Man and his dog tops

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 9, Issue 392, 25 June 1991, Page 1

Man and his dog tops

BY

JULDE

NATION

Raetihi farmer and dog trialist Merv Williams, is still in a state of shock after taking the Tux New Zealand sheepdog trial championships title recently. "It took a while to sink in," he said. "Now it has, it's bloody great!" Mr Williams and his 5-year old bitch Gay secured the title after a brilliant longhead run, despite heavy rain and poor visibility. "It was so bad during the run-off it was difficult to see the dog at the top of the hill," said Merv. Despite this they finished with an aggregate score of 98.75 - the highestpointed title run for some years. Gay finished the season with a creditable 27 qualifying points to her record. Mr Williams was the sole Wanganui contender in the heading run-off, the win more the Turnpage2

Man & his dog tops

From page 1 sweeter being his first New Zealand title. He said the competition was fierce and of an extremely high standard. Preparation for next year's championships to be held at Wanaka begins in February. Mr Williams and Gay must re-qualify at club trial level if they hope to defend their title at the event. Meanwhile they keep their hand in on the farm. Champion Gay, who is descended from a line of top performers, has taken part in countless trials and at five years of age is at her peak. "There really is no substitute for

experience," maintained Mr Williams. Taking part in trials has made work at home easier, he said. He is grateful for the opportunity to attend regular training days run by the Wanganui centre, that he

said proved very valuable. Mr Williams said strong support by his family has played a major role in his success story. A member of the

Raetihi Collie Club for the past 12 years - 10 years as secretary - Mr Williams is not the first to take a top title. Former members Bob Davis (1962) and Ned Dahms (1960) held the New Zealand title, with a

substantial number of other members qualifying at a national level. George West, Dick Eaton, Barry Joblin, and more recently, John Journeaux and Bruce Parkinson all featured as top contenders.