THERE are few sports in which man and beast work more closely as a team than sheepdog trials.

Equestrian stars may differ, but watching a few over the years leaves you with the distinct impression the horse could manage perfectly well on its own most of the time.

Not so with One Man and his Dog.

Which is why, when Derek Lloyd pats young Moss on the head, there's real affection there. Because winning the English National Sheep Dog Championships was a team thing.

Derek would have looked daft running after those sheep himself and without his guiding whistle, Moss wouldn't have known where to steer them.

"He's a good dog," said Derek, with the farmer's economy of phrase. "Mind you, he's from a good line."

A very good line, in fact, because Moss's great-grandfather, a dog called Jim, won the same national title with Derek 20 years ago.

"Takes me back. There's been a drop of water under the bridge since then," he said.

Now 71, Derek has been competing in sheep dog trials for the best part of 50 years and has had his own dog for a lot longer than that.

"My dad bought me a pup when I was a young lad," he explained. "That was the first dog I had. He was called Fly."

After working together around the family farm, the pair built up a good enough understanding for Derek to start Fly in a few local trials.

"You could see he was good and perhaps if I had known a bit more we might have done better, but I was new to the job back then."

Even so, the combination had a fair measure of success, starting off by winning an event at Builth Wells.

Fly and a bitch called Floss set Derek on the trials trail and by the time 1983 came round he was right up there with the best.

"I had a lot of help from a wonderful man called John James, who lived at Kingsland in those days," he said. "He taught me a lot about working a dog in competition. He was just the sort of guide a young man wanted. I'd never have done so well if it hadn't been for John."

Derek ran his dog, Jim, in the English nationals in 1983 at Northleach, Gloucestershire, and won.

"It was a great day," he recalled, "and to think I did it again 20 years later was amazing. I was very pleased with how Moss went because we had a good win. We were 10 points clear of the dog in second place, which is a decent margin."

This year's English championships were held at Bolton Abbey, near Skipton, Yorkshire, and by triumphing there, Derek and Moss go on to the international championships at Stranraer in Scotland later this month.

"I'm hoping things will go well up there," he added, "but you can only try your best.

"I always like to have a good start because it boosts your confidence. And a bit of luck to go with it always helps."

In case you think this superstar of a national champion - Moss, I mean - has an easy ride at home, forget it.

While other sporting heroes might have light exercise between events, Moss has to be out on Derek's farm at Kimbolton, near Leominster, every day working round its flock of 300 Welsh Mule ewes.

"I've got four sheepdogs here and they all have to do their turn," he said.

"In fact, they love to. You can't stop them working."

So what makes a top trials dog?

"They must have a good temperament," Derek explained. "Be ready to do what they're told, but be able to work it out if the sheep are awkward.

"They haven't got to be too fast and rush about without thinking, but they need to be quick across the ground.

"They need to concentrate on the job and not be distracted."

Moss is four and a half years old now, probably about half way through his competition career.

"You don't see many top dogs over 10," said Derek. "That's about the extent of it."

So any day now Moss might be thinking of starting a family of his own to carry on the line.

At least he has time on his side before the last round-up.