URC Inter Area Finals Snowshill Broadway, Worcs 30th June 2024
On Sunday our team travelled to Snowshill for the 2024 area finals. This year’s Area Finals was hosted by the Border Counties & Cotswold Area at Shepherds Fold Farm by kind permission of Mr & Mrs T Booth. Our team was due to be Arthur Cook, Sharon Dingle & Liz Ingram. Unfortunately, Arthur had to drop out at the last minute and Vince Thorby stepped up as reserve with only 24 hours’ notice. We were blessed with a much cooler day than the previous week’s heat! To start the day our hosts provided tea coffee and bacon rolls, very welcome as most of us had travelled a long way with very early starts!
Twenty-seven dogs took part – nine teams, each with 3 handlers.
Shepherds farm is the most fabulous ground, rolling hills, woodlands and lake. Six tests were set across the grounds.
Test 1: Shot fired and marked dummy thrown x 2. You were then sent for the second dummy first. The ground was very undulating and long grass made it very tricky, losing sight of your dog.
Test 2: In deep woodland multiple shots fired then the team had to turn round and move away from the area and send for blinds away from the direction of the shot. They then came back to the starting point and sent for the blinds in the direction of the shots.
Test 3: Again, in the woods, each member stood as a distraction (rabbit) was pulled across the path in plain sight of the dog, you then had to send your dog past the ‘rabbit’ and retrieve a dummy further down the track. You then turned and sent for another dummy down a different track.
Test 4: The Lake. Standing up the hill from the lake a shot was fired, and dummy thrown into the lake. You then had to send for a blind either left or right at the water’s edge (order agreed by the team before hand) then send for the one on the lake. This was then repeated for each dog.
Test 5: All three walked up the hill with the judge, shot fired and two dummies thrown, this was then repeated another two times at various areas. Each dog was then sent for nominated dummy until two each had been retrieved.
Test 6: The team stood with the judge at the bottom of a steep hill with long grass and trees in front of them. Three areas had two dummies already thrown. The judge then advised which dummy he wanted and after that you could go for another area. Each dog had to retrieve from two different areas.
Some tests proved very tricky, only two teams managed to complete the day without a zero, unfortunately we were not one of them so no silverware this year. Two teams had a runoff for fourth place.
Afterwards we were treated to a lovely meal of either curry or pasta followed by some lovely homemade cakes. The raffle was drawn and then the awards and thank-you’s. Our hosts put on a lovely day, made everyone feel so welcome and must have had an army of people helping to make such a successful day. – Thank you Border Counties and Cotswold.
Team Results
First Place: Southern Area, winner of the Anglia Cup for highest placed Area
Second Place: Bucks Area, winner of the Bernard Hall Memorial Trophy for runner up team
Third Place: Midland Area
Fourth Place: Hants & SW
Individual results:
Highest Placed Individual winner of the Atherbram Cup: Reuben Corbett (Southern)
Individual Runner-Up, winner of the Shooting Times Trophy: Rob Smallman (Southern)
Highest Placed Newcomer, winner of the H.W. Froud Trophy: Reuben Corbett (Southern)
Highest Placed Host Area Individual, winner of the Casleton Trophy: Steven Prosser