Stuart Davidson had a busy and successful weekend, taking first and sixth places at Ardormie with Maid and Dan respectively, and reversing their places the next day at Sanquhar.

The Easycare gimmers at Ardormie ran well on a big, flat course, which ended with a shed, pen and single, with a marked shedding ring, but they could play up to avoid the pen.

Maid (B Strachan’s Sam, JC MacLachlan’s Sheila) worked well outbye and had a good drive, although the first leg was a little wide. She made a good shed, penned after retrieving a single breakaway and finished the winning run with a good single and a comfortable lead.

The Blackface gimmers at Sanquhar ran well on a testing 700-yard course that started at the top of a green hill, ran down into a valley, over a burn and rose up again on a matching slope where the sheep were released. The drive across the steep slope proved challenging and the sheep did not like it.

Dan (RW Harris’ Flyn and Straid Joe) responded to a whistle on his road out and found his sheep, brought them to Stuart, with just a kink in the line as he fetched them across the burn. With the difficulty that was par for the course, Dan drove his sheep and put them through both gates and finished his winning run with a good pen and shed and two good runs close behind him.

Mixed Mule and cross Texel gimmers at Tomatin were hard to pen and difficult to control on a flat course, with windy weather impairing the dogs’ hearing at the first drive gate and many handlers walked off.

John MacKillop's Zak (C Davidson’s Cap, SL Davidson’s Gillieglen Queen) ran out and lifted cleanly, fetched very well and put his sheep round the course and through the gates with wavers to the lines. He penned after a small break, and a clean shed set the seal on first place.

John MacDiarmid’s Floss (J MacDiarmid's Moss and Rule Bess) started similarly to Zac, with a clean outrun and lift, a good fetch and a neat drive for the conditions of the day. A clean pen followed and John went to the shed, in the lead, but a failed first attempt to shed before final success put Floss into second place.

Wild, windy weather made it impossible for dogs to hear commands outbye on the flat, 570m course and spoiled the running at Roro, unsettling the Blackface cross Swale hoggs.

Michael Davidson’s Heather (JP McGee’s Glencregg Silver, DP Mullaney’s Bell) ran out to her sheep, and although she was slow to lift, and slightly off line at the start of the fetch, as she came into hearing, she took Michael’s flank whistle and put the sheep through the fetch gate. She took them neatly round Michael’s feet and drove them away and across, but having put them through the cross drive gate, out of earshot, she almost brought them back again, but managed to get them down to the pen. The hoggs were unsettled there, but Heather penned and shed and earned first place.

LEADING awards

Ardormie (Judge: J McKenzie, Alyth). Open – 48 ran – 1, SL Davidson’s Maid, Sandbank, 98/110; 2, AD Carnegie’s Suus, Comrie, 94; 3, E Nilsson’s Midderry Kid, Balintore, 90; 4, B Smith’s Lass, Dunrossness, 88; 5, A Olofsson’s Templehall Fred, Alyth, 82; 6, SL Davidson’s Dan, Sandbank, 80.

Ulzieside, Sanquhar (Judge: F Shennan, Barr). Open – 59 ran – 1, SL Davidson’s Dan, Sandbank, 92 /100; 2, M McTeir’s Dan, Moniaive, 90 outbye; 3, R Henderson’s Roy, Crawford, 90; 4, L Christie’s Knock, Crieff, 87 outbye; 5, A Wilkie’s Spot (Mot), Glenmoy, 87; 6, SL Davidson’s Maid, Sandbank, 85; £305 raised for Scottish National trial funds.

Tomatin (Judge: S Grant, Strathcannaird). Open – 52 ran – 1, J MacKillop's Zac, Fort Augustus, 88; 2, J MacDiarmid’s Floss, Eynort, 84; 3, EC MacKinnon’s Buddy, Lochcarron, 83; 4, J Grant’s Pat, Dunbeath, 81; 5, A Cameron’s Jess, Callander, 78; 6, S Campbell’s Queen, Skye, 77; 7, A Cameron’s Meg, Callander, 71; 8, I MacKay’s Spur, Leanach, 69. Local – 1, I MacKay’s Spur, Leanach, 69; 2, H Munro’s Lil, Inverness, 51; 3, R Tulloch’s Will, Knocknagael, 48.

Roro (Judge: J MacDougall, Drymen). Open – 48 ran – 1, M Davidson’s Heather, Lilburn, 85; 2, N McVicar’s Baledmund Pete, Benmore, 84; 3, C Toner’s Tammi, Drimsynie, 81 outbye; 4, S Gallagher’s Iona, Ballyclare, 81; 5, M Gallagher’s Val, Alyth, 74; 6, M Gallagher’s Dalriada Arya, Alyth, 73.

Northumberland League

Netherwitton (Judge: J Robinson, Springhill). Open – 47 ran – 1, C Balmbro’s Liz, Wooler, 90; 2, JJ Pattinson’s Boo, Roman Wall, 86; 3, TW Longton’s Castor, Quernmore, 84; 4, C Balmbro’s Dot, Wooler, 82 outbye; 5, M Northwood’s Henry, East Woodburn, 82; 6, T Iley’s Watson, Longframlington, 80. Novice – 1, C Richardson’s Tansy, Allendale, 54.