Murray's spin on the bull pays off.

Byline: Chris Hansen The Register-Guard

Twenty minutes after getting off his bull, Richard Murray was still feeling queasy.

Murray was one of only four bullriders out of a field of 14 to record a successful ride Friday during the opening night of the Eugene Pro Rodeo before an estimated crowd of 4,500 at the Oregon Horse Center.

His score of 76 points was enough to put him in the lead heading into the final two rounds, and also earned him a check for $222.50.

It didn't come easy, however, as Murray's bull, 4x4, took him for an extended ride, spinning out of control for at least 15 seconds after the 8-second horn sounded.

"The bull was spinning so fast, I almost threw up," Murray said. "I was actually getting sick. But sometimes when he's spinning like that, you get scared to get off because you might jump down and the bull's head is right there."

In second place is Shane Proctor of Grandview, Wash., and Cole Harvey of Hermiston is third.

They scored 74 and 70 points, respectively. Both also earned $222.50 in day money.

Considering how successful the bulls were on Friday, Murray was optimistic his score would hold up through the weekend and get him a bigger paycheck come Monday.

"These are some rank bulls," said Murray, 28, a first-year professional from Lincoln, Calif. "But I did my job."

As did Shane Erickson, twice. The two-time Columbia River Circuit all-around champion and three-time Dodge National Circuit Finals qualifier holds the lead in a pair of events.

He recorded a time of 13.7 seconds in tie-down roping, and teamed with Quintin Josie to win the team-roping competition in 5.5 seconds - the fourth-fastest time ever recorded at the Eugene Pro Rodeo.

"We had a pretty good steer and just made it work," said Erickson, who was competing in the third of what will be eight rodeos by the time the Fourth of July weekend is over.

Erickson, who resides in Terrebonne, was confident the team-roping time would be difficult to beat, though he admitted that it will be harder to hold on to his place in the tie-down competition.

"The calves were a little uneven tonight, but they'll tighten up," Erickson said.

Trevor Duhon, who worked his way to Eugene from Hackberry, La., made the long trip pay off with a solid showing of 4.6 seconds in steer wrestling, just two-tenths of a second away from breaking into the Eugene Pro Rodeo's list of top-five times.

"They have some strong steers here, so this boosts my confidence a lot," said Duhon, 23, whose traveling partners are 1999 World Champion Mickey Gee and three-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier K.C. Jones.

Other leaders to come out of Friday's action include saddle bronc rider Justin Arnold.

He recorded a 74 against a seven-man field.

"I would have rode better but (the horse) pulled a bunch of rein out of my hand and left me with a little long," said Arnold, who is ranked second in the California Circuit. "But that (score) is OK for here. A lot of places it might not win it, but I leave here hoping."

In the night's first event, Scotty Drennan of Buffalo, Texas, and Ryan Schmelzer of Terrebonne, tied for first with scores of 77. In the barrel racing, Tracy Kenyon of Pendleton leads with a time of 17.39 seconds.

Today's action begins at 7:30 p.m.

CAPTION(S):

Justin Arnold, ranked second on the California circuit, is leading the saddle bronc competition at the Eugene Pro Rodeo after scoring a 74 on Friday at the Oregon Horse Center. Action continues at 7:30 p.m. today. Wayne Eastburn / The Register-Guard Bold text and this is light text and this is more light text Wayne Eastburn / The Register-Guard Shane Erickson of Terrebonne leads the tie-down roping competition with a time of 13.7 seconds after the first session of the Eugene Pro Rodeo. Marvin Core of Redmond is thrown off during the bareback riding competition on Friday night at the Eugene Pro Rodeo.