'Newcomer' chosen as sheepdog trial captain

Matthew Watson, of Tadcaster, became the automatic choice by winning the English National Sheepdog Trials at Alnwick Castle, Northumberland, two weeks ago. Carol Mellin, from Oakworth, near Keighley, also qualified for the team, with Maisie, aged eight.

A Herefordshire man, aged 34, Mr Watson took a tenancy in the Tadcaster area a year ago, to run his own 250-ewe flock of Welsh sheep – mainly Beulahs – and to do contract work on other sheep farms.

He got into trials relatively late. He was a 20-year-old working at Oaklands College, in his home county, after getting his first farming qualification, when he realised the value of a trained dog. He signed up for a course at Pembrokeshire Sheepdogs in south west Wales and later bought his first pups there. Most of eight current dogs – two retired, two in training and four working – can be traced back to that source.

He has qualified for the English team three times before and he was English shepherds' champion in the English national trials in 2004.

But this is his first year as overall winner. There is a separate title for professional shepherds because quite a lot of people go into trialing as a hobby.

However, Mr Watson commented this week: "It is working every day which makes the best dogs. That is how they get the experience for all situations."

He qualified for the Alnwick championship with two dogs – Clive, aged four, and seven-year-old Milo – and won with Milo, a red-and-white Border collie which was fathered by another of his dogs, Cockburn Moss, and born to a bitch he bred but sold on, Sian, who is descended from a noted dog called Storm.

Red-and-whites are slightly unusual in top-level trials because there is a theory that sheep are frightened of them – possibly because their colouring is reminiscent of foxes.

Mr Watson said he had sometimes noticed what might be an unusual reaction to Milo but the dog was forceful enough to overcome it.

The English championship involves the top 150 dogs in the country, as measured by performance over the previous three years. The 15 best will compete against similar teams in what is chauvinistically known as the International Trials (September 16-19) although it only includes Wales, Scotland and both halves of Ireland.

There is a play-off of the top performers for a best dog championship on the final day. Mr Watson has never got that far and hopes this year will be his turn.

The next World Sheepdog Trials will be held at the Lowther Park Estate, Penrith, September 15-18, 2011. It is only held every three years. Competitors from 21 countries are expected – and 30,000 spectators.

At the launch event to announce the booking, earlier this year, Scottish farmer and broadcaster Sir Johnny Scott said: "In 1880, the Scottish poet and novelist James Hogg said 'Without the shepherd's dog, the whole of the open mountainous land in Scotland would not be worth a sixpence'. This is not only as true today as it was then, but now applies in all parts of the world."

CW 4/9/10