crowd cheered for another Welsh success, awarded 541pts.
Running 13th, were Neil McVicar and Baledmund Pete, one of two Scottish outfits in the supreme. Neil whistled Pete (IM Brownlie’s Boredale Gus, J Menzies’ Baledmund Jess) out on his outrun; he responded, found his sheep and although he had to realign them before they went through the fetch gate, he put them through.
Pete was reluctant to go back for the second lot, but with encouragement from Neil, he got there. Again, the line wavered before they went through the gate, but they went through and the steward turned the first packet back for Pete to gather up. He drove them away and round the course with slightly wide turns, but an excellent shed saw eleven ewes peeled off and a second cut of four completing the job. The pen took no more than a minute and the run earned 502 pts, and fourth place.
Eleventh dog of the day, Llion Harries’ Preseli Fly needed repeated commands to reach his sheep, but got his gate, and after losing time on his look back, fetched the second packet through the gate and united the sheep. Fly’s (R Games’ Roy and Groesfaen Jet) drive started well, with a very good turn through the first gate, but again slightly wide from the cross drive gate. A good first cut of nine sheep started the shed well, and the rest went in smaller numbers. One ewe played hard at the pen, but once Fly put them in and Llion shut the gate, the audience applauded their successful perseverance and judges awarded them 501 pts, ranked fifth.
Much earlier, fifth to run, Neil Gillon and Boss achieved the first completed run of the day. Boss (S Perellio’s Murgia Jim, R Hutchinson’s Denwyn Moya) ran out without urging, but missed his first fetch gate. It took four whistles to get Boss back for his second packet, but he got them through the fetch gate. On the drive, approaching the first gate, the ewes spread out, but Boss bossed them through the gate; he took them across to the next gate and out, with a wide turn, to the shedding ring. With four ewes shed, they threatened to rejoin, but Neil and Boss worked on, kept them out and continued to peel sheep off in cautious numbers. With 13 ewes shed off, and two plain sheep left, Neil was taking off the penultimate one, only for her to rejoin, but luckily, before she left the ring.
Eventually – with no help from the sheep – the last two were cut off one by one. With less than two minutes left, Neil and Boss penned with 30 seconds left on the clock and 496 pts in the bag, putting them into sixth place.
Seumas Campbell wins the brace
Seumas Campbell won the brace with Bell and Queen (RJ Hutchinson’s Jock, I Wilkie’s Floss) on what was only their second brace trial, following their first attempt which won the Scottish National.
Bell (S Campbell’s Mirk and Lass) went out without command but Seumas planned to give Queen a whistle as she approached an awkward clump of trees, and they found their sheep and fetched them on a good line but the ewes slipped by the gate. After turning round the post, like other packets before them, they made a dash on the drive and slipped the gate. Once settled, the cross drive was better and the ewes went through the gate. Queen made an excellent shed and Seumas arranged to take them off furthest from the first pen, which proved to be a good idea. Queen eventually penned after a foiled attempt, Bell gathered up her sheep and penned perfectly and both dogs added Brace Champions to their credit.
Nine-year-old Bell previously qualified for the 2020 World trial which was cancelled for Covid, so Seumas is delighted that her brace successes at the National and International have come as she approaches retirement.
LEADING awards
Supreme (Judges; M Watson (E); J McGinn (I); D Wallace (S); G Lewis (W)) – 15 ran –
1, D Jenkins Jock, Wales, 563 /680 (Merit 59 /60); 2, AL Owen’s Llangwm Bud, Wales, 561 (57); 3, RFM Ellis’ Bran Wales, 541 (52); 4, N McVicar’s Baledmund Pete, Scotland, 502 (46.5); 5, Ll Harries’ Preseli Fly Wales, 501 (45); 6, N Gillon’s Boss, Scotland, 496 (40.5);
7, GB Jones’ Max Wales, 483 (36); 8, DM McAuley’s Joe Ireland, 478 (32); 9, D Henderson’s Cemig Jewel, England, 464 (28); 10, SL Conn’s Yellowhill Chip, Ireland, 451 (24); 11, ACS Wilkinson’s Pip, England, 375 (20); 12, C Byrne’s Kilcreen Queen Ireland, 314 (16); 13, S Long’s Jack Ireland, 303 (12); =14, A Lyttle’s Twm Wales, 0 ; =14, E Hawkins’ Treflys Rob, England, 0
Qualifying – 60 ran – 1, Ll Harries’ Preseli Fly Wales, 388 /440; 2, RFM Ellis’ Bran Wales, 366; 3, DM McAuley’s Joe Ireland, 365; 4, C Byrne’s Kilcreen Queen Ireland, 361; 5, GB Jones’ Max Wales, 357; 6, S Long’s Jack Ireland, 356; 7, D Henderson’s Cemig Jewel, England, 354; 8, AL Owen’s Llangwm Bud, Wales, 353; 9, N McVicar’s Baledmund Pete, Scotland, 349; 10, ACS Wilkinson’s Pip, England, 347; 11, N Gillon’s Boss, Scotland, 342; 12, E Hawkins’ Treflys Rob, England, 340; 13, A Lyttle’s Twm Wales, 339; 14, D Jenkins Jock, Wales, 332; 15, SL Conn’s Yellowhill Chip, Ireland, 328;
Brace – (Judges; D Kennard (E); C McGarry (I); JR Welsh (S); J Griffith (W);) – 8 pairs ran – 1, S Campbell’s Bell & Queen, Scotland, 410 /560; 2, A Wilkinson’s Grace & Pip, 378; 3, GC Gardner’s Bonnie (Gum) & Meg, 376.
Team – 1, Wales, 3909; 2, Ireland, 3651; 3, England, 3436; 4, Scotland, 3328.
Driving – D Scrimgeour’s Braehead Dot, England.
Young handlers – J Howells’ Cydros Boss, Wales; 2, C Pattinson, England; 3, T Foley, Ireland; M Common, Scotland.
Photographs by Lisa Soar
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