Hypro Albany Arena 2025

Report by Marianne Rogers
Imaages Karyn Buller

It is great to run our dogs in Albany in November, where the weather is cooler than other parts of WA. Members from various clubs helped the Pingelly Club to put on this trial and we appreciate the huge effort this small club puts into our sport. 

Disappointingly, I had to pick up thirteen separate dog messes on the upper camping area on Sunday afternoon. These were fresh and from our triailers!

This reflects on all of us. We both can and should do better and leave the area as we find it.
Starting with the Open and a ring-off of forty points, the sheep were feisty from the get-go.

There were many retires, crosses, disqualifications and lost sheep. In fifty-seven runs, there were twenty scores. Seven of these scores were below sixty points. Eight of the twelve finalists managed a score for their second run.

The sheep were recycled for the Novice and Improver events and the ring-off of forty points was retained.

In the Novice event there were only five scores in forty-seven runs.

Three scores were above sixty. There were at least three ring offs at the pen and potentially if these were allowed to continue, may have scored above the scores that were awarded.
There were nine scores from fifty three runs in  the Improver event, with eight scores above sixty.

The aim in trialling is to get your sheep into the pen with a minimum loss of points. However the way the ring off is currently managed, we have triallers who have not penned, or may not even achieve the bridge, getting scores, beating rung off dogs that could have scored more points than them. 

Perhaps it is timely to reconsider rule 1.8 The judge may easily change the ring off level using one of the sets of figures in the table below;

Before Race	45
Before Bridge	52
Before Pen	60
Before Race	40
Before Bridge	47
Before Pen	55
Before Race	35
Before Bridge	42
Before Pen	50
Before Race	30
Before Bridge	37
Before Pen	45

To judgeequitably, only scores above the ring off value should be counted. eg. Ring off of 30 only count scores above 70. (At this trial if the ring off had been thirty points, with our previous more just option of obstacle points being added back, the triallers rung off at the pen would have had an additional five points to play with before being rung off.)

Trial organisers and/or trial committees could reconsider the now frequent use of ring offs. An increasing ring-off of fifty would prevent ongoing chasing around of sheep.

Discussions with Novice triallers indicate the majority would rather have less time per run and be awarded a score than have a ring-off. Others have suggested that if anyone makes it to the pen they should be allowed to continue. This may not be appropriate if sheep are being chased around the pen. Additionally, teams just managing to get past the bridge on tricky sheep deserve a score as they have gained fifteen points of obstacles.

This is no reflection on those teams which did achieve a score at this event.

The encourage event, judged by our ever-positive Frank Sutherland was won by Anna Edwards with Marionvale Myf and in second place was Paul McArdle with Marionvale Shadow. The highest score in the first round of the open was Grant Cooke with Grassvalley Palmer with 92.

There were no candidates for the Cocoacina award before the Albany trial but luckily, we had two at this trial. Tara Herbert with Marionvale Morton and Coutney Moir with Rocky Keelie made the open final. Tara Herbert with Marionvale Morton with an eighth place in the Open won the Cocoacina award. 

Dog of The Year was won by Simon Leaning with Marionvale Di with a score of 98.8 Runner up was Grant Cooke with Grassvalley Palmer with 74 points.

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Encourage
Judged by Frank Sutherland

No.	Worker	Dogs Name	Registration
1	Edwards A	Marionvale Myf	TBA
2	McArdle P	Marionvale Shadow	TBA

Novice
Judged by Richard McGuire

Run Order	Worker	Dog	Reg	1st	Total
1	Cooke G	Grassvalley Winger	2260 – 24	88	88
2	Boyle T	Boylee Puples	2296 – 24	73	73
3	Atherton K	Ramulam Kerri (K)	2178 – 21	62	62
4	Martino T	Ramulam Tracker (K)	W2254 – 23	56	56
5	Monaghan C	Graedawn Finn (K)	W2155 – 21	49	49

Improver
Judged by Karyn Buller

Place	Worker	Dog	Reg	1st	Total
1	Crozier T	Akoonah Billy	W2142 – 21	83	83
2	Atherton K	Ramulam Kerri (K)	2178 – 21	77	77
3	Martino T	Marionvale Bo (K)	W2093 – 19	70	70
4	Wallace Steve	Rocky Roxie	W2164 – 22	69	69
5	Macdonald G	Ellie	2008 – 18	66	66
6	Atherton K	Ramulam Blue (K)	2165 – 22	65	65
7	Einarsson P	Bellview Lexie	2205 – 22	64	64
8	Moir C	Rocky Keelie	W2186 – 22	63	63
9	Martino T	Ramulam Tracker (K)	W2254 – 23	48	48

Open
Judged by Jane Dorrell

Place	Worker	Dog	Reg	1st	2nd	Total
1	Cooke G	Grassvalley Palmer	2100 – 20	92	95	187
2	Cooke G	Grassvalley Grace	2259 – 23	86	81	167
3	Gorman P	Badgingarra Missy	2158	81	71	152
4	Leaning S	Marionvale Woody (K)	2157	83	68	151
5	Atherton K	Ramulam Fella (K)	1957 – 18	68	65	133
6	Morton L	Yilgangie Izzie (K)	2246 – 23	78	54	132
7	Leaning S	Marionvale Di	2046	75	45	120
8	Herbert T	Marionvale Morton	2154 – 21	76	23	99
9	Cooke G	Grassvalley Bluey	1898 – 16	87	X	87
10	Atherton K	Ramulam Prickles (K)	2079 – 21	81	LS	81
11	Leaning S	Marionvale Pete	2223	72	SCR	72
12	Moir C	Rocky Keelie	W2186 – 22	65	X	65

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