Area Finals 2017
The 2017 Area Finals were hosted by Lincolnshire in the picturesque grounds of Grovewell Farm by kind permission of Mr and Mrs J James. A beautiful setting for such a great competition.
The judges were Mr R Beckerleg, Mr P Smithies, Mrs S Lowe, Mr D Higgs and Mr J Day and thanks goes to them for giving up their time to judge the competition.
The Essex team this year was Liz Ingram with her multiple winning bitch Garrethall Ouka, Jim Collins with his smart young homebred dog Brockaghs Forba and Andy Ince with his bitch, Surprise is Golden.
The teams were set five tests which comprised of memories, marks, blinds, fences and walk ups which tested the dogs’ steadiness and the competitors handling and the hilly contours of the grounds added to the challenge. The only test missing was a water test but the lovely lake in the grounds was deemed unsafe due to excessive weeds which was a shame. After the five tests had been completed the teams were asked to nominate one of their team to run one more test. Essex chose Liz who done a good job retrieving a long blind up a steep hill.
The tests were finished and the competitors were treated to a copious and delicious barbeque which was enjoyed by all.
Congratulations go to the winning Midlands team, who also had the top point scorer in their team. This was Mrs C Probert in her first appearance in the finals, a great achievement. The Essex team finished in 5th place which they were a little disappointed in, but they all agreed that they’d had a most enjoyable day in the company of some lovely people.
Andy Ince