The Welsh Corgi Club of NSW October 3 and 4 SprintDog™ Trials, Orchard Hills
Following the success of our inaugural SprintDog™ Trial, the Welsh Corgi Club of NSW returned to the DOGS NSW grounds at Orchard Hills on Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 October 2026 for another milestone — our first two-day SprintDog™ trial weekend.
The response from the SprintDog™ community was once again wonderful, with 258 entries across the weekend — 128 on Saturday and 130 on Sunday.
Across the two days, 242 dogs presented to run, producing 217 qualifying performances. Just as importantly, we were delighted to welcome a number of new exhibitors taking their first steps into SprintDog™.
For the Welsh Corgi Club of NSW, SprintDog™ represents more than simply another dog sport. It is part of the Club’s commitment to introducing new initiatives that better support our members and create a more inclusive and engaging club. By providing opportunities for members and their Corgis to participate together beyond the traditional show ring, we hope to encourage greater involvement across our membership, strengthen the bond between owners and their dogs, and celebrate the versatility of both the Cardigan and Pembroke Welsh Corgi.
Seeing experienced competitors welcoming newcomers, answering questions and offering encouragement throughout the weekend was exactly the kind of atmosphere we hoped to create.
If organising our first double trial wasn’t challenging enough, the weather decided to test us as well.
Saturday began misty and wet, with rain making the track increasingly slippery. Then came something nobody had planned for — swarms of flying ants.
With the combination of the wet track and insect swarms creating increasingly difficult conditions, the decision was made to conclude the trial after Run One in the interests of dog and competitor safety.
Sunday brought another foggy start before conditions changed dramatically. The fog cleared and temperatures climbed into a searingly hot day — accompanied, once again, by swarms of insects.
With welfare always our first priority, the Club again concluded competition after Run One in accordance with DOGS NSW requirements and extreme-weather guidelines.
Our competitors were extraordinarily understanding on both days. We sincerely thank everyone for accepting the changing circumstances with good humour and for supporting the decisions made in the interests of our dogs.
Despite everything the weather threw at us, there was still an enormous amount to celebrate.
Saturday gave us two particularly special moments when two new SprintDog™ Champions were crowned — and both made history for their breeds.
Our judge Ally Turnbull celebrated with her Clumber Spaniel Rosie, CH. AEROFEE BLUE MOON SPRD.M, who became the first Clumber Spaniel to achieve the SprintDog™ Champion title.
There was even more reason for the Welsh Corgi Club of NSW to celebrate when Club member and trial volunteer Michelle Young’s Kenzie, CH. FERGWYN U HAD ME AT HELLO SPRD.M (NBT), also achieved her SprintDog™ Champion title. Kenzie’s Saturday performance was the culmination of a just over a year of hard work, education and effort and in becoming a SprintDog™ Champion, Kenzie became the first Pembroke Welsh Corgi in Australia to achieve the title.
For Michelle, who had also volunteered her time to help make the weekend possible, achieving that milestone at a Welsh Corgi Club of NSW SprintDog™ Trial made the occasion particularly special.
Club member Victoria Lee also had two members of her team gain new titles on Saturday, giving us even more reason to celebrate.
The celebrations continued on Sunday when Michelle Young’s Ziggi — A2O CH. GRAND CH. ANDVOL ZIGGI STURDUST SPRD.M (IMP RUS) — completed another qualifying run.
That performance saw Ziggi also become a SprintDog™ Champion.
For our Club, watching two Pembroke Welsh Corgis belonging to one of our members achieve their SprintDog™ Champion titles over our own two-day trial weekend was something very special indeed.
Only a few months earlier, the Welsh Corgi Club of NSW had conducted its first-ever dog sporting event. Now we were watching Corgis make SprintDog™ history at an event conducted by their own breed club.
Naturally, there was a strong Corgi presence throughout the weekend, with both Pembroke and Cardigan Welsh Corgis taking their turns on the SprintDog™ track.
For us, their participation is every bit as important as the titles.
SprintDog™ gives our members another opportunity to get out and enjoy an activity with their Corgis, and it has been wonderful to see a growing number embracing the sport. Across the October weekend, six Pembroke Welsh Corgis took to the course — Michelle Young with Ziggi and Kenzie, Pamela Hunt with Walton, Amy Keenan with Bertie and Bobsie, and Victoria Lee with Freddie and Kára — together with Melinda Mills and Cardigan Welsh Corgi Iago.
Our Corgis and their handlers were at different stages of their SprintDog™ journeys, from established competitors working towards higher titles to those gaining experience in the sport. Their involvement is exactly what the Club hopes to encourage through initiatives such as SprintDog™ — more opportunities for members to participate with their dogs and become involved in Club activities beyond the traditional show ring.
We also missed several Club members and their Corgis who had entered but were unfortunately unable to compete — Julieanne Vanderwey with Cardigans Carys and Arwyn, Tracy Hofman with Pembroke William and Lauren Leslie with Pembroke Arrow.
Seeing our Corgis on the course alongside such a diverse range of breeds from the wider dog community was a wonderful reminder of their versatility and enthusiasm, and, most importantly, the partnership between our members and their dogs.
One of the most rewarding aspects of the weekend was welcoming new exhibitors into the SprintDog™ community.
Trying a new dog sport for the first time can be daunting. There are rules to learn, equipment to organise and unfamiliar roles such as releasing and catching to understand.
We were immensely proud of the way our volunteers and experienced competitors supported those who were new to the sport.
Questions were answered, assistance was freely offered and encouragement could be heard throughout the weekend. Our volunteers were friendly, approachable and willing to step in wherever help was needed.
That welcoming environment is something the Welsh Corgi Club of NSW wants to continue fostering at our future sporting events.
Conducting two SprintDog™ trials across one weekend required an enormous volunteer effort.
Our judges for the weekend were Kath Purkis and Ally Turnbull, with Belinda Mitchell, assisted by trainees, operating the lure. Kim Sammut served as the DOGS NSW Representative on Saturday and Pam Ellis on Sunday.
Behind them was a wonderful group of volunteers who worked across check-in, marshalling, catching, releasing, timing, gate management, equipment, awards and the countless other jobs required to keep a SprintDog™ trial operating.
The difficult conditions made their contribution even more valuable. Plans changed, weather conditions changed and unexpected challenges appeared — yet our volunteers simply adapted and kept going.
We are immensely grateful to every person who gave their time, knowledge and energy to make our first double SprintDog™ trial such a success.
We would particularly like to acknowledge the Field Spaniel Club and Kath Purkis for their support and unstinting generosity towards our Club. Their assistance and encouragement have been greatly appreciated, and we sincerely thank them for everything they have done to support the Welsh Corgi Club of NSW as we continue developing our involvement in dog sports.
Our Sunday trial was also an important day for the continuing development of SprintDog™ in NSW, with the event being used for the final assessment of two prospective Sprint Marshals.
Under the guidance and expertise of our Sprint Marshal Priscilla Hickie, Rachie Mills and Julie Hurt undertook their final practical assessments while working at our trial.
We were absolutely delighted when both successfully passed their assessments, meaning NSW finished the weekend with two more qualified Sprint Marshals.
This is something the Welsh Corgi Club of NSW is particularly proud to have played a part in. Developing dog sports is about more than simply conducting trials — the sport also needs knowledgeable and experienced officials who are prepared to take on the responsibility of ensuring events are conducted safely and successfully.
Providing Rachie and Julie with the opportunity to complete this important final stage of their qualification at our trial was therefore something we were very happy to support.
Our congratulations to Rachie and Julie on becoming qualified Sprint Marshals, and our sincere thanks to Priscilla for sharing her knowledge, experience and time throughout their assessment.
For a Club that only conducted its first dog sporting event a few months earlier, being able to now contribute to the development of new SprintDog™ officials in NSW is another milestone of which we are immensely proud.
We were fortunate to have photographers on hand across both days to capture the action and celebrations.
On Saturday, Joley from Rustic Lens joined us to photograph the dogs on the SprintDog™ track, while on Sunday Jess from Coast & Kin captured both photographs and video.
From first-time competitors to new titles and our new SprintDog™ Champions, there were certainly plenty of moments worth remembering.
Our October weekend was again generously supported by Bow-Wow Bakery, Puppyporium and Leatherworks 4 Dogs.
Our fundraising raffle included Bow-Wow Bakery treats, Puppyporium treats, a $130 Leatherworks 4 Dogs voucher and a Golden Ticket to one of the Welsh Corgi Club of NSW’s three 2027 SprintDog™ trials.
Congratulations to our raffle winners, Nikki Zullo and Niamh Hutchison!
We sincerely thank our sponsors for supporting the Club and helping us make our SprintDog™ trials that little bit more special for our exhibitors.
Most importantly, thank you to everyone who made our first double SprintDog™ trial weekend possible.
Special thanks must go to several of our Club members who took on key roles across the weekend: Michelle Young, our SprintDog™ spokesperson, Melinda Mills, who served as Trial Manager, and Amy Keenan, who generously stepped into a variety of volunteer roles across the two days.
To our judges and officials, our extraordinarily hardworking volunteers from outside our Club, our sponsors and photographers; to the experienced competitors who helped newcomers; to the first-time exhibitors who decided to give SprintDog™ a go; and to every exhibitor who entrusted us with their dogs — thank you.
The weekend didn’t unfold exactly as we had planned. We had mist, rain, a slippery track, fog, soaring temperatures and what sometimes seemed like an endless supply of flying ants.
But we also had new exhibitors welcomed into the sport, 217 qualifying performances, new titles, new SprintDog™ Champions, Corgis making history, two newly qualified Sprint Marshals, volunteers supporting one another and competitors demonstrating wonderful sportsmanship.
Those are the things we will remember.
From our inaugural trial to our first double trial weekend in only a few months, the Welsh Corgi Club of NSW’s journey into dog sports continues to grow.
We are immensely grateful to everyone who helped make the weekend such a success, and we look forward to welcoming the SprintDog™ community back again in 2027.
| Day | Cat. | Registered Name | Call Name | Owner/Handler | Breed | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday | 1 | A2O CH. GRAND CH. ANDVOL ZIGGI STURDUST SPRD.M (IMP RUS) | Ziggi | Mrs Michelle Young | Welsh Corgi (Pembroke) | 36 |
| Sunday | 1 | A2O CH. GRAND CH. ANDVOL ZIGGI STURDUST SPRD.M (IMP RUS) | Ziggi | Mrs Michelle Young | Welsh Corgi (Pembroke) | 36 |
| Saturday | 3 | CH. FERGWYN U HAD ME AT HELLO SPRD.M (NBT) | Kenzie | Mrs Michelle Young | Welsh Corgi (Pembroke) | 37 |
| Sunday | 3 | CH. FERGWYN U HAD ME AT HELLO SPRD.M (NBT) | Kenzie | Mrs Michelle Young | Welsh Corgi (Pembroke) | 36 |
| Saturday | 4 | ANWYL MOONSHINE MAGIC (AI) SPRD.A | Walton | Ms Pamela Hunt | Welsh Corgi (Pembroke) | 42 |
| Sunday | 4 | ANWYL MOONSHINE MAGIC (AI) SPRD.A | Walton | Ms Pamela Hunt | Welsh Corgi (Pembroke) | 42 |
| Saturday | 11 | CH. MANDENE BALERION AP IAGO SPRD.M | Iago | Ms Melinda Mills | Welsh Corgi (Cardigan) | 38 |
| Sunday | 27 | CH. MANDENE BALERION AP IAGO SPRD.M | Iago | Ms Melinda Mills | Welsh Corgi (Cardigan) | 37 |
| Saturday | 12 | CH. VELCALLE WHISKY IN THE JAR SPRD | Bertie | Ms Amy Keenan | Welsh Corgi (Pembroke) | 36 |
| Sunday | 12 | CH. VELCALLE WHISKY IN THE JAR SPRD | Bertie | Ms Amy Keenan | Welsh Corgi (Pembroke) | 37 |
| Saturday | 54 | PROBABLECORG N.SPRD | Bobsie | Ms Amy Keenan | Welsh Corgi (Pembroke) – Associate Register | 38 |
| Sunday | 54 | PROBABLECORG N.SPRD | Bobsie | Ms Amy Keenan | Welsh Corgi (Pembroke) – Associate Register | 37 |
| Saturday | 107 | VELCALLE SONG OF THE VALKYRIE AT AZIAH (AI) | Kara | Mrs Liana Bettison & Miss Victoria Lee | Welsh Corgi (Pembroke) | 43 |
| Sunday | 128 | VELCALLE SONG OF THE VALKYRIE AT AZIAH (AI) | Kara | Mrs Liana Bettison & Miss Victoria Lee | Welsh Corgi (Pembroke) | 43 |
| Saturday | 117 | CH. DAWCO THE PROHIBITION AT AZIAH (AI) | Freddie | Mrs Liana Bettison & Miss Victoria Lee | Welsh Corgi (Pembroke) | 49 |
| Sunday | 109 | CH. DAWCO THE PROHIBITION AT AZIAH (AI) | Freddie | Mrs Liana Bettison & Miss Victoria Lee | Welsh Corgi (Pembroke) | 51 |
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