By JO HARRISON
Former Armidale local Ross Fletcher scored two near perfect performances with his dog Curly to win the open division of the New England Yard Dog Trials over the weekend at the Armidale Exhibition Centre.
He was closely followed by New England Yard Dog Club members Andrew Fittler in second place with Ben and Maree Moran in third place with Amber.
The final of the open division took place late on Sunday afternoon with six finalists vying for the title. The sheep were proving to be more difficult than in earlier rounds with a couple of ring leaders making it tough going for handlers and their dogs. Maree Moran and Amber with a score of 91 in their earlier round were the first out. All looked good for Maree and Amber until a stubborn sheep made life tough for Amber at the race. They finished with a score of 81 taking their total to 173. Next up was local John Rosten and Jane who also has a strong earlier score of 90. Again it was tough going with John finishing well below his best on 70 with a combined score of 162. Jenny Cox was next with Mayah sitting in a strong position with an earlier top score of 94. A disastrous round followed for Jenny and her dog who struggled at the race with some very cantankerous sheep and did not complete the round in time. She finished with a combined score of 118. Sarah Mortimer was next with Dixie. She had an earlier round of 90 followed by 80 to finish with 170 points. Eventual winner Ross Fletcher and Curly who had a top earlier round of 94 under their belt cruised through the round with another strong run of 94. He finished with a combined total of 187. Local Andrew Fittler and Ben put everything on the line in the last round of the day with a very impressive 94. Their earlier round was 91 giving them a total of 185, Just two points shy of the winner.
“It was a real good weekend as is usually the case here in Armidale,” Mr Fletcher said.
“The sheep were really difficult at the end and I was fortunate to get a nice leader among my little lot, so it was very lucky for me.”
The weekend was hugely successful with some top trialing on show. Andrew Fittler from the New England Yard Dog Club was pleased to see some of the best handlers and their dogs compete.
“I got close but couldn’t quite get the big one but overall it was a great event with quite a steady amount of spectators coming along over the whole weekend,” Mr Fittler said.
“I would like to thank everyone that gets behind this trial, we couldn’t have put this together without everyone’s support and the support of our sponsors.”
In the Maiden Trial, first was Nick Ray with Sweep on 175 points; second Justin Tombs with Kez on 173 points; and third Stuart Williamson with Sally on 172 points.
In the Novice Trial, first place went to John Rosten with Rosten’s Pearl on 186 points; second Michael Colvin with Bruce on 180 points; and Greg Addis with Holly on 179 points.
In the Improver Trial, first place went to Jai Moore with Kate on 181 points; second Justin Tombs with George on 176 points; and third Michael Colvin and Bruce on 169 points.
