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Jen is away and a good outrun but the sheep are heavy at the top and she's having trouble shifting them on to the line. They are coming slowly down the fetch on the same line Alasdair had with  Star and Jen is getting frustrated coming all the way around her sheep on the fetch. Derek has them moving across the course now, down the ridgeline but still coming in left of the panels. Strong work by Derek to  get the sheep back to the line and make the panels. Derek put the sheep right on the drop post, where they stayed. It looked like Jen was going to take the first turnback but she came forward and bumped the sheep  off the spot. Once they were moving, she didn't want to leave them and it took several tries before Derek could get her back to the second group.

The second group lifted like they have for most runs, a little harder than most handlers would like. I'm wondering if they can see sheep down the field. Jen got them slowed and stopped but as soon as she lifted them again they came hard down the filed towards the first group and missed the fetch panels on the left.

Sheep joined up and it was a good first leg of the drive. On a good line coming across and  hit the panels square.

Derek gave Jen a few minutes to cool off in the stock tank before starting his shed.

Good solid work in the shedding ring with no resheds required but unable to solve the puzzle of sheep who don't really want to leave the ring and time ran out with three or four left to shed off.

Score: 68 80 84 76 - 308

Alasdair MacRae and Nap are 2009 Champions and Alasdair MacRae and Star are the Reserver Champions

Good first outrun. Not much off the lift and a good start to the fetch. Good first line to the panels and Ross took the tunrback whistle well but started tight so Haley laid him down gave another turnback and a long away flank to put him on the right track back to his sheep. Good second lift but the sheep came off the top fast. Good work by Haley and Ross to hold the line coming down at speed. Really nice flanks on this dog. The sheep got left just above the panels and Haley had to hustle Ross over to stop them an put them back on line. Very nice work to make the panels at a walk.

Good lines on the drive all the way around but the sheep drifted low just coming into the cross drive panels and  Haley had to put Ross around to the front of the group to stop them and push them up into the panel.

The first group of nine came off easily and congregated around the pen. Haley worked a while to get the next one off and while she was chasing that one off, eight sheep left the other side of the ring. Bringing them back in, one collared ewe broke for the shed group and Haley caught her foot in a hole on the field and stumbled, preventing her from getting in front of the sheep or directing her dog. She had to regather and reshed but quickly got another nine off. Still eleven minutes on the clock but that slip may have cost her a shot at the  championship spoiling a near perfect run to that point. Eighteen minutes in the shedding ring and just couldn't get those few remaining sheep to move out. A stylish run and I really like how Haley handles a dog so disappointing that she did not get to complete her round.

Score:  118, 121, 199, 120 - 478

The last team, Derek Fisher and Jen with a chance to spoil a possible 1, 2 finish and 10th Championship for Alasdair MacRae is on the course.

Tess is away and like several dogs today, the side hill coming up the rise started to pull her in but she took Lavon's redirect on the fly and bent out to cover and lift her sheep nicely.  A good line on the fist leg of the fetch and safely through dead center of the panels. Tess took the lookback on the second whistle and had a good outrun back to the second group. The first group were dropped softly and stayed grazing 40 yards down from the drop spot. A perfect second lift, and a good  line at the top of the second drive. Tess is workig well off her sheep and having to cover a lot of ground on her flanks but had a great line on the second fetch. With the second group waiting quietly, the  join up was easy.

Really really nice drive all the way around. Got a tad high in the middle but put them back on line and through the middle of the panels.

Lavon shed off his first two groups of four or five easily but shedding on the back edge of the ring near the pen, he pushed the ten remaining sheep out of the ring twice. Lavon had eighteen minutes left on the clock entering the shedding ring and got his shed with thirty seconds on the clock. Not enough time for the pen which is too bad because this run was a contender were it not for sheep out of the ring a few times and the time out at the pen.

Score: 119, 120, 133, 122 - 494

Bud's Sam went wide to the left on the first gather and came in nicely but overflanked just a touch at the top. Lift was good and the first part of the fetch a little like the last two; too straight up the field, but Bud and Sam got it straightened out early enough that they had a good line to the panels.

Sam took the turnback well and gout out to his second group in good order. The second fetch started well but the sheep broke hard down the field to the right and missed the fetch panels wide to the right. Bud got things settled down and rejoined the groups at the turn. The drive was one of the nicer ones I have seen today with Bud doing a superb job of controlling both pace and line on the cross drive putting his sheep center of the panels.

In the shedding ring the first group shed off ended up where Bud didn't want, down and to the left of the ring, near the pen. Bud took his time moving them up the fence line to a more advantageous spot and started working on the remaining six or seven uncollareds. He got down to three left and decided to move the shed sheep off the side of the ring for a little safety margin.

Down to three with 2 minutes left, he got one to leave but Sam was not having any of it and fetched the sheep back to the ring. Time expired with three left to shed. A good run with Bud and Sam.

Score: 88,82,87,91 - 348

Fro those who emailed me looking for the judges scores for Alasdair MacRae and Star - 127, 124, 127, 136