Our first test of the year for Special Puppy, Novice and Veteran was held on 14th April 2013, at Gardeners Farm, Springfield, Chelmsford, by kind permission of Mr John & Robert Bucknall. Once again generously sponsored by Masters Dog Food. With over 40 entries and four judges it was going to be a busy day. The judges were Ron Jeffereys, Roger Wade, Peter Lamb & Tom Lowe. We also had a professional photographer for the day Ray Hood, (www.country-trail-images.co.uk) who took some great photos. On a day that promised temperatures in the late teens, we were not prepared for the strong winds, which certainly tested the handler’s abilities. But it did stay dry.
Test one was under Roger Wade, which consisted of a mark downhill, which for novice and veterans became a memory, the second retrieve was a blind retrieve into a ditch. This tested the handlers, as obviously the dogs were drawn to the mark. With the strong cross wind, you needed to get the dog to the right of the ditch as they would then scent the dummy, and hopefully drop into the ditch to retrieve it. Test two was judged by Peter Lamb. This was a single marked retrieve, which ideally the dogs went through the cover then out onto a piece of open ground. There was the opportunity for the dogs to run round to avoid going into the rough ground, which would have lost a few marks.
Test three was with Tom Lowe, a short walk up in pairs. There was a mark to the left, which was up a bank, again the wind was a major factor for getting the dogs in the right area. The second dog then had a long mark in front near some reeds. The dogs then had to go for the opposite retrieves, testing their steadiness. The final test was with Ron Jeffrey, a long double blind, which caught out a number of dogs. After two shots in the area of the dummy, the dog was sent straight ahead, hopefully through a gap in the hedge, but many dogs pulled to the right. The second retrieve was over to the right, and both of these retrieves required a considerable amount of handling from the majority of the competitors.
Special Puppy
| Position | Name | Breed/sex | Handler |
|---|
| 1st |
Fetchacur Lamsey |
LR B |
D Kimmins |
| 2nd |
Brockaghs Dervla |
LR B |
J Collins |
3rd
|
Surprise is Golden |
LR B |
A Ince |
4th
|
Tuscanni Winston of Fobbingacres |
LR D |
C Brown |
Novice
| Position | Name | Breed/sex | Handler |
|---|
| 1st |
Styledawn Duchess |
LR B |
C Heasman |
| 2nd |
Overthwarts Tweed |
LR D |
J Wright |
3rd
|
Artful Albie |
LR D |
A Acton |
4th
|
Overthwarts Berwick |
LR D |
A Wright |
Veteran
| Position | Name | Breed/sex | Handler |
|---|
| 1st |
Elder Athos |
LR D |
M Elsey |
| 2nd |
Glensue Ultra of Ardyle |
LR D |
L Hudson |
3rd
|
Luddesdowne Scarlett of Oysterbed |
LR D |
G Vidler |
Best Golden Retriever - J Debnam's Lilleburne Colne Point Peg
Judges' Choice - A Wright's Overthwarts Berwick