Central Victorian Yard Dog Championships held at the the Australian Sheep & Wool Show

That's according to competition convener Rod Cavill, who said 305 entrants took part in the competition that went for three days at the Bendigo showgrounds.

The competition included entries from three states, as dogs and their handlers from Victoria, Tasmania and NSW tried their hands at the title.

The trial itself took place over three rounds of keen competition and the ultimate third round saw a dramatic tie for first place between Mitch Jubb, Hexham, with his Kelpie Woodja Cruise, and Ronald Pell, Undera, with his Kelpie Golden Valley Hitch.

The championship was then decided by a run off between first and second place which saw Mr Jubb and Woodja Cruise come through in first place and named as champions with a score of 323, while Mr Pell and Golden Valley Hitch placed second with a score of 299.

In third place was Tim Hall, Cressy, Tas, with his dog Jindi Spade.

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Mr Cavill said the atmosphere was electric as the competition reached its climax with everyone in attendance caught up in the action.

"We have some really good commentators on while the competition is running and they built up the suspense," he said.

"When you get a tie for first place that really helps it all too."

Both Woodja Cruise and Golden Valley Hitch are successful trial dogs, having both won events previously.

Mr Cavill was full of praise for the two dogs which provided strong competition.

"Woodja Cruise is a four-year-old Kelpie and is a very successful dog, he has won quite a few trials," he said.

"Rolland Pell's dog is about eight or nine-years-old and while he is probably on the tail end of his career, he has had a very successful 12 months.

"Both of these dogs also competed at the national championships in Tasmania in April."

It had been three years since the last championships were able to be held at the ASWS due to two COVID-induced cancellations.

Mr Cavill said everyone was really happy to be back at the trials after its sudden cancellation last year and he was grateful to all who attended.

"It was really good to be back after the disappointment of last year and its cancelation on the eve of the 2021 competition," he said.

"I was very pleased to be back on the job and to get so much support from the competitors.

"The crowd is always good at Bendigo, but this year it really was exceptional."

Mr Cavill said despite the occasional rain throughout the weekend, everyone was very upbeat on such a successful show.

"I was talking to a few people after we had all packed up and they were saying how good the show was and how good it was to have it back again after three years," he said.

He was grateful to all who helped enable the competition to go ahead, with a particular thanks to Gavin O'Sullivan, Elmore.

"Gavin supplied the 550 sheep for the trials and we are really grateful to him for his support of the competition," he said.

"To be honest, we really couldn't run the [event] without Gavin's support."

The competitions were livestreamed on the Victorian Yard Utility Farm Dog Association Facebook page here.