2016 Results - Day 1
Bore da! Good morning from the first day of the Welsh National. This year's event is being held at Tyfos, Llandrillo, by kind permission of David and Richard Williams.
The course is on a flat, open field. There are a few dips and hollows and the land falls away behind the lift post, where you can lose sight of the dogs. A river flows along the right hand side of the course and loops around the top of the field.
The outrun is around 420 yards. There is more open ground to the top right of the field. The drive is left-handed. The cross drive is quite a way in front of the fetch gates and on a slight angle up, and runs almost the whole width of the field.
The top five from each day will be chosen for the team. There are 45 singles runs in today's programme.
It is a quiet, still morning but rain is forecast.
The first couple of packets of sheep have been quite settled and working well.
This year's singles judges are Jeff Evans and E.P. Roberts. Judging the brace will be Gwynfor Thomas and Iolo Jones.
9.50am: The sheep continue to work well. The rain sets in as David Evans takes to the field with Tysswg Meg. So far more handlers are opting for the left-hand outrun.
Dylan Davies and Prince are top of the score board so far, with 194 points. Eight-year-old Prince is by Robert Ellis' Mirk, out of David Howells' Gwen.
11.30am: With the rain comes intermittent mobile signal - another trial of life!
Noon: Kevin Evans and Kemi Ross have gone to the top of the leader board on 206 points. Currently in second place is Richard Mill Chap and Don, scoring 196. With the sheep working well, giving everyone an equal chance, some high scores have been posted already.
Run number 16 is the last of the singles runs before today's brace competitors take to the field. There are three doubles runs today - Kevin Evans running Jimmy and Greg, John Griffith running Sam and Moss, and Colin Gordon running Glen and Maid.
Kevin Evans put in the best performance running first.
Today's doubles scores were:
Kevin Evans, Jimmy and Greg, 249;
J.R Griffith, Sam and Moss, 198;
Colin Gordon, Glen and Maid, 236.
The singles resumed after the doubles. The showers continue but the temperature is quite warm. The event is running very smoothly, with the sheep behaving at the top of the field and around the course. Although they are also quite settled at hand, a number of handlers have let them slip past the mouth of the pen. To get into today's top five, competitors and their dogs will need to be on form.
The judges introduced a standard this afternoon.
Only a couple of handlers have chosen to send their dogs on the right-hand outrun. The sheep are still running well, but one or two are just starting to stand against the dogs at-hand or are trying to break out of the ring or at the pen.
The lush clover is also tempting some packets to get their heads down around the course if they are not kept moving.
Later in the afternoon they became less settled at the top of the field.
A number of runs fell below standard in the afternoon, but depsite there only being 45 runs in the programme, it was quite a late finish.
Tomorrow's running will start at 7.30am.
Day One top five:
1; Run no. 44, M.L. Evans, Mac (alternate dog), 210;
2; run 19, A.L. Jones, Spot, 208;
3; run 15, D.K. Evans, Kemi Ross, 206;
4; run 36, G.L. Jones, Roy, 202;
5, run 12, R.M. Millichap, Don, 196, OLF 92
Reserve; A.M. Driscoll, Kinloch Pippi, 196, OLF 90.