2007 Scottish Inter District
Nursery Final
Current Scottish National champion, Ian Brownlie, added a
new line to his trialling CV by winning the 2007 Scottish nursery championship with
his two year old Jill (W McAllister’s Hope, D Kinloch’s Fly), in front of a
crowd of around 400 at Pairney farm, Auchterarder on Saturday. (3/3/07)
Ian said,
“I was very pleased with Jill; she is very responsive and she has a great feel
for sheep, it makes the job easier for me.”
Ian won the Scottish National with Bess last year and the
Nursery final with Pip in 1998.
As captain of the Central Scotland
team, Ian led his troops to a
double triumph. On top of his own success, team mates, Neil Campbell of Kinross with Kate (JH Wilson’s
Drift, N Campbell’s Cass), Kathy Freeman, Killin with Bill (JA McLeod’s
Moss, K Freeman’s Nell), Andy
Carnegie, Comrie with Jim (T Longton’s Kep, F Ingham’s Jess), and Alan Wilkie, Lintrathen with Lad (RB Pugh’s Jim and
Cariboo Kate) contributed to a
sound base of workmanlike runs which led to Central’s team success.
Despite forecasts of snow, the winter sun shone on the
upward sweeping slope of Craigrossie, in the Ochils, where enthusiasts from
throughout the UK, USA and Europe had ranked their vehicles, sometimes three
deep, vying for the best view of the trial of nine teams of five dogs drawn
from Lewis to Stranraer and Yarrow. Passers by stopped on the roadside to watch
the spectacle of dogs, no older than two and a half years, guide packs of four spirited
greyface ewe hoggs round the course.
Ian’s win
with Jill was easily judged, finishing ten points ahead of the runner up, John
Allan’s Tweedhope Trim (Tweedhope Hope, V Billingham’s Tansy). Judge, Willie
Cormack of Thurso, said, “Ian was a clear winner, Jill worked well, she did
almost nothing wrong. It was tremendous run.”
For the greater, and earlier, part of the day, the gates
proved elusive and although the sheep generally stayed together on the field,
they deftly bypassed gates en masse. On occasions, when dogs were close by and
the hoggs gave themselves time to consider whether they should succumb to the
unknown terrors of the gate, one would take advantage of the opportunity to
peel off from the pack and slip by the gate. Around mid afternoon, the sheep
relented, and proved more tractable
Ian acknowledged that he was fortunate in the sheep he was
allotted, and that he had had the opportunity to realise that speed was going
to be an essential part of any successful run.
The course was set on the flat, and there seemed no reason for the sheep
to baulk at the gates, but they were certainly wary. Running to the right a
very slight hollow near the top of the field, hid the dog from the eyes of some
spectators. Jill, bred by David Kinloch of Kilsyth, was sent out to her right,
under the shadow of Craigrossie. She ran out the 300 yards for the four greyface sheep, took a whistle at the top of
the field to reach the sheep, lifted and brought them through the fetch gate,
the line wavering only slightly before the sheep got to Ian. Jill turned them
round his feet, drove them away and through the gates, turned them across the
field to the final set of gates, put them through and turned them back down
towards the pen. Ian stepped forward and the pair worked well together to pen the
four and shed them apart into two pairs. Jill’s good work earned the Jimmy
McNeil prize for her outbye work and the new John Paterson award for her
driving ability.
Runner up,
John Allan, running Tweedhope Trim, earned the Lyn Lewis trophy, having never
yet competed in a Scottish National. He
had a steady run, but had a wide turn out of his first gate. Willie Cormack
said, “John worked well, particularly at the pen. I was pleased to see a young
chap doing so well.”
Scottish Nursery Sheepdog Championship (Judge; W Cormack,
Thurso)
1, I Brownlie’s Jill, Forestmill, 98; Central
2, J Allan’s Tweedhope Trim, Mt Benger, 88; Borders
3, C Dickson’s Meg, Girvan, 86; South Ayrshire
4, J Casey's Ben, Campbeltown, 85;
Arran and Kintyre
5, G Marshall’s Scott, Cocklicks,
82 Outbye; Dumfriesshire
6, N Gillon ’s Spot, Dailly, 82;
South Ayrshire
7, J Robinson’s Vic, Coldingham,
78; Borders
8, JW Common’s Fly, Lockerbie, 77; Dumfriesshire
Teams
1, Central;
2, Borders;
3, Lanark, Lothian & Peebles.
John Ferguson cup (individual winner) – I Brownlie’s Jill,
Forestmill
Robert Wallace shield (winning
team) – Central 340 pts
Lyn Lewis trophy (never competed
at national trial) - J Allan’s Tweedhope Trim, Mt Benger
Inter district trophy (breeder of
winner) – D Kinloch, Kilsyth
Jimmy McNeil memorial trophy (best
outbye work) - I Brownlie’s Jill, Forestmill
John Paterson memorial trophy
(best drive) - I Brownlie’s Jill, Forestmill
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